MOSES CAN STILL LEAD EELS TO PROMISED LAND
THE Eels will play finals – they will make the eight. They will cruise into the finals but the question is how will they bounce back after that grand final loss, a match against the Panthers that they were never really in?
BACK
They are a bit skinny in the backs. Winger Maika Sivo is outstanding, I am a huge fan of young centre Will Penisini – he is a 10-year top-level, representative player. He is so talented. With their starting outside backs, the Eels are really good. They can’t afford to get any injuries. It has been an area where they have been on the edge the last few years. The Eels need their big guns on the field in their outside backs.
FORWARD PACK
The Parramatta pack is the team’s cornerstone. That is their reliable engine room where even on a bad day, you know they still have a pack that is going to be dominant against their opposition. Reagan Campbell-Gillard, Junior Paulo, Shaun Lane, Ryan Matterson – they are a first-class pack, one of the best in the competition. That is what gets Parramatta into those finals and in contention to win competitions.
SPINE
The Eels’ spine is outstanding. Fiveeighth Dylan Brown and halfback Mitchell Moses are one of the best halves combinations in the competition. Then you have fullback and captain Clint Gutherson, who is just the Energiser Bunny, pops up everywhere but has a touch of class.
The only big question mark for them is at hooker – how does former Raider Josh Hodgson fit in after the departure of Reed Mahoney? Does he reach the same levels he did in Canberra, can he get his body and skill-set back to where it once was? I only saw one of the trials and it wasn’t convincing. A lot is going to rely on where his mind and body are at during this stage of his career.