Jack Gibson Cup match preview

[Guest]

The match will be the commemorative Jack Gibson Cup game, to honour the late coach and rugby league icon who led both sides to multiple premierships in the 1970s and 1980s.

After being trounced in a forgettable Round 2 encounter on the Roosters’ home turf at Allianz Stadium, the side has showed plenty of grit to record two wins and a narrow two-point loss since that encounter.

“We were in our Round 2 game at half-time, and obviously in the second half we didn’t complete our sets and had a terrible attitude towards our defence,” Eels Head Coach Brad Arthur said.

“But playing at home [this week], we’re hoping to get 20,000 plus fans, and we’re ready to roll up the sleeves and defend really well.”

Parramatta will be without enforcer Darcy Lussick, who is serving the final week of his suspension and is ineligible for selection, but are boosted by the return of prop Fuifui Moimoi who will play after being ruled out with injury in Round 5.

While the Roosters will have Jared Waerea-Hargreaves return to their line-up after a one-week stint on the sidelines, and have named an extended six-man interchange.

The Roosters are coming off the back of two tight losses, conceding fewer than ten points against both the Bulldogs and the Sea Eagles and still going down at the final buzzer.

The Eels are buoyed by their first away win since 2012 last week against the Brisbane Broncos, with an unbeaten home game record so far this season.

[Guest]

Roosters:
1 Anthony Minichiello (c)
2 Daniel Tupou
3 Michael Jennings
4 Shaun Kenny-Dowall
5 Roger Tuivasa-Sheck
6 James Maloney
7 Mitchell Pearce
8 Jared Waerea-Hargreaves
9 Jake Friend
10 Sam Moa
11 Boyd Cordner
12 Sonny Bill Williams
13 Frank-Paul Nuuausala

Interchange
14 Daniel Mortimer
15 Aidan Guerra
16 Mitchell Aubusson
17 Dylan Napa
18 Kane Evans
19 Isaac Liu

Coach: Trent Robinson


Eels:
1 Jarryd Hayne (c)
2 Semi Radradra
3 Will Hopoate
4 Willie Tonga
5 Ken Sio
6 Corey Norman
7 Chris Sandow
8 Tim Mannah (c)
9 Nathan Peats
10 Fuifui Moimoi
11 Kenny Edwards
12 Manu Ma'u
13 Joseph Paulo

Interchange
14 Peni Terepo
15 Mitch Allgood
16 David Gower
17 Pauli Pauli

Coach; Brad Arthur

[Guest]

Eels v Roosters

Pirtek Stadium

Saturday 5.30pm




Anyone who's ever played cricket and dropped a sitter in the outfield will tell you that you just want the next ball to come to you so you can catch it and erase the embarrassment.



So it could be with the proud and much-improved Eels outfit who were not just outclassed but humiliated by the Roosters to the tune of 56-4 just a month ago in a performance that had fans fearing 2014 could be more of the same bad old Parra.



They will certainly be looking to make amends for that shocker and plenty has changed since then, much of it in their favour.



For starters they're back at home – the site of all five of their 2013 wins and where they are two from two with big victories over the Warriors and Penrith so far in 2014. They were also without hooker Nathan Peats in that one and have looked a completely different side with him controlling the action from dummy-half. In the three games since they had a close and very unlucky last-minute loss to Manly, that big win over Penrith and then last week broke a 20-game duck away from Parramatta with a highly impressive decision over the Broncos.



And for their part the Roosters have had a fairly tough time of it since then, scraping home against the Broncos on the back of some late Mitchell Pearce brilliance then losing low-scoring dogfights against Manly and the, well, Dogs.



They certainly haven't been outclassed and their defence has remained very sound but successive losses see them below the Eels on the ladder, in 10th place with just two wins from five starts. Given the quality of their opposition over the past fortnight there's no great cause for concern but another loss here would start to see them slip away from the top eight, whereas a win would entrench them mid-table.



If the Eels can earn the two competition points here they can theoretically finish the weekend as high as second or more realistically somewhere around fourth, whereas a loss would certainly see them relinquish their slender grip on the top eight.



Both sides welcome back a hard-hitting prop to their starting side for this one. For the Eels, Fuifui Moimoi is back after sitting out a week with a cut to his calf, pushing Peni Terepo to the bench and Junior Paulo out of the side.


For the Roosters, Jared Warea-Hargreaves is back from a one-game suspension meaning Frank-Paul Nuuausala moves from prop to lock, Aidan Guerra goes back to the bench and Isaac Liu is shifted out to an extended bench where he is joined by Kane Evans.




•Jennings takes to 'Tenacious D'
•Sandow has finally earned it




Parramatta has announced a two-for-one ticket offer for adult tickets in all four corner bays for this game.


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Watch Out Eels: You don't have to cast your mind too far back to get a handle on exactly the danger the Roosters pose to this Eels side. In Round 2 Waerea-Hargreaves charged through the middle of the Eels at will on his way to 153 metres from 15 runs, evergreen fullback Anthony Minichiello notched the first NRL hat-trick of his illustrious career and fleet-footed winger Roger Tuivasa-Sheck – who has made a habit of tormenting the Eels in his young career so far – bagged a double to go with his 147 metres. On the other flank Daniel Tupou made 146 metres and also bagged a try. Given the edges have been Parramatta's biggest weakness in recent seasons expect these two tall, agile and highly talented wingers to again be in the thick of it.



Watch Out Roosters: As fantastic as Jarryd Hayne and Semi Radradra have been in recent weeks, the biggest thing the Roosters will have to account for is the presence of Nathan Peats, who missed the previous encounter. The direction he provides from dummy-half combined with his frequent and astute darts behind lazy markers (around six dummy-half runs per game and three tries) have added a completely new dimension to the Eels in 2014. Expect him to make a massive difference this time around.



Plays To Watch: The Roosters will target both wingers with cross-field kicks, especially looking to isolate the 6'5" Tupou against the much smaller Ken Sio. With two wins from two games this year diminutive Eels half Chris Sandow will be riding a wave of confidence and is all but guaranteed to pull out a chip-and-chase sooner rather than later.



Get your ticket to NRL Round 5

Where It Will Be Won: In the lead-up. The Eels were beaten absolutely everywhere the last time these clubs met so their biggest challenge heading into this one will be mental. Coach Brad Arthur looks to have instilled a new level of belief in his charges so if anyone can galvanise them after that dispiriting loss it's him. He just needs to convince them that this Roosters outfit, which beat them so convincingly in Round 2 (and outscored them 88-24 in two outings last year) is just another mob of footy players that can be beaten. With so many 'confidence' players in the Eels side, if they can get on a roll and not worry about who the opposition are they are good enough to win this.



The History: Played 141; Roosters 73, Eels 63, drawn 5. The Roosters have won their past three, and six of their past seven, against Parramatta.

What Are The Odds: Punters are in love with the Eels – money is pouring in two to one for the Eels at Sportsbet.com.au and as a result they’ve been cut into $2.70 from $3.16. The Roosters have drifted from $1.36 out to $1.45. Bets are also three to one in favour of the Eels.



Match Officials: Referees – Gerard Sutton & Dave Munro; Touch Judges – Paul Holland & Luke Potter; Video Referees – Bernard Sutton & Matt Rodwell.



Televised: Fox Sports, Live, 5.30pm.



The Way We See It: We don't see this one panning out the same as the last meeting but it's still a huge mountain to climb for the much-improved Eels. We'll tip the Roosters but by a far skinnier margin – 10 points.

[Darkone]

As long as we are not the ones to play "KETCHUP FOOTBALL"

[bondi-boy]

Sandow!

Wasn't in the Eels team we beat earlier this year.
Since he's been back and weaving his magic, the Eels have been on fire.
He'll need silencing.
As will Semi...he'll be rampaging down the wing all night.
Hopefully someone will be at home every time he does.
That's every time.

Up the middle at pace will be coming the Eels forwards, like they did against the Broncos.
Kennedy and LOD are not around anymore, so their replacements will have to cover well.
...and bash em, smash em, trash em the Eels forwards, legally of course.
If they don't, then I'm afraid we're doomed.

[roosterproud]

there ya go slappa. now updated
Default



Roosters:
1 Anthony Minichiello (c)
2 Daniel Tupou
3 Michael Jennings
4 Shaun Kenny-Dowall
5 Roger Tuivasa-Sheck
6 James Maloney
7 Mitchell Pearce
8 Jared Waerea-Hargreaves
9 Jake Friend
10 Sam Moa
11 Boyd Cordner
12 Sonny Bill Williams
13 Frank-Paul Nuuausala

Interchange


14 Mitchell Aubusson
15 Dylan Napa
16 Kane Evans
17 Isaac Liu

Coach: Trent Robinson

[Guest]

there ya go slappa. now updated
Default



Roosters:
1 Anthony Minichiello (c)
2 Daniel Tupou
3 Michael Jennings
4 Shaun Kenny-Dowall
5 Roger Tuivasa-Sheck
6 James Maloney
7 Mitchell Pearce
8 Jared Waerea-Hargreaves
9 Jake Friend
10 Sam Moa
11 Boyd Cordner
12 Sonny Bill Williams
13 Frank-Paul Nuuausala

Interchange


14 Mitchell Aubusson
15 Dylan Napa
16 Kane Evans
17 Isaac Liu

Coach: Trent Robinson

LOL@dopey.... Still got it wrong.

[roosterproud]

lol dopey we won the mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

you tooo fcuken stubid......the jack some one trophy.......love your trailer trash. bring it. see ya aug 1 at the merge game


I will be the proud 1 and you will the quiet little school boy at the back holding on to mummy.

if you are man , come say hi. or just hide you POS

bring on the slappa crap