NYC Round 24: TITANS vs EELS

Round 24 NYC Preview: Eels v Titans

Round 24, 2012 NYC Premiership
Sunday, August 19th, 2012
NYC Kick-Off 11:45pm
Skilled Park, Robina
Referees: Tim Rutherford

Coming In To Round 24
Parramatta Eels are 0-4 in their last four games, and are coming off an 42-12 loss to the Sydney Roosters at Parramatta Stadium last Saturday.

They have averaged 19.0 ppg since Round 20, and have conceded 34.5 ppg in that period.

They sit 14th on the competition ladder, 6 points from the 12th placed Broncos.

Gold Coast Titans are 1-3 in their last four games, and are coming off an 20-14 loss to the Melbourne Storm at AAMI Park last Friday.

They have averaged 16.3 ppg since Round 20, and have conceded 28.5 ppg in that period.

They sit 14th on the competition ladder, 4 points from the 12th placed Broncos.

Last Time They Met
Round 8, 2012 - Eels 18 Titans 24

Team Changes and Late Mail

Find all the Eels? NYC Team and Injury News from Tuesday and full Round 24 Lineup here.

Parramatta Eels
C Malkiem, J Falou, T Jennings, J Pepa, J Tuitahi, M Brasington, Z Clay, J Paulo, K Pritchard, M Eisenhuth, L Uikelotu, S Jackson, F Masinamua.
Bench: L Vesico, W Bugden, J Hopoate, J Ualesi.

Gold Coast Titans
J Fogarty, L Baker, H Hunt, S Johnson, J Teo, T Dawney, K Elgey, O Percy, Z Friend, T Laurenson, N Harrold, S Gee, D Hartin.
Bench: M Hall, J Nia, S Harrold, J Durheim.

Bottom Line
A trip to Skilled Park presents a very interesting challenge to the Parramatta Eels NYC team as they face the 16th placed Gold Coast Titans. The Eels fell to the Roosters at home last Sunday, but will be very keen to stay away from the Titans and Manly Sea Eagles at the bottom of the ladder.

The Titans also had a loss last week but went close to taking down the Melbourne Storm in Melbourne. Their home record hasn?t been as good as their form on the road, but they will be keen to push away from the wooden spoon position with only three games remaining.

In the lock position, Frazer Masinamua?s clash with Dylan Hartin shapes as one of the big battles. Masinamua returns to the lineup after missing last week?s loss to the Roosters, and will be keen to continue the form he has shown in the past month. Hartin has been the centre of the Titans forward pack for the majority of 2012, continuously topping 30 tackles per game.

The Eels best football has been played this year with second phase football and ball skills around the edges. The Titans have been susceptible to this in the past, with many teams going through their middle on the back of offloads. If the likes of Masinamua and Junior Paulo can get their arm free and find support players, then the Eels could put plenty of points on the board.

http://www.parraeels.com.au