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 |
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
Chris Love
Roar Guru
Easily forward.
Chris Love
Roar Guru
The Teddy ball to Taukeiaho was also blatantly forward. Parra dropped their bundle after that.
Neel
Roar Guru
Parra really look the goods this season.
Dogs Boddy
Roar Rookie
Great first 65 minutes by the Eels. They may be a bit of a dark horse this season.
Daniel Szabo
Roar Guru
Fulltime The Sydney Roosters have defeated the Parramatta Eels 32 points to 18, although the game was far closer than the scoreline suggests. The Eels were well and truly in it until Sio Siua Taukeiaho scored in the 68th minute, and possessed the lead on three separate occasions during the match. The first half was played at a frantic pace. The Eels drew first blood, scoring through Blake Ferguson who was on the end of a well-telegraphed short-side raid. The Roosters then hit back just 4 minutes later as James Tedesco scored his first of two tries for the game. From there it was an arm wrestle, and while the Eels' ill discipline resulted in them having to absorb a lot of pressure, the Roosters acknowledged they would not be able to break Parramatta, opting to take penalty goals twice in the first half. The last 10-15 minutes of the first half were full of errors from both sides, no doubt a result of the fatigue caused by the frantic pace of the first 25 minutes of the game. Despite all the knock ons, the Roosters managed to take a 8-6 lead into halftime. As they did in the first half, the Eels again managed to draw first blood in the second stanza, this time through their big Fijian left winger Maika Sivo who ran off a great cut-out ball from Clint Gutherson close to the line. Once again, the Roosters capitalized on the Eels' silly errors after scoring, and managed to hit back quickly through Mitch Aubusson. Sivo scored again just 6 minutes later and the Eels had the lead again. It really was a see-sawing affair up till that point, with the lead changing hands 6 times throughout the game. After Sivo's second try though it was all the Roosters. Victor Radley scored a very easy try to get the lead back for the Roosters in the 61st minute. A would-be Tedesco try was denied for a forward pass in the 66th minute before Taukeiaho finally sealed the win in the 68th minute. Tedesco managed to score again in the 72nd minute and that would wrap the game up for the Roosters. The Eels will be proud of their effort in that match. They reigning wooden-spooners matched it with the reigning premiers for 65 minutes before being outclassed at the end - there's a lot to like about that from their point of view. While they let the Roosters back into it through silly errors, the Roosters well and truly earned that win as their class shone through. They're quickly getting used to life as the hunted, with every other side in the competition gunning for them. With plenty to like for both sides this was a tremendous game of footy - arguably the best of the season. Let's hope there are more games like this to come. Eels - 18 Roosters - 32
Daniel Szabo
Roar Guru
80' Gutherson kicks on the last play for Ferguson. He gets close but Tedesco beats him to it, kicking the ball into touch and that'll be fulltime. Great win by the Roosters, gutsy performance by the Eels. Match report to come shortly. Eels - 18 Roosters - 32
Daniel Szabo
Roar Guru
78' Eels make a break down the left. They're hungry for a consolation try. Moses puts a kick in and Keary on the volley boots it dead. Eels will get one last set before the game is done. Eels - 18 Roosters - 32
Daniel Szabo
Roar Guru
77' Eels have a very enterprising set and get to the Roosters 20m line before Brad Takairangi attempts a kick and loses the ball. Roosters pounce on it. Lachlan Lam is on the field for the last 3 minutes. Keary kicks for touch and the Eels will get the ball back 10m out from their own line again. Eels - 18 Roosters - 32
Daniel Szabo
Roar Guru
76' Roosters make good meters and Keary grubbers into touch. Eels feed a scrum 10m out from their line. Great game-management by the Roosters. Eels - 18 Roosters - 32
74
Papi Smurf
Roar Rookie
32 - 18 with 5 and a half mins to go... Game Over!
Daniel Szabo
Roar Guru
75' Mitchell converts. Roosters drawing away now. Eels - 18 Roosters - 32
Cadfael
Roar Guru
Dear but that lst pass loked very dodgy.
Geoff from Bruce Stadium
Roar Rookie
Jeez - I was liking the chances of the Eels a few minutes ago but the Roosters have just found another gear
72
Daniel Szabo
Roar Guru
73' Shaun Lane rushes up on Tedesco who beats him all ends up. Gets past Jennings and Gutherson and that'll be the ball game. Eels - 18 Roosters - 30
Papi Smurf
Roar Rookie
Everything changed with Ferguson's dropped ball. To be fair the Roosters are missing Cronk and BMoz and lost Friend and JWH with Lam still on the bench waiting for a call up. The Eels can build on this... as Tedesco goes in. Oh dear!
Daniel Szabo
Roar Guru
72' Crichton makes an absolute meal of the play-the-ball but it's ignored by the referees. Roosters force a repeat set on the same play. Big non-call by the referees as the Eels keep defending here. Eels - 18 Roosters - 26
MarkD
Guest
Halfbacks , fullbacks? More like quaterbacks,
Daniel Szabo
Roar Guru
71' Keary aims to grubber into touch. Ball goes into Sivo's leg, Moses plays at it and that's 6 again for the Roosters. It's looking ominous for the Eels here. Eels - 18 Roosters - 26