There is a lot of discussion about losing this week and Raiders being in form etc.
I personally think we will smack the crap out of the Raiders. It will be a Commbank beat down. Even if Moses doesn't play (and I'm almost certain he will), I still think we win.
If you look at the Raiders record, there only decent win since round 11 was last weekend, and I don't think Melbourne were in good shape after two very grinding games against Roosters and Eels.
Otherwise, the Raiders have limped home in close contests against the likes of the knights, Warriors, dragons and Titans, and actually got beaten by the Dragons in that period as well.
They beat Roosters in rnd 13 when the origin players were out and beat Storm in rnd 18 when Pap shattered his knee cap in the 19th minute.
Plus, they got absolutely spanked by the Panthers without Cleary and Lui while at home.
The Eels have responded after every loss this season. I'm expecting a 13+ victory.
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Great blog, well said.
Not sure about a thumping but agree Eels will win. Our start is imperative though, if we are chasing points the pressure & mental scaring might be too much.
Canberra is prone to some mental fracturing themselves so extra important to 'front load' this week & get a lead.
One of Canberra's strengths is their big pack, but they're not overly agile. Our offloading can hurt them & we need another big game from DB using his speed & step around big forwards as per round 12.
Had looked at the Raiders draw also & noticed they'd beaten 6 of the bottom 7 teams to make the 8. But, they do seem to lift for finals.
We need to win this, not just for this season but for the club moving forward, another straight sets exit could be a disaster for the long term confidence of some players.
Picking a win, followed by our best win of the season over the Cowboys. May as well stay optimistic for a few more weeks.
Thanks mate. I don't know why, I've just got this feeling the Eels are going to remind everyone why we were so excited about our prospects only 5 days ago.
Lets hope so bro, i reckon we'll win too but im not confident of a thumping.
I'm predicting a similar game to the one we saw against Melbourne a few weeks back. First 20 will be tight, but we'll break through and strangle them. The game will be over by the 65th minute.
There is a class gap. Raiders aren't capable of dominating the Storm, or getting anywhere near the Panthers at full strength while the Panthers are on.
We'll have the motivation too because a number of our big guns didn't fire a shot last week. Guth, D Brown and Lane in particular. Plus we are back at Commbank. Sivo is a lock to get at least one try and I'll be backing Waqa to get one as well after last week's performance.
Well said, some great points. Love the optimism. Hopefully, you're right, Johnny.
We'll need Moses imo, do the basics and one-percenters better, and not implode this week.
If Parra play to their best, we win.
Anything less, we're kidding ourselves.
This is finals. Fckn cut the shit and act like it Parra.
I also think the Eels will be at their best this weekend and get the win.
I think if the Eels can beat the Cowboys at home the following week, they are a very good chance of knocking over the Panthers in the GF as they will be seeking big time revenge.
Go Eels.
Forget the outside noise. Eels v Panthers GF.
Yeah I agree.
Eels by 12pts
if Moses does play he should be feeling pretty fresh considering he only played for 55mins, plus limit training sessions this week.
It will be a forward battle this one. BA must name 4 forwards on the bench.
hopefully
14: N Brown ( lock )
15: O Kaufusi ( Prop )
16: M Nuikore ( 2nd row )
17: O Ogden ( Prop )
Eels vs Rabbits GF
Let's just hope we don't get Atkins as ref.
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