NRL Round 18 – The Extra Point

Fri 8 Jul                Eels v Roosters Pirtek Stadium 7:50PM

• Pearce is back. He’s back in a big way. He was simply sensation when he picked up man of the match honours in a losing team last week. He’s been left out of the Origin team for game 3 for reasons not certain however expect him to have a big game put himself back on the rugby league map for the right reasons.
• Eels a rabble. Despite playing arguably the best football the club has played in two decades earlier in the year, the season has been an absolute disaster for the Parra faithful. It started so promisingly with the signing of Kieran Foran however they’ve gone from issue to another. We’ve done our best to convey the Eels season in one Hitler Parody video which you can watch here. Amazingly, even since the video was produced last week, their season has hit an even lower low. Will the team galvanise in front of their parochial home crowd or will this be the straw that breaks the camel’s back?
• Backseat Semi. A week ago, the news cycle was all about Semi Radradra; will he come home, won’t he? Will he play, won’t he? He ended up coming home and played against Cronulla but was met with a chorus of boos from the Shire locals. He tried hard all night but wasn’t nearly as effective as he has been throughout the year. The Eels will need him to be at his best against a Rooster side who can smell blood.
• Buoy by Boyd. Rumours are rife that Blues second rower Boyd Cordner will be back on deck on Friday night. He was one of the Blues best in game 1 but has since been sidelined with an injury from that very match. He’s a huge in for the Chooks who will be desperate to finish of the season strongly.

Sat 9 Jul               Bulldogs v Tigers ANZ Stadium 7:30PM

• No Teddy and the Woods. Tigers will be without 3 of their bests in Tedesco, Woods and Farah when they take on the Dogs. They’ve fared reasonable well through the rep period winning 4 of 6 however they have had the luxury of having the league’s most inform fullback James Tedesco in the side. One would think taking on the Dogs without their 3 guns will be a mountain too large to climb.
• B-Moz has still got it. Fresh off his hat-trick in his first game of the season against the Broncos, the former Origin and Test winger followed it up with a double against the Roosters last Friday night. How good is it to see the Morris twins flying down the same sideline; it truly is a sight to behold. Brett’s return gives the Des’ boys the much needed speed and class on the back of their back line move.
• Bulldogs building nicely. The Dogs have now won their last 3 matches since their narrow 2 point defeat to ladder leaders Cronulla. They’re slowly starting to get their best backline on the park and you’re starting to see the results having posted an average of 36 points in their last 3 matches. Despite sitting 4^th on the ladder they’re somewhat flying under the radar in the run in to the finals.

Sun 10 Jul            Panthers v Sharks Pepper Stadium 4:00PM

• Gunning for 13. The Sharks are having arguably their best year in the history of the club. They’ve won a club record 12 straight games but face a big test this weekend against the Panthers in Penrith without their Origin troops. The writing has been on the wall the last 4 weeks were they gave the Eels an 18 point start last week before running them down late and only scraping home by less than 3 points in each of the 3 games prior. The smart pundits are tipping that the Sharks are ‘due’ for a loss shortly but with a team line up with the likes of Barba, Holmes, Ennis, Lewis and Bukuya, you would imagine they will still be competitive – but can they make it 13 straight?
• At the start of the week the Panthers looked to be in a strong position going into the game with the omission of captain Matt Moylan from the Origin side, he was back at training with the Panthers at the start of the week but an injury to half Adam Reynolds has seen him recalled to the squad. The market has reacted accordingly with a 3 point move from -7.5 to -4.5 for the Panthers. They’re at home, the Sharks are down on troops and after an 8 point loss to the Tigers last week they need to win – but will they?

Mon 11 Jul          Raiders v Cowboys GIO Stadium 7:00PM

• Are they the real deal? The green machine have now won 5 of their last 6 matches and the fan in the nationals and beginning to dream – could this be our year? They sit 6^th on the ladder (5^th once the Eels finally lose their points) and have put in some scintillating performances with the ball. Scoring points is their strength but it’s their mental lapses in matches which has the fans questioning whether they are the real deal. Last week they leaked 22 points against Newcastle before troubling the scorers themselves only to pinch the game in golden point extra time – you simply can’t do that against the best teams.
• Is rep season over yet? The Cowboys will again be without their Origin stars most importantly Johnathon Thurston – how good is that guy? They’ll be playing with a skeleton crew who are faced with an uphill battle on a freezing cold night in the nation’s capital. They’ve dropped only 2 matches through the rep period which they would’ve undoubtedly signed for at the beginning of the season. They’ll likely limp out of the rep season with another loss but will be looking forward to having the full complement back on deck in coming weeks including the injured Michael Morgan.