The Dyldam Parramatta Eels take on the Canberra Raiders at Pirtek Stadium on Saturday 9 April for their Round Six clash of the NRL Telstra Premiership.
After a last minute defeat to the Penrith Panthers, going down 20-18 last weekend, the Blue and Gold have the opportunity to rebound and claim the two points against an in form Canberra Raiders outfit.
Eels Head Coach Brad Arthur has made two changes to his side named last week, with hooker Nathan Peats returning from injury and prop Daniel Alvaro called into the starting side, replacing Club Captain Tim Mannah who has been ruled out through injury.
Last week’s hooker Isaac De Gois moves to the bench, replacing Kaysa Pritchard who returns to the Wentworthville Magpies whilst David Gower has also been named for the Magpies.
For the Raiders, second rower Iosia Soliola has been ruled out through injury (broken arm) and is the only change to the away side that came away with a 22-8 victory over the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs last week.
Head Coach Ricky Stuart has named Luke Bateman as his replacement on the bench, making his first NRL appearance this season.
The two sides have an evenly contested history, with a dramatic last minute try to Edrick Lee and a sideline conversion from Jarrod Crocker, followed up by a golden point try from Josh Hodgson seeing the Raiders snatch victory in Round 26, 2015, in the last time these two sides met.
Over their 51 game history, the Eels have 25 wins, including 13 wins from 21 games at Pirtek Stadium. However the Raiders hold a strong record over the Eels in recent times, with six wins from their past seven games between the clubs.
However, in 2016, the Eels and Raiders will enter the clash with plenty of confidence, both starting the season with three wins from the opening five rounds. The Raiders however, sit third on the table a point ahead of the Eels after coming away with a draw against the Newcastle Knights in Round Four.
The Eels kick off against the Canberra Raiders at 3pm on Saturday, April 9, at Pirtek Stadium as part of a triple-header of footy, with the match shown live on Fox Sports 1.
Family general admission passes are just $40*, click through to secure your seats as we celebrate Territory Day in Parramatta!
ROUND SIX GAME DAY INFO
Match Details: Dyldam Parramatta Eels v Canberra Raiders at Pirtek Stadium on Saturday 9 April. Kick off at 3:00pm.
Televised: Fox Sports 1 Live Coverage from 2:30pm.
The History: Played 51; Eels 25, Raiders 26.
Honours are fairly even overall but it's been all Green Machine of late, with six of the past seven contests going Canberra's way – including their past two visits to Pirtek Stadium.
Parramatta Eels Squad:
1. Michael Gordon 2. Semi Radradra 3. Michael Jennings 4. Brad Takairangi 5. Clinton Gutherson 6. Corey Norman 7. Kieran Foran 8. Junior Paulo 9. Nathan Peats 10. Daniel Alvaro 11. Manu Ma'u 12. Beau Scott 13. Tepai Moeroa
Interchange: 14. Isaac De Gois 15. Peni Terepo 16. Danny Wicks 17. Kenny Edwards
Canberra Raiders Squad:
1. Jack Wighton 2. Edrick Lee 3. Jarrod Croker 4. Joseph Leilua 5. Jordan Rapana 6. Blake Austin 7. Aidan Sezer 8. Shannon Boyd 9. Josh Hodgson 10. Frank Paul Nuuausala 11. Josh Papalii 12. Elliot Whitehead 13. Shaun Fensom
Interchange: 14. Kurt Baptiste 15. Luke Bateman 16. Paul Vaughan 17. Joseph Tapine
Match Officials:
Referee: Adam Devcich. Assistant referee: Chris James. Sideline officials: Russell Turner and Rohan Best. Review Officials: Ben Galea and Jason Robinson. Senior RO: Bernard Sutton.
