Image produced by the Eels' Club
Clinton Gutherson the Eels' long time custodian often called the "heart and soul" of the team plays his 200th milestone game for the club tonight as the Eels host the Storm at Commbank, after their bye. He moves to 15th in most games for the Eels; one game behind the legendary Fuifui Moimoi.
Unfortunately, it's in challenging circumstances with the Eels and Storm on Mercurial opposite extremes.
The Eels continue their free-fall, with a horror injury toll, currently sitting at 16th in a dog-fight to avoid the wooden spoon. It doesn't get any easier against the competition leaders in the Storm.
The Eels are staring down the barrel of six straight losses, and have only won one from the last eleven games.
Meanwhile, the Storm are on a roll and will welcome back some key stars tonight. They have won six straight and sit on top of the ladder four points clear of the second-placed Panthers. They bared some of their teeth last week in their impressive 24-8 win over the top-four heavyweight Roosters in Melbourne.
The Eels have not beaten the Storm in two years - since 2022 and have lost the last three straight: 48 - 16, 46 - 16, 16 - 12 (in extra time at Commbank, R1, 2023).
Teams
Time/Venue: CommBank Stadium, 8:00pm tonight
Sportsbet: Storm $1.11, Eels $6.70
Eels: 1. Clint Gutherson 2. Jake Tago 3. Blaize Talagi 4. Will Penisini 5. Sean Russell 6. Dylan Brown 7. Daejarn Asi 8. Reagan Campbell-Gillard 9. Brendan Hands 10. Wiremu Greig 11. Shaun Lane 12. Bryce Cartwright 13. Ryan Matterson 14. Joey Lussick 15. Joe Ofahengaue 16. Luca Moretti 17. Makahesi Makatoa 18. Ethan Sanders 22. Dan Keir
Players cut: 19. Matthew Arthur 20. Matt Doorey 21. Morgan Harper
Storm: 1. Ryan Papenhuyzen 2. Will Warbrick 3. Jack Howarth 4. Nick Meaney 5. Grant Anderson 6. Tyran Wishart 7. Jahrome Hughes 8. Tui Kamikamica 9. Harry Grant 10. Josh King 11. Shawn Blore 12. Eliesa Katoa 13. Trent Loeiro 14. Sualauvi Faalogo 16. Nelson Asofa-Solomona 17. Lazarus Vaalepu 20. Cameron Munster 19. Tepai Moeroa 21. Chris Lewis
Players cut: 15. Christian Welch 18. Dean Ieremia22. Reimis Smith
Nelson Asofa-Solomona returns and Munster (groin) is a likely in. Munster hasn’t played since Magic Round R11 against the Eels co-incidently.
Storm CEO Frank Ponissi has revealed that Munster’s minutes are likely to be managed. Ponissi told SEN. “He’s obviously missed a fair bit of footy, I think it’s been seven weeks now since he hasn’t played. “Whether he plays the 80 minutes, we’ll work out how he goes. “If he doesn’t play 80 minutes this week, by next week we think he’ll get close to 80 minutes.”
Storm coach Craig Bellamy is excited to see the ‘damage’ beastly prop Nelson Asofa-Solomona can do as he makes his return from injury against the Eels amid ongoing speculation over his future. “I’m not sure how much is right and how much are wrong. I don’t really know exactly what’s going on myself,” he said. “All we are concerned about at the moment is getting out on the field and playing some good footy. “Hopefully, he can play again like he was playing before (getting injured). “He had a couple of really good games coming off the bench and done some real damage, so we’ll be looking for him to do that again.”
Craig Bellamy did not understand why the Eels were running second-last.
"They've got a lot of good players" and a big pack, Bellamy noted.
"Dylan will go up another peg. He's a really good player. And Gutho is always on the ball."
Stats:
- Without Moses, the Eels have lost 7 of the last 8 without Moses.
- The Storm have scored 94 points in their past two games against the Eels.
- Storm hooker Harry Grant has scored six tries in his last four games against the Eels.
- Eels centre Blaize Talagi has scored four tries in five games at CommBank Stadium.
Commbank
The Eels have won three of their four games against the Storm at CommBank Stadium.
The only game they lost to the Storm at Commbank was in extra time (R1, 2023, 16-12).
Let's hope Commbank can work some wonders for the Eels tonight.
First time in 2024: Eels win back-end of a game
In their last game before the bye the R19 loss to the Titans 24-16, was the first time this year the Eels won the back-end of game, circa the last quarter. The Titans were leading 24-6 at the 58th minute mark. The Eels won the last 20 minutes 16-0.
It co-incided with Ryles' appointment earlier in the week on Monday and RCG's 200th milestone.
Image produced by the Eels' Club
Barrett: Gutho Deserves Respect; some of the commentary is disrespectful
Gutherson has been a warrior for the Eels in his ninth season with the club. The Eels don't cope well without Gutho: They have lost the last 13 straight without him.
Earlier in the week Shaun Lane spoke to the media about wanting to go out on a high note. Yesterday, Trent Barrett told the media, of his high praise for Gutho.
"He’s our captain, he’s the heart and soul of the joint and we all love him, so he'll be our starting fullback whilst I'm here," Barrett exclaimed.
"We’ll look after him and get around him and those conversations and hearing all that stuff can't be easy for him either."
"He has been here for a long time and I think he deserves some respect."
"Gutho has been a great player for this club for a long, long time."
"He's a great player. A lot of people don't see the work Gutho does off the field and his leadership," Barett said.
"And those conversations, and hearing all that stuff, can't be easy for him either. He's been here a long time, and he deserves some respect."
🎙️ The boys answer questions on the @Maccas Mic ahead of King Gutho’s 200th 🍔 pic.twitter.com/oHql8RX2AH
— Parramatta Eels (@TheParraEels) July 25, 2024
"Gutho has been a great player of this club for a long, long time and some of it I find a bit disrespectful around the commentary towards him," Barrett admiited.
Barrett made somewhat back-handed commentary on Blaize's rumoured fullback role in light of his great running game - replacing the long-time Eels' custodian.
"There's more to playing fullback than just what you do with the football. That position is probably one of the hardest to play in the modern game."
"You have a hell of a lot of responsibility with the ball, you play like a second five-eighth but defensively is where it’s at."
"There's been a lot of talk about Blaize, he's a young player that we need to look after, he has a big future but where his best position is, down the track that's not my call. "
"But this year, I see him as a centre."
"I probably see him more as a five-eighth or centre than a fullback to be honest."
The Gutho Debate: Ryles has a big decision to make
Barrett also confirmed he wouldn't be at the Eels in a "coaching capacity" after this year, but added it wasn't a "tough conversation" with Ryles and the club as he's been "in the game" for a long time and had options he was looking at.
He also made some commentary around next year's uncertainty being a challenge for some players.
Barrett: The Uncertainty "Would be Unsettling"
"It's difficult on some of the players. Some of the commentary in and around what's going on next year would be unsettling for a few of them I imagine."
"But, we've just got to handle that."
"The club's been really good. They're aware of some of the issues."
"But, our main focus..is to win games. There are two months of footy to go."
"And we owe it to our fans and members to play well."
"We're playing at home, against Melbourne, a really good side."
The players are professional. [Yet] Some of them are playing for contracts.
Barrett told the media yesterday
There's been plenty of conjecture about the Eels next year. Foxsport on the front foot again: Who will stay and who will go?
Next year, nine (9) in the top 30 have no contracts: Blaize Talagi (2025 PO not taken up & new NRL offer rejected), Bailey Simonsson, Daejarn Asi, Makahesi Makatoa, Morgan Harper, Ofahiki Ogden, Tevita Taumoepenu, Jock Brazel, Zac Cini (potentially Castleford Tigers SL bound). And there are fourteen (14) who will be free agents come November 1st : Clint Gutherson, J’maine Hopgood, Reagan Campbell-Gillard, Joe Ofahengaue, Bryce Cartwright, Brendan Hands, Joey Lussick, Kelma Tuilagi, Luca Moretti, Sean Russell, Matt Doorey, Wiremu Greig, Toni Mataele, Sam Tuivaiti
"The Worst I've seen."
Barrett also pointed out that the Eels' inury toll wasn't making it easy.
"It's the worst I've seen it but they're the cards we've been dealt at the moment but we're still going there with a goal to win the game."
Currently, the Eels have the following eight first graders and Origin stars out: Tuilagi (R22), Sivo (R23), Hopgood (Season), Moses (season), Simonsson (season), Guymer (season), Paolo (season).
"You’d like your conversations at the start of the week to be around football and how are we going to beat Melbourne but our front part of the week was how were we going to put a side together and that’s taxing on the players and the staff," Barrett said.
"There might be a few more changes yet. I think we had 12 out, so we had 21 players to pick from and that included four part-time players."
"It's the worst I've seen it. But, we'll still put a good side out there."
We're probably a chance at debuting more players given the injury toll we've got.
Barrett told the media yesterday
"Whilst it's not ideal. It's the card we've been dealt with at the moment."
"The club and those players need leadership, and that's what we'll give them."
"Next year, is next year. It's not our problem."
"We've got seven games to go. And we want to finish this season on a high."
"2025 isn't our concern. It's certainly not mine. This week is. And how we perform on Friday night."
Sportsbet has the Eels at long odds to win this game at $6.70 to the Storm's $1.11. The Eels are also second-favorites for the wooden spoon at $2.20 behind the Tigers at $1.67. The Titans are third at $26.
Update:
The game largely went to script. The Eels had their chances -with Foxlab showing they had 54% possession, 59% of territorial advantage, and 43-1 tackles in the Storm 20m red zone - but the Storm has too much class in the end. The Eels couldnt convert their opportunities nor defend their errors in stark contrast to the Storm who weren't at their best.
Replies
Sportsbet: Storm $1.11, Eels $6.70
Awesome write up as always HOE. Gutho deserves better for his 200th than where we are right now.
Eels by 14. Asi MOM. Lol.
😭 Wake me up when September ends.
LONG LIVE THE KING - Hope you have a great night Champion - Congratulations!! and great write up as always - look forward to reading them
Great player for mine and deserves to go down as an eels great. He's been on one leg for about a season and a half and is still regularly amongst our best and still ranks quite highly amongst fullbacks in the comp. Be good to be at the game tonight for Gutho's 200th.
Good write up once again HOE.
Congrats to the King on his 200th game.
Storm by 70+
Only thing that could help us is Melbourne not getting out of 2nd gear. Melbourne could really just stay in 2nd gear and get the job done. Will Bellamy go above and beyond in his preparation for this match with finals around the corner?
With our injury toll the talent disparity between the two teams is just too big. The Storm have been a very clinical system this year - back to their mechanical ways of prior years where they just click into their sets in both attack and defence.
I'd be surprised if anyone was able to beat the Storm in the GF this year. Overall it's probably a less talented squad than they've had previously but they just look...drilled.
I hope Bellamy and the Storm look at the bigger picture here, which is that it's much funnier if the Tigers get another wooden spoon and extend their streak. Storm - we need your help to make this happen.
forgive my ignorance, does 200 1st grade games get Gutho life membership?
If only the team put in as much effort as you do for these reports we might be competitive. Thanks again HOE. I admire your ability to be bothered given the performances this year.
Good blog Hoey, you have made a game that I am not looking forward to, to be a little more interesting.
All my instincts say this could be equal to the 60 point job they did to us at Suncorp in the Magic Round a few years back.
When you look at the pace and try scoring ability of the fullback, wingers and bench, it is something that could get away from us very easily. I have the opinion that the Storm halfback and hooker are going to open us up and it could get very ugly.