Check out the match preview and prediction for the round 7 clash between the Eels and the Dolphins.
MATCHDAY NEWS
MATCHDAY SCHEDULE
Parramatta Eels Vs The Dolphins
Venue: TIO Stadium, Darwin
Date: Friday April 19th, 8:00pm
MATCHDAY TEAM NEWS
Eels: 1. Clinton Gutherson 2. Bailey Simonsson 3. Viliami Penisini 4. Morgan Harper 5. Sean Russell 6. Daejarn Asi 7. Dylan Brown 8. Reagan Campbell-Gillard 9. Joey Lussick 10. Junior Paulo 11. Shaun Lane 12. Bryce Cartwright 13. J’maine Hopgood 14. Luca Moretti 15. Ryan Matterson 16. Joe Ofahengaue 17. Blaize Talagi 18. Brendan Hands 19. Kelma Tuilagi 20. Wiremu Greig 21. Makahesi Makatoa 22. Maika Sivo
Dolphins: 1. Trai Fuller 2. Jamayne Isaako 3. Jake Averillo 4. Tesi Niu 5. Jack Bostock 6. Kodi Nikorima 7. Isaiya Katoa 8. Jesse Bromwich 9. Jeremy Marshall-King 10. Mark Nicholls 11. Kenny Bromwich 12. Euan Aitken 13. Max Plath 14. Josh Kerr 15. Sean O’Sullivan 16. Ray Stone 17. Jarrod Wallace 18. Oryn Keeley 19. Edrick Lee 20. Mason Teague 21. Valynce Te Whare 22. Jeremiah Simbiken
Referee: Todd Smith
Embed from Getty ImagesMATCHDAY PREVIEW
This Friday, the Parramatta Eels host their annual game up north in Darwin against The Dolphins. The ‘home’ side, the Eels, will be aiming to re-establish themselves in the top eight, meanwhile, The Dolphins will be intent on maintaining their mostly positive start to the 2024 season.
Last week, The Dolphins fell to cross-town rivals, the Brisbane Broncos, in a well-contested match for a long while. Eventually, the Broncos skipped away to a 28-14 win. A significant casualty fell, with star fullback Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow succumbing to a hamstring injury. Coach Wayne Bennett brings in Trae Fuller to take his place, while Sean O’Sullivan also joins the bench in place of suspended Anthony Milford.
Meanwhile, the Parramatta Eels were able to return to winning ways with a 27-20 victory over the North Queensland Cowboys. Daejarn Asi eased the burden on Dylan Brown’s shoulders with a controlled game at five-eighth, while the reshuffled back-line was far better defensively than it had been in weeks past. One change this week sees young gun Blaize Talagi on the bench for Kelma Tuilaga, with coach Brad Arthur eager to offer him as much exposure to first grade as possible.
The Dolphins are every chance. It’s a slightly depleted Queensland team, written off by the bookies. Wayne Bennett loves it. It’s the type of game built for an ambush. So where do they find success on the park? The seasoned veterans in the middle, Jesse Bromwich and Mark Nicholls, will need to put in a huge shift against their opposites in Reagan Campbell-Gillard and Junior Paulo. If they can beat the Eels in the middle they have enough speed out wide to baffle a traditionally susceptible Eels’ edge defence.
Contrastingly, the Eels hate being in this position. Favourites on the back of a good performance. Usually, it can only spell disaster. In the time Mitchell Moses has been absent, one thing has been made clear; the Eels without an organising half struggle to find points. They were far better last week with Asi doing the job and will hope he’s able to continue that in the coming weeks comfortably. If their halves fall apart, the entire team falls with them. However, if Asi is able to comfortably organise the team, allowing Brown to play his more natural game, the Eels should find themselves winning.
Head-to-head stats can be found at Round 7 Number Crunch.
MATCHDAY PREDICTION
Eels by 12.
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