Both teams had last wins over the Tigers, with the Eels winning ugly. And both are looking to record two-straight wins for the first time in three months since round 5, early April.
It's also been three years since the Eels met the Warriors at Commbank, and the last game was filled with controversy.
The Eels won that game 24-22 but there was there was 9-2 penalty count against the Warriors, an all in brawl, and that forward pass. The one where then captain Roger Tuivasa-Sheck almost snatched a win from the jaws of defeat in the dying minutes. There's not much that remains of that Warriors team. Ice was even playing no.12 for the Warriors back.
The Eels now have the wood on the Warriors winning the last three, and 5 of the last 6.
The Eels will need to approach this game with their winner's brain switched on and not take this game lightly - with their tendencies to lose to teams below them. The Warriors have lost 7 of their last 8. But they beat and the Broncos in round 3 athe Cowboys back in round 5.
The tide has turned dramatically in the last seven years.
From 2016 onwards the Eels enjoy the wood over the Warriors 5/7 (71%).
But before that for eight years between 2008-2015 the Warriors had the wood over the Eels with the later winning only 4/13 games (31%). It's reflective of the Warriros struggles to remain competitive for over a decade. They have only been in one finals campaign in the last eleven years since 2011 - back in 2018. Since Arthur has been head coach for the Eels, the Warriors are soon to get their fifth coach after going through McFadden, Payton, Brown, Jones (interim) and Andrew Webster, Penrith's highly-rated attacking assistant coach, accepting the role from 2023.
The talented Eels need to find the solution to their Jecky-Hyde performances.
There are red flags everywhere for the Eels. In the NRL history no premier has ever won without winning at least a minimum of one four-straight run along with 2-3 good runs - before the finals. The Eels are yet to post a single four-straight winning sequence. The Eels defence leaks 22.06ppg. That's another red flag as NRL premiers concede under 20ppg at the business end of the season.
With seven weeks yet, it's not much time to change bad habits underlying the erratic performances of the Eels all year. Habits often take months to change once you know exactly what needs to change. Do the Eels know?
Time is running out.
Comments
Opacic on the bench proved a master stroke. We should win if he repeats that tactic. Such a powerful weapon off the bench. He's just too good to leave out of the 17 so bench it must be. Just sitting on the bench for 80 is good enough.