Round 15, 2020: Parramatta 14 Melbourne 0

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Eels v Storm: Vunivalu, Finucane, Hughes all out

A few cracks have appeared in the Eels lately - a narrow win over Cronulla was followed by last week's upset loss to the Dragons - and they won't get a tougher test than the Storm.

Signs of complacency surfaced in both those games, almost as though they were waiting for the opposition to fold.

Parramatta coach Brad Arthur will be crossing his fingers Blake Ferguson breaks out of his season-long try-scoring slump, while Mitch Moses and Dylan Brown have to bring their best.

Melbourne cut the Roosters to shreds last week, silencing the doubters who said they can't win without superstars Cameron Smith and Cameron Munster.

Coach Craig Bellamy will have his team primed for more of the same on Thursday night.

The Rundown

Team news

Eels: Parramatta will line up 1-17 with an unchanged side from the one which suffered a shock loss to the Dragons last week. The Storm have outscored the Eels 96-10 in their past two clashes.

Will Smith and Brad Takairangi were omitted from the extended squad 24 hours before kick-off.

Andrew Davey and Haze Dunster were the final cuts an hour before game time.

Storm: With prop Jesse Bromwich suspended, Nelson Asofa-Solomona comes into the starting side and Darryn Schonig is promoted to the bench.

Jahrome Hughes was ruled out on Wednesday with a groin injury and his place is taken by Cooper Johns, who will make his NRL debut.

Sandor Earl replaces Suliasi Vunivalu (broken jaw) on the wing and Tino Fa'asuamaleaui starts at lock for Dale Finucane (calf), with Albert Vete joining the bench.

Marion Seve and Chris Lewis were the last two players cut an hour before kick-off.

Winger Josh Addo-Carr has scored five tries in his past four games against the Eels.

Key match-up

Clint Gutherson v Ryan Papenhuyzen. Gutherson leads Parramatta with his actions and the fullback's hard work was evident last week as he set a new record for the most run metres ever recorded in a match with 369.

His opposite number Papenhuyzen has become an elite custodian in 2020, with his speed and attacking instincts vital parts of the Melbourne machine.

Stat Attack

The Eels are under pressure to prove they have moved on from last year's twin thrashings at the hands of Melbourne. In their only regular-season meeting of 2019, the Storm scored an eye-popping 11 tries in a 64-10 rout of the Eels.

When they squared off four months later in the finals Melbourne had their way again, knocking Parra out of the premiership race with a 32-0 shutout.

NRL.com

Gritty Eels shut out weakened Storm

Melbourne were held scoreless for the first time in six years in a 14-0 loss to Parramatta at Bankwest Stadium on Thursday night and will be desperate for some troops to return next week with up to five more players potentially set for stints on the sidelines.

Of most concern is hooker Brandon Smith, who left the field late clutching his jaw, while five-eighth Ryley Jacks also went down with a hip injury.

The Storm could well be the first team to fall foul of a crusher tackle crackdown, with debutant half Cooper Johns and bench forward Albert Vete placed on report in the first half.

Even a grade one charge would mean a suspension under the new guidelines while the club could also be without Nelson Asofa-Solomona, who was sin-binned for a shoulder hit to the face of Marata Niukore and faces a nervous wait for the match review committee charge sheet.

The Eels bounced back well from last week's loss to the Dragons, coughing up plenty of ball with adventurous play but defending brilliantly and finding two tries in a largely dominant display. Back-rower Ryan Matterson was heavily involved

They were frantic early, conceding possession several times with some wayward passes and handing the Storm some attacking chances but did well to hold their line as the absence of Melbourne's playmaking stars proved crucial.

An astute Gutherson challenge when he was originally pinged for taking Papenhuyzen's legs out under a kick found an escort from Johns and allowed Moses to open the scoring with a penalty goal after 15 minutes.

An offside penalty received in the next set carried the Eels back up-field for Ryan Matterson to produce a pearler of an offload for Waqa Blake to nab the first try of the match.

A pair of crusher penalties against Johns and Vete in the 32nd minute again moved play into the Storm's end before an early set error from Josh Addo-Carr allowed Maika Sivo to race in from a well-executed scrum play and a 12-0 half-time lead.

The Storm lost Jacks early in the second half with Nicho Hynes coming into the halves, while Asofa-Solomona was sin-binned soon after that. However the Eels weren't able to punish the one-man disadvantage, adding just a penalty goal during the 10 minutes.

The Eels went close to further points with Dylan Brown producing a brilliant left side play but the Storm were able to force the ball from Michael Jennings' grasp in the grounding, while a 90-metre move from their own end was brought undone by a desperate Papenhuyzen try-saver.

Kenny Bromwich was denied what would have been the Storm's first points by a forward pass call and Papenhuyzen had the ball stripped as he looked to score from a Hynes kick inside the final three minutes.

The Eels conceded a dropout from that play but again held their line firm against a stern examination to inflict the Storm's first loss to nil since the Cowboys beat them 22-0 in round 12, 2014.

It was just the sixth time in Melbourne's 23-year history they have been held scoreless and the return of Cameron Smith, Cameron Munster and Jahrome Hughes can't come quick enough.

The Eels draw level with the Storm on 24 competition points but remain in third on differential.