NRL Team List
Here we go again. Manly and Parra. The stakes are plenty high with both clubs looking to mount an assault on the Top 4 with this Sunday’s clash looming as a pivotal encounter. The Parramatta Eels, riding a 3-game winning streak, are unchanged as they head to the sordid bogs of Brookvale to do battle with their bitter rivals.
An unchanged line-up is of course almost always a hugely positive thing – especially when the wins are starting to flow but there is an element of bitter-sweetness to the team list this week. It was always going to be a long shot but Waqa Blake was not able to pass fitness and make an early return and club debut for the Eels. Indeed, the club has penciled him in for a Round 20 return this week on their injury report but given the way Brad Arthur has spoken about his mid-season recruit recently I would have to think a Round 19 debut could still be on the cards.
Oregon Kaufusi and Daniel Alvaro have both enjoyed some rich veins form for Wenty in recent weeks – helping Parramatta’s feeder club suddenly rumble into Top 4 contention themselves. Either player would do well providing coverage from the shadow bench this week but the name that stands out with ease is that of Ethan Parry, who becomes the first development contract player to feature in the NRL team list this season.
Despite his Jersey Flegg eligibility, Parry has been diligently plying his craft in the Canterbury Cup this year with the Eels clearly ear-marking him as a prospective first-grader in the near future. Ethan also took part in the Under 20s Origin last Wednesday where he scored the final try for the Blues in a comprehensive victory and otherwise defended extremely well.
Of course it seems that any potential debut this week would be at extremely long odds seeing as Josh Hoffman and the Cook Island Control Tower Brad Takairangi are fit to play. Additionally, given that both Blake and Michael Jennings are due back soon his odds of a 2019 debut decrease even further but even if it is just getting named on Team List Tuesday – I am plenty excited for the talented and highly athletic young back to edge that much closer to the NRL.
Parramatta Eels side
1. Clint Gutherson (c)
2. Maika Sivo
3. Brad Takairangi
4. Josh Hoffman
5. Blake Ferguson
6. Dylan Brown
7. Mitch Moses
8. Kane Evans
9. Reed Mahoney
10. Junior Paulo
11. Shaun Lane
12. Manu Ma’u
13. Nathan Brown
14. Jaeman Salmon
15. Marata Niukore
16. David Gower
17. Tepai Moeroa
18. Oregon Kaufusi
19. Daniel Alvaro
20. Will Smith
21. Ethan Parry
Injury Report
Waqa Blake – Round 20 – Knee
Peni Terepo – Round 20 – Suspension
Michael Jennings – Round 21 – Knee
George Jennings – Round 22 – Calf
Ray Stone – Round 24 – Ankle
Canterbury Cup Team List
Bye
Jersey Flegg Team List
Dean Feeney and his young troops had two weeks to collect themselves over the global double bye in the Flegg and now gear up to face the 6th placed South Sydney Rabbitohs. Joey Taipari returns to the team after a solid showing the Canterbury Cup against the Wests Magpies to give the Eels a full-strength spine this week.
Consistency has dogged the Eels throughout the season as runs of errors and lapses of concentration have seen them squander several opportunities to close out important wins. Their hopes of a Top 8 finish are all but dead in the water at this stage but given that development is the priority in this grade, there is still plenty to play for here for our young boys.
Parramatta Eels Jersey Flegg side
1. Sione Fonua
2. Solomone Naiduki
3. William Kei
4. Taufa Afu
5. JT Nabetelevu
6. Joey Taipari
7. Bailey Biondi-Odo
8. James Porter
9. Kyle Schneider
10. Harry Duggan
11. Arron Shelford
12. Charbel Tasipale
13. Jesse Cronin
Interchange
14. Vea Tapatoutai
15. David Hollis
16. PJ Vaigalu
17. Etu Vinny Lui
18. Sam Hughes
19. Ethan Le Blanc
20. Valance Harris
Where does Parry fit in next year if we sign Jennings for one more year? Will he be satisfied biding his time in the reggies? What’s his contract status?
No changes due to injuries and lack of form is of course good news and exciting to see the competition for spots is heating up with Parry and Waka stalking. BA’s use of Salmon is hard to fathom – hope he receives some decent minutes this week and idealy in the centres to test him in the NRL in this position.
You’d think this team thrashed the Tigers but they didn’t, only goals being the difference. So BA is satisfied with their defence, I am not. Hoffman is not a centre but a fill-in, and should have been replaced to put the team on notice that nobody is safe, even with a win!
It’s all very well to say Hoffman was defensively poor (which he was) and drop him, but replaced with who Glenn? Jennings and Blake are injured. Is it fair to put Parry in, with inexperienced players either side of him (Sivo and Brown), and probably for only one game with Blake likely to play next week? Maybe against a bottom team, but not the team coming 5th. As delighted as Parry’d be to get an opportunity, I’m not sure it’d do the kid much good, and player welfare has to be a factor.
I disagree with your assessment that failing to drop a player = happy with the defensive effort. Do you get sacked for one bad day at the office? No, but you would for repeated bad days. IMO, a better approach is running shedloads of defensive drills at that edge all week, so they’re communicating and co-ordinating better together – it’s about that cohesion, not one individual.
On at least 2 of Tiger’s tries we looked in trouble when the ball had just cleared our edge defence, including the ball carrier i’m pretty sure they created 5 on 3 twice. Hoffman and Sivo would have had to make quick and correct(even lucky) decisions to kill off the plays. Reminded me of 2018 when opponents got on our outside like training runs.Fix it quick!!