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The Parramatta Eels ran on three tries in five minutes, falling just two points short of forcing golden point against the Cronulla Sharks on Saturday evening.
Final score
Sharks 22
Eels 20
The Cronulla Sharks will be out to make it three wins in a row when they host a Parramatta Eels side who are starting to find their way. Join The Roar for live scores and coverage from 7:30pm (AEST).
Cronulla will take plenty of confidence into this game, given they held on for a scrappy win over the Eels when the two sides met in Round 3, and are coming in off victories over the Penrith Panthers and Gold Coast Titans, although neither was convincing.
The black, white and blue will be missing fullback Josh Dugan for the game though, with Valentine Holmes getting another crack thereafter an indifferent start to the year and some better form on the wing.
It’s important the Sharks don’t mess with their halves combination of Chad Townsend and Matt Moylan, but the side just haven’t been firing in attack, with last week’s victory yielding just ten points.
Their inconsistency at both ends of the park is plain for all to see, with Shane Flanagan’s men sitting in tenth spot with four wins from eight games.
While Cronulla have been far from the top of their game, the Eels would prefer to forget about the first six weeks of the season, with the side not registering a win.
Brad Arthur’s men were left in a position where they needed to win at least 12 of their final 18 games to make the finals, but with a turnaround in form, they have got that monumental task off to a solid start. Clint Gutherson has added plenty back on the field, while Mitchell Moses, Corey Norman and Bevan French have all found some form with the forward pack finally muscling up on the line.
If the Eels can compete up front with a Sharks pack who are still one of the best in the game on their day, it’ll take them a long way to winning this game.
Their two victories to finally get on the board for 2018 have been solid, with the Eels belting the Sea Eagles by 34 and then hanging tough to beat Ivan Cleary’s great wall at the Wests Tigers by two points last weekend.
This will be their biggest challenge since the form turnaround began though, with a scrappy, low-scoring game likely.
Prediction
The Sharks haven’t looked good without Dugan at the back throughout the season. While they do have a couple of wins in a row under their belt, the blue and gold train is starting to roll and even in the Shire, I reckon they will get this done.
Eels by 2.
Be sure to join The Roar for live coverage of this Round 9 fixture from 7:30pm (AEST) and don’t forget to add a comment in the section below.