Round 17: Dolphins v Eels preview
Eels Look To Continue Surge Against Faltering Phins
The Dolphins enjoyed a fairy-tale start to their time in first grade and have been the feel good story of the year, but after 3 losses in their last 4 games, including two floggings, it's fair to ask whether the bubble has burst on the expansion side.
The Eels, so far, have been the exact inverse of the Dolphins. Last year's Grand Finalists were tipped to go close again, but after a poor start results wise it seemed as though Parramatta had perhaps already reached their ceiling. Since losing to the Raiders in Canberra, the Eels have put together four straight wins, three of which were decided by 20+.
Both sides last matchup was against Manly, with the Dolphins losing by 40 and the Eels winning by 30, results which accurately portray their respective form lines. The Dolphins were clearly outmatched from the opening whistle, while the Eels ran up the score in the first half and spent the second strangling Manly out of the contest.
If there is an argument to be made for the Dolphins in this one, it's that they haven't yet lost a home game played outside of Suncorp Stadium, as well as the fact Wayne Bennett is their coach. Expectations for them are the lowest they've been since the pre-season, and it's the exact kind of environment that teams coached by the master thrive in.
In team news, Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow has been named to back up from Origin for the Dolphins, while Brenko Lee (leg) and Tesi Niu (form) are both outs, replaced at centre and on the wing by Valynce Te Whare and Brayden McGrady respectively. Herman Ese'ese starts at prop, while Felise Kaufusi is back from injury and will start in the back row, pushing Connelly Lemuelu to the bench. Ray Stone will start at lock against his former club, while Josh Kerr comes straight in on the bench after switching mid-season from the Dragons.
For the Eels, Mitch Moses and Junior Paulo have been named to back up from Origin, pushing Ryan Matterson and Ofahiki Ogden back to the bench. Josh Hodgson continues to recover from a neck injury, meaning Brendan Hands remains as the starting hooker, while Luca Moretti and Matt Doorey drop back to the reserves.
Who to watch: After an underwhelming few years with the Broncos and an unsuccessful mis-year switch to the Titans last season, it seemed as though Jamayne Isaako's days as an effective NRL winger were over. So far this season however, much like his team, he has defied all expectation, and currently sits as the top point-scorer in the NRL through 16 rounds and has gotten back to the form that had him talked about as one of the best wingers in the game in 2018, a year that he was unsurprisingly also coached by Wayne Bennett. Along with being the top point-scorer, Isaako is also fourth in the NRL for line-breaks with 18, and in a well beaten side against Manly was still able to get on the outside of his opposite man to score a beauty of a try. It's clear that Isaako is a player who needs quality coaching to thrive, and it's been great to see him doing just that under Wayne Bennett so far this year.
For the Eels, the form of captain Clinton Gutherson is paramount to how they perform as a team, and it isn't a surprise that Parramatta putting a few wins together has coincided with Gutherson playing arguably some of the best football of his career. It isn't just his strong kick returns and deft touch in the attacking 20 that elevate the team, the Eels as a collective always seem to mirror the attitude of their captain, and when he is on the front foot they are nearly impossible to beat. Last week against Manly was a prime example. With the other 3 Eels spine players unavailable for selection, Gutherson came out with a chip on his shoulder against his old team and finished with the numbers of 17 runs for 141 metres, 1 line break, 2 line break assists, 2 try assists, 7 tackle breaks and an offload, as well as a try that came from a barge-over out of dummy half that was a clear case of him just wanting it more than the opposition. When he's on, Gutherson is one of the best players in the game, however when he doesn't play to his full potential it can be disastrous to the Eels due to the huge effect he has on them. This is a clear trap game for Parramatta, and Gutherson will need to bring his A-game once again to ensure they take care of business.
Favourite: The Eels are 6.5-point favourites at the time of writing.
My tip: The Dolphins will come out firing, but the gap in class between the two line-ups is simply too large. Eels by 18.
