NRL Team List
With the Parramatta Eels expected to rest key starters in their final regulation hitout in Round 25 against the Penrith Panthers, this week’s game against Melbourne shapes up as their final chance to tweak, tune up and otherwise fine tinker with their best roster ahead of the finals.
Brad Arthur has made just the one enforced change to the starting team that secured a much needed win against the North Queensland Cowboys in Round 23. Blake Ferguson makes an extremely timely return from a rib injury following the loss of Maika Sivo for the remainder of 2021 to a medial cruciate ligament injury. While it is a perfectly predictive science, given that Haze Dunster has swapped out the #5 he has donned throughout this year on the right sideline for Sivo’s vacant #2, it seems like Ferguson will play on his preferred right edge with Will Penisini while Dunster will partner Waqa Blake on the left edge.
All in all this seems to be the most common sense approach to the situation. Perhaps time might have cured the dysfunctional on-field partnership between the two Blakes but this really isn’t the junction of the season to be finding out if that is true.
Arthur has elected to rotate his interchange bench this week against the Melbourne Storm. Will Smith and Oregon Kaufusi make way for Ray Stone and Keegan Hipgrave. All of a sudden the bench has an abundance of backrow options while the senior rookie Makahesi Makatoa, who has looked completely at home in the NRL, is in line for even greater responsibility this week as the sole pure middle forward riding the pine.
To say Melbourne will be a formidable challenge is selling it unfairly short. They are the undisputed benchmark of the competition and while the Eels were one of only two teams to best them in 2021 back in Round 2, the circumstances were wildly different – particularly for the Blue & Gold. During that pulsating clash Parramatta were able to call on the services of Reed Mahoney, Reagan Campbell-Gillard, Ryan Matterson and a fit and firing Maika Sivo, not to mention the form and confidence the team boasted overall.
A win would be an incredible outcome for the Eels even if it has little to no impact on where they will finish the season on the ladder. Victory still remains the goal in spite of the disparity in recent form between the two clubs but the baseline this week needs to be a competitive outing. The absences of players like Mahoney and Campbell-Gillard are legitimate reasons why the Eels might not be able to pull out a win even if they fight tooth and nail – that is honestly okay. The very drive and desire for that fight however is what Parramatta have to bottle up. Build on what you started last Saturday night and out-enthuse Melbourne through contact, scramble like a madman for that loose ball and work through everything with speed.
A win may ultimately end up eluding the Eels this week but there are plenty of smaller victories to be had in the bigger picture if our boys truly want it. If they really believe that the recent month of bad losses does not reflect who they are and what this team is – this is where they need to make a statement. Rewrite the record. Stoke the flames. Turn the embers of a modest win over the Cowboys into a fire that can rage through the finals. Take on the full fury of the Storm front on and emerge stronger for it on the other side.
1. Clinton Gutherson ©
2. Haze Dunster
3. Will Penisini
4. Waqa Blake
5. Blake Ferguson
6. Dylan Brown
7. Mitchell Moses
8. Isaiah Papali’i
9. Joey Lussick
10. Junior Paulo
11. Shaun Lane
12. Marata Niukore
13. Nathan Brown
14. Ray Stone
15. Bryce Cartwright
16. Makahesi Makatoa
17. Keegan Hipgrave
18. Will Smith
19. Oregon Kaufusi
20. Sean Russell
21. Jakob Arthur
Great report Forty20,
We all breathed a collective sigh after last week’s win. Still plenty of room for improvement.
I know BA is planning on resting players next week but I can’t help but think we have nothing to gain this week except possible injuries. We are already very thin. I’d be looking at resting Junior and N Brown this week or at very least bring them off the bench. Remember this is almost but not quite a dead rubber..
W Smith – ? Not sure who’s the backup
Fergo
Waqa
WP
Haze
D Brown
M Moses
Hipgrave -Angry pills
Lussick
Makatoa – Angry pills
Cartwright
Marata
Stone – Angry pills
N. Brown – energy off the bench
Junior – energy off the bench
Pappali – Dynamite off the bench
Lane – No errors please
It’s not going to happen but if we are to play finals (and we are) the squad needs decent minutes on the field and the key players need a rest.
Yes Gutho needs a rest…. Controversial, I know. Although, he did play better last week but he’s not at his normal 100% and his passing game and temper have been below par for over a month. I’d sit him up in the coaches box so he can see what the coach sees. I believe that will improve his game tenfold. I don’t know if Will Smith is a the best back-up Fullback but we haven’t really been without Gutho. We need to work on a plan if Gutho went down in the finals… before it actually happens…
Anyway I’m getting into the team as selected. It could be an ambush if Storm are too focused on the record and forget to play their game. The question is can we beat Storm more than once in a season?
Go Eels!!
I’m very pleased to see Stone and Hipgrave included this week Pete. As for next week, I reckon that there are two choices if BA decides to rest Gutho – Hayze Perham or Sean Russell. Perham has the most NRL experience so perhaps he goes with him.
I think he will put smith at fullback imo.
Funny looking bench but oh well it is the time coach’s rest player’s.
Unlike you 40/20 who is already thinking about next weekend. (A win may ultimately end up eluding the Eels this week but there are plenty of smaller victories to be had in the bigger picture if our boys truly want it.) I think we can pull off ” another upset” something around the same score as rd 2.
I’m thinking we will be better with out sivo. The more i see sivo the more i get angry at my t.v.
Maybe I’m expecting him to run like semi Radradra. Who knows. Miss big semi.
Happy to see Hipgrave n stone but i don’t like seeing stone being used as a back up hooker. Will be happy for Cartwright to start n bring brown on as a prop forward.
Would like to see how brad uses Hipgrave.
Would prefer Lane comes off the bench for short stints and perhaps he’ll make less errors and have more impact.
With Sivo out long term, Will Parra keep Ferguson?
No
Not the most confident write-up Forty, certainly a formidable challenge!
Can’t help but feel we have a lightweight bench against a heavyweight.
Clearly BA has a plan borne out in the rotationa & team selections.
I hope the players have bought in and deliver a competitive team.