NRL Team List
Round 8, Friday 8:00PM, 4 Pines Park
Part-time footballers. Brad Arthur’s scathing assessment of his team in the wake of their capitulation to the Dolphins in Darwin has set the stage for an explosive Team List Tuesday. While eyes will no doubt be immediately drawn to the rookie halfback Ethan Sanders making his debut or even the recall of Maika Sivo from exile in the NSW Cup there are gaping holes in the roster heading into Round 8. The Eels have lost one of their whole-hearted, full-time footballers this week in Bryce Cartwright while Clinton Gutherson – the lionheart of the team – continues to valiantly battle a knee injury.
It is a grim foundation for Team List Tuesday and heaps even more pressure onto a team already struggling on multiple fronts.
Still, the debut of any young player should be celebrated and while his future at the club is still shrouded in uncertainty Ethan Sanders now has an opportunity to pen the first chapter of his NRL story against the Sea Eagles on Friday night. Ethan hasn’t lit up reserve grade by any means following an outstanding 2023 across the SG Ball and Jersey Flegg but there have been glimmers of his talent. Good showings against the Magpies in Round 4 and critically this weekend past against the Roosters.
So how much control of the team will he be given? Much has been made about pairing Dylan Brown with a classic halfback in order to allow Dylan to play his natural game. Sanders certainly fits that profile but he will need to bold and boisterous in order to claim ownership of the side. The Eels desperately need more on field direction and it will fall upon his shoulders and vocal chords to bark orders (and scream if need be) at far more senior players to be in place and on time against the Sea Eagles.
As for the other changes, let’s all take a deep breath before launching into it – where we are going we don’t need full stops. Firstly, Maika Sivo returns to the left wing with Bailey Simmonsson switching to the right as we then turn to the backrow where Ryan Matterson covers for Bryce Cartwright on the right edge before our attention turns to the interchange where there are a host of changes starting with Brendan Hands set to deputise Joey Lussick and forwards reinforcements coming in the way of Makahesi Makatoa and Kelma Tuilagi as Blaize Talagi and Luca Moretti make way.
Could Arthur have done much different with the team this week? Honestly? Not really, this is as deep as we run this year in terms of troops. Do we need to be better prepared to take on the Sea Eagles regardless? Absolutely. If we see another complete systemic collapse in both attack and defence this week then I am liable to unleash a scream of frustration that will be registered from the international space station (and sound doesn’t travel through space).
Maybe the bounce back factor is in play this week but given the loss of one of Parramatta’s best coupled with Manly hungering for revenge from Round 3, Friday night looks to be an extremely difficult proposition for the Blue & Gold. Naturally I will be excited to see Ethan running out for the first time as an Eel, regardless of where his future lies, but it will take an almighty effort from Parramatta to upset the Sea Eagles.
| Parramatta Eels | Manly Sea Eagles | |
| Clinton Gutherson | 1 | Tom Trbrojevic |
| Maika Sivo | 2 | Jason Saab |
| Will Penisini | 3 | Tolutau Koula |
| Morgan Harper | 4 | Reuben Garrick |
| Bailey Simonsson | 5 | Tommy Talau |
| Ethan Sanders | 6 | Luke Brooks |
| Dylan Brown | 7 | Daly Cherry-Evans |
| Reagan Campbell-Gillard | 8 | Taniela Paseka |
| Joey Lussick | 9 | Lachlan Croker |
| Junior Paulo | 10 | Josh Aloiai |
| Shaun Lane | 11 | Haumole Olakau’atu |
| Ryan Matterson | 12 | Corey Waddell |
| J’maine Hopgood | 13 | Jake Trbojevic |
| Interchange | ||
| Brendan Hands | 14 | Karl Lawton |
| Makahesi Makatoa | 15 | Ethan Bullemor |
| Joe Ofahengaue | 16 | Matthew Lodge |
| Kelma Tuilagi | 17 | Nathan Brown |
| Extended Bench | ||
| Sean Russell | 18 | Aaron Woods |
| Luca Moretti | 19 | Jake Arthur |
| Daejarn Asi | 20 | Jaxson Paulo |
| Wiremu Greig | 21 | Dean Matterson |
| Blaize Talagi | 22 | Gordon Chan Kum Tong |
NSW Cup Team List
Round 8, Sunday 3:00PM, HE Laybutt Field
It was another case of a tough loss for the Eels on the weekend as they went down to the Roosters by 4-points at Wentworth Park. There is plenty of activity in the team list this week with changes across the backline, spine and forward pack. Sean Russell, sent down from NRL, will surprisngly turn out in the centres while Blaize Talagi – who has been nominated as Gutherson’s heir at fullback – will play at five-eighth. It is difficult to parse the meaning behind these moves and how they help either the players or the team but here we are.
Daejarn Asi has been named to play at halfback despite suffering a pretty significant blow to his head in Darwin so I do wonder if there are questio marks about his availability. In the forward pack we see Luca Moretti and Wiremu Greig starting in the frontrow while Matt Doorey moves back into the starting backrow as he builds back from injury.
This game will be broadcast on NSWRL TV.
| 1 | Zac Cini |
| 2 | Jake Tago |
| 3 | Sam Loizou |
| 4 | Sean Russell |
| 5 | Isaac Lumelume |
| 6 | Blaize Talagi |
| 7 | Daejarn Asi |
| 8 | Luca Moretti |
| 9 | Matt Arthur |
| 10 | Wiremu Greig |
| 11 | Dan Keir |
| 12 | Matt Doorey |
| 13 | Charlie Guymer |
| Interchange | |
| 14 | Meni Luke |
| 15 | Jock Brazel |
| 16 | Brock Parker |
| 17 | Reece Alderton |
Jersey Flegg Team List
Round 8, Saturday 12:30PM, 4 Pines Park
Another week, another backline for the Jersey Flegg. Antioch Faitala-Mariner, another new face at the club, makes his debut in the centres while Beau Newlands is on the wing this week as Dakota Kakoi and Devonte Vaivela miss out due to injury/suspension/form. The bench has a heavy QLD influence this week with Damascus Neemia, Lance Fualema and LeBron Tuala playing in rotation.
| 1 | Tyler Cuthbert |
| 2 | Mohamed Alameddine |
| 3 | Antioch Faitala-Mariner |
| 4 | Domenico De Stradis |
| 5 | Beau Newlands |
| 6 | Apa Twidle |
| 7 | Joshua Lynn |
| 8 | Sam Tuivaiti |
| 9 | Ryley Smith |
| 10 | Saxon Pryke |
| 11 | Will Lewis |
| 12 | Jock Brazel |
| 13 | Max Tupou |
| Interchange | |
| 14 | Yehya Ayache |
| 15 | Demascus Neemia |
| 16 | Lance Fualema |
| 17 | Lebron Tuala |
Finally an organiser to partner Dylan. I hope Sanders plays his natural 7 and Dylan plays his natural 6. We deserve that. Dylan play your natural game Ethan steer!
Hands – didn’t do anything wrong last time. Joey needs a spell.
Russell – was terrible and slow
Cartwright? Injured or dropped?
Asi – injured
Moretti – had his worst game
Blaize- not ready. His development is being hampered.
Matterson- probably his last chance to start. He needs to pull his finger out.
Makatoa and Sivo re called
Wiremu? What has happened here…
A win would be beyond miraculous. I’m hoping for a show of heart. Try to the end, boys.
This club needs a plan. Why are we rewarding Sanders if he has signed elsewhere.
Not rewarding him, desperate.
Has he signed with Canberra or not?
Because until the end of this season he’s an Eel. He ain’t a Raider until Dec 1.
I think a couple of experienced forwards are lucky. I’m personally glad Sanders gets a go. I hope he stays.
I hope they all aim up – but we’ve heard this before. We cannot string a solid 10-12 good games together can we? No
I have little faith tbh
I also feel for guys like Moretti / Russell and Blaize. It’s easy to drop them after an ordinary game or so but what abt the players on high 💰 who eat up the cap?
Guys like Paulo, Lane, Matterson, RCG who is consistent must be good almost each week. Some of them are not this consistent. Look at Melb and Penrith and their top players aim up virtually each week…
DB and Guth have aimed up well.
He announced yesterday that he had signed with the Raiders for the next two years.
Yes saw late yesterday- ahh well that’s how it goes.
You’re asking too much if you think players like lane and matto will ever be consistent. They have always been inconsistent and we rewarded with big contracts anyway. Cheers HOF.
They were inconsistent, but their impact compensated. Unfortunately they aren’t making the impact they used to.
Ron, their contracts would just abt demand they are consistent along with Paulo. I just don’t see our forwards consistently being strong….
Yep – their pay packet suggests they should be consistent but they never have been. Another failure by our so called HOF. We overpaid massively to retain certain players during that 2022 year.
I would hope we move on lane and matto and promote guymer and a junior prop + use the money elsewhere.
I think Lane out of that group is a non performer (unfortunately, I loved his back story), I know people are critical of Matto but he is not getting the time in the middle and be buggered if I understand why Lane starts before him. I always thought Matt was an 80 minute player but if the coach doesn’t give you time, its hard to be critical.
The problem is the “grind” the forwards have to make every game because the backs just can’t score points!….. that’s why we were embarrassed last week. The forwards were rooted and our backs were too slow to defend.
There is no impact off the bench so defence must be the mentality, we’re going to tackle Manly out of the game. Good luck with that! Think Hands is also the backup half if Sanders doesn’t perform. Add to that Gutho on one leg-with no obvious backup (club/ba stuff up) means we’re done for the season imo. Time for a good clean out starting from the HOF down!!!
Everyone is big on clean outs, how many babies are you going to throw out with the bathwater.