It's great to see everything going to plan, with the right teams winning their games this round!
Knights and Manly had big losses on Friday night. The Raiders just lost 8 - 30 to the Warriors in NZ. We just need certain teams to keep winning, to help Parra's chances of making the top 8. We can easily be on 9th place, after we beat Dragons, Tigers and have our second bye.
I'm predicting either the Dragons, Storm or Warriors to drop out of the top 8, to make way for the Eels.
I think Melbourne will struggle for the rest of the year, with Slater out for the season, Cronk injured and then losing Smith and Chambers to Origin again. We all saw how 'flat' the Storm were against the Broncos, and even against us. The Storms upcoming games include Dogs, Warriors in NZ, Cowboys and Broncos. Good luck to them....
I believe the Dragons may have peaked early. They've been fortunate with few injuries and suspensions this year (unlike us). Their defence is good, but nothing special in attack. They'll especially struggle if they lose Marshal, Widdop or Dugan for any extended periods.
Warriors are a decent team, but can be quite 'hot & cold'. They seem to play well at home, but can often lose games which they could have won. They'll be contenders next year, but I'm not expecting much from them this year.
I reckon tonight will be a huge game for us. It'll show us if the Eels have what it takes (in front of a huge, supportive home crowd). We'll also see if the Dragons are worth the hype and their spot on the ladder.
Maybe I'm crazy for thinking we can still make the finals, but hey - It aint' over till' it's over !!! Especially with passionate players like Wicks and Manu, who give us 100% and don't give up.
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Have a go on the NRL ladder predictor. Choose the most obvious/ likely outcomes, with the Eels losing only 3 of their remaining games. You'll see that it's quite possible for us to make the top 8...
http://www.nrl.com/Draw/TelstraPremiership/LadderPredictor/tabid/10...
We wont make the finals Ha-ha but bit of luck we win tonite
I think we can beat Dragons, Tigers, Titans, Panthers, Manly, Sharks, Raiders. I don't think that's too unrealistic.
I reckon we would lose to Rooster, Dogs and Cowboys, though Dogs could go either way.
For me, it all depends on how we go tonight. I see this Dragons win as one step closer.
For the first time in a long time i don't see playing Rooster, Dogs and Cowboys as definite defeats. Brad Arthur has the team competitive every week and the forwards have dominated some of the biggest packs in the comp.
you just never know with a youthful team.
I reckon anythings possible. We can only afford to lose 3 games and those are the toughest - though I reckon we could still win one or more :)