The Parramatta Eels travel to Brisvegas this week and will look to build on their strong showing against Penrith.
Brad Arthur has already stated that they will need to be more consistent in the first halves of matches to compete against the top teams.
The Eels have failed to win away from home for over a season. Their last win on the road was coincidentally in Brisbane with Brad Arthur as coach.
For Brisbane, Justin Hodges returns from injury in a move that could be a decisive factor in this match. There's a possibility he'll be short on match fitness and he will be facing up against Parramatta's slick left side attack.
Danger players the Eels will have to watch are Ben Hunt and Ben Barba. These two have been in impressive form for the Broncos and play very well when they are behind a dominant forward pack.
A perceived weak link though would be Josh Hoffman. More accustomed to the fullback role, he'll line-up at five-eighth.
The majority of playmaking duties will fall to Ben Hunt as it has done in previous matches. Parramatta faced Penrith in a similar situation and when Soward was pressured, Penrith were unable to find a quality end to their sets.
Of the 14 open field kicks Penrith made, 11 were taken by Soward.
For Brisbane, the majority of their kicks against St George were made by Ben Hunt and Andrew McCullough. Parramatta need to be on their toes around the ruck and not allow McCullough the time he wants.
There will also be some big battles that I'm keen to see.
1. Josh McGuire Vs Fuifui Moimoi: It's the rising star up against one of Parramatta's Tongan wrecking balls. McGuire is Brisbane's chief metre-eater up front and is their only starting prop. Moimoi is Parramatta's elder statesman in the forwards and leads from the front. Expect plenty of fire from these two.
2. Jarryd Hayne Vs Ben Barba: Both men had injury riddled seasons in 2013 and are excitement machines when fully fit. Hayne is the near complete package and had his best showing in years against Penrith. Barba is a very dangerous open-field ball-runner and has slick passing game. He'll be sniffing around the ruck and the Eels will need to target him in a similar way they targeted Sam Tomkins and Shaun Johnson in Round One.
3. Corey Norman Vs Josh Hoffman: These two line-up in the position Norman was groomed for at Brisbane. Norman was the man who kept Hoffman out of the Brisbane side until Norman signed with the Eels. Both men are dangerous when given room but Norman is the one with the kicking game.
4. Willie Tonga Vs Justin Hodges: One is returning from injury, the other is trying to repay his junior club. Tonga has begun to show why he has earnt both Queensland and Australian jerseys in the past. His combination with Semi Radradra has seen the big Fijian cross seven times in four matches and Parramatta's left side attack a big weapon. Hodges has been a mainstay of Queensland for years and is a dangerous proposition with ball in hand, the only problem is that generally once the ball is in his hands, he doesn't let it go.
5. Nathan Peats Vs Andrew McCullough: Peats is arguably the form hooker of the competition and a big reason why the Eels have won two of their matches and should've beaten Manly. He's been working on his kicking game and his service has been exquisite. McCullough has been a very consistent performer for the Broncos and is similar in style to Peats however he does kick more and that tends to keep opposition defences on their toes.
Where this game will be won
For mine, this match will be a battle of the forwards. Brisbane have a very mobile pack and plenty of firepower on their bench. They start with one recognised prop and like to play an up tempo game. Parramatta need to be aware of this and limit the number of penalties they give away. The Eels will enter this match with a larger forward pack and will want to establish dominance early. They try to make metres up the middle for spreading it wide to the large, mobile back-rowers. Manu Ma'u has been a revelation as has Kenny Edwards.
The Eels boast a more threatening spine, the Broncos' weakness being Josh Hoffman. Ben Hunt though, has managed to take control of games and he's definitely one to watch, as is Andrew McCullough, especially close to the line.
I can't wait for Friday night!!!
The match kicks off at 8:40pm AEDST because those Queenslanders are a little slow up top.
See More: http://www.bluegoldglory.com.au/2014/04/03/2154/round-5-match-preview
Replies
nice read, eels by 8.
We aren't a bit slow up are we?Just gives us an extra hr to enjoy a beer or 3.Especially when you live in NSW on the border.Seriously though great read again loving these previews
- we should expect Hodges to mark up well on Tonga, not falling for some of the tricks Tonga has unfurled the first month. Tonga has lost pace but not the guile of a quality centre, exploiting the fact that he does not need to over-play his hand, because Radrandra only needs a sliver of space to make something happen. And Tonga has consistently created that for him. But Hodges will cover Tonga and his (Hodges') outside. So the question becomes whether our left-edge second rowers will provide decoy running and otherwise ball-running to drag Hodges in, and whether Norman ca do the same, tempting Hodges in? I'm thinking unless we create some indecision on the Broncos right side, we will not get points down our left, which has been our strength.
- you know they're going to run at Sandow, so this will test just how much he has improved his tackling.
- in the past few seasons our defense has not coped well with second phase play, it seems because of a bit of lazy inside defending, with players letting teams come to them a bit, creating too much space after an offload or two. The Broncos have been doing well on the back of a nice combo of straight running and off loads. Has BA fixed our defense yet? Jury is out.
great write up super
whilst im not sure tonga adds anything to the team i think he'll outshine hodges whose lost pace (given not as much as tonga) and i think hes unsure of himself, personally i think mau, terepo, edwards and allgood will be the ones who need to step up to get us the win - M & T have been damaging week in week out and edwards and allgood have been been dangerous with threatening offloads!
im enjoying the sweeping second man plays, sandows kicking game and normans composure - unicorn thickshake to table 2 - eels 13+ again!