NRL Team List

Round 23, 2:00PM Sunday 6th August, CommBank Stadium

Round 23 brings the winds of change across all three positional groups as Brad Arthur shakes up the spine, backline and forward pack. Dylan Brown returns to five-eighth and has plenty to make up for to his team mates and fans alike with the Parramatta Eels caught in a logjam for a Top 8 finish. Joey Lussick takes over as the lone dummy half option this week as Brendan Hands slips back to 18th man. This is easily the most interesting selection decision to come out of a team list full of changes. Does Arthur simply want to load up on the bench with forwards against the Dragons? Or is it a question of form? I would have to think not but with Hands lining up in the NSW Cup there is obviously something at play here.

Isaac Lumelume replaces Waqa Blake on the left flank in the lone change to the backline while in the forward pack there are a pair of moves as Joe Ofahengaue and Ryan Matterson start at prop and left edge respectively. Out of the team alongside Hands are Daejarn Asi and Ofahiki Ogden while Andrew Davey shifts to the bench. Wiremu Greig joins Davey on the interchange as the big man makes an almost impossible return to NRL duties. The final change to the team comes with the recall of Makahesi Makatoa to the bench. It is nice to see Arthur Miller-Stephen feature in the extended team list, although that might be a function of just how depleted the team is right now between injury and suspension.

It is as close to wholesale changes as the Eels can afford with the current state of their roster. Is this shake up going to be enough? Well, against the Dragons it should be but that was never the issue. With a brutal stretch looming the Eels simply need more. Dylan Brown will need to make a rapid return to top form individually as well as elevating that left edge defensively if Parramatta are to shape up enough to challenge the Broncos and Panthers. Matterson should help that side of the field as he shows the value of his versatility once more leaving Lumelume as the holdover option until Maika Sivo is back.

Everything else is a question of attitude for this roster. The Dragons are obviously present a winnable game but they aren’t going to step aside for us. They have been narrowly pipped by the Raiders and Sea Eagles in recent clashes and if the Eels run out like the team that got whooped by the Storm last week then expect St George to push for victory. Parramatta can not afford to drop this one. They need to be locked in. As if they were lacking for motivation in any event but this weekend will also mark Old Boys Day as former club stalwarts and greats come together to reminisce and celebrate.

NRLW Team List

Round 3, 12:00PM Sunday 6th August, CommBank Stadium

It would look like the Eels are treading water this week as Dean Widders names the same team that lost heavily to the Dragons in Round 2. Elise Albert has been billed as an outside chance of playing this week and that would be a massive boost to the line-up but the Eels are going to need plenty more if they are going to upset the Newcastle Knights.

There isn’t much more I can write about what needs to happen beyond what has been said in the Gin & Logic column but there is plenty to tidy up in attack and defence for our Eels. The revenge factor should be in play this week given that the Knights broke their hearts last year in the Grand Final. Obviously there has been plenty of roster turnover since then but the returning players should all be chomping at the bit for this one.

It is also, bizarrely, Parramatta’s final home game at CommBank Stadium this year. Even with the better part of 2 months of rugby league yet to be played the Eels will play ‘home’ games out of Netstrata Jubilee Stadium (Kogarah) and GIO Stadium (Canberra) rather than Parramatta. This shapes up as a tipping point in their season on the back of that. Lose on Sunday and you spend the next 6 rounds on the road. As with the NRL squad, this is a game they simply must have.

NSW Cup Team List

Round 23, 11:00AM Sunday 6th August, Kellyville Park

Lachlan Blackburn and Noah Reed are the latest Flegg players to get the call to the NSW Cup. Blackburn will make his senior debut starting at centre while Reed will play from the bench. Brendan Hands, Waqa Blake, Ofahiki Ogden and Daejarn Asi all bolster the team after dropping out of the NRL squad.

The Eels will host the Dragons at Kellyville on Sunday morning.

Jersey Flegg Team List

Round 23, 3:30PM Saturday 5th August, New Era Stadium

The lone grade to secure a win last week was the Jersey Flegg and it was a vital win over the Melbourne Storm to keep their season alive. They are now within striking distance of both Melbourne and St George in the battle for 5th place…and would you look at who they play this week! With the Dragons coming to town, the Eels have a huge opportunity to leap frog a rival contender for the Top 5.

Samuel Loizou replaces the promoted Lachlan Blackburn while Blaize Talagi is absent due to either injury or suspension. Joshua Lynn is also back in Flegg with Daejarn Asi returning to NSW Cup as he reunites with Ethan Sanders in the halves. Jock Brazel is back from a 1-game suspension and lines up on the edge while Jacob Davis gives the Eels an attacking dummy half option on the bench to rotate with Matthew Arthur.

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