Panthers vs Eels (Round 1)

Date: Sunday 11^th of March 2018

Venue: Panthers Stadium

Kick off: 4:10pm (NSW cup 1:45pm)

Head Referee: Ashley Klein

Assistant Referee: Matt Noyen

Head to head: Played 46, Panthers 22, Eels 23, drawn 1

Head to head odds: Panthers ($ 1.85), Eels ($ 1.95)

Broadcast: Live Fox Sports and Channel – Coverage from 3:30pm

Last four encounters:

01. Eels 18, Panthers 12 at ANZ Stadium (2017)

02. Panthers 22, Eels 18 at Panthers Stadium (2016)

03. Panthers 20, Eels 18 at Pirtek Stadium (2016)

04. Eels 10, Panthers 4 at TIO Stadium (2015)

Warm Up:

 Ladies and gentleman, Eels and NRL supporters alike, I would like to officially welcome you all to the end of the NRL’s off season and the beginning of the 2018 NRL season.

Say goodbye to the cricket bats and tennis racquets and hello to almost 8 months of nonstop Rugby League. If you’re not a supporter of the mighty Parramatta Eels there is a good chance that the 2018 NRL season has already begun for you. However, Eels fans like myself will be waiting till Sunday for our fix.

Billed as “The Battle of the West” this clash is part of the annual bragging rights contest between local rivals and in this instance both clubs will be looking to start their respective seasons with a win.

Both teams look fairly evenly matched on paper, having bolstered and improved their respective  rosters since last season. For the Eels, welcoming Jarryd Hayne back to the blue and gold jersey has created its share of headlines. He’ll no doubt be fired up to establish himself once again as an elite NRL performer.

The Panthers have added former multiple premiership winning five eighth James Maloney to their ranks in what has been trumpeted to be an advantageous signing for them. He’s a winner and brings a competitive edge to every team he’s in.

This is expected to be a fairly competitive encounter. A sell out crowd will be in attendance.

Having a Bet?

I’m going to go against the bookies here and tip the Eels to run away with this one.

The bookies suggest this should be a 1-12 game either way (whoever wins), but I’m tipping the Eels to claim the victory by a 13+ margin, at $4.50 via Sportsbet.

First try favourites are:

Panthers: Josh Mansour – $10

Panthers: Dallin Watene Zelezniak – $12

Eels: Bevan French – $12

Eels: Kirisome Auva’a – $13

Feed Your Footy Brain:

Returning Parramatta Eels utility back Jarryd Hayne will play his 200^th NRL game this Sunday afternoon. Despite playing for the Gold Coast Titans for almost 2 seasons, Hayne has played his 1st, 50^th, 100^th, and now 200^th NRL games for the Parramatta Eels – with Penrith as the opponents in each one of these milestone matches.

Tracking: Brad Takairangi

Round one of this season marks a new beginning for Parramatta Eels centre turned back rower Brad Takairangi.

The big Kiwi international is in his 4th season with the Eels, and enjoyed a successful combination out wide with Semi Radradra. Although not a complete stranger to the back row, he’s played exclusively in the backline since donning the Blue and Gold.

Another centre turned back rower for the Eels, Ben Smith, went on to have a good career in the forwards. That’s probably where the comparison would end as Takairangi is more of a ball player than Smith who was basically used as a runner of the footy.

In a forward pack not short on depth, Taka has obviously impressed the coaches with his reinvention and has been listed in the Eels top 17.

Danger Man:

Talented Panthers outside back Waqa Blake had arguably his best season in 2017. He is one of the most potent attacking centres in the NRL, posting impressive running metres and tackle busts

Blake seemed to find an extra metre of pace last year, and was a consistent performer in an inconsistent Panthers team. He may yet take his game to another level playing outside Maloney. The Eels can ill-afford to allow him any space when carrying the footy.

Team lists:

Penrith Panthers (Finished 7^th at the end of the home and away season last year)

01. Dylan Edwards

02. Josh Mansour

03. Waqa Blake

04. Tyrone Peachey

05. Dallin Watene Zelezniak

06. James Maloney

07. Nathan Cleary

08. James Tamou

09. Peter Wallace (C)

10. Regan Campbell Gillard

11. Viliame Kikau

12. Isaah Yeo

13. Trent Merrin

14. Corey Harawira Naera

15. Sam McKendry

16. Moses Leota

17. James Fisher Harris

18. Sione Katoa

19. Tim Browne

20. Christian Crichton

21. Jarome Luai

Coach: Anthony Griffin

Late mail: No late changes expected for the Panthers, expect them to run out 1 through 17.

Parramatta Eels (Finished 4^th at the end of the home and away season last year)

01. Bevan French

02. Josh Hoffman

03. Michael Jennings

04. Jarryd Hayne

05. Kirisome Auva’a

06. Corey Norman

07. Mitchell Moses

08. Daniel Alvaro

09. Cameron King

10. Tim Mannah (C)

11. Manu Ma’u

12. Tepai Moeroa

13. Nathan Brown

14. Beau Scott (C)

15. Brad Takairangi

16. Suaia Matagi

17. Kane Evans

18. Will Smith

19. Kenny Edwards

20. David Gower

21. Kaysa Pritchard

Coach: Brad Arthur

Late mail: No late changes expected for the Eels.

Bragging Rights Clash:

Nathan Cleary vs Mitchell Moses:

They’ve featured in dispatches as a potential Origin halves pairing, but the battle of the halfbacks will be a key clash and could well determine this week’s winner.

Cleary and Moses are amongst the NRL’s brightest young talents. Both players are organising halfbacks with impressive kicking games. Both also possess the confidence to run the ball and take on the line.

Moses appears to have added a couple of kilos to his frame for 2018, whereas reports about Cleary’s pre-season have him tipping the scales at close to 94kg. Each player isn’t afraid to put their body on the line in defence, with Moses’ improvement in this facet of the game since joining the Eels gathering plenty of press.

Whether or not they are future team mates in a Blues jersey will be of little concern this week. Getting the job done for their team will be all that matters.

And The Winner Is:

I’m tipping the Eels to win this one. Before this season started, the Panthers were actually my early pick to win the 2018 NRL premiership.

However, multiple events in their off season have caused me to re-think my decision. The departure of Cartwright and Moylan, and the future loss of Tyrone Peachey cannot be ignored.

Rumours of a rift between Panthers general manager Phil ‘’Gus’’ Gould and coach Anthony Griffin just won’t go away.

Combine all the factors and the Penrith Panthers have had a fairly tumultuous off-season. In light of that put me down for Eels victory 28 points to 12.

I’m also expecting Eels half Mitchell Moses to have a standout game with Jarryd Hayne to score a try in his 200^th game and this return to the Parramatta Eels.

Man of the match: Mitchell Moses or Cameron King

Add your replies before, during and after the match.

Enjoy the game, GO THE EELS !!!

Nathan