NRL Team List

Prime time Friday night at Bankwest Stadium could not be a more fitting time and place to host the flawless 4-0 Parramatta Eels and the undefeated 3-0-1 Penrith Panthers. Brad Arthur’s Eels sit alone at the top of the competition table after prevailing over the Sea Eagles while Ivan Cleary kept Penrith within striking distance of the Eels as the Panthers piled on 26 unanswered points against the Warriors.

Both of the Western Sydney franchises welcome back serious fire power in Round 5 with the Panthers boosted by Nathan Cleary’s return from suspension for flaunting COVID regulations while the Eels reload their forward pack with Nathan Brown (Suspension, Round 2) and Ray Stone (Illness, Round 4) claiming a spot in the starting pack and bench a piece. Brad Takairangi and Oregon Kaufusi find themselves surplus to requirements this week as a result as the incredibly fierce battle for a spot in Parramatta’s gameday roster continues.

On that note, as you may have noticed, Team List Tuesdays have become a highly streamlined affair in 2020. The Eels boast an ironclad starting line-up and a bench that has done little, if anything, wrong through four fixtures. The humdrum of success is truly a tortuous mantle to don but I, for one, will humbly accept this burden even if it means TLT are a homogenous affair from week to week.

On a more serious note, while the Roosters and Raiders may loom large on the horizon Penrith present a serious challenge for Parramatta this week. Viliame Kikau is a dangerous player at the best of times and the Eels’ right-edge will need to be on alert after a number of lapses against Manly.

The Eels have been able to control the ruck through the first four rounds on the back of disciplined efforts with and without the ball but Penrith could ask some difficult questions if they are able to generate second phase play and free up channels for Api Koroisau to gouge Parramatta in behind the ruck.

Parramatta played one of their worst games of the 2019 season against the Panthers in what would ultimately become their first loss at their formidable home fortress. You would feel pretty confident betting betting on the fact that the entire team from the coaches down to the players would be looking to for redemption for that loss.

Likewise, look for the extra feeling between the Panthers and the now blue & gold duo of Reagan Campbell-Gillard and Waqa Blake. Campbell-Gillard’s preseason comments about the move to the Eels stoked the fires of the Battle For Bega on Penrith’s side but conversely he and Blake will have the extra bit of motivation on Friday night as they face the club that cut them loose.

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