Round 7: Eels v Raiders preview
Two competition heavyweights meet on at Saturday night at Bankwest Stadium looking to both put defeats behind them when the Parramatta Eels take on the Canberra Raiders.
The Eels have been the form team of the competition and suffered their first defeat last weekend when falling to a 24-10 defeat at the hands of a very impressive Sydney Roosters side. The Blue and Gold were impressive despite the 14-point margin with their line being put under immense pressure throughout the first half and only conceding the one first half try.
The Eels were able to hit the lead against the Roosters for a short period before the defending premiers were able to hit back and race away with their experience and class prevailing. Parramatta will need to ensure their performance is on song this weekend because with a defeat they could slip all the way to seventh.
Parramatta coach Brad Arthur will be forced into changes with Nathan Brown unsuccessfully challenging his Grade 2 High Tackle charge so will miss the game despite being named, the other player out is Peni Terepo with Brad Takairangi named on the bench.
Mixing their form since the season resumption, the Canberra Raiders were comprehensively outplayed Sunday following their 14-6 defeat at the hands of Manly at Campbelltown last Sunday. The Raiders were never able to get into the game trailing 12-0 and although they came within one converted try, they couldn't get past the Sea Eagles.
The Green Machine started the season resumption with an impressive win over Melbourne, the Raiders have mixed their form with a defeat against Newcastle and a comeback victory over the Wests Tigers. The Raiders have struggled to score points in the first half over the past three weeks and need to improve on that to keep Parramatta quiet.
Canberra coach Ricky Stuart has kept the faith with his side naming the same 17 that took the field against the Raiders which gives his side some consistency in trying to get their season back on track to prove that they can match it with the best teams.
Last meeting: Round 15 2019 - Eels 22 Raiders 16
Who to watch: Parramatta veteran Michael Jennings notched up try 150 last weekend and doesn't show any signs of slowing down anytime soon. Impressive through the season, Jennings has been dangerous and could be able to show his skill and smarts up against his opposing Canberra backs. He still possesses impressive speed but also his centre partnership with Maika Sivo is the most dangerous.
A big signing for the Raiders, coming across from the Storm in the pre-season, Curtis Scott has had a 2020 to forget with off-season drama at the start of the year adding to a poor start to his Canberra career. The 22-year-old hasn't been the spark that the Raiders would've been looking for since losing Joey Leilua to the Tigers. Scott's performances have seen Raiders fans calling for him to be dropped and more poor performances could see Ricky Stuart's patience quickly diminish.
The favourite: The Parramatta Eels have been put in as favourites, with their performances being very impressive and the fact that they are one of very few teams that are actually allowed to play at their own venue.
My tip: Parramatta were lucky to get victory over the Panthers a fortnight ago then were defeated by the Roosters. However, their performance was still very good and should be more than enough to get over the Raiders who have struggled to fire in the past few weeks. The game should be entertaining but Parramatta look to be the class team. Eels by 10.
