Dyldam Parramatta Eels assistant coach Peter Gentle says he’s predicting another big game from the Sharks monster forwards when the Eels take on Cronulla-Sutherland at Remondis Stadium this afternoon.
Looking at the fixture in this week’s Unibet Game Day Preview, Gentle said he and the Eels coaching staff have been preparing as though the Eels will be up against a full-strength Sharks pack.
“It’ll be a very good test for us,” Gentle said.
“Their form over the past month has been up and down, but they’ve bagged some big scalps in the Roosters, Brisbane and also the Panthers.”
“I think all those sides would have expected to win those games. But they’ve got three internationals: We’re expecting Gallen to play along with Andrew Fifita and Luke Lewis, and there’s plenty of experience and plenty of strike there.”
“They get in the grind with you, very similar to the Gold Coast Titans; the similarities are unbelievable. They both rely on second phase, a lot of offloads.”
But for the Blue and Gold, Gentle says the 3pm kick-off offers a slight advantage.
“I think it suits us, the drier the ground the better,” Gentle said.
“We like to play a bit of footy, we prefer it dry and the daylight hours are good for us.”
NRL kicks off at 3pm this afternoon as part of a triple-header at Remondis Stadium, with Wenty Magpies facing the Wyong Roos at 10.40am, and NYC at 12.45pm.
