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Match Preview

Eels v Raiders: Moses good to go; Horsburgh to start

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The Raiders are running hot with five-straight wins to their name, while the Eels will be seeking a quick fix after being overwhelmed by the defending premiers in the second half last week. 

Led by a dominant showing from their forward pack, Canberra overcame the Storm in convincing fashion to win 28-20 in week on of the finals and are playing with confidence across the park right now. 

While the final scoreline probably didn't reflect how the Eels played, particularly through an impressive first half, they still failed to foot it with Penrith when they kicked it up a gear last week and were outscored 20-2 in the second 40 minutes. 

In their only prior meeting this year the Eels overcame a 18-16 half-time deficit to win by eight in Canberra. The last time they met at this week's venue, CommBank Stadium, was in 2020 and Parramatta won by a field goal. 

Sportsbet Betting preview: Eels v Raiders

The Rundown

Team news

Eels: Coach Brad Arthur has named the same 17 that went down to Penrith but will again start with Marata Niukore at lock with Ryan Matterson to come off the bench. Former Raider Bailey Simonsson is the 18th Man. Mitchell Moses is good to go after overcoming a head knock last week.

Raiders: There's a late reshuffle for the Raiders with Corey Horsburgh set to start at lock with Corey Harawira-Naera reverting to the bench. Englishman Ryan Sutton joins the bench in his return from hand surgery. Albert Hopoate is again the 18th Man.

Team Lists

Backs

  • Fullback for Eels is number 1 Clinton Gutherson
    Fullback for Raiders is number 1 Xavier Savage
  • Winger for Eels is number 2 Maika Sivo
    Winger for Raiders is number 2 Nick Cotric
  • Centre for Eels is number 3 Will Penisini
    Centre for Raiders is number 3 Matthew Timoko
  • Centre for Eels is number 4 Tom Opacic
    Centre for Raiders is number 4 Sebastian Kris
  • Winger for Eels is number 5 Waqa Blake
    Winger for Raiders is number 5 Jordan Rapana
  • Five-Eighth for Eels is number 6 Dylan Brown
    Five-Eighth for Raiders is number 6 Jack Wighton
  • Halfback for Eels is number 7 Mitchell Moses
    Halfback for Raiders is number 7 Jamal Fogarty

Forwards

  • Prop for Eels is number 8 Reagan Campbell-Gillard
    Prop for Raiders is number 8 Josh Papalii
  • Hooker for Eels is number 9 Reed Mahoney
    Hooker for Raiders is number 9 Zac Woolford
  • Prop for Eels is number 10 Junior Paulo
    Prop for Raiders is number 10 Joseph Tapine
  • 2nd Row for Eels is number 11 Shaun Lane
    2nd Row for Raiders is number 11 Hudson Young
  • 2nd Row for Eels is number 12 Isaiah Papali'i
    2nd Row for Raiders is number 12 Elliott Whitehead
  • Lock for Eels is number 17 Marata Niukore
    Lock for Raiders is number 16 Corey Horsburgh

Interchange

  • Interchange for Eels is number 13 Ryan Matterson
    Interchange for Raiders is number 13 Corey  Harawira-Naera
  • Interchange for Eels is number 14 Makahesi Makatoa
    Interchange for Raiders is number 14 Tom Starling
  • Interchange for Eels is number 15 Jake Arthur
    Interchange for Raiders is number 15 Emre Guler
  • Interchange for Eels is number 16 Oregon Kaufusi
    Interchange for Raiders is number 17 Ryan Sutton

Reserves

  • Replacement for Eels is number 19 Bailey Simonsson
    Replacement for Raiders is number 18 Albert Hopoate

Match Officials

  • Referee: Ashley Klein
  • Touch Judge: Dave Munro
  • Touch Judge: Phil Henderson
  • Senior Review Official: Gerard Sutton

Last updated:

Key match-up

Junior Paulo v Joseph Tapine: It promises to be a huge clash in the middle of the park between two of this season's form front-rowers. Tapine was outstanding against the Storm, running for 216 metres and coming up with six tackle busts. Paulo led the way in a beaten side last week, with a 59-minute stint that included 166 run metres and 31 tackles. 

Stat Attack

These two sides are the NRL's offload kings, with the Eels' average of 13.2 per game the most in the competition, followed by Canberra's average of 11.7. Both forward packs love to generate second-phase play, and off the back of it these teams have the players to take advantage. 

Related

Acknowledgement of Country

National Rugby League respects and honours the Traditional Custodians of the land and pay our respects to their Elders past, present and future. We acknowledge the stories, traditions and living cultures of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples on the lands we meet, gather and play on.