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Parramatta Eels 28
Wests Tigers 16
The Parramatta Eels have recorded their third win in a row to continue the Wests Tigers miserable season on the back of a brilliant performance from Chris Sandow and Semi Radradra. A 12 point win at ANZ Stadium in Homebush was by no means dominant but was still a solid performance.
A game that bounced back and forth in the first half giving the Tigers the lead at the break, was dominated during the second half by the Eels with the Tigers unable to register a point. James Tedesco however was the bright spark in the Tigers side giving them some hope to clutch onto. However in the end his efforts were futile as the Eels raced to a second half drubbing.
The scoring opened up early in the piece and it was the Eels who looked like they going to run away with the game after James Tedesco was disallowed a controversial try in the eighth minute following a grubber the he chased through.
The opening try however went to Tim Mannah with some very poor defence from the Tigers down the Eels left hand side attack. The next try also came down the left hand side, however this time it was a long range effort as Chris Sandow, Luke Kelly and Corey Norman all linked to have the Eels defence clutching at straws, Luke Kelly the eventual try scorer.
However in terms of the first half that was where the action stopped for the Eels as the James Tedesco inspired Tigers came to the fore. The first two Tigers tries came to Kevin Naiqama, the first off a long Josh Drinkwater pass and the second off a grubber kick from James Tedesco who charged through the line.
Eight minutes later, it was the tigers landing another blow scoring in the left hand corner this time through Pat Richards after James Tedesco again set it up getting a really nice offload away.
After a Tigers penalty goal they took a 16-12 lead into the half time break.
Coming out after half time it was clear the Eels needed to improve and didn’t they ever, although aided by the fact that throughout the second half the Tigers gave away countless sloppy penalties and made silly errors at key times when in possession of the football.
They never looked threatening in attack and were no where near good enough to hold the Eels from scoring, particularly under Chris Sandow’s high kicking game as Semi Radradra bagged a second half double.
The second half scoring opened in the 56th minute with one of those Radradra tries. Sandow put a kick up to the left hand corner and Naiqama was in a horrible position, Radradra able to take the ball and run away to score. This gave the Eels the lead back and they never looked like losing from that position.
The next try was 12 minutes later, this time Sandow scoring off his own bomb, a wonderful pass from Radradra after he won the challenge for the ball setting Sandow up to score untouched.
The last try of the match came in the 73rd minute but was again Sandow setting up Radradra. After receiving a pass from Luke Kelly on the left side of the ruck he through a wonderful long ball to Radradra who raced through to score in the corner.
Tedesco was able to create some late chances for the Tigers but none stuck and in the end the Eels were good enough to get the job done.
A massive rivalry reignites when the Wests Tigers host the Parramatta Eels at Homebush. Both teams need a win badly, so join The Roar for live scores and commentary from 6:45pm (AEST).
The Tigers sit in 14th position, with only five wins from 15 games, and when you consider the skill of their roster the season is slipping away. A poor loss to the Panthers last week really summed up their season so far.
The Eels meanwhile are not doing much better, with six wins from their 15 games and sitting 12th on the premiership ladder.
The club is in turmoil over the Kieran Froan contract situation and salary cap dramas, along with a multitude of injuries forcing them to use their fourth-choice hooker and send in-form half Corey Norman to fullback.
With the pressure on they recorded an inspirational victory over the Dragons last week, and will look to do the same this week.
In team news, the Tigers lose Robbie Farah and Aaron Woods to Origin, with Sauaso Sue coming into the front row, Dene Halatau playing hooker, and Manaia Cherrington on the bench. Tim Simona is injured, bringing Nathan Milone into the centres, and Jack Buchanan is the 18th man.
The Eels lose Will Hopoate to Origin, meaning Ryan Morgan shifts into the centres and Bureta Faraimo is included on the wing. Manu Ma’u returns from suspension, straight back into the second row, with David Gower on the bench and Joseph Paulo the 18th man.
Semi Radradra was great last week for the Eels, scoring a hat-trick. The Eels’ ability to win this game could hinge on the performance of he and Chris Sandow, who was great feeding the ball to the Fijian.
The Eels need to shut down Luke Brooks, Mitchell Moses and fullback James Tedesco, who are a lethal combination.
Both teams have pretty poor defence, with the Eels sitting 12th and the Tigers ninth in terms of points against, so this game could well hinge on which team stands up in D.
In terms of history between the two western Sydney rivals, the Eels hold slight advantage, however they have only won one from their last five against the Tigers.
Prediction
The Eels seem destined to lose. Moses, Brooks and Tedesco will lead the Tigers to victory.
Tigers by 8.
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