The Cumberland Throw

The Preview – Round 15, 2019: Eels vs Raiders

Date: Saturday, June 29, 2019

Venue: TIO Stadium, Darwin

Kick Off: 7:35pm

Referees: Matt Cecchin, Jon Stone

Head-to-head: Played 59 Eels 27 Raiders 31 Drawn 1

Odds: Eels $2.15 Raiders $1.73

Broadcast: Foxtel, Kayo

Last Four Encounters:

Raiders 19 Eels 0 Bruce Stadium (2019)

Raiders 18 Eels 2 Bruce Stadium (2018)

Raiders 22 Eels 16 ANZ Stadium (2017)

Raiders 30 Eels 18 Bruce Stadium (2017)

 

The Warm Up

Back in Round 5, the Raiders produced a comprehensive defeat of the Eels. The 19 points to nil victory provided a reality check for Parra supporters daring to dream about finals appearances.

Truth be told, the win was hardly unexpected. On their home turf, the Green Machine have had the measure of the Blue and Golds since 2006! Even with different personnel, that sort of record is impossible to ignore.

But this upcoming game isn’t being played in Canberra. It’s not even being played in a Western Sydney winter. It’s scheduled for the tropics of Darwin and the Canberra boys, especially their Poms, are going to be far from comfortable.

Parramatta have a strong record as the “Territory Eels”. In their five matches at TIO Stadium they’ve only tasted defeat once – to the Cowboys in 2017. The North Queensland team were literally playing a home game that night, enjoying healthy crowd support and very familiar playing conditions.

The Raiders will be deserved favourites in this encounter. They are proving themselves to be genuine contenders for the 2019 title via their impressive defence.

With a bye looming next weekend, this has the potential to be a “four premiership points” result for the Eels. Going into the last nine rounds on 18 points would be a tremendous platform to set themselves for finals footy.

But will we see the “home” Eels or the dreaded “away” variety?

 

Having a Punt

Followers of my tip were back in the money against the Broncos when they took Parra giving away 1.5 points coupled with over 38.5 total match points @$3.40. That was a money for jam bet at BankWest Stadium.

As the saying goes, when you’re on a good thing – stick to it.

With that in mind, I’m staying with the line/over under double. Take the Eels getting 1.5 points start coupled with over 40.5 match points at the tantalising odds of $4.20.

If, like me, you think that this could be a high scoring game, and you’re looking for sweeter action, you can get amongst the total match tries market. I like 10 tries or more @$5

The favourites in the first try scorer market are:

Eels: Sivo $10 Ferguson $11

Raiders: Rapana $10 Croker $11

 

Feed Your Footy Brain

The Eels have an absolutely diabolical recent record against the Raiders. Since 2010, the Eels have only won two of their 13 clashes with the Green Machine.

However, it’s worth noting that one of those victories was in Darwin – a Jarryd Hayne inspired 18 to 10 result way back in 2014.

In fact, that was the only time that the two teams have met in the Eels annual Territory match.

 

Tracking: Dylan Brown

After spending the last three months on the sideline with a back injury, the return of boom youngster Dylan Brown was always going to attract plenty of attention.

And it’s easy to see why.

Dylan Brown

Since losing the talented five-eighth after round 3, the Eels have struggled to find a consistent halves partner for Mitch Moses. In doing so, the Eels have become more reliant on their “dominant” half and despite some big score lines’ they limit their attacking potential.

And it’s backed up in the statistics. In his three games earlier this year, Brown averaged 40.7 possessions per game. By comparison, Smith (27.6) and Salmon (26.4) handle the ball far less. Of course their stats are impacted (marginally) by their time on the field during games played in other positions, but the relative dominance of Moses (47.6 possessions) is obvious without reference to numbers.

There won’t really be too much pressure on Dylbags in his return. The things that he does well come easy to him. He plays his football with composure, which means he rarely pushes unnecessary passes to his support runners, he makes good defensive decisions and he’s confident in his own running game.

Dylan Brown only has to be Dylan Brown, and that alone will benefit the Eels.

 

Danger man: Josh Hodgson

For mine, the anomaly of the Raiders 2019 season has been the form of Josh Hodgson. In his 11 games this season, the English dummy half has hardly set the world on fire.

Though he hasn’t been in poor form, you can’t help but feel that he’s going to start producing his best sooner rather than later. This slow burn into the current season could prove ominous for the Raiders opponents, and the Eels are the next cab off that rank.

The talented rake is a bone fide playmaker capable of filling a halves role should the need arise. When the Raiders attack is on song, Hodgson is prominent. Canberra’s attack hasn’t fully clicked into gear in 2019, and their defence has earned the praise.

Will that be more of the same this weekend or will the trip north see a return of the Raiders’ attacking mojo?

Hodgson will be the key. Shutting him down will go a long way towards securing a win for the Eels.

 

Team Lists:

Eels: 1. Clint Gutherson 2. Maika Sivo 3. Brad Takairangi 4. Josh Hoffman 5. Blake Ferguson 6. Dylan Brown 7. Mitchell Moses 8. Kane Evans 9. Reed Mahoney 10. Junior Paulo 11. Shaun Lane 12. Manu Ma’u 13. Nathan Brown

Interchange: 14. Jaeman Salmon 15. Peni Terepo 16. David Gower 17. Marata Niukore 18. Daniel Alvaro 19. Tepai Moeroa 20. George Jennings 21. Will Smith

Raiders: 1. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad 2. Bailey Simonsson 3. Jarrod Croker 4. Sebastian Kris 5. Jordan Rapana 6. Jack Wighton 7. Aidan Sezer 8. Josh Papalii 9. Josh Hodgson 10. Dunamis Lui 11. John Bateman 12. Elliott Whitehead 13. Joseph Tapine

Interchange: 14. Siliva Havili 15. Corey Horsburgh 16. Iosia Soliola 17. Ryan Sutton 18. Sam Williams 19. Emre Guler 20. Royce Hunt 21. Michael Oldfield

 

Nathan Brown vs John Bateman

Though these two players play in different positions, they offer similar qualities and skill sets to their respective teams.

Nathan Brown

Both play aggressive footy that inspires their team mates. They are smaller’ mobile forwards who possess running games, ball skills and the ability to make things happen in attack.

Bateman has added an X factor to the 2019 Raiders. He just competes and competes and competes. That kind of energy is infectious. His recent soccer dribble try was the perfect example of what he brings to the table.

The Eels badly missed Nathan Brown during his extended period on the injured list. They will be a different proposition as he returns to peak fitness. Adding an aggressive, mobile forward to the middle defence should help to stem the points haemorrhage which has typified nearly half of the Eels matches this season.

One of these two players may yet determine the result in this encounter.

 

And The Winner Is?

Will “good” Eels or “bad” Eels front up in Darwin?

It’s an Eels home game, but is it really an away game given it’s one of the longest trips away from home?

Will the playing conditions actually favour the Eels?

What will the returning Dylan Brown provide for his side?

Attitude appears to be the basis of the Eels fluctuating form. Energised and motivated one week, a shadow of themselves the next, the Eels have probably earned the Jekyll and Hyde monicker attached to them this season. It’s perfectly illustrated in the ineffective tackles statistic. The Eels generate more ineffective tackles than any other team. Yet they sit last in the NRL for limiting their own ineffective tackles. In contrast, the Raiders sit second in the NRL in that metric.

The simplest analysis sees the Eels possessing the attack to win but needing to find defensive resilience quick smart. The Raiders have premiership quality defence that’s been the cornerstone to this year’s successes and they’ll look to a continuation of that standard to achieve victory.

The Raiders have their share of game breakers – Croker, Rapana, Papalii, Nicoll-Klokstad, Bateman and Hodgson. Moses, Gutherson, Sivo, Ferguson, Brown, Paulo and Lane can be just as damaging.

It’s time for Parra to step up away from home.

They will.

I think it will be a high scoring affair in the warm conditions.

 

Eels 36 Raiders 22

Man of the Match – Clint Gutherson

Eels forever!

Sixties

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21 thoughts on “The Preview – Round 15, 2019: Eels vs Raiders

  1. Rob

    I love your optimism and your realism, Sixties. In a way you’re just like Parramatta themselves, you get our hopes up and we sometimes dare to dream but we can also be left open to the disappointment of the breaking, crushing, despair of those dreams becoming nightmares… ugh, the life of an Eels supporter!

    🙂

    On a lighter note, how awesome are we that we continue to grow our membership base despite all the wooden spoons in our “trophy” cabinet!? Kudos to all of us.

    I hope Darwin is good to us!

    Parra forever! 🙂

    1. sixties

      Cheers Rob. Yes I am an optimist, but I have taken the opposition in my previews and in tipping comps (I’ve won about 4 over the last six years – you don’t do that by tipping with your heart). If I tip Parra confidently, it’s because I’ve seen something to give me cause. I’m tipping for a reason this week.

        1. sixties

          Cheers. And as for the membership record, imagine what could be with a consistently successful team.

          1. Rob

            Sixties for the win! Thank you for everything you do for us supporters.

            I was glad to see us grind (correct term here do you think?) out a win against Canberra who looked like thrashing us for a lot the first half.

            Parra forever!

  2. JonBoy

    I’m onboard with most of your thoughts Sixties…all except the score line. I am HOPING for a low scoring, tough wrestle as the Raiders try to replicate their earlier domination over us and the Eels find some grit and determination to do the same. Of course I want the win and the “4” points, but I’d actually accept defeat happily under the above circumstances. Most of our victories have been runaways. I think we need a hard as nails game against a hard as nails team to provide a bit of mental toughness back into the team.

    1. sixties

      JonBoy I’m totally on board with the need for a tough grinding win. However, I think that the conditions will be a major factor. I just believe that the warm conditions will bring on fatigue and open things up.

  3. Shelley

    We need to hold the ball early in this game, that is what killed us in Round 5. If we have 50% ball or better this game we will win. The raiders have only scored 4 tries or more in 4 games this year, we just need to get into the game. Parra will decide this game. If they turn up and are willing to be patient and get into the game we have the attack to break down the Raiders. With 50\50 ball we have more points in us. The Raiders will hold the ball and wait for our mistakes. If we turn over cheap ball early the Raiders will get down our end and stay there.

    As stated it will all come down to our attitude. I will back them and know they can win, but I don’t have as much confidence as you Sixties. This is an important game as this team quickly needs to decide if they want to be a serious finals contender or a team with potential.

    1. sixties

      There’s no doubt that this is a far more patient Raiders than in previous years. Our round 5 loss was marked by some outrageously bad refereeing decisions. We have to be better, but they were crucial, game changing calls. The Raiders gloated about being fitter than Parra was the key to the win. It will be interesting to assess fitness in the heat and with even possession.

  4. Big John

    I think your possession stats on the halves are clouded by the fact that we played the two worst teams in the comp for Dylan’s first two games, and then were beaten by the Roosters. I hope that he is able to live up to the hype and the Raiders will be a good test. After just 3 NRL games against poor quality opponents, surely we have to be more realistic regarding his performance. Unfortunately we Parra supporters have become good at clutching at straws.

    1. sixties

      I don’t see those possession stats for Dylan as being so skewed by the opponents. I can’t speak for others but I don’t have unrealistic expectations.regarding Dylan. I just expect him to play what he is currently capable of, and that will help to balance Moses workload.

      1. Rowdy

        Agreed sixties, and as you have said.”Dylan only needs to do and be Dylan Brown. Opposition is irrelevant to this bloke just as it is with his more famous sibling “the Greater Brown”. Oppositions don’t put a 5/8 on the ball supporting frontrowers up the middle looking for an offload. Nor do they have an influence on whether a half skips out with ball in hand looking to link with his wide running backrower. I believe Shaun Lane will be salivating at the prospect of having Dylan back inside him.

  5. DDay

    I hope they “step up away from home” – the predicability and dire away losses are becoming embarrisingly predicatable. There’s hope with NBrown, Manu and DBrown back in the team, Fergo & Gutho energised and back from Origin, an improved effort from the middle forwards and I like Salmon’s potential as an impact player from the bench. The Raiders don’t have a lot of points in them – if heat fatigue promotes a high scoring game then that will suit the Eels. Go the Eels.

  6. John Eel

    Sixties this is going to be a difficult game for the Eels and I would not want to be relying on tropical conditions to get a win. While the tropical conditions may cause the ball to be a bit slippery. Playing night football in Darwin at this time of the year would be reasonable

    Prior to the Broncos game I was looking at our injury list and the only player on the list one Dylan Brown. Knowing he was not far away it was probably the best position we have been in on that front for some time. Look at it today and you see Jennings and Blake. Couldn’t we do with those two tonight.

    This would be a good game to win given the Raiders are in the top four. Browny did a great job tightening up the ruck against the Broncos, he needs to do it again if we are to win tonight.

    1. sixties

      Also we’re without Stone and Niukore. A good result. You don’t rely on conditions John, you prepare for them. We did and finished over the Raiders.

      1. John Eel

        They gave our right edge a workout early. You are right about
        Mitch he has to straighten and run at the line. His try was awesome running at the line. When he runs straight he forces defenders to make a decision.
        Also early in the season they were playing with patience. That was missing tonight especially in the first half.

  7. John Eel

    This was a good win. ugly but a very good win beating a top 4 team. As sixties points out above given our bye next week means a 4 point win on the ladder.

    Jr I thought was good tonight

  8. Pou

    ‘But will we see the “home” Eels or the dreaded “away” variety?’

    Turns out we saw both over the 80 minutes. Has there ever been a more exciting team to follow than Parra?

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