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Parramatta have slumped to an 0-5 start after a six-point loss to the Penrith Panthers on Sunday.
Final score
Parramatta Eels 6
Penrith Panthers 12
The Parramatta Eels and Penrith Panthers collide in the Battle of the West, hoping to come away with bragging rights. Join The Roar from 4:10pm (AEST) for live coverage.
The Eels showed signs of improvement last week, going down valiantly to the Wests Tigers 30-20 on Easter Monday.
Big questions still surround their attack however, with halves Corey Norman and Mitchell Moses both wanting to steer the team. The absences of key outside backs Jarryd Hayne, Bevan French and Clinton Gutherson has also seen the blue and gold struggle.
Three weeks since their 54-0 thrashing at the hands of Manly, Parramatta are edging closer to a maiden win but fundamentally, their forward pack isn’t laying the platform.
Kaysa Pritchard will undergo concussion testing following a head knock against the Tigers, with Cameron King on standby in an otherwise unchanged team.
The Panthers have also stuck solid with the same 17 that defeated the North Queensland Cowboys 33-14 last Thursday night. Coach Anthony Griffin has made minor positional changes though, with Trent Merrin and James Fisher-Harris swapping between lock and prop.
It will be a ten-day turnaround for the club, and they have no real injury concerns after Fisher-Harris and James Maloney shocked the competition with breakout performances against the premiership favourites in Townsville.
So long as the Penrith forward pack continue to lay the platform, they should run away with it – although they must stay in the match for the full 80 minutes after some close encounters in the first three rounds.
It was only five weeks ago when these two teams last met, Penrith pulling out a come-from-behind win over the Eels 24-14 at Panthers Stadium.
The Eels have dominated this fixture, with 56 wins from 94 occasions, the Panthers winning just 37 of those. Parramatta are also undefeated against Penrith at ANZ Stadium in two games.
Prediction
The Eels will once again fail to pick up the two points against a quality outfit.
Panthers by 8.
Join The Roar from 4:10pm (AEST) for score updates and debate in our live blog.
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