Eels v Bulldogs preview

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Parramatta Eels v Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs Sunday 4:05pm at CommBank Stadium, Parramatta / Burramattagal

Polar opposites as rivals meet at Commbank.

The Parramatta Eels are at home for the second week in a row, playing host to the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs this Sunday afternoon. The two sides find themselves on contrasting ends of the ladder after the opening two rounds, with the Eels still searching for their first win. Meanwhile the Bulldogs have had a great start to the year, but are now facing some early season injury hurdles.

Going down 32-6 to the back-to-back wooden spooners last week, it's hard to see how things could get much worse for Parramatta. Despite the Tigers giving Parramatta plenty of opportunities and field position in the opening half an hour, the Eels looked hapless and were eventually rolled over as the Tigers gained confidence and momentum. The club was in the headlines all week due to half Dylan Brown's signing with the Newcastle Knights, and Brown struggled yet again without Mitch Moses to put any pressure on the opposition's defence. Fullback Isaiah Iongi, who has taken over following Clint Gutherson's departure, is facing challenges finding his feet in such a crucial role. 

It's halfback Ronald Volkman that pays the price for poor performance though, dropping into the reserves to make way for former Rabbitoh Dean Hawkins. The pressure will be on for the inexperienced spine, but with depth in the squad lacking, there may not be much that Jason Ryles can do in the way of team lists. Josh Addo-Carr returns from suspension, but somewhat surprisingly is named in the reserves for now. There's no room for the experienced Ryan Matterson who joins Addo-Carr in the reserves. 

Meanwhile the Bulldogs are 2/2 and riding high in 3rd on the ladder. In their 40-24 win last week, it was their first half performance that took the game away from the Titans. Racing out to a 22-0 lead in their only back to Belmore game of the year, strong performances from Jaeman Salmon and Reed Mahoney lead the charge. Unfortunately, injuries to stars Matt Burton and Viliame Kikau have placed a dampener on the Bulldogs party.

Despite rumours that Stephen Crichton could shift into the halves as a Burton replacement, Cameron Ciraldo has opted with Bailey Hayward to partner with Toby Sexton in the 6 and 7. As for Kikau's back row jersey, Tupouniua is promoted to a starting spot with Kurt Morrin and Daniel Suluka-Fifita joining the bench.

The Eels have won fourteen of the last eighteen games between these two sides, although it was the Bulldogs who took the spoils in their most recent meeting.

Last meeting: Round 14 2024 - Bulldogs 22 Eels 18

Who to watch: Eels halfback Dean Hawkins was a try-scorer in Parramatta's NSW Cup win last week over the Tigers, and he gets his opportunity in the top grade this week. Hawkins has spent the past four years at Redfern, making his debut in 2020 and having a career high of eight NRL appearances last season. The 26 year old is signed with the Eels until the end of 2026, so he will be wanting to grab this opportunity to impress coach Jason Ryles, especially since Dylan Brown is departing at the end of the year. With all this talk about who will replace Brown, maybe Hawkins can come in and prove that he deserves to partner up with Moses long term.

Bulldogs number nine Reed Mahoney kicked off his career at Parramatta, making a name for himself across five seasons before heading to Belmore in 2023. He has been an incredibly consistent asset for the Bulldogs, hardly missing a match across the past two seasons. The 26 year old racked up a try, try assist, 153 kicking metres, and 43 tackles last week against the Titans, and he will be aiming to tear up the middle again against his old club. Mahoney is 1 from 4 in NRL games against Parra.

Favourite: The Bulldogs are the bookies' favourite to continue their winning start to 2025.

My tip: Eels have shown very little promise in their first two showings of the year, and I'm backing Canterbury to get on top early and put the foot down. Bulldogs by 26.

1. Isaiah Iongi 2. Sean Russell 3. Viliami Penisini 4. Zac Lomax 5. Jordan Samrani 6. Dylan Brown 7. Dean Hawkins 8. Joe Ofahengaue 9. Brendan Hands 10. Junior Paulo 11. Shaun Lane 12. Jack Williams 13. J'maine Hopgood 14. Ryley Smith 15. Matt Doorey 16. Kitione Kautoga 17. Sam Tuivaiti 18. Ryan Matterson 19. Joash Papali'i 20. Dan Keir 21. Josh Addo-Carr 22. Joey Lussick

1. Connor Tracey 2. Blake Wilson 3. Bronson Xerri 4. Stephen Crichton 5. Marcelo Montoya 6. Bailey Hayward 7. Toby Sexton 8. Max King 9. Reed Mahoney 10. Josh Curran 11. Sitili Tupouniua 12. Jacob Preston 13. Jaeman Salmon 14. Kurt Mann 15. Harry Hayes 16. Daniel Suluka-Fifita 17. Kurtis Morrin 19. Joseph O'Neill 20. Jack Todd 21. Blake Taaffe 22. Luke Smith 23. Jonathan Sua

Referees: Wyatt Raymond; Sideline Officials: Phil Henderson, Damian Brady; Video Referees: Gerard Sutton;