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Eels
18
Match Complete
Roosters
32
| 74 |  | L. Mitchell | ||
| 72 |  | J. Tedesco | ||
| 69 | | L. Mitchell | ||
| 68 | | S. Taukeiaho | ||
| 62 | | L. Mitchell | ||
| 61 | | V. Radley | ||
| M. Moses | | 59 | ||
| M. Sivo | | 58 | ||
| 53 | | L. Mitchell | ||
| 52 | | M. Aubusson | ||
| M. Moses | | 50 | ||
| M. Sivo | | 48 | ||
| 30 |  | L. Mitchell | ||
| 17 | | L. Mitchell | ||
| 9 | | J. Tedesco | ||
| M. Moses | | 7 | ||
| B. Ferguson | | 5 |
| 3 | Tries | 5 | ||
| 3 | Conversions | 4 | ||
| 0 | Penalty Goals | 2 | ||
| 0 | Field Goals | 0 |
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The third game of the third round of the NRL will see the red-hot, undefeated Parramatta Eels play host to the defending premiers the Sydney Roosters in what should be an absolute cracker of a game. Join The Roar for live scores and a blog of the match, starting from 7:55pm AEDT.
Both sides will welcome back players, with Michael Jennings returning from suspension for the Eels, while the Roosters have been boosted by two huge inclusions – captain and hooker Jake Friend and halfback Cooper Cronk.
However, the Roosters have also lost experienced winger Brett Morris due to a knee injury sustained in a collision with the dodgy turf at Brookvale Oval, and have been forced to call on replacement winger Matt Ikavalu, who was quite impressive in the trials and against Wigan in the World Club Challenge.
The Eels will surely target Ikavalu given this will be only his fifth outing in first-grade. Look for some towering Mitchell Moses bombs heading his way from the get go.
There has been plenty of talk surrounding the Eels’ 18-year-old five-eighth Dylan Brown. He has been very impressive so far, earning the praise of many former greats including the 8th Immortal Andrew Johns.
Coming up against Cronk and Luke Keary will be his toughest assignment yet – it’ll be interesting to see whether he gets overawed by the occasion or not.
Another big talking point is Blake Ferguson coming up against his former club. To say he’s been a revelation at the Eels is not quite accurate – more like he’s simply continued to be the best winger in the game at a new club.
However, he’s certainly had a profound effect on this young Parramatta side. He’s the leading meter eater in the NRL (as he was for the entirety of last year), and has already bagged two tries including a breath-taking length-of-the-field intercept against the Bulldogs last week.
It’s hard to imagine how he could possibly up his game – but no doubt he’ll find a way to do so against the team with which he won a premiership last year.
Prediction
The Roosters have been far from impressive in the first two rounds of the NRL. They were unexpectedly beaten by Souths in Round 1, and managed a tight win without Friend and Cronk against the Sea Eagles, although they were far from convincing, with Manly running in three tries in the last 22 minutes to make the scores much closer than they might have been.
The Roosters are now back at full strength (minus Brett Morris) and will have a point to prove in this game after their slow start to season 2019.
The Eels too will want to prove they are genuine contenders this year. They beat the Panthers in Round 1 (Penrith are a good side, but they’re not the defending premiers) and dominated the lowly Bulldogs last week. This is their first hit out against really classy opposition, and they’ll want to make the most of the opportunity to impress.
This match really could go either way. The Eels are red-hot right now, but the Roosters are absolutely stacked with representative players.
I believe it will be a tight one. I will say the Roosters will snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, winning with a try close to the death.
Roosters by 4
Join The Roar for live scores and a blog of the match, starting from 7:55pm AEDT.
Where: ANZ Stadium, Sydney
When: 7:55pm
TV: Channel 9, Fox Sports
Streaming: Kayo Sports, NRL Digital Pass
Eels
1 Clinton Gutherson 2 Maika Sivo 3 Michael Jennings 4 Brad Takairangi 5 Blake Ferguson 6 Dylan Brown 7 Mitchell Moses 8 Daniel Alvaro 9 Reed Mahoney 10 Junior Paulo 11 Shaun Lane 12 Marata Niukore 13 Tepai Moeroa. Interchange: 14 Jaeman Salmon 15 Tim Mannah (c) 16 Kane Evans 17 David Gower.
Reserves: 18 Oregon Kaufusi 19 Peni Terepo 20 Josh Hoffman 21 George Jennings
Roosters
1 James Tedesco 2 Daniel Tupou 3 Latrell Mitchell 4 Joseph Manu 5 Matt Ikuvalu 6 Luke Keary 7 Cooper Cronk 8 Jared Waerea-Hargreaves 9 Jake Friend 10 Sio Siua Taukeiaho 11 Boyd Cordner 12 Mitchell Aubusson 13 Victor Radley Interchange: 14 Isaac Liu 15 Zane Tetevano 16 Poasa Faamausili 17 Angus Crichton
Reserves: 18 Brock Lamb 19 Asu Kepaoa 20 Nat Butcher 23 Lachlan Lam
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