The countdown is on. With one week to go till the 2017 Rugby League World Cup kicks off on Friday 27th October, I’m preparing my couch seat for the imprint of my sizeable rear end – the inevitable result of six weekends of Spring footy.

The event will be staged at venues across Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea and will feature 14 nations in the men’s tournament, and 6 countries competing for the women’s title.
For those of us who love our rugby league, the season will effectively extend into summer, with the final to be held on December 2 at Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane. It might be tough for the players, but being a rugby league tragic, I’ll selfishly enjoy watching the footy in what is traditionally cricket’s time to shine.
Although no Eels players were included in the Kangaroos squad, there’s a raft of blue and gold representation to be found across a number of the other teams.
If, like me, your interest is focussed on matches featuring Parramatta players, you would probably want to be all over who to watch and when you can catch them.
Congratulations! You’ve come to the right place.
Here are the nations and the Eels players lining up in their colours:

Lebanon
Tim Mannah
Mitch Moses (vc)
Anthony Layoun (Eels NYC)

New Zealand
Brad Takairangi

Samoa
Frank Pritchard
Suaia Matagi

Tonga
Michael Jennings
Manu Ma’u
Peni Terepo

Italy
Daniel Alvaro
Nathan Brown

Fiji
Kane Evans (2018 recruit)
Salesi Faingaa ( Eels NYC)

A number of Wentworthville players can be found in the tournament, particularly in the Lebanon squad.
Nick Kassis, Danny Barakat and Elias Sukka will all be lining up for the Cedars. Wenty stalwart, Danny Howard will again be donning the jersey for the USA.

The schedule for teams featuring Eels players is as follows (all times are AEDT):

28th October
6:10pm New Zealand vs Samoa – Auckland
8:40pm Fiji vs USA – Townsville

29th October
3pm Italy vs Ireland – Cairns
4pm Lebanon vs France – Canberra
5:15pm Tonga vs Scotland – Cairns

4th November
3pm New Zealand vs Scotland – Christchurch
5:30pm Samoa vs Tonga – Hamilton
8pm Lebanon vs England – Sydney

5th November
5pm Italy vs USA – Townsville
7:30pm Fiji vs Wales – Townsville

10th November
7:40pm Fiji vs Italy – Canberra

11th November
3pm New Zealand vs Tonga – Hamilton
6pm Samoa vs Scotland – Cairns
8pm Lebanon vs Australia – Sydney

17th -19th November
Quarter Finals

24th – 25th November

Semi Finals

2nd December

Final

Of course, in a tournament of 28 matches, there’s plenty of other clashes to watch and some of the game’s lesser known characters always seem to garner interesting headlines. Despite its critics, there’s tremendous entertainment to be found over 6 weekends and I’m sure that my remote will be locked onto the coverage.

On the subject of entertainment, you’d be silly not to catch some of the women’s matches. The ladies play football in its purest form – they run hard, tackle harder and play the game for the love of the sport. The skill factor in their game continues to grow, and though not too many of the players are household names (yet), the day is fast approaching when a women’s match will be a part of NRL match days.

Australia will undoubtedly occupy a spot in the men’s final, and the reason is simple. No other team comes close to fielding a spine in the same galaxy as the Kangaroos. Even without Thurston, players like Cronk, Slater and Smith will stamp their mark on the matches and make quality players in the Australian side look even better than they are.

Therefore, the interest will centre on who will claim the other dressing room at Suncorp Stadium on December 2.

Even though the Poms regularly misfire in their trips to Australia, I expect them to qualify for the final. Having world class players such as Widdop and Hodgson in the spine should, I repeat SHOULD, put them at a different level to the other contenders. If either goes down with injury, the English will quickly come back to the field.

Withdrawals through injuries or other circumstances has seen the New Zealand team significantly weakened. Earning a Kiwi jersey would undoubtedly be a proud moment for Brad Takairangi, and I wonder whether he will take his place in the centres or off the bench. Regardless, this is a massively under strength New Zealand squad. After an inglorious 2017, a huge question mark hangs over the ability of Shaun Johnson to lead a team around the park. Though brilliant on his day, the Kiwi half had minimal impact in a disappointing season for the Warriors. Under normal circumstances you’d assess our mates from across the ditch as genuine contenders. I can’t see them getting close this year.

Samoa are regularly viewed as an emerging threat on the world stage. Their clashes against Pacific counterparts like Tonga have all the subtlety of a monster truck jam. Their forwards are simply massive humans, and Frank Pritchard is typical of the size that they boast. Though not in the giant category, Suaia Matagi personifies the power that Samoans bring to the footy field. Junior Paulo and Josh Papalii will leave plenty of battered bodies in their wake and ensure that they qualify for the quarter finals.

As if Manu Ma’u doesn’t look scary enough in Eels colours….

Perhaps the time could be right for a Tongan team boosted by the inclusion of Taumololo and Fifita. With Ma’u, Jennings and Terepo in their squad, Tonga might even claim strong support from western Sydney in their bid to mark their place in World Rugby League. The strength in the Tongan squad lies in its forwards and outside backs. However, this also highlights that they lack the class in the spine to challenge for the title. The physicality of their play could still carry them a long way in a tournament that mostly involves “developing nations”.

The Cedars brains trust.

I’ll be most interested in watching Mitch Moses guide the Lebanese team around against England and Australia. It won’t be an easy task, but for the young half, the experience of taking on a vice-captaincy role will add to his development as he looks to cement his place as a leading NRL playmaker. I rate the Lebanese spine highly, with experienced dummy halves such as Farah and Lichaa providing strong service and support for Moses. They will also benefit from having the calming influence of Eels captain Tim Mannah alongside them in the trenches. Young Eels NYC custodian, Anthony Layoun, gets his opportunity on the big stage. He is a positionally sound fullback who’s taken on a leadership role with his under 20s team. Reece Robinson and his brother Travis offer great pace to their backline. The questions basically surround the ability of the less experienced players in the Lebanese team being able to execute their roles alongside the stars.

Brown and Alvaro add class and aggression to the Azzurri pack.

The Italian team might also give their opponents a run for their money. Star custodian James Tedesco is a massive inclusion. Eels forwards Nathan Brown and Danny Alvaro were both in career best form throughout 2017 and the Azzurri will be the beneficiaries of their talents. Although they’d like greater depth, the draw is kind and their progression comes down to their performance against Fiji.

Fiji’s chances will fall onto the shoulders of Jarryd Hayne. The “Plane” will probably have to assume a playmaking role in their matches and will need to find a way of unleashing the athleticism of his team mates. All Eels supporters eyes will be on Kane Evans as he begins his quest to reboot his career in different colours. The World Cup is probably the ideal launch pad for his switch to the blue and golds. I expect his charges into the defence lines to be a feature of his play, and he has surprising pace should he get into open spaces. Parramatta fans will also keep a close watch on Eels NYC back rower, Salesi Faingaa. He is a ridiculously talented ball player with genuine defensive aggression. I’d be disappointed to not see a couple of highlight reel plays from his pool matches.
There you have it. With plenty of Eels players on show, even the most parochial Parra fan should be kept glued to their screens over the next month or so.

It should be an intriguing tournament.
Eels forever!
Sixties

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