Round 4: Eels v Sharks preview
Eels look to farewell temporary home with a win
Giving a good account of themselves against the reigning premiers last Friday, the Parramatta Eels will be looking for further improvement in their final home match at ANZ Stadium against the Cronulla Sharks.
Leading the Roosters 18-14 midway through the second half last Friday only for the premiers to demonstrate their championship credentials with three late tries to run out 32-18 victors, coach Brad Arthur will be keen to ensure his side bounces back in order to start the season with three wins from their first four matches for only the fourth time in the NRL era.
Enduring a difficult run against Cronulla with losses in their past five meetings, the match will hold additional significance for both clubs as they contest the Johnny Mannah Cup for the seventh year.
Suffering a major blow with boom rookie Dylan Brown sidelined indefinitely with a back issue, Jaeman Salmon will start at five eighth, while after being ruled out in the warm up against the Roosters with a calf strain, Tepai Moeroa has been named to return at lock.
Producing a blistering second half performance in Townsville to turn a 10-6 halftime deficit into a 42-16 win, the Cronulla Sharks will be hoping for greater consistency having experienced periods of extreme quality compounded by error-riddled football over the first three rounds.
Scoring five tries in the space of 17 minutes against the Cowboys, coach John Morris will be stressing the importance of playing for the full duration on Saturday night as the Sharks look to continue a strong run of form at ANZ Stadium that has produced five wins from seven appearances since 2016.
Losing representative fullback Matt Moylan for at least a month due to a hamstring injury, Josh Dugan will shift to fullback allowing 18-year-old centre Bronson Xerri to become the third player to debut in first grade for Cronulla this season.
Last meeting: Round 9 2018 - Sharks 22 Eels 20
Who to watch: Who to watch for the home side.
Cutting his teeth as part of the Warriors impressive nursery of junior talent, Marata Niukore has been an unsung contributor for the Eels during testing times. Debuting midway through last season as part of the changing face of Parramatta's forward pack, the two-time Junior Kiwis second rower has established himself as a permanent fixture on the right edge, playing every minute so far this season due to the absence of injured enforcer Manu Ma'u. Making his international debut for the Cook Islands two years ago, the 22-year-old will be eager to add more representative honours to his resume in the future, but in the present look for Niukore to be a danger man for the Sharks to contend with on Saturday night.
With Luke Lewis hanging up the boots and co-captain Wade Graham sidelined with an ACL injury, Briton Nikora has emerged as a handy replacement in the second row for Cronulla coach John Morris. Crossing for tries in his past two performances, the 21-year-old Junior Kiwis representative has been impressive since graduating from the ranks of last year's ISP grand finalists, Newtown, averaging over 100 metres and close to 35 tackles per game to start the year. Set to receive plenty of attention from the Parramatta attack defending alongside debutant centre Bronson Xerri on the right edge, look for Nikora to hold his own on Saturday night and cement his standing as a first grader for the Sharks.
The favourite: With both teams starting 2019 with a 2-1 record, the omission of Dylan Brown has the Sharks favoured to pounce upon an Eels side missing a key spark.
My tip: Showing plenty of mettle to push the reigning premiers in an absorbing encounter last Friday, look for Parramatta to just come up short in a match where points will be at a premium. Sharks by 2.
