Eels Blogs

Call Doctor House. The Eels have used the most players of any club. It will be at least 26 after this week. We face an injury toll from hell with a third of the top squad out. That's usually a death sentence. Cohesion and combinations go out the window. It threatens to derail the season. Incredibly, the Eels are still favorites.

Both are desperate. The Titans are 1 from 5. The Eels 2 from 5.

One tantalizing question for Eels' fans is will we see Lorenzo Talataina, 'The Future is Now' , make his debut?

Teams

Eels 14th vs Titans 15th: Sunday, 12 April 2026, CommBank Stadium, 2pm (AEDT)
Referee: Ziggy Przeklasa-Adamski, Dave Munro, Jon Stone (touchies), Chris Butler (Bunker).
Weather: Sunny, clear, 18–21°C, Light winds SW/SE, 10–15 km/h, moderately humid
Sportbet: Eels $1.60, Titans $2.35. Following a horror injury toll, the Eels have dropped to their lowest all year in the premiership market, to $71, 4th last, just ahead of Manly, Titans, Dragons at $251.

Eels: 1. Joash Papali'i 2. Araz Nanva 3. Will Penisini 4. Brian Kelly 5. Josh Addo-Carr 6. Ronald Volkman 7. Mitchell Moses (c) 8. Jack Williams 9. Ryley Smith 10. Junior Paulo 11. Kelma Tuilagi 12. Kitione Kautoga 13. Dylan Walker
Bench: 14. Tallyn Da Silva 15. Charlie Guymer 16. Sam Tuivaiti 17. Luca Moretti 18. Jack de Belin 22. Lorenzo Talataina
Reserves: 19. Teancum Brown 20. Mohamed Alameddine 21. Jezaiah Funa-Iuta
Head Coach: Jason Ryles

Titans: 1.Keano Kini 2. Sialetili Faeamani 3. Jojo Fifita 4. AJ Brimson 5. Phillip Sami 6. Lachlan Ilias 7. Jayden Campbell  14. Kurtis Morrin  9. Sam Verrills 10. Tino Fa'asuamaleaui (c) 11. Arama Hau 12. Beau Fermor 13. Chris Randall
Bench:  15. Cooper Bai 16. Moeaki Fotuaika 17. Oliver Pascoe 18. Jaylan De Groot 20. Zane Harrison 21. Adam Christensen 
Cut: 8. Klese Haas 19. Jett Liu   22. Jensen Taumoepeau
Head Coach: Josh Hannay

Injuries: Will Penisini (groin, back this round), Sean Russell (concussion, R7), Jordan Samrani (knee, R10), Jonah Pezet (hamstring, R11), Isaiah Iongi (ankle, R13), Bailey Simonsson (ankle, TBC), Matt Doorey (knee, next season), J’maine Hopgood (ACL, next season), Apa Twidle (AC joint), Ryan Matterson (concussion).

Stat Attack

The Eels have won 9 of their past 11 games against the Titans
Since 2022 these are the margins that have decided games: 1,2,4,6, 8, 16
Eels last lost to the Titans at Parramatta 15 years ago (2015).
The Eels have never lost a Sunday game to the Titans.
Eels winger Josh Addo-Carr has scored 13 tries in his last nine games against the Titans.
Titans winger Phillip Sami has scored five tries in five games at CommBank Stadium.
The Eels have won four of their last five games at CommBank Stadium.
The Eels haven't lost three-straight since round 20 last year. 

Corridors

Middle third: Eels' middle concedes almost 40% of its tries, the most of any corridor, whilst the Titans score their most points through the middle (50%).
Titan's left edge Leaks their most points (second worst in the competition) versus the Eels right edge scores their most points (almost 50%).
Titans right edge scores 48% of its tries (only 8% off left) is up against the Eels left edge has been vulnerable at times.

The Keys

Moses is the key for the Eels. He'll need to take charge of the inexperienced spine, playing both sides of the field. That might spark he needs. Moses hasn't been at his best this year. Maybe it's injury. He seems to carry an unhappy face at times. A win is the only thing that will start to change that.

Hold the ball. Kick long to the seagulls. Chase hard. That will help our defence. The worst to date.

The game could be decided by who makes the least errors at critical moments. The Eels and Titans are 5th and 6th worst for handling. Both our wins had completion rates higher than the oppposition. 85% or higher. Both losses had lower completions. The Titans seem to win or lose regardless of completions.

We don't need to hand the Titans too many invitations. They have speed to burn despite being the second-worst attack.

If the Eels can get on a roll on, build death zones, they can score 2-3 quick tries with good shapes in attack. Yet, the changes to the team could dampen points. 

History suggests a thriller could be on the cards. The last four has been WLWL. Since 2022, the margins have been close.

1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 16. 

Let's hope it doesn't come down to goal-kicking like last week when we scored more tries than the Tigers, yet lost due to it. The Titans are 2nd-best here (87%). We sit last (65%).

Both have some punch off the bench so that could be another decisive factor.

Both have had their struggles, and have played off the back foot through counterpunching. It's meant both make the least run metres (15th and 16th). 

The Eels have been dominated in the middle. Often struggling to get two to the ruck. It's one reason the Eels work harder than most. They make the fifth most tackles of any team. So, they need to find a way to hold the Titans who have some firepower through Tino and Fotuaika.

Final Word

The Eels need to find a way to win. Control the match. Minimize self-sabotage. The Titans athleticism and speed pose imminents threats.

We thought things would get easier after the horror first month facing the premiers, Panthers, and last years grand finalist, the Storm in round 1. But from next week: the resurgent Dogs, Manly, Warriors, Cowboys, and then the Storm before the round 12 bye.

Last week, we invested a lot of mental and physical energy with desperate scrambling and improved linespeed. Can we back up after a huge effort last week? 

A loss could see us drop to second-last with three-straight losses. Is this a tipping point?  

In a few hours, we'll find out if the patient stabilises, or if it’s time to call House again.