Nathan Smith previews the Thursday night clash between the Sydney Roosters and Parramatta Eels. Here’s what we have to look forward to…
MATCHDAY NEWS
MATCHDAY SCHEDULE
Sydney Roosters Vs Parramatta Eels
Venue: Allianz Stadium, Sydney
Date: Thursday 30th of March, 8:00pm (local)
MATCHDAY TEAM NEWS
Sydney Roosters: 1. James Tedesco 2. Daniel Tupou 3. Joseph Suaalii 4. Drew Hutchison 5. Jaxson Paulo 6. Luke Keary 7. Sam Walker 8. Jared Waerea-Hargreaves 9. Brandon Smith 10. Lindsay Collins 11. Egan Butcher 12. Nat Butcher 13. Victor Radley 14. Jake Turpin 15. Naufahu Whyte 16. Corey Allan 17. Fletcher Baker 18. Ben Thomas 19. Junior Pauga 20. Sandon Smith 21. Siua Wong 22. Elie El Zakhem
Parramatta Eels: 1. Clinton Gutherson 2. Maika Sivo 3. Viliami Penisini 4. Waqa Blake 5. Bailey Simonsson 6. Dylan Brown 7. Mitchell Moses 8. Reagan Campbell-Gillard 9. Josh Hodgson 10. Wiremu Greig 11. Bryce Cartwright 12. Ryan Matterson 13. J’maine Hopgood 14. Matt Doorey 15. Brendan Hands 16. Jack Murchie 17. Makahesi Makatoa 18. Jakob Arthur 19. Jirah Momoisea 20. Ofahiki Ogden 21. Toni Mataele 22. Haze Dunster
Referee: Grant Atkins
Embed from Getty ImagesMATCHDAY PREVIEW
The Jack Gibson Cup will be up for grabs this Thursday night when the teams of the legendary coach himself, the Sydney Roosters and Parramatta Eels, do battle.
Fresh from a bye, the Roosters will be looking to add to their couple of wins for the season, which will put them right back up the top of the ladder. Heavily favoured for a big year, they’ve yet to really hit their straps with a few outs limiting their potential. They come into this week missing Joey Manu, but will otherwise have their key players refreshed and ready.
The Eels are on the back end of what has been a tough opening five rounds to the year, with this game their third straight match against a team coming off of a bye. To their credit, rather than fold, they pulled off a win against the reigning premiers last week in a stunning golden point encounter. If the Eels can snag a win against the Roosters, they’ll be pleased to have found some winning form on the back end of this run.
The Rooster’s middle will look to impose itself on an Eels forward pack that is missing some star quality. Shaun Lane has been a notable absentee since round one, however, their co-captain Junior Paulo will have to sit out this week and next after copping a suspension. For the Roosters, this is a great opportunity to dominate the middle, where Reagan Campbell-Gillard is the only established prop. If the likes of Jared Waerea-Hargreaves and Lindsay Collins have their way, the Roosters’ backs might be too classy for the Eels on the back of their work.
For the Eels, it’s about keeping their footy as simple as possible. This sounds like a basic principle, however across the opening three rounds, their completion rate had dropped some 7% compared to the same time last year. Moses was integral to their win against the Panthers, dictating the game through his kicking and keeping pressure off of his team. If they limit the errors and make their tackles, they’ll keep it close and be a chance towards the back end of the game.
LAST TEN MATCHES
Roosters 7, Eels 3
MATCHDAY PREDICTION
Roosters by 4
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