Wests Tigers v Eels, Round 17 Match Preview

The Parramatta Eels take on the Wests Tigers at Bankwest Stadium on Sunday (14 July) afternoon in Round 17 of the NRL Telstra Premiership.

After a bye last week, Eels Head Coach Arthur has made just the one change to his seventeen that defeated the Canberra Raiders in Darwin in Round 15.

Marata Niukore comes onto the bench in place of Peni Terepo (suspension), alongside Jaeman Salmon, David Gower and Tepai Moeroa.

Oregon Kaufusi, Daniel Alvaro, Greg Leleisiuao and Bevan French are on the reserves.

Wests Tigers Head Coach Michael Maguire has named his line up with five-eighth Benji Marshall to play his 300th NRL game whilst captain Moses Mbye is set to return following his State of Origin commitments on Wednesday.

Mbye has been named to return in the centres after being unavailable last week, with Paul Momirovski dropping back to the reserves in the only change this week.

Ben Matulino (knee) remains sidelined, allowing Josh Aloiai to start up front alongside Alex Twal, with Matt Eisenhuth once again filling the lock role.

Robert Jennings has been named on the wing despite being forced off last week with a nasty cut to the head, with Michael Chee Kam named on the bench.

Josh Reynolds has been named alongside Momirovski in the reserves after sitting out last week's Canterbury Cup clash against North Sydney with a groin strain, with Chris McQueen and Oliver Clark rounding out Wests Tigers' 21-man squad.

The Eels go into the derby at Bankwest Stadium clinging to seventh spot on the ladder, two places ahead of the Tigers.

Whilst a home game for the Wests Tigers, the Eels hold the upper hand at the stadium with a 5-1 record at the new stadium, including a 51-6 victory over the Wests Tigers in the stadium opener in Round 6.

The Wests Tigers have struggled at the ground, with a 1-3 record, including two heavy defeats at the ground.

On form, the Eels enter this clash with back to back wins with victories over the Raiders and Broncos. The Wests Tigers suffered a 16-24 defeat to the Roosters at Bankwest Stadium last week, however had victories over the Rabbitohs and Cowboys in the fortnight prior.

The game will be a huge milestone game for Wests Tigers Benji Marshall who plays his 300th game, and the match up with Eels half Mitch Moses will prove an intriguing one. Moses will be looking to add to his 16 try assists this season – the most in the competition.

He also leads the competition in total kicks and is top five in linebreak assists (4th), points (5th), goals (4th) and kick metres (2nd).

Eels winger Maika Sivo currently sits on top of the NRL try scoring list with 12 tries.

Kick off is at 4:05pm.