Nathan Smith previews the second-round clash between the Parramatta Eels and the Cronulla Sharks. Here’s what we have to look forward to…
MATCHDAY NEWS
MATCHDAY SCHEDULE
Parramatta Eels Vs Cronulla Sharks
Venue: CommBank Stadium, Parramatta
Date: Friday 10th March, 6:00pm
MATCHDAY TEAM NEWS
Eels: 1. Clinton Gutherson 2. Maika Sivo 3. Viliami Penisini 4. Waqa Blake 5. Sean Russell 6. Dylan Brown 7. Mitchell Moses 8. Reagan Campbell-Gillard 9. Josh Hodgson 10. Junior Paulo 11. Bryce Cartwright 12. Matt Doorey 13. J’maine Hopgood 14. Jirah Momoisea 15. Jack Murchie 16. Wiremu Greig 17. Makahesi Makatoa 18. Jakob Arthur 19. Bailey Simonsson 20. Ofahiki Ogden 21. Ky Rodwell 22. Haze Dunster
Sharks: 1. William Kennedy 2. Sione Katoa 3. Jesse Ramien 4. Siosifa Talakai 5. Ronaldo Mulitalo 6. Matt Moylan 7. Braydon Trindall 8. Toby Rudolf 9. Blayke Brailey 10. Braden Hamlin-Uele 11. Briton Nikora 12. Teig Wilton 13. Dale Finucane 14. Cameron McInnes 15. Royce Hunt 16. Oregon Kaufusi 17. Connor Tracey 18. Thomas Hazelton 19. Mawene Hiroti 20. Max Bradbury 21. Jayden Berrell 22. Niwhai Puru
Referee: Gerard Sutton
Embed from Getty ImagesMATCHDAY PREVIEW
Two teams fancied for the top eight will meet, with neither having won their first-round match. For one side, it means going 0 for 2 to start the year, which is a start neither will want.
For the Eels, it was a case of the one that got away. In a tough, close contest against the Storm, they quite nearly beat themselves in the final minutes of the match with a litany of simple errors. The positive was that their new players, of which there were a few, all performed admirably. In a boost, they will have gun junior Sean Russell return to the team after serving a suspension from last season in round one.
The Sharks weren’t too dissimilar to the Eels. They were certainly in the game against the Rabbitohs, however, with 52 missed tackles and 14 errors, it’s easy to see how they ended up on the losing side of the scoreboard. Though they have had a huge out in Nicho Hynes, their replacement halfback Braydon Trindall performed well last week and would be expected to back it up.
There’s an interesting forward battle to watch for, with the likes of Reagan Campbell-Gillard and Toby Rudolf facing off against each other. More notably, the old veteran in Dale Finucane will match up against the young gun in J’Maine Hopgood, whose performance last week suggested he’s an early proposition for buy of the year.
For the Eels to win, they need their key men in Mitchell Moses and Dylan Brown to have more of a say. Last week, both were quiet, with Brown having had a particularly poor game. Meanwhile, for the Sharks, while Trindall performed well enough, his partner Matt Moylan will need to pick up the slack. On a sunny Friday in Sydney, this one is shaping up to be a cracker.
LAST TEN MATCHES
Eels 3, Sharks 7
MATCHDAY PREDICTION
Eels by 8.
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