NRL Team List
The meatgrinder that is left wing at the Parramatta Eels has claimed another victim with Waqa Blake sidelined indefinitely with a MCL injury. That obviously points to a more severe injury than initially anticipated for Waqa and translating that to a Grade 3 MCL sprain would suggest a layoff between 4-8 weeks. It leaves Brad Arthur completely short of any proven specialist option for the role and left to manufacture a stop-gap solution for Easter Monday’s clash with the Wests Tigers.
Right now that solution is putting Will Penisini to the wing and slotting Marata Niukore into the centres. Far from elegant I will concede but there are potentially shenanigans afoot in the team list. Hayze Perham is set to earn his second cap as an Eel with his selection on the bench and could certainly be a candidate for a pre-kickoff reshuffle that lands him on the wing, Penisini back at centre and Niukore on the bench.
The Eels have seemingly also received dispensation to name Zac Cini on Team List Tuesday. His availability for selection immediately makes him another potential candidate for the troublesome position. It adds a layer of intrigue to Monday’s clash although perhaps the solution honestly is as simple as currently named.
Of course that isn’t the only hole in the roster to fill this week with Junior Paulo accepting a 1-game suspension for a careless high tackle. Don’t get me started on all that. Anywho, Arthur has kept it straight forward here with Oregon Kaufusi named to start. Shaun Lane’s return (for real this time, maybe) bumps Ryan Matterson to the bench where he shores up the middle rotation with Makahesi Makatoa.
Parramatta’s opponents this week are their traditional Easter Monday rivals in the Wests Tigers. They too have a string of their own changes as they scramble to overcome a zero and five start to the season. Tyrone Peachey, Jacob Liddle, Oliver Gildart and Ken Maumalo are all out this week as Michael Maguire desperately tries to spark any kind of reaction from his squad. Still, regardless of any changes we know that the Tigers always circle their calendar for games against the Eels and will at the very least start this match in spirited fashion.
There is no rousing speech or fancy plan of attack for the Eels this week. They just need to carry on as they have been over the last three weeks and continue to take care of their own business.
There is good news this week as well with a timeline finally set for Sean Russell’s return. The young back is tentatively due to resume playing somewhere between Rounds 8-10. That range of dates feels so close yet so far away but it is a serious boost to the team to know that help on the wings is coming.
1. Clinton Gutherson (c)
2. Will Penisini
3. Marata Niukore
4. Tom Opacic
5. Bailey Simonsson
6. Dylan Brown
7. Mitchell Moses
8. Reagan Campbell-Gillard
9. Reed Mahoney
10. Oregon Kaufusi
11. Shaun Lane
12. Isaiah Papali’i
13. Nathan Brown
14. Makahesi Makatoa
15. Ryan Matterson
16. Hayze Perham
17. Mitch Rein
18. Bryce Cartwright
19. Jake Arthur
20. Wiremu Greig
21. Ky Rodwell
22. Samuel Loizou
23. Elie El-Zakhem
24. Zac Cini
Injury Report
| Player | Injury | Return |
| Solomone Naiduki | Hamstring | Rd 7-8 |
| Sean Russell | Ribs/Lung | Rd 8-10 |
| Waqa Blake | MCL | TBC |
| Maika Sivo | Knee | TBC |
| Ray Stone | ACL | 2023 |
| Haze Dunster | ACL, MCL, PCL | 2023 |
NSW Cup Team List
The Eels got ambushed something serious by the North Sydney Bears on the weekend with the Bears racing out to a 26-0 lead before eventually closing out the game 30-16. It was a result reflective of the gradual toll taken on the roster as the injury crisis in the NRL trickles down to this grade. Ryan Carr loses Hayze Perham and Mitch Rein again this week on a similar note although he does get Jakob Arthur and Bryce Cartwright back in return in a neutral exchange. His team is also without young forward Peter Taateo this week for unknown (i.e injury/suspension) reasons.
Like their NRL counterparts, the Western Suburbs Magpies are winless in 2022 but little can be taken for granted obviously. The NSW Cup plays the curtain raiser game on Monday afternoon at CommBank Stadium with kickoff scheduled for 1:35PM.
1. Jordan Rankin (c)
2. Matthew Komolafe
3. Zac Cini
4. Samuel Loizou
5. Max Lehmann
6. Jakob Arthur
7. Jack A Williams
8. Ky Rodwell
9. Brendan Hands
10. Wiremu Greig
11. Elie El-Zakhem
12. Dan Keir
13. Bryce Cartwright
14. Luca Moretti
15. Keaton Walkington-Meads
16. Jayden Yates
17. Tevita Taumoepenu
Jersey Flegg Team List
TBC
Don’t mention the w position! It is bad luck! I’d like to see the quick switch before the game with Hayze moving to the position that can’t be named and Niukore on the bench. Looking forward to this game as it will be the first game I’ve been since the relocation last year due to the spicy cough.
Perham is a special talent and we have to get him in there but I do love big Marata out in the centres!
Tks Forty. I recall last year when Niukore made us look better defensively out wide, Penisini simply makes good decisions. We still have strike in Moses/DBrown/Gutho. All good.
I think someone is holding a voodoo doll on our left wing….. Would be great if someone could find it and rip out the needles….. Please
Just some random comments.
In a way I’m not to despondent to see Jnr miss a game. It’s like a forced rotation, it’s not a top tier team we are playing , it gives the big guy a refresher , he won’t get injured and it gives oregon a full on chance to show his wares plus it teaches the team to win without a strike weapon. For this particular game I’m very happy to see marata out in the centres, I just hope he doesn’t play the jet into some kind of form if they get marked up. Playing in the centres might also be a good pathway back into fg from injury rather than thru the pack. It won’t hurt penisini to play wing yes he’s relatively short but I think Ken is out. I just don’t want to see will being used as a battering ram type winger. Really looking fwd to seeing hayze get another run. I would like to see more rotation amongst our forwards over the season. RCG has been awesome but if we keep expecting him to give 100 percent it might break him down and the way he is playing he shld be a walk up start for the blues.
Some subtle reading between the lines forty.
Possibly some shenigans at play but maybe BA goes as listed and Perham is eased in with 10-20mins in the 2nd half.
Yes good to see Russell’s return is close & that Cini is now approved for selection
Really looking forward to seeing Marata back – he really adds another dimension to the Eels intensity.