Round 11, 2019: Penrith 16 Parramatta 10

NRL.com

Eels v Panthers: Sweeping changes for both teams

The Panthers might need a little 'Dreamtime' spiritual luck to help lift them out of the doldrums in this Indigenous Round clash with the Eels.

Six losses in a row, with four clubs scoring 30 points or more, means defence has not been uppermost within the Panthers den. Ivan Cleary's men have scored 88 points in the last six rounds but conceded 166.

The Eels are on a five-day turnaround after a disappointing seven-point loss to the Cowboys in Townsville. Hooker Reed Mahoney might need a little more time to recover after he made 61 tackles in the tropics.

The Rundown

Team news

Eels: Several roster moves for Parra, with Brad Takairangi and Daniel Alvaro benched. Tim Mannah is back in the starting lineup, as is Maika Sivo. Blake Ferguson has been named in the centres, while George Jennings moves from right to left wing. David Gower is a new face on the bench, with Oregon Kaufusi dropped to the reserves.

Panthers: More sweeping changes for the slumping Panthers. Josh Mansour is back on the right wing, while Brian To'o switches to the left wing in place of Dallin Watene-Zelezniak. Jarome Luai comes in for suspended five-eighth James Maloney, Frank Winterstein will start in the back-row, Reagan Campbell-Gillard has been recalled as the starting prop, while James Fisher-Harris moves from backrower to lock. Tim Grant and Liam Martin were named on the bench, with Kaide Ellis dropped to the reserves.

Key match-up

Props James Tamou and Junior Paulo bring too vastly different body shapes but a wealth of power and velocity. Tamou has 14 tackle breaks this year, Paulo has 11, and they are both averaging 12 hit-ups a game. The starts by these two will go a long way to determining which team gets the upper hand early.

For the Eels to win

They need to firm up that defensive line. Certainly the 54-point loss to Storm in round nine was not pretty with 12 line-breaks and 51 tackle-busts to Craig Bellamy's men. But against the more lowly Cowboys, at least in terms of NRL ladder position, the Eels still made just 12 tackle breaks to the Cowboys 29.

For the Panthers to win

They need to find the shop that sells 'confidence' and buy the family-size packet for each of their players to consume. They are the worst in the NRL for missed tackles - 402 after 10 rounds. But in contrast, the Panthers lead the competition in engaging the line. So they need their middles and edges to penetrate it, to give their outside backs the chance to do their stuff.

Brett Kimmorley says

The Penrith Panthers have probably hit rock bottom and it'll be interesting to see what team Ivan Cleary puts together and how they perform. The battle of the west should inspire them this week. It'll be interesting to see how Nathan Cleary plays with the NSW No.7 jersey up for grabs. Parramatta have to learn to play a little smarter. They played well last week but couldn't get the result, and there will be pressure on Mitchell Moses to manage the game plan, when the contest is on the line. Eels by 6.

Stat Attack

The Eels are running third in the NRL, behind the Roosters and Rabbitohs, in terms of try assists, and they're also equal third with South Sydney in line break assists.

And another thing ...

Parramatta forwards Manu Ma'u and Tepai Moeroa are on track to both play their 100th games, but Moeroa will need to pass concussion protocols after a head knock against the Cowboys.