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Post by Electric Eel on Dec 11, 2020 18:56:58 GMT 10
SATURDAY 11th August: Parramatta Eels v St George Illawarra Dragons at ANZ Stadium, 7.35pm
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Post by Electric Eel on Dec 11, 2020 18:57:22 GMT 10
Eels: 1 Corey Norman, 2 Jarryd Hayne, 3 Michael Jennings, 4 Clint Gutherson (c), 5 George Jennings, 6 Jaeman Salmon, 7 Mitchell Moses, 8 Siosaia Vave, 9 Reed Mahoney, 10 Tim Mannah (c), 11 Marata Niukore, 12 Tepai Moeroa, 13 Nathan Brown
Interchange: 14 Will Smith, 15 Kane Evans, 16 Peni Terepo, 17 Brad Takairangi
Reserves: 18 Bevan French, 19 David Gower, 20 Oregan Kaufusi, 21 Raymond Stone
Despite a rare win last-start, Eels coach Brad Arthur has implemented a major reshuffle. Rookie Jaeman Salmon starts at five-eighth with Corey Norman taking over at fullback, moving Clint Gutherson to centre, Jarryd Hayne to wing and Bevan French out with Will Smith returning on the bench.
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Post by Electric Eel on Dec 11, 2020 18:57:44 GMT 10
NRL.com
Eels v Dragons: Parra shuffle backline; Ah Mau replaces Vaughan
Parramatta impressed in a comfortable win over Gold Coast last week, while St George Illawarra were disappointing in their defeat against the Warriors.
Both sides have plenty to play for, with the Eels desperately trying to avoid the wooden spoon and the Dragons looking to cement a spot inside the top four with the finals looming.
Key match-up: Gareth Widdop v Mitchell Moses. The Dragons pivot has arguably been his team's best player all year, while Moses produced one of his better 80-minute performances at ANZ Stadium against the Titans last start. Both players are fiercely competitive, and will be keen to outpoint their opposing five-eighth.
For the Eels to win: Nathan Brown has been a standout after successfully making the transition from prop to lock in recent seasons. He played 80 minutes against the Titans, with his bruising runs up the middle a highlight. His duel versus NSW lock Jack de Belin is worth the price the admission alone.
For the Dragons to win: Hooker Cameron McInnes needs to rediscover the form which had him in the frame for NSW Origin selection a few months ago. The Botany Rams junior could run riot when running at fatigued defenders.
Eels Stat Attack: Clint Gutherson has been one of his team's shining lights in what has been a testing campaign to date. He has made the fullback spot his own, scoring four tries. He also has five try assists to his name and 159 tackles.
Dragons Stat Attack: Widdop has been a point-scoring machine, amassing 191 so far this season. His goal-kicking accuracy is equally impressive, with a competition-high 87% in 2018. Fullback Matt Dufty has caught the eye with 15 line breaks.
And another thing: The teams met back in late June, with the Dragons coming from behind to win 20-18 in Wollongong. Eels players were shattered after the round 16 defeat and will look to square the ledger this weekend.
Eels: Despite a rare win last start, Brad Arthur has implemented a major reshuffle. Rookie Jaeman Salmon starts at five-eighth with Corey Norman taking over at fullback, moving Clint Gutherson to centre, Jarryd Hayne to wing and Bevan French out with Will Smith returning on the bench.
Dragons: Leeson Ah Mau starts at prop for Paul Vaughan (ankle, four weeks) with Blake Lawrie called up on the bench.
Head-to-head: Played 34; Eels 17 wins, Dragons 15 wins, 2 draws
Previous result: Dragons won 20-18 at WIN Stadium in round 16
Points per game: Eels 15.7; Dragons 23.6
Points conceded per game: Eels 21.9; Dragons 18.5
Televised: Live on Fox League
Petero Civoniceva's prediction: It's D-day for the Dragons. There's no doubt their form has slipped and their confidence must be down. The question is whether the Eels have enough clout to take advantage of that. Jarryd Hayne has his mojo back and he'll test the Dragons defence but it's time for the Red V to draw a line in the sand and produce the sort of form that wins semi-finals.
Tip: Dragons by 8
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Post by Electric Eel on Dec 11, 2020 18:58:26 GMT 10
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Post by Electric Eel on Dec 11, 2020 18:59:55 GMT 10
NRL.com
Eels deliver massive blow to Dragons' top four hopes
St George Illawarra surrendered their top-four spot with a hefty 40-4 loss to Parramatta at ANZ Stadium, but of even greater concern is whether they will be without playmaker Gareth Widdop for the rest of the season due to a dislocated shoulder.
The England Test five-eighth left the game in the 27th minute after trying to ground a loose ball in his own in-goal. He was helped from the field by trainers.
Injured NSW Origin prop Paul Vaughan was watching from the coaches box with a bleak look on his face, not to mention what would have been going through Paul McGregor's mind.
Widdop had the shoulder put back in by medical staff in the dressing rooms, but will undergo scans to see if surgery is required.
It was the Dragons third loss in a row, their fifth from the last six Telstra Premiership matches. This dramatic drop in form comes after they opened the year with six straight victories.
With Penrith beating the Titans at Cbus Super Stadium earlier on Saturday, the Panthers are now back in the top-four after leap-frogging the Dragons.
While the competition front-runners for most of the year are now in a world of woe, the Eels enjoyed back-to-back wins for just the second time this season. It was also their first victory in 2018 against a team currently in the top-eight.
And it keeps the wooden spoon competition wide open. The Bulldogs losing to Manly now mean the three bottom teams are all on 14 points. But since the Eels won by more than 23 points, they have now finally moved off 16th spot into 15th relegating the Cowboys to the cellar despite their win over the Broncos on Thursday night.
Jarryd Hayne was the undisputed first-half star at ANZ Stadium, as was the case in the win over the Titans a week ago. This time he scored a hat-trick in the opening 40 minutes to again underpin the Eels win.
Against the shell-shocked Dragons, he scored off a superb Mitch Moses pass in the third minute. But then his chin split open after an accidental boot from Dragons winger Jordan Pereira.
As blood was stemmed by a trainer's towel, Hayne had criss-cross bandages wrapped around his head.
It didn't stop the 30-year-old. He scored his second try off good lead-up work from Michael Jennings and Moses in the 11th and his third in the 36th.
Eels took a healthy 22-0 lead into halftime but the Dragons ignited earlier in the second half through a Luciano Leilua (42nd minute) try. But the flame was extinguished quickly through tries to Clint Gutherson and Moses, which shot the score out to 34-4 with 28 minutes remaining.
News & Notes: Eels prop Kane Evans had an HIA test in the 13th minute after head clash with Dragons forward James Graham but returned to the action … Dragons hooker Cameron McInnes was sin-binned in the 26th minute…Tariq Sims made his 150th NRL appearance….the Eels have one seven of their past eight games against the Dragons… The Wests Tigers are the next to face the Dragons at Leichhardt Oval, while the Eels take on Storm at AAMI Park.
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Post by Electric Eel on Dec 11, 2020 19:00:20 GMT 10
NRL.com
Jarryd Hayne looked like Hannibal Lecter as he bagged a first half hat-trick and the Dragons premiership credentials were butchered before their eyes in a 40-4 Eels thrashing at ANZ Stadium on Saturday night.
Strapped up like St George Illawarra's worst nightmare Hayne proved nothing short of lethal, while Mitchell Moses parted the 'Red V' like his biblical namesake, finishing with 16 points and four try-assists in his most commanding performance of a forgettable season.
Doubling down on the bloodbath for a Dragons outfit in freefall, skipper Gareth Widdop dislocated his shoulder and faces an anxious wait on scans, though club officials were hopeful the English star will be back again in 2018.
"We'll get scans tomorrow and go from there," Widdop told Fox Sports after fulltime.
"It's disappointing but (the doctors) were able to get it back in so we'll wait for tomorrow and see what comes of it."
In any case the one-time competition leaders have now slumped to their fifth loss in six starts – as has become an uncomfortable tradition in recent winters for the joint-venture – and coughed up a signed and sealed top-four spot in the process.
Moses took just three minutes to make his first statement. With a 20-metre spiral pass directly onto Hayne's chest the pair opened the Eels account and flagged the left-edge raids that would keep coming all night.
Another three minutes on Hayne's head was strapped like a hot cross bun thanks to a stray boot from opposite number Jordan Pereira. But his next involvement proved a sight for sore Parramatta eyes once more.
Hayne handled twice in a 50-metre movement that saw Moses pulling the trigger for the enigmatic Eels winger to crash over again.
Whacked 6-0 in the penalty count by 20 minutes, only Parramatta errors and desperate defence on their own line kept the Dragons in the contest.
A seventh infringement landed hooker Cameron McInnes in the sin-bin in the 26th minute, and the Dragons were well and truly pushing the proverbial uphill when Widdop landed awkwardly and surfaced in agony as he cleaned up a grubber in his in-goal.
Soon enough George Jennings was bustling through from a simple scrum hit-up, while Hayne leapt high for a Jaeman Salmon bomb and his treble just before the break. The Eels were slithering along nicely at 22-0.
After half-time Luciano Leilua matched Hayne's effort in the air to claim Ben Hunt's kick and claw the Dragons back to 22-4.
But a diving Clint Gutherson extended the lead in the 46th minute when Hunt and Matt Dufty failed defuse another Moses grubber, while the Eels No.7 did it all himself five minutes later.
Swerving and shaping to kick one way to beat the first line of defence, Moses then did the same the other way once into the backfield for a scintillating 50-metre solo try.
Almost half an hour later big man Siosaia Vave bustled over for a rare four-pointer, the final 36-point margin lifting the Eels above North Queensland into 15th spot on for-and-against in their wooden spoon dogfight.
The Dragons meanwhile have spiralled out of the top four and into their late-season recurring nightmare.
News & Notes: Eels prop Kane Evans had an HIA test in the 13th minute after head clash with Dragons forward James Graham but returned to the action … Tariq Sims Tis an unhappy milestone man – this was his 150th NRL game, with the same result as his debut, 50th and 100th outings….the Eels have one seven of their past eight games against the Dragons…Jarryd Hayne has now scored 28 tries from 35 appearances on the wing at club level....Wests Tigers are the next to face the Dragons at Leichhardt Oval, while the Eels take on Storm at AAMI Park. Crowd: 10,541
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Post by Electric Eel on Dec 11, 2020 19:01:06 GMT 10
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Post by Electric Eel on Dec 11, 2020 19:01:50 GMT 10
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Post by Electric Eel on Dec 11, 2020 19:02:35 GMT 10
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Post by Electric Eel on Dec 11, 2020 19:03:12 GMT 10
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Post by Electric Eel on Dec 11, 2020 19:03:51 GMT 10
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Post by Electric Eel on Dec 11, 2020 19:04:36 GMT 10
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Post by Electric Eel on Dec 11, 2020 19:05:20 GMT 10
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Post by Electric Eel on Dec 11, 2020 19:06:04 GMT 10
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Post by Electric Eel on Dec 11, 2020 19:07:02 GMT 10
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