The Cumberland Throw

Team List Tuesday – Finals Tune-Up Edition

NRL Team List

 

Finally we have arrived at the last week of regulation season footy. The go-home round for half of the teams in the competition and the farewell game for imminent retirees or players who have sought a new home in 2021. Often so much rides on the games during this week with teams making desperate last-ditch bids to enter the Top 8 while within that coveted octad there is much jostling of spots to be done.

2020, as it has been with so much else, is proving to be the exception to the rule in many ways here. The Top 8 is locked in. The minor premiership is settled. Key seeding slots are either untouchable or apparently not worth the effort this week. The Penrith Panthers, Melbourne Storm and surprisingly the Canberra Raiders have all opted to rest key players in Round 20. Penrith, the minor premiers, took a smaller scale approach as they gave three key players the week off while the Storm and Raiders have ostensibly taken a full blown bye with as many as nine starters rested.

Given that Canberra were the only team capable of threatening the Eels’ claim on a Top 4 finish, the decision by Ricky Stuart to rest up and likely launch a full-scale tilt from the bottom half of the Top 8 is fascinating. That isn’t to say that it is written in stone that the Cronulla Sharks will defeat the Raiders on Saturday but it should be expected given the teams named.

Understandably, Brad Arthur has played no such cards this week as he names the same team that took down the Brisbane Broncos in Round 19. Parramatta’s offensive demons weren’t exactly exorcised last Friday night but they did make appreciable progress on the matter and this Saturday is critical as the last chance to tune-up that side of their game.

All eyes will be on Mitchell Moses after he hinted in a post-game interview on Friday that the victory over the Broncos was the first game he has felt confident in his calves since returning from the related injury. There is little doubt that Moses has been physically short of his best in the second half of the season and that has seemingly impacted his confidence levels with the Eels’ field general unable to recapture the poise and swagger that catapulted Parramatta to the top of the ladder midway through the season.

There is little reason to think that Moses was fibbing in that interview either as he looked markedly more comfortable taking on the line. Indeed, his 104m on the ground make for his second best running return on the season (season high of 156m in Round 2 against the Titans) and it is easily his strongest production in that category since returning from injury.

Still, as encouraging as that is, Mitchell now has 80-minutes to regain the rest of his mojo in Round 20. Perhaps fittingly, and maybe even perfectly, his opponent this week will be a former employer in the Wests Tigers. The revenge game is always a great means of inspiration and Moses has certainly produced in spades when coming up against the joint-venture.

Even with Mitchell in the spotlight there are other Eels who need to use this game as a springboard back to their best. Maika Sivo has been trending back towards positive form but the Eels need him at his devastating best in the postseason while Parramatta’s forward pack will want to impose their will on the Tigers as they prepare for a torrid battle in Week 1 of the finals.

For the Tigers there is little to celebrate this week when it comes to the team. On an individual level, Benji Marshall and Chris Lawrence bid adieu to their home of so many years as they head out to pasture. The Tigers might be up for a competitive game on the back of those emotional farewells and all memes about 9th place aside (the Tigers would need to win and have the Titans lose to the Knights), Parramatta will not take this game lightly.

Given that the Roosters and Rabbitohs meet on Friday night and the Raiders and Sharks play in the slot before Parramatta on Super Saturday, the Eels will be forearmed with the knowledge about where they can finish on the ladder. A Roosters loss paves the way to a 3rd place finish while a Canberra victory means the Eels must win in order to finish in the Top 4. Parramatta must do as they have done for the vast majority of the year and take care of business first but if ever there was a time to do it with a bit of flair and panache it is now.

 

Parramatta Eels Wests Tigers
1 Clinton Gutherson 1 Adam Doueihi
2 Maika Sivo 2 David Nofoaluma
3 Michael Jennings 3 Tommy Talau
4 Waqa Blake 4 Chris Lawrence
5 Blake Ferguson 5 Asu Kepoa
6 Jai Field 6 Benji Marshall
7 Mitchell Moses 7 Luke Brooks
8 Reagan Campbell-Gillard 8 Zane Musgrove
9 Reed Mahoney 9 Harry Grant
10 Junior Paulo 10 Thomas Mikaele
11 Shaun Lane 11 Luke Garner
12 Ryan Matterson 12 Luciano Leilua
13 Nathan Brown 13 Alex Twal
14 Will Smith 14 Matthew Eisenhuth
15 Andrew Davey 15 Elijah Taylor
16 Kane Evans 16 Shawn Blore
17 Oregon Kaufusi 17 Michael Chee-Kam
18 Haze Dunster 18 Alex Seyfarth
19 Brad Takairangi 19 Jacob Liddle
20 George Jennings 20 Josh Reynolds
21 Daniel Alvaro 21 Joseph Leilua
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9 thoughts on “Team List Tuesday – Finals Tune-Up Edition

  1. Adam

    Fascinating decision by Ricky Stuart to rest his team. He’s either banked on an Eels win or didn’t feel his team could challenge Penrith in the first week of the finals and would benefit from a freshen up.

    Brad Arthur doesn’t have the luxury of launching this style of finals campaign given our stuttering attack needs every chance it can get to fire.

    Melbourne also rested most of its stars and the Roosters have freshened up too over the last few weeks so Parra will be the only team among the likely contenders to go without this luxury. Time will tell whether we needed it or not.

    1. Annon

      Will the Sharkies, themselves, tank in the hope we lose? I will be stuck to the TV from 5.30pm onwards on Saturday. Riveting stuff.

    2. 10 Year Member

      Will the Sharkies, themselves, tank in the hope we lose? I will be stuck to the TV from 5.30pm onwards on Saturday. Riveting stuff.

      1. Brett Allen

        Without Shaun Johnson I don’t think they need to worry about tanking, even with all the players the Raiders are resting

    3. !0 Years Member

      Will the Sharkies, themselves, tank in the hope we lose? I will be stuck to the TV from 5.30pm onwards on Saturday. Riveting stuff.

  2. Prometheus

    I have a gut feeling Rabbits might beat Rorters which means if we win we play a fully rested Storm in QLD, good luck with that.

  3. Brelogail St Boy

    Who has taught Maika Sivo to stop using the now legendary fend ? It’s well and truly time to bring it out of retirement.

  4. Brett Allen

    Sticky’s decision is interesting, he obviously feels that they can win it from 5th. As we found out last season, that 5th placing can be a fools paradise as they will be playing a team, as we did last year, that fell arse backwards into the 8.
    I don’t hold much hope that Mitch’s 5th tackle execution is going to improve significantly this week, however if he can continue to dig into the line like he did last week that should suffice to beat the Tigers. I want to see Jai Field use his straight line speed the same way, dig into the line, get quick PTB’s, push up in defence. At this stage of his career that’s the limitations of his game.
    I want to see BA to use Shaun Lane in the middle a lot more like last week, both he and the team were better for it.
    I want to see Reed running and engaging the markers a lot more, and I want to see us play much more narrowly, rather than automatically going wide.
    Above all else I want to see us defend more aggressively much higher up the park.

  5. The rev aka Snedden

    The big question is storm or Penrith.
    Who do you all Wana play against.

    Sixties.
    I’ve been hearing talk about home ground advantage what do we get if we finish in the top 4 we don’t get a home ground advantage do ?
    We Only get home ground advantage if we lose n play the following week right ?

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