Round 9: Eels v Roosters NRLW preview
The Final NRLW game of the regular season comes down to the Eels and the Roosters and it's far from a dead rubber with both sides having plenty to play for with the Blue and Gold hoping for an outside finals chance whilst the Tricolours will want to lock up the minor premiership.
The Blue and Gold sit in fifth spot equal on points with the fourth place Knights, but with a much worse for and against, they will need to be hoping for results to go their way. The Eels last week almost had their finals chances disappear as they nearly threw away the lead twice to hold onto an 18-16 win over the Canberra Raiders last week.
The Eels held a 12-0 lead early in the contest before seeing their opponents come back to 12-10 before the Blue and Gold took another 8 point only for the Raiders to score just shy of full-time and time saved Parramatta to hold onto the two point win.
Hoping they can get book a finals spot if results go their way, the Eels have named an unchanged lineup for their clash on Sunday afternoon at Commbank Stadium.
Looking unlikely just two weeks ago to win the wooden spoon, the Sydney Roosters sit atop the NRL ladder but could be fighting for the minor premiership if both the Sharks and Broncos win earlier in the weekend they will need to ensure they win but by a big enough margin to take top spot on the ladder.
The Roosters last week took an important 24-12 victory over the North Queensland Cowboys in Gosford last week. Despite looking comfortable, the Roosters had to come from behind with the visitors taking a 12-6 lead before going 18-12 up at the break and then 24-12 at full time.
Team wise, the tricolours have been forced into changes with Eliza Lopamaua suspended due to a Hip Drop tackle. Amber Hall has moved into the second row whilst Mille Elliott comes into the starting side after coming from the bench last week. Mya Hill-Moana returns from concussion protocols whilst Tarryn Aiken is a chance of returning from a shoulder injury after being named in the reserves.
Last meeting: Round 7 2023 - Roosters 46 Eels 12
Who to watch:
Rachael Pearson has had one of her best NRLW seasons to date and that's a major part of why the Blue and Gold sit where they do on the ladder. Pearson's game control has been one of the best things this season including last week when early she was able to create the Eels momentum with what was essentially a 40/10 to help the Eels kick start the game. If Pearson fires the Eels could pick up an upset.
Isabelle Kelly has seen records tumble week after week in the past few weeks as she continues to run for hundreds of metres. Running for a whopping 350m against the Cowboys, it follows a 266m effort against Cronulla and 269m against the Dragons earlier in the season. The Eels will need to contain Kelly for a chance of an upset.
The favourite: The Sydney Roosters are the favourites for the contest
My tip: The desperation will be there for both teams, but I think there is just enough in the Roosters team to get the victory on Sunday afternoon. The results previously in the weekend will play a big part in how this game could go but the Roosters should still win out. Roosters by 10.
