Round 10: Parramatta Eels vs St George Illawarra Dragons

[Tamwelg]

Parramatta Eels vs
St George Illawarra Dragons
Sat 17 May, 3:00PM Pirtek Stadium

[TITAN PETE]

Eels
1 Jarryd Hayne (c)
2 Semi Radradra
3 Will Hopoate
4 Willie Tonga
5 Ken Sio
6 Corey Norman
7 Chris Sandow
8 Tim Mannah (c)
9 Nathan Peats
10 Darcy Lussick
11 David Gower
12 Manu Ma’u
13 Joseph Paulo

Interchange
14 Pauli Pauli
15 Peni Terepo
16 Junior Paulo
17 Mitch Allgood

Coach: Brad Arthur

Dragons
1 Josh Dugan
2 Brett Morris
3 Joel Thompson
4 Gerard Beale
5 Jason Nightingale
6 Gareth Widdop
7 Sam Williams
8 Tyson Frizell
9 Mitch Rein
10 Leeson Ah Mau
11 Bronson Harrison
12 Ben Creagh (c)
13 Trent Merrin

Interchange
14 Jack Stockwell
15 Dan Hunt
16 Jack De Belin
17 Will Matthews

Coach: Steve Price

- - - Updated - - -

Benji is ready for NRL return, says Price
By James MacSmith
AAP
6:15pm Tue 13th May, 2014


Benji Marshall is ready to make his NRL comeback this weekend, Dragons coach Steve Price says, thought he is yet to confirm his inclusion to face Parramatta. Credit: NRL Photos (Photo digitally altered).
St George Illawarra coach Steve Price says Benji Marshall is physically and mentally ready for a return to the NRL.

But the Dragons mentor says he will delay a decision on whether to play the former Wests Tigers superstar in his side for Saturday's Round 10 match with Parramatta until later this week.

Price said he was impressed with Marshall, who signed a two-and-a-half year deal with the Dragons after severing ties with Super Rugby's Auckland Blues on Easter Monday, as he breezed through his first training session with his new side at Wollongong on Tuesday.

"Going by today's session he is in reasonable shape," Price said.

"In pre-season with the Blues he has done a hell of a lot of volume running and he looks good.

"He got through it all, it wasn't a taxing session by any means but he got through it all and he did a bit extra at the end.

"As you can see he is in a good head space ... and it is important that he has to earn the respect of his teammates, I'm sure he will.

"I don't think it would be too much of an expectation (for him to play the Eels). It wasn't that long ago he was out of the game.

"It is all about understanding our structures and our systems and I will make a call as we go in the coming days.

"Benji is a winner, he has shown that over the years, as he said on Friday he is disappointed how he finished.

"He is a proud man, a very humble man, hopefully we see the best of Benji in the Red V sometime this year."

Marshall briefly addressed his new teammates on Tuesday and Price said if he was selected to play the Eels it would be alongside Gareth Widdop in the halves.

The Tigers, who released Marshall at the end of 2013, are reportedly demanding $150,000 in compensation before he will be allowed play for the Dragons.

Price said he was confident the issue wouldn't stand in the way of Marshall making his Dragons debut this weekend if selected.

"I'm sure that will get fixed up," Price said.

"That is a decision between the NRL and (Dragons chief executive) Peter (Doust).

"It is not an issue at all."

[TITAN PETE]

Marshall can expect rude welcome: Norman
By Matt Encarnacion, Western Sydney Correspondent
NRL.com
9:24am Wed 14th May, 2014



Parramatta five-eighth Corey Norman believes new Dragon Benji Marshall will come out with a point to prove should he make his NRL return against the Eels on Saturday afternoon.

Dragons coach Steve Price didn't name Marshall on Tuesday but didn't rule out making him a late inclusion this week. Should the failed rugby convert make this fated return against Parramatta, Norman expects to see a totally new player – and a different Dragons team than the one that was pounded by the Bulldogs last weekend.

"It's going to be his first game back, and obviously he'll be excited and he'll want to prove something. He'll come out firing," Norman said.

Norman said that while Marshall has been welcomed back with open arms by the game he left just six months ago, the reception won't be nearly as warm at Pirtek Stadium, where the Eels are yet to lose a game this year.

"He'll get a few boos [from the crowd] but if he's playing, that's going to lift the Dragons and it's going to make it a harder game. We're looking forward to it. It should be good," he said.

"Benji's a bit unpredictable and he's got all the flashy plays. So I'm sure he'll come up with a couple of them during the game. We've just got to make sure we shut that down."

If Marshall does make the Dragons team on Saturday, the 29-year-old Kiwi representative can expect to see plenty of traffic out wide, having rarely been tested defensively in his short stint with the Auckland Blues.

"He's a top player, we can't take anything from him," said Eels forward Junior Paulo. "But I guess we'll see what the game plan is according to BA [coach Brad Arthur] and we'll just wait and see."

Parramatta ran roughshod over Cronulla last Monday, crossing the stripe eight times for their sixth straight win at Pirtek Stadium (they lost a home game at ANZ Stadium earlier this year). Norman believes the strong Eels fanbase have been key to their strong form at home.

"We haven't lost at home so things are going well. We love playing here, especially when the fans get out and cheer us on. It helps us," he said.

"[They] make a lot of difference. When times get tough and the crowd gets behind you it gives you that little bit of energy which is good. They've been doing that really well this year."

A win over St George Illawarra would solidify Parramatta's position in the top eight, while the Dragons need a victory to keep in touch with the top half of the ladder.

The fitness of Eels hooker Nathan Peats will be monitored through the week after arriving at recovery in a moon boot. He failed to finish the game against the Sharks.

[DIEHARD]

Eels v Dragons
Pirtek Stadium Saturday, 3pm (AEST)

Forget the 3pm kick-off for a moment. All eyes, ears, iPads, smart phones and computer screens are on the Twittersphere, where the final team line-ups will be found an hour before kick-off, all to find out whether Benji Marshall makes his highly publicised return to the NRL.

We should know by then whether Dragons CEO Peter Doust has agreed to hand over some moolah to the Wests Tigers, but all the financial hullaballoo at that point is moot. The real money question centres on whether 'Mr Flick Pass' really has arrived with a second wind - and whether he can transform that second wind into a full-blown gale.

Either way, there will still be a game to be played out Parramatta way on Saturday afternoon and if the form guide is anything to go by, prepare the stomach linings for a massacre because both sides had their respective games last week decided by halftime.

Thanks to a couple of standout performances from attacking linchpins Jarryd Hayne and Chris Sandow, the Eels were in control for the majority of their 42-24 mauling of the Sharks last Monday night. And if they had adhered to coach Brad Arthur's year-long plea and decided to play a lick of defence in the second half, the scoreline wouldn't have been nearly as flattering for Cronulla.

In the Dragons' case, defence was clearly optional from the kick-off as they stared down the barrel of a 38-6 embarrassment that coach Steve Price had every right to label 'soft' in the post-match press conference.

It was as though the early season pacesetters were still dancing the streets of Wollongong and celebrating the signing of Marshall two days prior, because the famous Red V quickly became infamously red-faced as the Bulldogs poured on seven tries to one.

Eels talent Junior Paulo retains his spot in Arthur's side, meaning veteran Fuifui Moimoi gets another week in the reggies, while Jason Nightingale and Will Matthews come in for Nathan Green and Mike Cooper respectively.

That's how the teams look for now... but all that can change at 2pm on Saturday afternoon.

Watch Out Eels: Trent Merrin is the Dragons player tackled most inside the opposition red zone and with 14 offloads to his name, it's not hard to see why. His deceptive footwork and ability to create second-phase footy makes him as dangerous as his new teammate Marshall. And now with two instinctive halves – the other being five-eighth Gareth Widdop – who are leaders in slicing through jagged defensive lines, having Merrin out there is like having a third half.

Watch Out Dragons: Hayne and Sandow got all the plaudits post-game, and deservedly so. But it was unsung hero Darcy Lussick who began like a house on fire, setting the tone with an early shot that forced an error and set up their first try. In the end the former Sea Eagle tallied just 79 metres and 18 tackles but we assure you – every single one of them was quality. Lussick may not be your high-profile workhorse who churns out accountant-like numbers every game, but he's the bloke who's never afraid to upend the bloke who does.

Plays To Watch: It's not so much a play as it is strategy, but by now it's no secret that Price is employing wingers Brett Morris and Jason Nightingale as his third and fourth props on the field. The Dragons lead the league in dummy-half runs, with Morris (44) and Nightingale (31) making plenty of darts out of dummy-half when Mitch Rein (65) doesn't.

The Eels are a little bit more unpredictable, and a lot of that has to do with Chris Sandow's instinctive and brash play. However, there is a recurring theme to their left-side shifts, and it primarily involves Hayne keeping the opposition right winger honest with a long ball to in-form winger Semi Radradra early on.

Where It Will Be Won: Parramatta have been forced to make the least amount of tackles, and take the least amount of line drop-outs of any NRL team so far this year. We all know how dangerous they are with plenty of possession, but if the Dragons can mount even a little on Saturday, we'll find out how much ticker this new-look Eels team really has.

The History: Played 29; Eels 12, Dragons 14, drawn 3. It's not pretty reading for the Eels, whose breakthrough 26-22 victory in Round 25 last year was the first win in their past eight games against the Dragons. The 8,910 crowd at Parramatta Stadium was also the lowest between the two teams since St George and Illawarra merged in 1999.

Match Officials: Referees – Jared Maxwell & Chris James; Sideline Officials – Luke Potter & Dave Ryan; Video Referees – Bernard Sutton & Matt Rodwell.

Televised: FoxSports 1 – Live 3pm (AEST).

The Way We See It: The Eels are undefeated at Pirtek Stadium, and after the Dragons' no-show last week, common sense tells us to go with them by 14 points. But there's nothing common about Benji Marshall, and to be honest, he looks like the kind of bloke who likes a dramatic entrance. So if he's on the team sheet at 2pm, we expect a tighter affair.

Source: http://www.nrl.com

[DIEHARD]

Eels v Dragons Late Mail

Eels: Second-rower Man Ma'u (concussion) has been cleared, so Parramatta should be 1-17. Jarryd Hayne (shoulder) and Nathan Peats (ankle) will again battle through niggling injuries.

Dragons: Benji Marshall has been cleared to make his Dragons debut with the club having finalised a compensation payment to Wests Tigers. Prop Jack Stockwell (foot) is out, with Mike Cooper to take his bench spot despite being omitted on Tuesday due to injury. Winger Jason Nightingale should be fit to return from a knee injury, though Peter Mata'utia is on standby.

http://www.nrl.com

[DIEHARD]

OK my bad. Benji didnt seem to have a good game but getting niled by Parra must send the Dragons into crisis.

[Mexican titan]

OK my bad. Benji didnt seem to have a good game but getting niled by Parra must send the Dragons into crisis.

Hmmm. I don't like seeing sides who have a coach under pressure getting beaten like this. It's a fair bet that as soon as a Sydney based coach gets sacked Neil Henry might be lost to us.