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The Parramatta Eels will be looking to continue their purple patch of form against a Canterbury Bulldogs side that’s lost its bite. Join The Roar for a live blog from 7:50pm AEST.
Injuries have once again continued to plague the Eels’ season after they lost Kaysa Pritchard (knee) and Beau Scott (bicep) in recent weeks to season ending injuries.
Throw in the loss of Hoffman and Corey Norman who’s spent some time on the sidelines and you’ll start to see a campaign that mirrors 2016.
A big feature of that year was belief, and the Eels seem to have found that once again following season defining wins over the Warriors and the Dragons.
The Bulldogs have been up and down like yo-yo. In one week they’ll deliver a below par performance, then with their backs to the wall, turn things around, only to repeat the process all over again.
With their season fading fast, Dessie’s Dogs will need to put up a fight to stay in finals contention.
Tepai Moeroa is back this week for the home side, with Cameron King given his club debut and a crack at filling the cursed hooking position.
Clubman David Gower returns on the bench with Pritchard and Scott beginning the long road to recovery.
The Bulldogs will be without the experience of Greg Eastwood and skipper James Graham after they succumbed to injury during the week. Brett Morris returns with Matt Frawley rounding out the bench.
The Eels have found some real form lately, chalking up three wins from their past four games. While this can be credited to the timely return of Corey Norman and the combination that he’s starting to build with Mitchell Moses, it’s been the form of Clint Gutherson that’s caught everyone’s eye.
In their last start against the Dragons, ‘Gutho’ grabbed a double and kicked three goals as the Eels strolled away with the win.
It’s no surprise that he sits equal second for most points scored by a player this season. Efforts like these have the Eels averaging 18.8 points per game.
It’s no extraordinary feat by any means, but it’s their opposition’s lack of attacking prowess that reads pretty for Parra fans.
In 2017, Canterbury are averaging 13.86 points per game with their highest tally being just 24 way back in Round 3.
If both teams play anything like their averages suggest, it should be the Eels who come away with the win.
If there’s one thing we’ve come to know with the Bulldogs over the years, it’s that when they’re down, they batten down the hatches and ambush their opponents.
Des Hasler’s a perfectionist at this, and he’ll be doing everything to prepare his side for the battle ahead.
This match presents a perfect opportunity to get back on track against an Eels outfit that’s eight wins have only come against three top eight sides so far this season.
Despite losing Graham and Eastwood to injury, there’s still plenty of size in the forwards to get them over the advantage line.
The return of Brett Morris could be the attacking spark the Bulldogs need, providing that Klemmer and co can dominate up front.
Prediction
Parramatta finally seem to be finding their feet and are starting to fulfill the expectations that everyone had of them in 2017.
The bye round might have come at the wrong time for Parramatta just as they were beginning to string some wins together.
The Bulldogs were disappointing in their last start against the Warriors and will need to lift if they are save their season.
Desperation and fears of a missed finals campaign should be enough motivation for Canterbury. With everything on the line, I’m tipping them to bite back.
Bulldogs by 6.
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