Round 3: Eels v Sea Eagles preview
Josh takes a look at Sunday afternoon's clash between the Parramatta Eels and the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles at CommBank Stadium, Parramatta / Burramattagal.
Sunday afternoon Rugby League heads to Parramatta where the Blue and Gold will be looking to bounce back from a defeat against arch-rivals Penrith when they take on the as-yet-undefeated Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles.
Last week, Parramatta were left bemoaning being on the wrong end of some controversial refereeing decisions in their 26-18 loss to the Panthers in Penrith. The Eels started fast last week opening up a 6-0 lead, and despite being outplayed during the first half, came away with an 18-16 lead at the break. Concerningly though, was the fact that the Eels struggled to find any points in the second half whilst conceding two second half tries to ultimately fall to the 26-18 loss.
The Eels were impressive back in Round 1 with their big win over the Bulldogs which showed a lot of promise but last week coming up against the Panthers, they seemed to be a step behind the defending premiers at times - although key injuries to Bailey Simonsson and Kelma Tuilagi probably made defensive fragilities on the right edge a lot worse than normal. Another concern of recent times for the Blue and Gold is that, other than a Round 25 win over Penrith last season, the Eels have failed to beat a top 8 team since 2022.
Team wise, the Eels are forced into one change with Bailey Simonsson ruled out after being concussed and failing his HIA last week after copping a high shot from Jarome Luai. The Eels have named Kelma Tuilagi on the bench despite suffering a dislocated shoulder last week when tackling Liam Martin.
The Manly Sea Eagles remained undefeated on their return to Vegas last weekend following a 21-14 victory over the Sydney Roosters at Brookvale Oval. The Sea Eagles were impressive though would've been disappointed that they could only manage a seven-point victory in a game where they were quite dominant. The Sea Eagles had their struggles despite their dominance only managing a two-point lead at the break even though it could have been a lot more. Manly had their chances in the second half but would be happy to keep their undefeated record going.
A new look halves combo has worked for Manly, though a big crowd at Parramatta is another big test against a side that can take a game away from you if you're not at your best, which the Eels did to the Panthers at key moments. The Sea Eagles will need to ensure that they take the chances with a string of tough games ahead.
Manly have only one change and that comes through the ankle injury to Tommy Talau who is named in the reserves but unlikely to play. Raymond Tuaimolo Vaega has been named on the wing as the replacement in the only change for the Sea Eagles.
Who to watch: Reportedly carrying an injury, Mitch Moses tried hard last week, but looked to be slightly off the pace and it had an impact on the Eels. The Eels are going to need Moses to stand up and direct attack for Parramatta coming up against a side that has had success in the halves across the first two rounds.
A close friend of Mitch Moses, new Manly five-eighth Luke Brooks has made a great start to his time at Manly, where he looks to be playing with a lot more freedom than he had with the Tigers. Manly will need Brooks' running game to be strong to catch out a Parramatta defence that can tire out with a few big men in the middle.
Favourite: Parramatta's home ground advantage sees them narrowly ahead in the bookmaker stakes.
My tip: It's a tough game to call but I think Parramatta might be able to pull off an upset on Sunday afternoon. For me personally, there feels like there is somewhat of a honeymoon period for Manly right now and they have a few chinks in the armour that I think the likes of Moses, Dylan Brown and Clint Gutherson can find in a tight contest. Parramatta by 6.
