Eels vs Raiders (No Excuses)

This game is the absolute best measuring stick to see where we are at in this competition.Unlike the Premiers and the runners up or the Bulldogs who have all been right up there and been together for a long time and have gained so much big game experience and semi final experience and self belief by being contenders each year, the Eels and the Raiders are Clubs on the rise, who both look like an identical premiership threat, we have a new look team just like the raiders. We both haven't built that big game experience and self belief due to neither of us being legit contenders with our current sides until now in 2016.The Raiders and Eels match will answer the truest questions that we all want answered about our sides.Because there is no team more mirroring of the eels right now than the raiders.We both have very similar rosters in terms of where our strengths lye and as a result we are now both winning our games in similar fashion.Prior to the eels and raiders dominating the dogs forward pack, the dogs were enjoying all the glory in regards to having the most dominant forward pack in the competition.Now it seems there is two new big boys in town, The Raiders & The Eels !The raiders and The eels have been swapping ladder positions back and forth over the past couple weeks.The eels could very well have been sitting where the raiders are sitting right now, but we slipped up!!!I like to think that, that top 4spot that the Raiders occupy right now should be ours. Today's game will let me know weather or not it's only wishful thinking.Now's the time to find out!As fortune has it, The Eels are coming into this game with ALLLLL the advantages in their favour.Let's take a look!!!Raiders = 3rd on ladder + Short turn around + No Soliola + No Jeff LimaEels = 8th on ladder + No Tim mannah + Nathan Peats returns adding confidence to the squad as well as a helping hand at ball playing + Not as much of a short turn around as the Raiders have + The eels have home field advantage.By all rights the eels SHOULD WIN THIS!!!Personally in my humble opinion, I believe that WE have a slightly better roster than Canberra at the moment BUT DO WE HAVE THE BETTER TEAM ????This is all going to boil down to a battle of which coach is better!!!Ricky Stuart has all the slight disadvantages in this one.BA has ALL the advantages.So Brad Author MUST NOT allow Ricky Stuart to leave Pirtek with a Victory over us, it's as simple as that.There can be NO excuses!!!We NEED this win!!!(Brad Author VS Ricky Stuart)• I want to see which coach stands out !!!• I'll be paying EXTREMELY close attention to our attack vs Canberra's attack.• I will be closely comparing our attacking structures with Canberra's• I want to see who displays the MOST attacking shapes and set pieces both in mid field and when in the opponents red zone looking for Try's!• I want to see who plays most direct, and which team starts to crumble & panic and resorts to playing side to side football.• I Am curious to see if the eels are planning on playing another game of one out hit ups in a bid to see who has the tougher forwards or are we actually gonna play some smart, well drilled, well rehearsed, attacking footy?!Let's see who can complete their sets the most due to good well rehearsed structure. Let's see who can show the most signs of organised attacking football! Let's see....Because that's who's gonna win!!!Not who's forwards run the hardest!!!It's all about BA vs RICKY this round!!!We have all the advantages so if we lose at home this week, we WILL fall out of the top 8 and that's just unacceptable. Plain and simple. There's no sugar coating it.This won't be just any game for the players, they will fight tooth and nail for 80mins because THEY KNOW that if they lose they fall out of the top 8. There will be no need to question the players efforts at the end of 80minutes. The only question is.... Is BA good enough to keep us inside of the top 8 and get us a win that we by all rights SHOULD be getting?!!!Or is Ricky Stuart just too good for him and is that why the raiders are sitting in 3rd spot on the table threatening to take first spot each week that they play?!We will have all the answers by Saturday night.See you at the game!Go Eels!

"Yeah it is getting concerning. More so to the fact that Garrick now linked to Roosters and Taulagi to Dragons. Dragons have a chance of getting a player. Koloamatangi we go hard for and seem to miss out again. We are turning into the Dragons where…"

"Pezet should play 20+ games for us. We'll be paying him what he's worth (to us).
There is huge demand for halves and Pezet is one of the best available, especially for long term value. He could have gotten $1M from plenty of clubs. But not from us,…"

Replies

rozay April 9, 2016 at 6:33am

Eels don't look anything like a premiership threat they struggle to score points
- Jneb > rozay April 9, 2016 at 6:35am
  
  Depend on what games u r referring to
- Prof. Daz > rozay April 9, 2016 at 5:03pm
  
  Um, spoke too soon, Rozay?! 36-6
Ross April 9, 2016 at 6:59am

Raiders will belt us today.
We have been winning on the back of 11/10th effort from the guys, but it's a game plan based on fitness and power, and you just can't keep that intensity up for a whole season. We can now more than match most teams with defense, but unless we can get some smarts together, it's all over. Foran is the key, but at the moment he's still playing like a shot duck.
Hopefully Peats return stops it getting ugly.
Hopefully I'm wrong!!!
- wiggy 71 > Ross April 9, 2016 at 7:20am
  
  Don't underestimate our boys I think they are in for a big one.
- Prof. Daz > Ross April 9, 2016 at 5:04pm
  
  Kinda wrong. Just a bit
- Ross > Ross April 9, 2016 at 5:36pm
  
  Lol and very happy to be wrong!!
wiggy 71 April 9, 2016 at 7:23am

Quick play the balls tire out their big forwards and stop Hodgson he will be their biggest threat.
Michael Ericson April 9, 2016 at 8:23am

I've been thinking the same thing. Raiders at home an excellent yardstick with where we are at.
ZipZip April 9, 2016 at 8:27am

It will come down to Parra completing sets which is the one hangover we are suffering from seasons past.

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