NRL Round 5 Preview - Eels v Raiders

Parramatta Eels v Canberra Raiders
Parramatta Stadium, Monday 12 April 2010, kickoff 7:00pm

Jeff Robson and Daniel Mortimer seem to be stuck in a deep, dirty, sticky heap of very thick mud. Metaphorically speaking of course. The Eels halves don't seem to be getting their forwards motivated in the right way, and don't seem to be giving consistent, quality ball to their star studded back line. Their performances have also been riddled with errors and this puts their defense (which hasn't been quite as horrendous as their attack) under more pressure.

Will this happen again on Monday night? You bet it will. However on this occasion the Eels find a way to scrape home and grind their way to an ugly win, which they will happily accept. The Canberra Raiders come with a warning label that you dare not ignore. Before they make it to Sydney on Monday, they will pass through the Federal Highway and lose the ability to tackle - the team bus then rolls over the Hume Highway as 5th tackle options fall out of the exhaust - then on to the M7 as each toll booth costs them a batch of discipline until finally they hit the M4 on the way to Parramatta Stadium and walk into the dressing room with nothing left but a lime green hope in hell of victory.

Man of the Match Prediction: Nathan Hindmarsh
Tip: Parramatta 18-12