The 2021 draw was revealed late last week and it made for grim viewing for fans of the mighty Blue & Gold at first glance. Fox Sports dubbed Parramatta’s schedule the 3rd most difficult in 2021 (trailing only the Canterbury Bulldogs [2nd] and Brisbane Broncos [1st]) as although Parramatta’s games are evenly split between opponents from the 2020 Top and Bottom 8 at 12-a-piece, the Eels brutally double-up in fixtures against every other rival that finished in the 2020 Top 6.
Is it as bad as it looks initially? Unfortunately, that could very well be the case given the slew of return match-ups against premiership heavyweights but let’s dive into the breakdown of it all nonetheless and see exactly what 2021 has in store for the Parramatta Eels.
Quick Hitters
As per the excellent work done by NRL.com columnist Chris Kennedy, below is some of the critical aspects of our 2021 draw at a glance:
Teams Parramatta play twice
Broncos, Bulldogs, Panthers, Rabbitohs, Raiders, Roosters, Sea Eagles, Storm, Wests Tigers
Teams Parramatta play once
Cowboys, Dragons, Knights, Sharks, Titans, Warriors
Day-by-day breakdown
Thursday – 3, Friday – 7, Saturday – 7, Sunday – 6, Monday – 1
Turnarounds
5 days – 0, 6 days – 8, 7+ days – 15
The Eels have always been a popular team among the television networks – for good reason – but their success in 2020 has catapulted them to joint top billing in 2021 (alongside the Brisbane Broncos) as a whopping 15 of their 24 matches occupy coveted free-to-air slots on Channel 9.
While a consolidation of Parramatta’s popularity is always awesome to see, the normalisation of the Eels’ schedule next year is a huge boon. In 2020 they battled through 2 five-day-turnarounds in the COVID-19 adjusted draw (although they were originally scheduled for a NRL high 3 five-day-turnarounds) to knock off the Wests Tigers in Round 11 but later slump to a punishing loss to the Panthers in Round 18. Next year they are free of the dreaded short turnaround and even better – the vast majority of their games will be cushioned by at least a week between fixtures.
Greater consistency in preparation and short-term recovery for minor injuries and niggles could be the great equaliser for the Parramatta Eels as they face down a veritable gauntlet across the regulation season.
The 2021 Draw – A Visual Guide
I took the liberty of streamlining Parramatta’s 2021 draw and adding a visual guide by way of a weighted colour spectrum to help reveal both the toughest and easiest passages for the Eels next year.
Rounds 1-6
Parramatta and Brisbane relaunched the 2020 season follow the COVID-19 hiatus and while these two teams don’t kick off the 2021 their prime-time clash on Friday night in Round 1 could be a great launching point for the Eels. Indeed, Parramatta will want to leave Brisbane with the win secured because they open their account at home by hosting the reigning premiers in the Melbourne Storm. Home fixtures against Melbourne have been few and far between in recent years and the Eels will be looking to harness all of the raucous and riotous energy of their home opener in order to knock off a perennial powerhouse in the NRL.
From there the next month opens up somewhat with highly winnable games against the Sharks, Tigers and Dragons before a tough road-trip the nation’s capital awaits them to close out the first quarter of the draw. Naturally the Eels should be 6-0 with at least +120 in points differential by that stage but if you absolutely insist that I apply a liberal dose of realism to my outlook then I would argue that Parramatta would be gunning for a 4-2 start at the absolute worst and more seriously, at least a 5-1 opening to their campaign.
Lofty ambitions to be sure but the Eels will want to at least split the games between the Storm and Raiders and should be looking to sweep the rest of their mid table opponents during that run. 2020 proved that Parramatta are capable of jumping out of the blocks and whilea 3-3 start might not be back-breaking, banking as many wins as possible in the first half of the season could be crucial…
Rounds 7-12
We kick off the second quarter of the draw in a similar fashion to the first as the Eels and Broncos dance the tango de la muerte rugby once more – this time in Darwin. Brisbane will mark the 5th unique opponent (following the Raiders, Cowboys, Titans and Panthers) the Eels will have faced in their bastion in far-North Australia where the Blue & Gold hold an intimidating 5-1 record. Parramatta rarely play their best footy in the gruelling Darwinian conditions but they invariably outlast their opponents to grind out the victory.
The tropical throwdown kicks off arguably the easiest stretch of Parramatta’s draw with a box-office homefield clash against the Sydney Roosters in Round 9 bookended by trips to play the Bulldogs and Warriors with the latter taking place at Suncorp Stadium on account of Magic Round. Parramatta host Manly in Round 11 and then head down Parramatta Road to play the Rabbitohs at ANZ Stadium.
As with Parramatta’s first block of games there look to be four immediately winnable games with the contests against the Roosters and Rabbitohs looming above the rest. Incidentally, the same expectations will be applied here with the Eels looking to take one of the two games against the Roosters and Rabbitohs at minimum and then taking care of business against the Broncos, Bulldogs, Warriors and Sea-Eagles.
It should be noted that any of these teams in the first 12 rounds could just as easily either surprise the Eels on the day or enter the game having emerged as a resurgent contender in 2021 but Parramatta showed this year that they are better equipped to handle plucky upstart efforts than in previous years.
Round 13-18
It is off the Hunter for Round 13 as Parramatta face the Newcastle Knights in a tricky match. The Eels have improved against the Knights in recent times but rarely play their most fluent football against the Novocastrians. A two-game homestand against the Tigers and Bulldogs follows before the two Western Sydney heavyweights square-up for the first time in 2021 as the Eels head to Penrith with the bye in sight.
Parramatta get Round 17 off and will want to make full use of the window to recuperate and strategise as a brutal stretch of games awaits them in the run to the finals.
Before that though, they will head to the Gold Coast to play one of the surprise packets in 2020. The jury is still out on exactly how good the Titans are but they have recruited strongly for next year and could be a legitimate team to watch if they can consolidate on what they built this year.
The Battle Of The West is the headliner in this block with the game against Penrith shaping up as a high-stakes affair but don’t sleep on the Knights and Titans potentially throwing a spanner into the works. Parramatta could just as easily be 6-0 or 3-3 coming out of this quarter of the draw and tripping up here could be costly towards Top 4 aspirations.
Round 19-25
Ooph. What a gauntlet. The Eels play every Top 6 opponents from 2020 bar themselves in the last 7 games in a trial by fire that will either leave them sitting in the Top 4 primed and battle-hardened for the post-season or limping into sudden death footy off the back of a string of costly losses. In light of that, Parramatta can’t afford to drop the two games against the Sea Eagles and Cowboys in Rounds 22 and 23 that buffer their following grandstand finish to the regulation season against both the 2020 grand finalists.
Every win in this run will be huge, likely shaping the eventual makeup of the Top 4 and Top 8 and if the Eels can work with a 4-3 base from these 7 matches then they will put themselves in a strong position. Any extra wins above that are pure gravy but given just how tough that stretch is it is hard to be greedy enough to expect anything more.
The Last Word
There is no sugar-coating that home stretch of games. It is an absolute meat-grinder that will push the Eels to their limits and likely define their season. Every win they bank prior to that gladiatorial run will be massive but even so Parramatta can ill-afford a string of bad losses against quality opponents heading into the finals. Still, the draw is set-up for the Blue & Gold to head into that gauntlet in prime position to forge their own fate and the bye in Round 17 will give them the chance to prepare as thoroughly as possible ahead of the challenge.
The Parramatta Eels weren’t without their flaws in 2020 but they proved they are ready to roll their sleeves up and power through the slog in order to compete for the Top 4. They will need all that gumption once more alongside a healthy dash of growth from key players in 2021 but for as tough as it looks, this draw is not insurmountable.
On that note, I am curious to hear what everyone else thinks about the 2021 draw. Where do you think the Eels can make ground? Are there any trap games I missed? Will the tough finish to the season have Parramatta in ideal shape entering the finals? Let me know what sort of record you think the Parramatta Eels will hold when the dust settles at the close of Round 25!
I’m glad we have a tough draw it will show our true credentials last year we were gifted a dream draw yet still managed to Limp home then in the finals show that we were top 4 but not a top 4 standard team.
This year if we make the 4 or even the 8 we would of got earnt it on merit personally I was prepared for a disappointing season prior to the Draw
Come on Offside. Show some positivity!
TBH, I have not really taken much if any notice of the draw, I think I skimmed over it once and read some comments regarding it but that’s all.
End of the day we have to play 25 matches before the finals, the eels as a club need to be in the top 4 to go any further, where we finish when all is said and done we have to have a team that is not just committed in their games in all they can do, they have to be resolute in what they actually want to achieve, with all that they have to be focused as a team, and each player and the coaching staff have to hold and share the same values, perhaps more than the players.
As for the players and as a team, I am still concerned with a couple of the backs we have, its good to read Joey is back with the spine but we need a similar arrangement with quality back to be with our 2-5 in order for them gel.
We have done some good signings, and look forward to seeing who is in the CC as well, it may reveal some gems that can barge their ways in to the NRL squad.
The CC interests me too Colin, not so much about who can move up to NRL as that is likely to only come from NRL squad or Dev 6. However, my curiosity is whether there are pathways players who’ve moved out of age teams but stayed in our system on second tier contracts. As well I have some curiosity about careful recruitment of experienced second tier players who can help the youngsters who push up into playing CC.
That whole aspect with the pathways players & CC needs to be a building team, way the NRL runs now is that 19 players are needed for games each week, CC likely needs a similar number & of that it leaves 11 NRL players to fill out that squad, but much depends on when CC games are played and in relation to the days the NRL team is playing.
Do we have 6 development players? So far I have only seen the player we signed from NZ in that dep’t but that aspect seems strange to me by having a player who is at the age he is and has already played top grade RL, if I understand correctly.
If we have 6 Development players added to the 11 NRL players that adds to 17 CC players a full team but reserves would be needed.
I have had a bellyache, (not of the Melbourne kind) that for me rather than JF being under 21’s, why are we not going to a mid team/game that is like the old under 23’s. Sure many will say that CC covers it but, I see it in another way.
You know forty, I need to see our attitude and execution to defending as the ball shifts out wider. That will be a huge contributor to where we finish. In the latter part of the year and the finals teams started to shift the ball from further out, things can look untidy all over the park. We ve improved in many areas but this one must be better.
Don’t disagree BDon, and I’m curious about how one issue could be resolved.
For me the big play is to get MM back to his best kicking game. That part of his game was so good in 2019: It was not at the same place in 2020. Whether it was to do with the calf injury I have no idea.
Mitch is a quality player and I expect him to return to his best taking on the line and getting his kicking game in order. He is the key. Take the Eels with him despite our horrendous draw for 2021
Should read John Eel
John, I reckon Moses will be back to his kicking best. And expect him to work with Joey Johns on some aspects of that.
Mitch was trying the kick with backspin towards the end. It is a difficult kick to land with any accuracy.
It’s a case of when you use it too, as sometimes that roll on would be better than the back spin.
Especially when they land short
100%
Yeah, it did sound a bit too relevant and logical to have been of the “other” any-mouses John.
To be the best you have to beat the best. Our main problem is keeping fresh and motivated throughout the season and not drop form in the latter stages as we did this year.
Glenn, I reckon we had that slump but were trending back up in form in the finals – the problem was that our worst issues with players being injured/unavailable happened then. We gave the Storm a hell of a game in comparison to their other matches – despite the rants from Gould.
That is a good assessment. We did not have a lot of injuries throughout the season however we had a run of injury and disruption right at the end.
I agree we were starting to make a run. The Storm are like other teams in that they suffer scoreboard pressure. They can be rattled just like any team.
You have to believe that you can beat them.
They are the premiers for a reason but as you rightly say John, can be pressured into errors.
We seemed to go off the boil at the time Dylan Brown was sidelined.. I’m not sure about this connection, but the coincidence was there.
I think that this was because of Dylan’s capacity to straighten the attack.
I agree Glen and have said as much below in my opinion which I posted last night before reading any of the other posts here. It is interesting to see how many fans would actually like to see Parra with a bit more adversity towards the end of the regular season mate. We might be onto something?
Thanks for a great read! I feel a lot better about the draw after reading your comments. I agree the last quarter will be tough but I feel the first 3 are very doable with us maybe dropping 4. Hopefully we have no major injuries and can have a whole season playing like the first 10 weeks of 2020. I’ll be interested to see how our new recruits do, and what Johns can do with our halves. Can’t wait!!
Thanks for the reply to Forty’s post Nic. Injuries will always be critical in a team’s season. We were quite fortunate during the early part of 2020, but the injuries in the finals really impacted us. But that’s footy.
G’day 40. There’s no doubt that we have it all before us in 2021 from the breakup you have given us to chew on.
I do like the fact that we do not have any 5 day turnarounds. I believe they hurt you for more than the round in question and often create a huge polar disruption to our “normal” schedule.
But I also see a real positive about the last 7 run home rather than a daunting challenge. We will have no complacency which has been the bane of many a crusade in the past for us. Parra have loved to lose the unlosable match in the past imo largely because of complacency. If we can be in striking range of a top 2 finish at the start of this final run it could be a great challenge. I believe it will help us to “stay really focused week to week”. If we have a healthy roster with a consistent routine for recovery and field sessions? This could be exactly what Parra need to return to the glory days.
Rowdy, I’m with you on the 5 day turn arounds. Teams are usually given a two day recovery after a match. That means they only get one session and a caps run in the five day turn arounds. Not ideal.