How good is it when finals footy comes a week early? That’s what we’ve got when Parramatta host Melbourne this Thursday night in the last round of the regular season. The Eels are sitting 5th and the Storm one spot higher in 4th, so this match is crucial for both teams if they are thinking of premiership glory.
Greg Davis returns with his Thursday night preview and NRL tips for the Eels vs Storm!
Parramatta Eels vs Melbourne Storm Preview & Betting Tips
CommBank Stadium, Parramatta, Thursday 7:50pm AEST
Squads
Eels
1. Clinton Gutherson 2. Maika Sivo 3. Viliami Penisini 4. Tom Opacic 5. Waqa Blake 6. Dylan Brown 7. Mitchell Moses 8. Reagan Campbell-Gillard 9. Reed Mahoney 10. Junior Paulo 11. Shaun Lane 12. Isaiah Papali’i 13. Ryan Matterson 14. Makahesi Makatoa 15. Jakob Arthur 16. Oregon Kaufusi 17. Marata Niukore 18. Ofahiki Ogden 19. Bailey Simonsson 20. Bryce Cartwright 21. Sean Russell 22. Ky Rodwell
Storm
1. Nick Meaney 2. David Nofoaluma 3. Marion Seve 4. Justin Olam 5. Xavier Coates 6. Cameron Munster 7. Jahrome Hughes 8. Jesse Bromwich 9. Harry Grant 10. Nelson Asofa-Solomona 11. Felise Kaufusi 12. Kenny Bromwich 13. Josh King 14. Brandon Smith 15. Tui Kamikamica 16. Trent Loiero 17. Chris Lewis 18. Young Tonumaipea 19. Cooper Johns 20. Alec MacDonald 21. Jordan Grant 22. Jack Howarth
Match Preview
The equation is simple for both teams who enjoy a 15-8 record so far in 2022. Win and finish inside the top four where you get the golden double chance in September. Lose and finish outside the top four and you must travel along the perilous sudden-death road for a month. So, there’s a fair bit riding on what is essentially a top four qualifier with potential premiership aspirations potentially copping a significant body blow if you drop this game.
The Eels enjoyed a 53-6 romp over the tackle-shy Brisbane last week that did wonders for their for-and-against and gave them invaluable confidence and momentum for a clash with a team that is mature enough to actually handle a post-match spray from their coach.
Parramatta beat Melbourne in extra-time in Round 3 and also have two wins over reigning premier Penrith this year, so they are not scared of the big stage and a match-up with a competition superpower.
The problem with the Eels is that the gap between their best and worst football can be quite wide and wondering which Parramatta side turns up is always the conundrum.
The Eels will be at home against a battered and bruised Storm team that played a bitter and brutal finals-like slugfest against the Roosters a week ago while Parramatta were running around maroon and gold traffic cones.
So, Parramatta are well-placed to win this game and give themselves a genuine shot at delivering the club’s first title since 1986. But that’s often the problem with Parra. They tend to shoot themselves in the foot when an opportunity like this is in the offing.
And Melbourne will be stinging.
The Storm had enough ball in the second half against the Chooks to win most games of football after a poor first half. Only some stunning defence from the Roosters and some poor handling and silly mistakes from Melbourne stopped the Storm from surging to victory.
This is the time of the year when Melbourne shine and Parramatta fade. The best predictor of the future is history, so we’ll back the Storm in a close one to send the purple powerhouse into the top four.
Prop: First Try: Maika Sivo - $8.50 (Sportsbet)
Melbourne to win by 1-12 points
$3.10 (2 Units)
