Parramatta Eels Auckland Nines Preview

Pool: Piha Pool (Manly, Parramatta, New Zealand, St George Illawarra)

Squad: Corey Norman (c), Nathan Brown, Kenny Edwards, Jamal Fogarty, Bevan French, David Gower, Clint Gutherson, Josh Hoffman, George Jennings, Cameron King, Suaia Matagi, Tepai Moeroa, Marata Niukore, Scott Schulte, Rory O’Brien, Semi Radradra, Honeti Tuha, Joseph Ualesi, Troy Dargan

Games

vs St George Illawarra Dragons (10:50AM Feb 4 AEDT)
vs New Zealand Warriors (3:10PM Feb 4 AEDT)
vs Manly Sea Eagles (9:25AM Feb 5 AEDT)

One of the strongest squads named, Parramatta are eager to avenge themselves after having last year’s Auckland Nines trophy stripped from them. Corey Norman returns to captain the team after missing the last seven rounds through suspension, with fellow starting half Clint Gutherson also named.

Semi Radradra and Bevan French provide some strike to the sides edges, while new recruits Nathan Brown, Suaia Matagi, George Jennings and Josh Hoffman all set to don the blue and gold for the first time.

While the Eel have bought a stack of first-grade talent with them, they’ve also integrated some depth into the team. After the club faced a halves crisis last year, Holden Cup star Troy Dargan is included to showcase his playmaking ability in case of an injury, while the 2015 NSW Cup leading try-scorer Honeti Tuha adds backline depth to the squad.

Who To Watch: Nathan Brown. The former Souths aggressor has made the move west to Parramatta, and is set to spearhead the Eels pack in 2017, starting this weekend. A prop bursting with energy, a series of short stints from the big man could see him prove to be one of the best players of the tournament. With a handy offload in his arsenal, Brown’s ability to draw in multiple defenders and create an overlap could be pivotal.

Why They Could Win: The forwards. Their backline is electric with the likes of French, Radradra and Hoffman, but it’s the forwards that could have the biggest impact. Not only are Tepai Moeroa, Suaia Matagi, Nathan Brown, Kenny Edwards and David Gower are strong runners of the footballers, their ball-playing ability makes them invaluable in the tournament.

Why They Can’t Win: There’s not a lot stopping the Eels this year, but if anything is to stop them, it’ll come from the dummy-half area. Cameron King is the only known hooker in the squad, so Parramatta could be in trouble if injury strikes King down. While King is a solid performer, his lack of creativity could hurt the Eels.

Prediction: The Eels are the real deal at the Nines again this year, and it’ll take a special effort to stop them. In saying that, the tournament is so unpredictable with its momentum, it’s almost impossible to predict. If Corey Norman and Bevan French can hit their straps, there’s no knowing how good this team can be. But it’s hard to predict that it’s hard to see Parramatta winning the Nines in back-to-back years, so they might fall just short.