NRL Team List

Fresh from their journey to the bottom of the ocean in Round 13, the Parramatta Eels are full-go as they ready for their game against the St George Illawarra Dragons. That means Ryan Matterson is back, baby! The haze of concussion has been lifted as Parramatta’s strike-weapon on the right-edge has finally been cleared to resume playing following a significant head-knock sustained against the Wests Tigers in Round 11. Obviously there would be a number of bangs and bruises that the playing group are managing but Matterson’s returns signals that the Parramatta Eels are ready to roar at full-strength as they enter the run to the finals.

As I anticipated in my post-game musings, Andrew Davey was indeed the man to make way for Ryan Matterson. Davey can count himself incredibly unlucky in this scenario and the late-bloomer has firmly established himself in the upper echelons of the depth charts. Look for him to feature again as soon as opportunity knocks.

While the haze has thankfully been lifted from Matterson’s head, another Haze has been promoted with easily the most intriguing selection this week though belonging to Haze Dunster. The rookie winger gets his first real look into the team following George Jennings getting loaned to the New Zealand Warriors. By all accounts, Dunster built on a solid showing in the trials by applying himself diligently in all aspects at training and has worked his way into selection calculations on the back of it all. It is no secret that Blake Ferguson is being carefully load-managed by the training staff – he most recently missed the Round 10 clash against the Sea Eagles – and should he be rested for an upcoming fixture it seems like Dunster is the man that would be his understudy.

Parramatta’s opposition this week have been forced to churn their game-day roster yet again as Paul McGregor – or perhaps Shane Flanagan – tinker with a selection formula that simply has not been able to produce consistent results. Tariq Sims is a forced exclusion with a shoulder injury while Jackson Ford has been suspended due to a rather brutal tripping attempt on Luke Keary. They have recalled Corey Norman from purgatory as a result but with Paul Vaughan also unavailable for selection due to a COVID protocol breach, they are looking thin on talent ahead of the must-win match on Friday.

Naturally though the Eels can not afford to underestimate their opposition. Matthew Dufty and Zac Lomax have been in devastating form for a number of weeks while Ben Hunt is capable of a dazzling virtuoso display on occasion. The duel between Michael Jennings and Lomax stands out as the match-up of the game but equally important will be how our right-edge handles the speed and aggression of Dufty’s raids. The Rabbitohs punished Dufty’s predilection to play late and flat two weeks ago with Alex Johnston notching multiple interceptions in the one game – can the Eels blunten his impact in a similar manner?

With wet weather tipped for Friday afternoon the Eels will likely need to dial back the expansiveness of their game-plan. Fortunately, they are coming off the prototypical wet game and should be forearmed with the knowledge and experience to handle whatever Mother Nature throws at them this week. With the Roosters and Storm throwing down on Thursday night there is plenty at stake for Parramatta whether it be keeping pace with Melbourne or snatching a chance to create a buffer between every team other than the Panthers.

At full-strength I expect the Parramatta Eels to take care of business and given that they got back-to-basics against the Sharks last week, this game represents a chance to build and consolidate ahead of a number of crucial Top 4 clashes.

If you liked this article, you might consider supporting The Cumberland Throw.