Round 11, 2020: Parramatta 26 Wests Tigers 16

NRL.com

Eels v Wests Tigers: Star Parra trio return; Garner out

Parramatta will be looking to make amends for their shock Lottoland loss and claim derby bragging rights against a Wests Tigers side full of confidence after exploding back into form with a 48-0 romp over Brisbane.

It was just the second defeat of the season for the Eels whose grip on top spot was loosened by a desperate Manly side that rattled Parramatta's playmakers and found a way repeatedly through the NRL's No.1 defence.

Parramatta's failure to make the out-on-their feet Sea Eagles pay in the second half allowed arch-rivals Penrith to leap-frog them into the premiership lead.

The return of Benji Marshall in the No.7 jumper ignited a Wests Tigers attack that had failed to fire in its previous two outings, both losses.

The Rundown
Team news
Eels: The Eels are 1-17. Halfback Mitch Moses will return to face his former club. The halfback needed to get through the captain's run on Wednesday to be officially cleared to play after missing the past three matches with a calf injury.

Arthur said Moses wasn't hindered by the complaint when he ran six kilometres at training earlier this week.

Ryan Matterson returns from a thumb fracture in time for his highly-anticipated showdown against his old team. Blake Ferguson (knee), Maika Sivo (knee) and Nathan Brown (hip) will all play.

The Eels have won five of their past six games against the Tigers.

Reserve forward Daniel Alvaro and halfback Jai Field were omitted on Wednesday night while George Jennings and David Gower dropped out an hour before kick-off.

Wests Tigers: A late change to Michael McGuire's pack with Sam McIntyre coming into the starting side and Michael Chee-Kam switching to the bench. Chris McQueen is out and his place on the bench is taken by Shawn Blore, who will make his NRL debut.

Luke Garner is out due to a head knock while interchange prop Thomas Mikaele (knee) was ruled out 24 hours from kick-off with reserve forward Elijah Taylor also dropping out of the squad.

Oliver Clark has been elevated to the interchange to replace Mikaele. The Tigers have won only three of nine games at Bankwest Stadium.

Key match-up
Reed Mahoney v Harry Grant: The Eels rake, one of the NRL's best defensive hookers, faces a mighty challenge containing one of 2020's biggest revelations. Grant has played so well since his loan swap from Melbourne was approved that he has forced his way into Maroons Origin discussions.

Mahoney tallied an incredible 63 tackles against Manly but will have to put in an equally sterling defensive shift if Parramatta are to nullify the dynamic Wests Tigers dummy-half's impact.

Stat Attack
Wests Tigers will pit one of the NRL's leading attacks - first in tackle busts, second in points and tries, third in offloads and try assists and fourth in line breaks - against a top-ranked Eels defence (11.8 points per game) looking to regain its mojo after coughing up 22 points to a battered and under-manned Sea Eagles outfit.

NRL.com

Maestro Moses and rampaging RCG guide Eels to victory over Tigers

With key playmaker Mitch Moses back from injury and another five-star effort from Reagan Campbell-Gillard, the Eels have rebounded from a rare loss in round 10 with a 26-16 win over a Wests Tigers side that was at one stage down to one fit player on the bench.

For all the talk during the week around what Ryan Matterson did or did not say on his way out of Concord to Parramatta, the on-field clash was a let-down with the Eels junior concussed in a 15th minute collision with Russell Packer and taking no further part in the game.

That knock was nowhere near as scary as the one suffered by Tigers back-rower Michael Chee Kam, however. The former Raider and Sea Eagles copped an accidental hip to the head in a 26th minute tackle on Shaun Lane that left him convulsing on the ground.

Play was held up for several minutes while he was attended to and eventually taken off in a medicab.

He was taken to hospital as a precaution but according to the club was in a much-improved condition shortly after leaving the field.

Tigers coach Michael Maguire said Chee Kam was feeling as well as could be expected.

"He spoke to everyone before he left, he's gone to hospital to get checked up but he's ok," Maguire said.

"It's not nice when one of your players is in that sort of position, Chee is a great character and all the boys are really fond of him and they were all concerned but it's good to hear he's okay."

Fullback Adam Doueihi was also rubbed out due to a head knock early in the second half and Sam McIntyre also had to be examined after a couple of head knocks.

While Matterson's return from a thumb injury was brief, it was another former Tiger in Moses who made an impact in his return from a calf strain which included one brilliant try, and Blake Ferguson's return from a knee issue helped with those early-set carries.

The biggest contributor to the win was Campbell-Gillard, the Eels' best player of the past month by a distance, with another huge 68-minute stint that featured 236 metres and a rare try.

For the second week running the Eels were badly off their game early and in-form back-rower Luciano Leilua cashed in with a try when he powered through Ryan Matterson and Reed Mahoney in just the third minute.

The Eels hit back when Maiko Sivo powered over the top of Adam Doueihi in the ninth minute, the Tigers fullback placed on report for a possible shoulder charge having braced for impact.

An error in the set after points, with Junior Paulo the culprit, set the Tigers back on the attack and a Doueihi long ball put David Nofoaluma in acres of space on the Eels' left edge for a 10-4 lead, with a penalty goal making it 12-4 soon after.

Second-gamer Andrew Davey produced a lovely offload to Clint Gutherson whose pass sent a galloping Campbell-Gillard on a 45-metre run to the line and a Moses penalty goal soon after levelled up at 12-all with Packer penalised and on report for a crusher tackle.

Moses' deft chip-and-chase took advantage of Douehi's habit of defending up in the line to send his side to the break with a six-point lead.

A stray boot from Nofoaluma defusing a Moses bomb ended Douehi's night and conceded a dropout almost immediately after half-time, with the Eels earning three set restarts at the line. Pressure eventually told when Gutherson's neat grubber sat up nicely for Shaun Lane.

With Moses Mbye filling in at fullback, edge forwards in the centres and for a while just one fit player on the bench while Sam McIntyre was undergoing an HIA, the Tigers produced some gutsy defence to repel waves of Eels attack through the second half.

It couldn't last though with Gutherson providing the ball for Sivo's second try in the 64th minute and an unassailable 26-12 lead.

Some scrappy play towards the end of the game featured a late consolation try to Tommy Talau as the Eels – at least briefly – returned to the top of the Telstra Premiership ladder.