Parramatta Eels
26
Match Complete
St. George Illawarra Dragons
20
| M. Moses |  | 71 | ||
| B. Cartwright |  | 70 | ||
| M. Moses | | 64 | ||
| J. Paulo | | 63 | ||
| S. Russell | | 58 | ||
| 49 | | M. Ravalawa | ||
| 39 | | Z. Lomax | ||
| 38 | | M. Ravalawa | ||
| 25 | | M. Ravalawa | ||
| 21 | | Z. Lomax | ||
| 19 | | M. Ravalawa | ||
| M. Moses | | 12 | ||
| B. Cartwright | | 11 | ||
| A. Miller-Stephen | | 8 |
| 5 | Tries | 4 | ||
| 3 | Conversions | 2 | ||
| 0 | Penalty Goals | 0 | ||
| 0 | Field Goals | 0 |
Round 23 of the NRL premiership continues this afternoon when the Parramatta Eels take on the St George Illawarra Dragons at CommBank Stadium in Parramatta. Join The Roar for live scores and commentary from 2pm (AEST).
The Eels have conceded 70 points in their past two matches, leading to them slipping down to 11th place as round 23 beckons. Coach Brad Arthur has made drastic changes to his starting lineup, with Dylan Brown the headline inclusion following his suspension. If the Eels are to get back into finals contention, then Brown has to step up and assist Mitchell Moses in the halves.
After a narrow loss to the Manly Sea Eagles at home, the Dragons travel to Western Sydney desperate to extend their lead off the wooden spoon. Interim coach Ryan Carr did name an unchanged 17, but with Jack De Belin unsuccessful at the judiciary, the likes of Ben Murdoch Masila or Jack Bird could be promoted from the reserves list.
Prediction
The Eels at home are usually a tough nut to crack and this clash should follow that trend. However, the Dragons have been showing a lot more fight and effort under Carr. Will that be enough to win in Parramatta? Highly unlikely. Eels by 8
Game information
Venue: CommBank Stadium
Kick-off: 2pm (AEST)
TV: Fox Sports
Streaming: Kayo Sports, Foxtel
Odds: Eels $1.24, Dragons $4.10 – odds via PlayUp
Eels: 1. Clint Gutherson 2. Isaac Lumelume 3. Viliami Penisini 4. Bailey Simonsson 5. Sean Russell 6. Dylan Brown 7. Mitchell Moses 8. Joe Ofahengaue 9. Joey Lussick 10. Junior Paulo 11. Ryan Matterson 12. Bryce Cartwright 13. J’maine Hopgood 14. Luca Moretti 15. Andrew Davey 16. Wiremu Greig 17. Makahesi Makatoa 18. Brendan Hands 19. Arthur Miller-Stephen 20. Ofahiki Ogden 21. Daejarn Asi 22. Jack Murchie
Dragons: 1. Tyrell Sloan 2. Mathew Feagai 3. Moses Suli 4. Zac Lomax 5. Mikaele Ravalawa 6. Talatau Amone 7. Ben Hunt 8. Francis Molo 9. Jacob Liddle 10. Blake Lawrie 11. Billy Burns 12. Dan Russell 13. Jack de Belin 20. Jack Bird 14. Connor Muhleisen 15. Michael Molo 16. Toby Couchman 17. Zane Musgrove 18. Ryan Couchman 19. Sione Finau 21. Max Feagai 22. Ben Murdoch-Masila
Dwanye
Roar Rookie
Not sure they can and if they do, they be unconvincing. But I do think the 8th spot bottle neck is always interesting. They are just one of the teams that things ‘aren’t’ falling into place during the year. I think the dragons are picking up abit.
KenW
Roar Rookie
Another frustrating one for Dragons fans. They can hang in with the game, and even dominate in periods, but the resilience is terrible. Good teams can regroup after a bad call, bad bounce or bad luck - but after watching them all this year it was very predictable that they might drop their bundle after that obvious rake was ignored and the try disallowed. The good news for Dragons, in a sense, is that a lot of their better play isn't coming off Hunt. His kicking game was generally good today but he had little to do with their better play through the hands. He really hasn't been in form at all since Origin, no accusation of anything deliberate, he's still putting his body on the line in defence and came from no-where to clean up an on the line kick today. But his effectiveness is way down.
Dodgy Dragons
Roar Rookie
Well played both teams, good come back Parra. Saints are masters of butchering a game. Yes that non strip call went against, which would’ve taken it out to 26-10, but we followed that up with a stupid penalty by Hunt, and momentum changing with a try on the wing with Ravalawa being caught infield when we had numbers. Again Hunt tried running it on the 5th in our own half and muffed it. For all the good things Hunt does, his game management leaves a lot to be desired at times.
Panthers
Roar Rookie
Good game. Bad luck St.George with the Gutherson rake out , which went backwards for St.George , for St.George to score . Yet , that’s how they always rule now . Turning point of the game. Parramatta off to Melbourne next, then Brisbane, then Penrith.
Arnab Bhattacharya
Roar Guru
Thank you everyone for joining the live blog. I am off to the Sydney CBD to watch the Women's WC round of 16 clash with friends. I will be back on Friday evening and the double header on Sunday. Take care, enjoy your weekend and an early goodnight. This is Arnab Bhattacharya signing out.
Arnab Bhattacharya
Roar Guru
FT PAR 26 SGI 20 The Eels scrape through to victory by six points after trailing by 10 points with 20 mins to go. The Dragons were all over the hosts, but a disallowed try led to the Eels coming back from behind to conjure up a victory and keep their finals chances alive. However, conceding 20 points against a team battling to avoid the spoon shows the Eels need a lot more work in defence. Hard luck for the Dragons, but the signs for 2023 are definitely headed towards the right direction.
Redcap
Roar Guru
Congrats Parra. I hope you make it to the octagon.
Dwanye
Roar Rookie
King Guth.
Arnab Bhattacharya
Roar Guru
Final min of play. Dragons inside their 30 on two. Lawrie with a run on four. Poor set so far. 40 out on five. Hunt launches it up in the air, but it's Gutherson with the take! Ofahengaue with the carry to finish the game. Full time and the Eels win a high scoring thriller!
Dwanye
Roar Rookie
Dragons with bad luck
Rossi
Roar Rookie
Fair try disallowed that would've made it 26-10, so frustrating
Arnab Bhattacharya
Roar Guru
78' Lomax takes the catch during the kick chase, but his offload is intercepted! PAR 26 SGI 20
Arnab Bhattacharya
Roar Guru
77' Matterson tries to offload but knocks on. Dragons feed off their 10 PAR 26 SGI 20
Arnab Bhattacharya
Roar Guru
76' Dragons shift left but a poor pass goes into touch. Eels ball 20 out. A try here is game over PAR 26 SGI 20
71
Dwanye
Roar Rookie
Cramp?
Panthers
Roar Rookie
A few players were in front of Brown when he kicked, including Moses who jumped at the ball.
Dwanye
Roar Rookie
Yep. As long as the steps are moving forward. It can be a slow road
70
Arnab Bhattacharya
Roar Guru
72' CONVERSION EELS Moses converts in front of the posts PAR 26 SGI 20