Round 4: Eels v Sea Eagles preview
Two big winners from Round 3 will come up against each other at Bankwest Stadium on Saturday night as the Parramatta Eels look to continue their unbeaten streak as they take on the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles on Saturday night.
Parramatta were dominant against the Broncos in the season resumption match, taking advantage of the frenetic pace and the new ruck rules to dominate every facet of the game. The blue-and-gold's performance was good to the eye but the statistics showed that they benefitted from of the six again calls and had 17 more sets than their opponents.
The Eels sit on top of the NRL ladder as one of only two undefeated sides after the first three rounds. The performances of key players such as Clint Gutherson - who looked dangerous last weekend - combined with the speed and playmaking abilities of Dylan Brown and Mitch Moses, a fast-paced game looks as if it would suit the Eels perfectly. Coach Brad Arthur has been lucky enough to name the same 17 as he did last week with no injuries coming out of last weeks dominant performance.
Manly couldn't have been more impressive last weekend as they ran out 32-6 victors over a poor Bulldogs side at Gosford on Sunday night. The impressive victory could have even been bigger with Reuben Garrick only slotting 2 conversions from 7 attempts. Like the Eels, the Sea Eagles were able to benefit from the new rules more than their opposition with nearly 60% possession going their way.
Yet again, the plaudits for Manly's performance came through Tom Trbojevic who ran for well over 200m as well as scoring a double for his side. The Sea Eagles have a tougher task here this weekend to dominate like they did last weekend - but with an unchanged squad, Manly will get a confidence boost.
Last meeting: Round 25 2019 - Eels 32 Sea Eagles 16
Who to watch: Electric five-eighth Dylan Brown will be a beneficiary of the new rule changes with the faster pace suited to the quick game of the youngster. The speed that Brown possesses will allow him to exploit a back-tracking and tiring defensive line which will help the Eels gain and add to their momentum - the example being that Brown ran for over 150m against the Broncos last weekend.
Whilst his brother stole the plaudits for the Sea Eagles last weekend, Jake Trbojevic was able to have a solid game and will always be a key part of any Manly performance. But under the new quicker game style, the test will be to find out if he can be as dangerous. The contest being played at a greater speed will put some focus on the gameplay of Trbojevic and how his performance is affected with a game that now suits smaller players.
The favourite: The undefeated Eels are better backed in this one despite Manly's solid form.
My tip: It's a hard game to pick because the Eels were superb last week and dominated the Broncos for the 80 minutes, but the concern is that they might not get as much momentum as they were able to last weekend. The new paradigm could also be something that makes picking games harder with either side just as likely to get quick momentum if a string of calls go their way. On paper, Parramatta look a classier outfit and whilst it will no doubt be a tougher contest this week, they should still have enough to beat Manly. Eels by 8.
