The Dyldam Parramatta Eels face the Wests Tigers at ANZ Stadium on Monday night (6 July 2015) and the Blue and Gold will be seeking revenge after suffering a 22-6 defeat to the opposition in Round 5, 2015.
We take a look back at the battle of the west clash on Easter Monday from earlier in the year.
The game started in a typical arm-wrestle fashion as both sides struggled to adapt to the wet and greasy conditions early.
Both sides had worked their way into try scoring opportunities early in the match, but it was Eels hooker Nathan Peats who broke the deadlock after 30 minutes of action when he burrowed over from dummy half close to the line to put the Eels in front.
The Wests Tigers struck back minutes before half time after they mounted plenty of pressure on the Blue and Gold defensive line, and after earning a repeast set, winger Kevin Naiqama scored out wide.
The arm wrestle continued in the second half before frustration began to emerge as both sides came up with crucial handling errors as desperation to score points began to show.
The Wests Tigers took the lead for the first time in the match with 10 minutes to go, thanks to an individual effort from Pat Richards. The winger then crossed for his second try of the game off the back of a scrum feed and the Tigers kicked out to a 18-6 lead with three minutes remaining.
The final minutes of play saw the Wests Tigers cross for their third try after Man of the Match Pat Richards kicked through for Luke Brooks to plant the ball and secure the victory.
ROUND 17 MATCH PREVIEW
As the Eels head into their Round 17 clash against the Wests Tigers, Head Coach Brad Arthur says the Blue and Gold will need to be ready for a fired up opposition as the Eels look to claim their third consecutive victory before heading into the bye.
“They’ve got other blokes who will step up - they put 30 points on Souths a few weeks ago without their Origin players and Martin Taupau really stepped up and I’m sure he’ll look to lead from the front for them tomorrow night,” he said.
“Our style of football, we like to move the footy around a little bit, and last time we played the Tigers we got caught up in trying to go with a grinding game set for set, and while we need to complete, it’s important that we play a bit of football.”
“They’ve got other blokes who will step up - they put 30 points on Souths a few weeks ago without their Origin players and Martin Taupau really stepped up and I’m sure he’ll look to lead from the front for them tomorrow night,” he said.
“Our style of football, we like to move the footy around a little bit, and last time we played the Tigers we got caught up in trying to go with a grinding game set for set, and while we need to complete, it’s important that we play a bit of football.”
