How important is this match between Parramatta and Melbourne at CommBank Stadium?
Put it this way: if the Eels can get through Thursday night and secure fourth place, I think they’ll meet Penrith in the grand final a few weeks after facing the minor premiers in the opening week of the play-offs.
The finals series has arrived a week early as both these sides try to secure a second bite of the cherry in September.
You can’t win the premiership from outside the top four. It’s too difficult to do. Nobody has done it in the NRL era and only two sides have done so since 1908.
The Eels are going really well at the right time of year.
I love the way they attack. Unpredictable with plenty of ball movement and offloads. And they’ve got strike on either edge.
Mitchell Moses has finally found his groove.Credit:Getty
The combinations are the best they’ve looked in a long time, in particular the left side of Dylan Brown and Shaun Lane. With that unpredictability, they are nearly impossible to coach against.
The big cherry on top is halfback Mitchell Moses on the end of the sets. His kicking game is among the best in the comp.
His absence has put extra pressure on five-eighth Cameron Munster, who needs to be creating opportunities and also finishing them.
It also looks like halfback Jahrome Hughes will be out so that puts more pressure on Munster.
The Eels have already beaten Penrith twice this year … could they meet again in the biggest game of them all?Credit:Getty
The Roosters won the battle of the forwards last start and this is an area where Melbourne must improve against the Eels. Ruck defence is the pillar of Melbourne’s success as we all know.
Hooker Harry Grant gets better with each match.
He’s so dangerous out of dummy-half – the most dangerous and effective place to attack from in the modern game.
Close to the line, he has become impossible to stop, getting out and squeezing between defenders.
Storm enforcer Nelson Asofa-Solomona will ensure the red-hot Eels don’t have it all their own way on Thursday.Credit:Getty
He also picks his time to run really well, playing off the back of that slippery little piglet Brandon Smith.
Coach Craig Bellamy’s decision to move prop Nelson Asofa-Solomona to the edge has been a revelation.
He is so big and mobile, with good footwork but the big thing is the wider he gets, the more space there is between defenders, and that means he can get one-on-one with smaller players.
He is terrorising halfbacks, but it also makes him dangerous as a decoy runner. They have to put defenders on him.
Joey’s tip: Parramatta by 10.
First tryscorer: Maika Sivo.
Man of the match: Clint Gutherson.
Not bad for openers…
The other blockbuster is Roosters versus Souths to open the new Allianz Stadium. I’ve been looking forward to this all year.
It’s a shame some players will be out with injury, particularly Roosters lock Victor Radley.
Victor Radley will be a big loss for the Roosters when they open the new Allianz Stadium against bitter rivals South Sydney.Credit:NRL Photos
The first time I saw him play was against Souths in the under-20s when he pretty much played them on his own, screaming at his teammates to follow him.
Like the Storm, it will be interesting to see how the Roosters back up after that brutal match at AAMI Park.
They’re firing at the moment, but I just can’t see them winning the premiership.
To win the comp, they’ll need to win six very tough matches in a row and that is too much of an ask.
Young, Lodge in World Cup frame
As the season draws to an end, Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga will be finalising his squad for the World Cup in the UK at the end of the year.
One smokey has to be Canberra’s Hudson Young.
He’d be a handy bench player for Mal because he can play anywhere: back row, in the middle and centre.
Canberra’s Hudson Young has had a season to remember.Credit:Getty
He adds real X-factor to any side. He can sniff out a try, he’s tough as nails and his combination on the left side with Jack Wighton is firing for the Raiders.
Another player worthy of serious consideration is Matt Lodge.
He’s had his dramas in the past, but he looks fit and focused and that speaks wonders about being in a great system at the Roosters.
I can imagine him and Jared Waerea-Hargreaves going at each other all the time, but Jared would be keeping an eye out for him.
See how the Herald’s experts tipped for Round 25 here.
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