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Melbourne Storm vs Parramatta Eels Highlights: NRL Finals scores, blog

9th September, 2017
Where: AAMI Park, Melbourne
When: 4:10pm (AEST)
TV: Live, Fox League and Channel Nine
Betting: Storm $1.20 Eels $4.75

Storm
1. Billy Slater 2. Suliasi Vunivalu 3. Will Chambers 4. Curtis Scott 5. Josh Addo-Carr 6. Cameron Munster 7. Cooper Cronk 8. Jesse Bromwich 9. Cameron Smith 10. Jordan McLean 11. Felise Kaufusi 12. Tohu Harris 13. Dale Finucane
Interchange: 14. Kenny Bromwich 15. Nelson Asofa-Solomona 16. Tim Glasby 17. Slade Griffin
Bench: 18. Jahrome Hughes 19. Robbie Rochow 20. Joe Stimson 21. Young Tonumaipea

Eels
1. Will Smith 2. Semi Radradra 3. Michael Jenninga 4. Brad Takairangi 5. Kirisome Auva'a 6. Corey Norman 7. Mitchell Moses 8. Daniel Alvaro 9. Cameron King 10. Tim Mannah 11. Manu Ma'u 12. Tepai Moeroa 13. Nathan Brown
Interchange: 14. Beau Scott 15. Kenny Edwards 16. Siosaia Vave 17. Suaia Matagi
Bench: 18. Kaysa Pritchard 19. Josh Hoffman 20. David Gower 21. Frank Pritchard
The Melbourne Storm take on the Parramatta Eels in Week 1 of the finals. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images)
Expert
9th September, 2017
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The Melbourne Storm and the Parramatta Eels meet at AAMI Park in the NRL’s first qualifying final. Join The Roar for live scores and commentary from 4:10pm (AEST).

A week off awaits the winner of this match and a crucial elimination final greets the loser.

The clinical Storm have little to fear, having dispatched both Canberra and the Rabbitohs with a flick of the wrist in the last two weeks. Their defence has been as impressive as ever, while attacking opportunities have been created with ease and executed with aplomb.

With a healthy squad and the big names all in, there are no excuses for the out-and-out title favourites.

But the number of people whispering about the Eels’ chances of knocking off the Storm has increased through the week. There’s a school of thought that the blue and gold might be the one team with the gameplan and firepower to ruffle Mexicans’ feathers.

Whether this is desperate hope from the Parramatta faithful or a well-constructed argument based on clear, tactical and personnel advantages is not clear.

Personally I cannot see it. Craig Bellamy rarely presents a flat team and with so much at stake, his charges will be frothing at the mouth when they take the field.

Home-ground advantage makes the challenge that little more difficult for Parramatta. The visitors need big games from key players – the absence of Bevan French is a significant loss.

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The key is to stay with Melbourne early. The best front-runners in the history of modern football don’t throw away leads, and Cameron Smith and Cooper Cronk possess clinical game management skills.

Prediction
Parramatta will look in the game at some point. The weapons in their squad can scare the Storm, who will rely on defensive structures to combat the Eels’ potency.

Unfortunately for the Sydneysiders, the threat will be fleeting, and the home team will waltz to a comfortable victory.

Storm 28-12 Parramatta

Catch all the action on The Roar from 4:10pm (AEST).

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