Round 25: Eels v Roosters preview
The Sydney Roosters and Parramatta Eels meet on Friday night in a must win game for both sides to keep their finals hopes alive.
With both clubs sitting just outside the Top 8 on 26 competition points Friday night will prove to be a pivotal clash for two sides that have largely underperformed their preseason expectations. The Eels will be looking to bounce back after a 54-10 thumping at the hands of the Broncos last week while the Roosters will be aiming to make it three wins in a row and continue their late push for the finals.
The Eels will have to do it without star playmaker Mitchell Moses who suffered a fracture cheekbone and eye socked in last week's loss to Brisbane. Deajarn Asi has been recalled to the first grade side to to play five eighth with Dylan Brown shifting to halfback. In better news for Parramatta, they welcome back Reagan Campbell-Gillard to the starting side to bolster their forward pack along with Maika Sivo and his impressive try scoring record at Commbank. With Sivo returning Bailey Simonsson takes up his familiar position in the centres while Joe Ofahengaue will start at lock and J'maine Hopgood on the left edge in place of injured Andrew Davey.
The Roosters will welcome back Angus Crichton from a knee injury replacing Dylan Napa on the bench. The rest of the starting 17 remains unchanged with Sam Walker named as 18###sup
The Roosters will be looking to continue improving their attack - the 30 points they scored last week against the Dolphins was only the second time they have scored at least 30 points this season. On the flip side, Parramatta will be looking to consolidate their defence after having big scores put on them by both Brisbane and Melbourne in the last month coinciding with losing three out of their last four matches.
Parramatta holds a strong record at home currently 7-4 at Commbank on the season while the Roosters have not travelled well in 2023 boasting a record of 3-7 away from home. With both these clubs having played finals every year since 2019 and boasting talent across the park neither will want to see their season end early so expect a cracking affair.
Last meeting: Round 5, 2023 Roosters 28 Eels 20
Who to Watch: Dylan Brown will need to have a big game for Parramatta to be any chance of victory. Even in a heavy loss last week Brown looked to be returning to some form after his suspension, leading the Eels with 165 run metres and scoring a try. In Moses' absence look for Brown to command more of the ball and look to create for Clint Gutherson and his outside men.
For the Roosters Drew Hutchinson had arguably the best game of his career last week with two tries, twelve tackle busts and 158 run metres. He will be looking to produce a similar performance to further cement his position in the side. Billy Smith is also in great attacking form for the Roosters with a try in three straight games and 22 tackle busts over that stretch.
My Tip: While both sides will be hungry knowing they need a win to keep their season alive, I think the loss of Mitch Moses will prove too much for the Eels with the Roosters making it three on the trot. Roosters by 8.
