The Parramatta Eels will play the Canberra Raiders in Round 15 of the NRL at Darwin’s TIO Stadium on Saturday night.
The game is part of the Eels’ annual visit to the Northern Territory.
The Blue and Gold are playing to stay in the top eight, while Canberra sits in fourth position.
Here are five things you need to know about the game.
Eels annual visit to Darwin
Darwin is the Eels’ home away from home.
The Blue and Gold visit the Top End annually for a week of community events plus an NRL game.
The Eels have enjoyed great success in the Northern Territory, winning four of the five games they’ve played at TIO Stadium.
Dylan Brown returns for the Eels
Young half Dylan Brown has been sidelined since Round 4 with back bruising and is itching to get back out on the park.
The 19-year-old will return to the halves in the Eels starting line-up.
He made great impressions during his first three games with for the Blue and Gold, earing widespread praise from key NRL figures.
Team changes
The Parramatta Eels are almost at full strength, with just Michael Jennings and Ray Stone sidelined for a few weeks with injuries.
As mentioned, Dylan Brown will start in the number six jersey, pushing Jaeman Salmon to the bench, while Brad Takairangi will fill Michael Jennings boots as left centre.
The Raiders are boosted by the return of a few players including Josh Hodgson as hooker and forward Corey Horsburgh.
However, they are missing injured Origin centre Nick Cotric, who will be replaced by Sebastian Kris.
Eels hungry for redemption
The Eels had a night to forget when they last played the Raiders in Round Five at GIO Stadium in Canberra.
They were held pointless and lost 18-0 in a performance where they were completely outclassed.
The Raiders have held three teams to nil this season with their strong defence.
The Blue and Gold will be keen to make up for their performance, which lacked effort and saw cheap points conceded.
A climate change for the game
The warm weather in Darwin is in stark contrast to the single digit degrees the players have been exposed to so far this season.
It will be a test in particular to the Raiders who play in some of the game’s coldest conditions in the Nation’s Capital.
However it may not be as hot and challenging as thought, with Darwin’s overnight lows forecast around 20 degrees.
