Round 4: Eels v Roosters NRLW preview
The first of Sunday's NRLW games sees the Parramatta Eels looking to secure their spot in the top eight as they take on the Sydney Roosters who are looking to rebuild their season after their first victory last week.
Cheered on by a home ground, the Parramatta Eels scored their second victory of the NRLW season with their 24-14 victory over the Gold Coast Titans last week. The Blue and Gold were missing a number of key players and it didn't look to affect them all that much with the added players starring including five-eighth Emily Curtain and winger Abbi Church.
Bouncing back from their rain-soaked defeat, the Eels didn't have things their own way against the Titans and despite an early good start that saw the Blue and Gold take an early 8-0 lead, the Eels had to fight their way back after the Gold Coast were able to level the scores whilst Parramatta had the extra player. Parramatta had to fight their way back after the Titans lead 14-10 just into the second half and ultimately took the 24-14 victory.
The Eels will welcome back Rikeya Horne and Nita Maynard into the starting line-up after missing the Titans clash last weekend. The performance of Emily Curtain last weekend as earnt her a starting spot this weekend, with Serena Naitokatoka named on the interchange bench along with Shirley Mailangi who started in the number 9 last week.
Sitting winless, the Sydney Roosters season need a kickstart and they got it last weekend following their 28-12 victory over the Newcastle Knights at the Sydney Cricket Ground. The Roosters whilst not playing badly had yet to their straps this season and needed a win if they were wanting to keep their finals hopes alive.
The Roosters were impressive to start with last week with two tries inside the first fifteen minutes that gave them the early dominance although the Knights were able to put pressure on the Tricolours although the Roosters continued to dominate the clash and take victory 28-12 although it should have been more had goalkicking not been an issue.
Brydie Parker misses out on selection for the Roosters with Taylor Mapusa returning to the line up after missing the last few matches following injury in Round 1. Coach John Strange has also switched around with his halves combination again with Zahara Temara set to start again with Jocelyn Kellher dropping to the bench.
Who to watch: Becoming the first player to run 200m in an NRLW match, Bottille Vette-Welsh continued her stunning form this season and broke history in the competition for the Eels. There will be extra attention on the Eels fullback this week as Vette-Welsh comes up against her old side the Roosters and there will be plenty of pressure to back up last week. Arguably, the fullback of the competition so far, the Eels will need the speed and power of their fullback against the Roosters.
Coming back into the starting line-up, there is pressure on Zahara Temara who has been a star for the Roosters since season 1. Temara initially started as the Roosters second choice halfback but quickly took the reins through the competition until this season where the Queensland representative has struggled. The Roosters will need Temara on fine form if they want to get past an Eels side that has been impressive so far.
The favourite: The Roosters are the slight favourites for the contest which is a slight surprise given their form this season.
My tip: The Roosters may be favourites, but there is so much to like about this Parramatta team. They have a good backline that can split any team and then their forwards and second row have as much power. The game will be a close one but I think the Eels just have that better side going forward. Eels by 6.
