The Cumberland Throw

Team List Tuesday – An Unwanted Spoon & Improbable Finals Edition

NRL Team List

 

The billing of ‘Spoonbowl’ is never an enticing one for fans of either team involved but the seasons of the Parramatta Eels and North Queensland Cowboys have been eerily mirrored leading into Round 24’s critical fixture to avoid the dreaded cooking utensil. Both clubs came into 2018 with Top 4 aspirations after compelling efforts in 2017 but neither franchise could recapture the sparks that galvnised their efforts just a season prior.

Naturally this game also happens to be Jonathan Thurston’s final home game in Townsville…as if the Cowboys needed any more motivation heading into Round 24.

For the Eels though, not only do they need to recover from a brutal loss, both physically and mentally, to the Melbourne Storm but they will have go without Nathan Brown for the remainder of 2018 as the inspirational lock forward is put on ice with a knee injury. Yet another injury to a core player? Just a regular part of the old Team List Tuesday this year…

The loss of Brown is somewhat off-set by the return of Kane Evans in the front row while Cameron King made a successful return for the Wenty Magpies last week and now comes onto the bench to deputise Reed MahoneyPeni Terepo shifts to starting lock with Evans and Siosaia Vave partnering in yet another new-look front-row rotation for Brad Arthur.

Tim Mannah is named to the bench this week but has missed the last two games with a broken hand so there is a question mark about his availability for the trip to the far North. Oregon Kaufusi and Ray Stone loom as potential replacements should Tim fail to recover from his broken hand in time.

 

Parramatta Eels side
1. Corey Norman
2. Jarryd Hayne
3. Michael Jennings
4. Clint Gutherson (c)
5. George Jennings
6. Jaeman Salmon
7. Mitch Moses
8. Kane Evans
9. Reed Mahoney
10. Siosaia Vave
11. Marata Niukore
12. Tepai Moeroa
13. Peni Terepo
Interchange
14. Cameron King
15. Tim Mannah (c)
16. David Gower
17. Brad Takairangi
18. Ray Stone
19. Oregon Kaufusi
20. Josh Hoffman
21. Bevan French 

 

Intrust Super Premiership Team List

 

Compared to the dreaded ‘Spoonbowl’ in the NRL the fortune of the Wentworthville Magpies is far more intriguing this weekend. The Magpies have made an improbably rally in recent weeks, aided by a huge injection of youth, to somehow claw their way off the bottom of the ladder and re-enter finals calculations.

Heading into the final round of the regulation season, Wenty sit on equal competition points (22pts) with the 7th placed New Zealand Warriors (-62 F/A) and 8th placed Wyong Roos (-79 F/A) but their awful points differential (-139 F/A) is proving a difficult hurdle to overcome.

There are a number of scenarios that can play out over the weekend to get the Magpies into the finals but most of them are deep in the bounds of pure mathematical territory. Simply put, Wenty need to knock off the 4th placed Bulldogs at Ringrose Park on Sunday while counting on either the Dragons (2nd) to see of the Roos,  or the Bears (11th) to claim an upset victory over the Warriors.

As for the team that will look to cap the unlikeliest of runs to the finals, there is little new to see here this week. Ethan Parry and Steve Dresler reprise their roles in the team after earning call ups from the Jersey Flegg last week while their Flegg eligible cohorts in Haze Dunster, Dylan Brown and Stefano Utoikamanu all hold down spots in the 17-man roster.

As always, look for members of the NRL shadow bench to feature come day.

 

Wentworthville Magpies side
1. Abbas Miski
2. Haze Dunster
3. Ethan Parry
4. Nathan Milone
5. Greg Leleisiuao
6. Rhys Davies
7. Dylan Brown
8. Magnus Stromquist
9. Piki Rogers
10. Haimona Hiroti
11. Dane Aukafolau
12. Matt Woods
13. Daniel Dole
Interchange
14. Eddie Aiono
15. Stefano Utoikamanu
16. Steve Dresler
17. Yileen Gordon

Jersey Flegg Team List

 

Unlike Wenty, the Eels’ place in the post-season is secure as they enter this week in 5th place boasting an 11-8 record. While they can not advance their position on the ladder any more prior to the finals, given that the Sydney Roosters (6th) having a bye this week, a loss would see the Eels trade places with the tri-colours.

Home-field advantage works oddly in the finals for the Flegg, or at least it did for the National Youth Competition, as games are usually assigned to the NRL fixtures. If I recall correctly, the Eels played a sudden-death ‘home’ game in week two of the finals in 2014 up in Queensland because of how the NRL fixtures lined up.

Anyway, for the team itself! The Eels are coming off a bye of their own and have only tweaked the team to accommodate the losses of Ethan Parry and Steve Dresler to the ISP. John Paul Nohra retains his place at fullback and will continue to work in a hybrid role at that position with John Fonua. William Kei replaces Parry in the centres while the Eels tweak the depth in the pack to fill the void left by Dresler.

First year SG Ball forward Sam Hughes can be spied on the extended bench as he looks to join his comrade David Hollis in debuting in the Flegg as an Under 18-year-old.

 

Parramatta Eels Jersey Flegg side
1. John Paul Nohra
2. Tyler Tuigamala
3. Tuimavave Afualo
4. William Kei
5. Taufa Afu
6. Todd Sapienza
7. Sione Fonua
8. Mitch Butfield
9. Vea Tapaatoutai
10. Sean Keppie
11. Sam McGregor
12. Nick Okladnikov
13. Jesse Cronin
Interchange
14. Michael Tupou
15. Valance Harris
16. Tyrone Faulkner
17. David Hollis
18. Charbel Tasipale
19. Sam Hughes
20. Lorenzo Pritchard
21. Jaydn Field

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11 thoughts on “Team List Tuesday – An Unwanted Spoon & Improbable Finals Edition

  1. The rev aka snedden

    do you know what the contract status on players parra might be resigning genning hayne T-Rex

    1. Jonboy

      I was at a function last week and I asked Gowie if he was going to be around and he suggested he is not far from signing on again. T-Rex was also there and was very happy to share that he had started running again this last week. I suspect his enthusiasm for training and simply his presence have a hidden message. No intel on JH or Gennings though at the moment.

  2. Anonymous

    Hopefully Stone will get a run and get more time, looks good and will improve with more game time.I see Aukafolau playing 2nd row when usually in the centers, do they see him as a forward and how has he been going as I do not get to see the lower grades. Hope Mahoney plays the whole game as he looks a keeper and will only get better with more game time and he is already better than King and Pritchard Can not see us winning with that forward pack, would feel a lot better with Alvaro and Brown back in the side but we can only hope the boys turn up for this 1.

    1. sixties

      I didn’t see “Danger” play in the back row at North Sydney but I’m told he went well. His game in the back row vs Mounties was close to the best I’ve seen him play. He was aggressive in both attack and defence.

  3. Offside

    Happy to see young Dressler get another run for wenty.
    Unfortunately i don’t see 1st grade coming away with anything but the spoon

    1. sixties

      Steve’s not just a very good prop, he’s a very impressive club man and bloke.
      TCT have followed him since SG Ball and he’s had to overcome bad injuries for a young player. He’ll play his best footy as part of a team rather than as a fill in because he plays with intelligence and in a role. Off the bench in his second game for Wenty he only has to hit it up hard and make good first up contact.

  4. Milo

    I am hopeful we can win but to me we need Mannah there’. I am not a huge fan of Taka in second road tbh but guess it is what it is. I feel too many injuries to the fwds has given our juniors a go but lack of consistent names has also hurt. I guess King is there to give Mahoney a break, but to me we need 4 fwds (not DH) on the bench.

    1. sixties

      I could be wrong, but if King is available, we might have to select him given Reed is on a rookie deal. Cowboys are Cam’s old team – perhaps there’ll be extra inspiration.

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