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Post by Electric Eel on Aug 23, 2020 14:19:29 GMT 10
SATURDAY 1st April: Parramatta Eels v Canberra Raiders at GIO Stadium, 5.30pm
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Post by Electric Eel on Aug 23, 2020 14:20:29 GMT 10
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Post by Electric Eel on Aug 23, 2020 14:20:54 GMT 10
Bevan French
Semi Radradra
Michael Jennings
Brad Takairangi
Josh Hoffman
Clinton Gutherson
Corey Norman
Suaia Matagi
Kaysa Pritchard
Tim Mannah (c)
Manu Ma'u
Tepai Moeroa
Beau Scott (c)
INTERCHANGE
Nathan Brown
Daniel Alvaro
Frank Pritchard
Siosaia Vave
David Gower
Peni Terepo
Jeff Robson
George Jennings
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Post by Electric Eel on Aug 23, 2020 14:21:17 GMT 10
Raiders v Eels: Schick Preview
Schick Hydro Preview: Canberra Raiders v Parramatta Eels
GIO Stadium
Saturday, 5.30pm
The question has been raised this week as to where aggression has gone in the modern game.
Can I suggest turning up to GIO Stadium on Saturday afternoon because it will be on display in bucketloads as two powerful packs of forwards line up on either side of the halfway line and prepare to go to battle.
The suspension of Elliott Whitehead has seen Canberra coach Ricky Stuart promote Iosia Soliola into the starting team and add Dave Taylor to his bench, bolstering a forward rotation already bursting at the seams with the likes of Shannon Boyd, Junior Pauli and Josh Papalii.
But Parramatta pack a punch of their own and while their physical measurements may not stack up with their opposition the ferociousness with which they all play the game makes them a pound-for-pound proposition not to be taken lightly.
Suaia Matagi and Manu Ma'u hit like sledgehammers and can do just as damage with ball in hand, Beau Scott is the definition of a tough competitor and Nathan Brown treads the line of intimidating defender and downright lunatic.
Both teams come into this game after gruelling losses last start and no doubt questioning somewhat how they can be sitting outside the top eight after the first month of footy.
The Raiders have had a big win, a big loss and two Queensland heart-breakers while the Eels started the year with two convincing wins before consecutive losses to the Titans and Sharks.
Taylor's inclusion for the suspended Whitehead is the only change to the Canberra 17 that went down 13-12 to the Broncos last Friday night while the Eels also welcome back a player from suspension in Tepai Moeroa. Siosaia Vave and David Gower are both vying for the final place on coach Brad Arthur's bench.
Yes, there are some thrilling backs in action in this game but the people will come to see the big blokes batter each other and see which pack is left standing after 80 minutes.
Why the Raiders can win: Through four rounds of the Telstra Premiership no team has had less use of the football than Canberra who – if not for a golden point fluke by the Cowboys and a Jordan Kahu field goal last weekend – could have been well entrenched in the top four. Coach Ricky Stuart made the point after the Brisbane loss that if given an even share of possession they'll match it with any team and that is their challenge this weekend. Only the Wests Tigers have made as many as Canberra's 51 errors this season but if they can maintain some level of ball control the Eels will struggle to keep pace.
Why the Eels can win: On the surface this would appear to be a classic match-up of the adventurous nature of a free-wheeling Raiders team against an Eels line-up built on discipline and power running but look a little deeper and the stats tell a somewhat different tale. The Eels have had more possession through the first four rounds (53 per cent compared to 46), completed at 75 per cent compared to Canberra's 70 per cent and make less errors per game than the Raiders but that doesn't mean they don't chance their hand. Parramatta have made almost double the number of offloads than the Raiders (53-27) led by interchange forward Nathan Brown with nine with Semi Radradra and Beau Scott each having seven apiece. If the Eels can get the balance of possession and second-phase pay just right the Canberra defence will have a hard time holding them out.
History: Played 53; Raiders 27; Eels 26. Recent history runs all the way of the Raiders having been victorious in seven of their past nine meetings with the Eels. From the first clash between these two clubs their history has been littered with blowout scorelines, starting with Parramatta's 54-3 demolition in Canberra's seventh premiership game in 1982. Eleven years later the Raiders had their revenge, destroying the Eels 68-0 in Canberra, to this day the biggest winning and losing margin in the history of both clubs. The Eels have won only twice in Canberra this century.
What are the odds: There's been a bit of support for the Eels, but only at the line where they're receiving a handy points start. Punters think this will be a closer match than the odds suggest and both sides have been backed to win 1-12 according to Sportsbet. Latest odds at Sportsbet.com.au.
Match officials: Referee: Gerard Sutton; Assistant Referee: Alan Shortall; Touch Judges: Rickey Mcfarlane and Michael Gordon; Review Official: Steve Chiddy; Senior RO: Luke Patten.
Televised: Fox Sports – Live from 5pm (AEDT).
NRL.com predicts: Last week's 64 per cent completion rate against the Sharks was by far the Eels' worst return this season, and coach Brad Arthur is unlikely to let it happen again. Canberra don't need much football to rack up points but if the Eels can starve them of possession they will be able to force them into error. It's been more than a decade since Parramatta left the nation's capital with a win but this might be the time they end the drought. Eels by four points.
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Post by Electric Eel on Aug 23, 2020 14:21:34 GMT 10
Half time Canberra Raiders 22 Parramatta Eels 6
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Post by Electric Eel on Aug 23, 2020 14:21:51 GMT 10
Full time Canberra Raiders 30 Parramatta Eels 18
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Post by Electric Eel on Aug 23, 2020 14:22:12 GMT 10
NRL.com
Sat, Apr 01, 2017 - 07:13PM
By Tony Webeck
He promised to not prematurely celebrate scoring a try after his maiden four-pointer in the NRL but Raiders winger Nick Cotric couldn't help himself when he snared his second, a brilliant individual effort to seal Canberra's all-important win over Parramatta at GIO Stadium on Saturday.
Having led 22-6 at half-time courtesy of a seven-minute, three-try burst late in the first half the Raiders were struggling to keep the Eels at bay before Cotric took a simple run from dummy-half 35 metres out from the Parramatta try-line that didn't finish until he planted the ball underneath the posts.
Perhaps in disbelief more than anything, the left arm of Cotric shot up to salute as a reflex, the conversion from Jarrod Croker restoring Canberra's 10-point advantage after the Eels had launched a fightback of their own to score twice in the space of five minutes early in the second half.
Starting the second half trailing 22-6, a Corey Norman 40/20 with his team under pressure swung momentum back the way of the Eels and the elusiveness of Bevan French again led to points, the Parramatta No.1 breaking free of the Canberra defence to put Josh Hoffman across for his first try for the club six minutes into the second half.
A penalty late in the next set gave the Eels another crack at the Canberra defence and again the home side caved, Kaysa Pritchard making the most of a powerful charge from Siosaia Vave to dive over from dummy-half next to the posts and reduce the margin to just four points after 53 minutes.
The Eels had the better of possession and territory but couldn't find the additional blow to edge in front and on a day when the Raiders celebrated their proud history, it was an 18-year-old player of the future that came up with the match-winner.
A penalty goal to Croker extended the lead to 12 points and when the Bunker ruled that Blake Austin had prevented Norman from scoring three minutes from full-time the Raiders had sealed their second win of the season in front of 17,653 fans.
Prior to kick-off Parramatta made a couple of late adjustments after Tepai Moeroa was ruled out with a back injury and captain Beau Scott dropped back to the bench to allow Nathan Brown to start.
On the back of their first penalty of the game the Raiders scored in the sixth minute when in his 100th game Aidan Sezer went right to a retreating defence before dinking a kick in behind the Eels' line, the ball sitting up perfectly for Sia Soliola to snare the Steeden and plant the ball just inside the dead-ball line.
With possession running almost 70 per cent the way of the Raiders in the opening 12 minutes Rapana went close to enlarging the home side's lead but couldn't contort his body around the corner post before attempting to ground the ball.
Parramatta weren't without their chances in the early moments, Brad Takairangi knocking the ball forward after a Josh Hoffman tap back close to the try-line and Clint Gutherson's pass ruled forward as Corey Norman crossed in the 20th minute but when they did eventually get across the line legally it was in spectacular fashion.
Sparked by a Gutherson offload back near halfway Frank Pritchard linked with Nathan Brown down the right who in turn released Takairangi who threw a one-handed pass back inside to find Bevan French to score his third try of the season and level the scores after 25 minutes.
But just as the Eels had gained the ascendancy the combination of Joey Leilua and Rapana turned the match on its head with two spectacular pieces of play in the space of three minutes late in the first half.
Leilua first passed early to Rapana who tip-toed down the sideline before passing inside to an unmarked Blake Austin and then from the next set Leilua wrapped around to toe through a Rapana offload on the last tackle and hold off Semi Radradra long enough to score in the right-hand corner.
Another pushed offload inside their own half – this time from Nathan Brown – saw the Eels hand the Raiders another try-scoring opportunity five minutes from the end of the half and they took full advantage, Croker swooping on a Josh Hodgson grubber to score the 100th try of his NRL career.
Canberra Raiders 30 (Sia Soliola, Blake Austin, Joey Leilua, Jarrod Croker, Nick Cotric tries; Jarrod Croker 5 goals) def. Parramatta Eels 18 (Bevan French, Josh Hoffman, Kaysa Pritchard tries; Clint Gutherson 3 goals) at GIO Stadium. Crowd: 17,653. Half-time: Raiders 22-6. Holden Cup: Raiders 42-22.
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Post by Electric Eel on Aug 23, 2020 14:26:53 GMT 10
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Post by Electric Eel on Aug 23, 2020 14:27:32 GMT 10
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Post by Electric Eel on Aug 23, 2020 14:28:18 GMT 10
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Post by Electric Eel on Aug 23, 2020 14:28:55 GMT 10
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Post by Electric Eel on Aug 23, 2020 14:29:41 GMT 10
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Post by Electric Eel on Aug 23, 2020 14:30:20 GMT 10
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Post by Electric Eel on Aug 23, 2020 14:31:07 GMT 10
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Post by Electric Eel on Aug 23, 2020 14:31:53 GMT 10
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1981 1982 1983 1986 
