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Post by Electric Eel on Dec 7, 2020 22:04:43 GMT 10
SATURDAY 5th May: Parramatta Eels v Cronulla Sharks at Southern Cross Group Stadium, 7.35pm
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Post by Electric Eel on Dec 7, 2020 22:05:04 GMT 10
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks v Parramatta Eels, 7.35pm Saturday at Southern Cross Group Stadium
Sharks: 1 Valentine Holmes, 2 Sosaia Feki, 3 Jesse Ramien, 4 Ricky Leutele, 5 Edrick Lee, 6 Matt Moylan, 7 Chad Townsend, 8 Andrew Fifita, 9 Jayden Brailey, 10 Matt Prior, 11 Kurt Capewell, 12 Wade Graham (c), 13 Joseph Paulo
Interchange: 14 Jayson Bukuya, 15 James Segeyaro, 16 Avagalu Seumanufagai, 17 Scott Sorensen
Reserves: 18 Kurt Dillion, 19 Jack Williams, 20 Trent Hodkinson, 21 Braden Uele
Val Holmes replaces Josh Dugan (foot, 4-6 weeks) at fullback with Sosaia Feki recalled on the wing. Wade Graham has been named to start (pending a fitness test on his injured hamstring) pushing Scott Sorensen to the bench and Kurt Dillon to the reserves.
Eels: 1 Clint Gutherson (c), 2 Bevan French, 3 Michael Jennings, 4 Brad Takairangi, 5 George Jennings, 6 Corey Norman, 7 Mitchell Moses, 8 Daniel Alvaro, 9 Kaysa Pritchard, 10 Suaia Matagi, 11 Manu Ma'u, 12 Tepai Moeroa, 13 Peni Terepo
Interchange: 14 Will Smith, 15 Kenny Edwards, 16 David Gower, 17 Tim Mannah (c)
Reserves: 18 Cameron King, 19 Beau Scott, 20 Josh Hoffman, 21 Marata Niukore
Tepai Moeroa returns in place of back-rower Tony Williams, who is gone for the year with an ACL injury. Nathan Brown has still not recovered from an ankle injury suffered in round five.
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Post by Electric Eel on Dec 7, 2020 22:05:28 GMT 10
NRL.com
Sharks v Eels: Graham and Feki back, Moeroa replaces T-Rex
Cronulla co-captain Wade Graham (hamstring injury) is expected back this week, though he was also scheduled to return last week against the Titans before deciding he wasn't quite right.
The Sharks can't welcome back Graham soon enough. They boosted their record to 4-4 with the 10-9 defeat of the Titans, but they did it the hard way and could use the extra dimension Graham brings in attack.
With veteran leaders Paul Gallen and Luke Lewis both absent with injuries, the Sharks have done well to tread water. And they certainly don't have the same issues as the Cowboys and Roosters.
The Eels may have all but ruined their finals chances with an 0-6 start to the season, but they seem to have rediscovered the confidence and chemistry which carried them to a top four finish last year and are aiming for their third straight win.
After losing at home to the Sharks in round three, Parra should be hungry to square the ledger.
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks v Parramatta Eels, 7.35pm Saturday at Southern Cross Group Stadium
Key match-up: Crucial as Mitch Moses is to the Eels' premiership aspirations, they are that much better as a team when Corey Norman brings his A-game. Norman has been getting back to his best form over the past two weeks and there isn’t too much he can’t do on a football field when he's on song. He is up against one of the most naturally talented players in the game in Matt Moylan and will need to stay focused for 80 minutes if the Eels are going to make it three wins on the trot.
For the Sharks to win: Few if any teams can out-wit the Sharks in a low-scoring grind, a fact they reminded us of with last week's narrow win in the wet. But we are a third of the way through the season and their offence needs to evolve if they are going to threaten teams like Melbourne and the Dragons.
For the Eels to win: Knowing how much Cronulla like to use their mobile forward pack to create space, Parra will have to work extra hard defensively to stifle the Sharks' go-forward.
Sharks stat attack: Andrew Fifita continues to lead the NRL in offloads (27) but also still tops the penalty count (14). The Sharks haven't been their usual resilient selves on their home ground, losing four of their past six.
Eels stat attack: Parra have lost their past four meetings with the Sharks and haven’t tasted victory on the Sharks’ home ground in four years. Ironically it has been a relatively happy hunting ground for Eels centre Michael Jennings, who has scored seven tries in his past eight games at Cronulla.
And another thing: On the same day the Sharks host the Eels, it will be 11 years to the day since Cronulla beat the Warriors 24-22 at Mt Smart Stadium for their first away win in almost 12 months. Four players were backing up that afternoon for their third game in six days.
Sharks: 1 Valentine Holmes, 2 Sosaia Feki, 3 Jesse Ramien, 4 Ricky Leutele, 5 Edrick Lee, 6 Matt Moylan, 7 Chad Townsend, 8 Andrew Fifita, 9 Jayden Brailey, 10 Matt Prior, 11 Kurt Capewell, 12 Wade Graham (c), 13 Joseph Paulo
Interchange: 14 Jayson Bukuya, 15 James Segeyaro, 16 Avagalu Seumanufagai, 17 Scott Sorensen
Reserves: 18 Kurt Dillion, 19 Jack Williams, 20 Trent Hodkinson, 21 Braden Uele
Val Holmes replaces Josh Dugan (foot, 4-6 weeks) at fullback with Sosaia Feki recalled on the wing. Wade Graham has been named to start (pending a fitness test on his injured hamstring) pushing Scott Sorensen to the bench and Kurt Dillon to the reserves.
Eels: 1 Clint Gutherson (c), 2 Bevan French, 3 Michael Jennings, 4 Brad Takairangi, 5 George Jennings, 6 Corey Norman, 7 Mitchell Moses, 8 Daniel Alvaro, 9 Kaysa Pritchard, 10 Suaia Matagi, 11 Manu Ma'u, 12 Tepai Moeroa, 13 Peni Terepo
Interchange: 14 Will Smith, 15 Kenny Edwards, 16 David Gower, 17 Tim Mannah (c)
Reserves: 18 Cameron King, 19 Beau Scott, 20 Josh Hoffman, 21 Marata Niukore
Tepai Moeroa returns in place of back-rower Tony Williams, who is gone for the year with an ACL injury. Nathan Brown has still not recovered from an ankle injury suffered in round five.
Head-to-head: Played 84; Sharks 45 wins, Eels 39 wins
Matches at venue: Played 36; Sharks 22 wins, Eels 14 wins
2017 result: Sharks won 20-6 at ANZ Stadium in round 4
Points per game: Sharks 15.5; Eels 14.3
Points conceded per game: Sharks 18.4; Eels 23
Televised: Live on Fox League
Steve Turner's prediction: The Sharks once again showed their toughness on the weekend with a gutsy win on the Gold Coast. They are carrying plenty of injuries to key men, but their resilience and depth in their squad shows they are a genuine finals contender in 2018. The Eels registered their second win of the season and continue to improve after a poor start to the season. Corey Norman and Mitchell Moses have been impressive, but Clint Gutherson once again showed why he is so valuable to the blue and gold. They're on a roll and will be too good for the Sharks. TIP: Eels by 8
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Post by Electric Eel on Dec 7, 2020 22:06:06 GMT 10
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Post by Electric Eel on Dec 7, 2020 22:06:30 GMT 10
NRL.com
Sharks hang on to score thrilling win over Eels
An inspired performance from Andrew Fifita saw Cronulla beat a fast-finishing Parramatta 22-20 on Saturday night at Southern Cross Group Stadium.
The Tongan international was electric every time he touched the ball in the first half, with the Eels struggling to contain him.
Sosaia Feki crossed in just the fourth minute for the hosts, only to see the visitors respond moments later via winger Bevan French.
The diminutive flyer showed great composure to find the stripe.
Feki grabbed his second with 26 minutes on the clock, with classy efforts from Chad Townsend on the half-hour mark and Edrick Lee early in the second stanza giving the home side a handy 22-4 lead.
Late efforts from interchange prop David Gower, Michael Jennings and Mitchell Moses ensured a thrilling finale but Moses was unable to send the contest into extra time, his conversion skewing wide of the posts.
Cronulla nowfind themselves back in the top eight, with Parramatta's recent revival in the Telstra Premiership hitting a hurdle.
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Post by Electric Eel on Dec 7, 2020 22:06:52 GMT 10
NRL.com
Fifita stars as Sharks hang on against Eels
Just four weeks after fearing his season was over, Andrew Fifita has confirmed his standing as one of the NRL's best front-rowers by inspiring Cronulla to a dramatic 22-20 defeat of Parramatta.
Given the responsibility of leading the Sharks for the third week in a row after Wade Graham aggravated the hamstring injury which had sidelined him since the costly round six loss to St George Illawarra, Fifita produced another demonstration of his raw power and endurance.
The prop played more than 70 minutes as Cronulla hung on for a heart stopping win.
Despite the closeness of the scoreline, the Eels were never in the contest until David Gower, Michael Jennings and Mitchell Moses crossed for tries in the last five minutes.
Moses missed a sideline conversion of his own try after the fulltime siren to give the Sharks their third successive win without key forwards Paul Gallen, Luke Lewis, Jayson Bukuya and Graham, who lasted 28 minutes before succumbing to the hamstring injury.
Interchange forward Scott Sorensen also suffered a suspected broken hand.
Fifita was injured in the loss to the Dragons and feared he had ruptured his ACL but has since been an inspiration for Cronulla and he carried the ball 149 metres from 18 runs in two stints totalling 71 minutes, which also featured eight tackle breaks, six offloads and a line break.
He also made 41 tackles.
Fifita's impressive work rate followed his 70 minute effort in last weekend's 10-9 defeat of Gold Coast, in which he carried the ball 145 metres, while he played 73 minutes of the Cronulla's 26-22 win over Penrith in round seven, running 130 metres with the ball and making 45 tackles.
The inspirational prop, who has declared his allegiance to Tonga over NSW, set the tone for the match with a rampaging run in the first set of tackles that almost resulted in a try for the hosts.
The Sharks scored their opening try before Parramatta had even touched the ball, with winger Sosaia Feki crossing in the third minute after Matt Moylan shifted the ball quickly to the left edge through Graham and Ricky Luetele.
After finally getting a share of possession through back-to-back penalties and a knock on by Sharks hooker Jayden Brailey, the Eels responded with a try of their own scored in spectacular fashion as winger Bevan French somersaulted over in the 12th minute.
Moylan's inconsistent start to the season continued when a mis-kick bounced over the sideline and he dropped the ball in two successive sets.
However, the Sharks continued to dominate first half proceedings on the back of a 55 per cent possession rate and Feki looked set to cross again in the 26th minute if not for a high tackle by his Eels opposite George Jennings.
The high shot and ensuing penalty only served to delay Feki's second try and he touched down in the corner two minutes later after a cut out pass from halfback Chad Townsend to Luetele created an overlap.
Despite losing Graham as Townsend lined up his conversion attempt, the Sharks continued to gain momentum and the halfback extended their lead to 16-4 when he backed up Valentine Holmes to score in the 32nd minute.
Playing fullback for just the third time in the opening nine rounds, Holmes showed the power and speed that earned him record six tries in a match for Australia by shrugging off the attempted tackles of Manu Ma'u and Clint Gutherson and racing 30 metres before passing to Townsend.
A 49th minute try to Cronulla's right winger Edrick Lee put paid to any hopes of a second half comeback by Parramatta and 66th minute penalty goal by Townsend appeared to put the result beyond doubt.
However, the Eels crossed for three tries in the final five minutes to ensure a gripping finish to the match.
News & Notes: Wade Graham suffered a recurrence of a hamstring injury and left the field in the 28th minute...The Sharks have now won five straight against the Eels...Parramatta are the lowest scoring team in the NRL in 2018 with 134 points in nine games...Playing in his eighth NRL game, Scott Sorensen joined the Sharks' long injury list when he broke his hand in the first half.
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Post by Electric Eel on Dec 7, 2020 22:07:30 GMT 10
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Post by Electric Eel on Dec 7, 2020 22:08:03 GMT 10
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Post by Electric Eel on Dec 7, 2020 22:08:35 GMT 10
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Post by Electric Eel on Dec 7, 2020 22:09:10 GMT 10
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Post by Electric Eel on Dec 7, 2020 22:10:04 GMT 10
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Post by Electric Eel on Dec 7, 2020 22:10:40 GMT 10
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Post by Electric Eel on Dec 7, 2020 22:11:14 GMT 10
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Post by Electric Eel on Dec 7, 2020 22:11:55 GMT 10
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Post by Electric Eel on Dec 7, 2020 22:12:34 GMT 10
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