Accepted wisdom when you take on the Tigers is that you generally try and take them up the middle and bash them into submission. Manly had a lot of success with this strategy in Round 1 in the first half and sides with big, strong packs have a pretty good record against the Tigers.
So while they are similar games, they're also very different. This has been the way it's been for any number of years now and I don't see it being any different tonight.
On the flipside of this, I'm expecting the Eels to play as up-tempo game as possible. Once the forward battle settles down, looking to see us make even greater use of our outside backs to run from dummy half, and the Keating brothers will likely be busy too, testing the Tigers ruck defence.
The Tigers will no doubt attempt to work over Daniel Mortimer. Benji will run his way as much as possible and they'll be decoys running off his shoulder left-right-and-centre, with the man looping around the back should our outside men over-commit on their inside in trying to support Mortimer. The Trent Hodkinson try last week will be used by oppositions sides as a veritable blue-print for how to take us on, and if Steve Matai can do what he did floating across field imagine what Benji will be able to do. This is a really big game for Morts. Two ordinary games at the start of the season, you can forgive. Three starts to look like a slump and with Kris Keating no doubt dying for a chance to get back into his favourite position, Mortimer could very well be playing for his position.
However, I don't think that's how Parramatta will attempt to take on the Tigers, nor should we.
Of all the teams in the competition, the Tigers game is most similar to ours. It is an up-tempo game, driven primarily by Robbie Farah's work out of dummy half. The Tigers like fast play-the-balls so as to create maximum space for Benji Marshall and Tim Moltzen.
The Eels play an up-tempo game, based primarily around their off-loads. We like fast play-the-balls so as to create maximum space for Jarryd Hayne and out outside backs.
So while they are similar games, they're also very different. This has been the way it's been for any number of years now and I don't see it being any different tonight.
Fortunately, for us, it would seem if the tigers game is 'scissors' then our game is 'rock' because we have an amazing dominance over the Tigers.
Despite, having a pretty mobile pack, for some reason the Tiger's don't defend well against a lot of second-phase play. As they don't always dominate in defence, they are used to retreating quickly and then when the offload comes they can be caught off-guard.
Meanwhile, we've done pretty well at shutting down both Robbie Farah and Benji Marshall. The days of Parramatta being soft in the middle of the ruck have disappeared since Daniel Anderson took over and it's now a strength of ours. With the likes of Nathan Hindmarsh and Matt Keating mopping up, it takes a pretty good dummy half effort to break our defences. We also slide pretty well, and so we've been able to neutralise Benji Marshall's drift across the park. We're proven far more susceptible to swift passing movements, than a single player opening us up.
All that said, the Tigers have closed the gap a bit recently. In that classic encounter at the end of last season, they led well before we mowed them down. They're forwards really muscled up that day and I think we'll see them at their most aggressive, with the aim of shutting down the offload with dominant tackling. With Fuifui Moimoi back in the starting line-up, I think its going to be a very entertaining forwards battle, for two teams that aren't noted for that part of their game. I think you'll see a surprising number of big hits because both teams are going to want to slow down their opposition as much possible.
On the flipside of this, I'm expecting the Eels to play as up-tempo game as possible. Once the forward battle settles down, looking to see us make even greater use of our outside backs to run from dummy half, and the Keating brothers will likely be busy too, testing the Tigers ruck defence.
If the Eels do this well, that will suck in the Tigers defenders and open up space out wide. And I think that's where out best opportunity lies. The Tigers least experienced defenders are out in the centres and with Timana Tahu in the side, as well as the likelihood of Feleti Mateo floating out there could really cause headaches for Wests.
The Tigers will no doubt attempt to work over Daniel Mortimer. Benji will run his way as much as possible and they'll be decoys running off his shoulder left-right-and-centre, with the man looping around the back should our outside men over-commit on their inside in trying to support Mortimer. The Trent Hodkinson try last week will be used by oppositions sides as a veritable blue-print for how to take us on, and if Steve Matai can do what he did floating across field imagine what Benji will be able to do. This is a really big game for Morts. Two ordinary games at the start of the season, you can forgive. Three starts to look like a slump and with Kris Keating no doubt dying for a chance to get back into his favourite position, Mortimer could very well be playing for his position.
Whatever unfolds, I think this is going to be an absolute cracker game, played at a frantic pace. Getting off to a good start is going to be important for the Eels, because even if they manage to come back again, they really want to get that element out of their game.
C'arn boys
1Eyed Tip: Eels by 8
Replies
If that happens this week - in conjuction with some good touches from Hayne - we could score quite a few meat pies.