Grothe amazed at young Eels

Parramatta winger Eric Grothe says he is continually amazed at the attacking potential of his young Eels teammates.

Grothe was the only outside back not to score in the his side's 36-16 demolition of the Sydney Roosters in Saturday night's NRL clash at Aussie Stadium, with winger Jarryd Hayne and fullback Luke Burt both bagging a double.

Centres Ben Smith and young Kiwi international Krisnan Inu also scored and terrorised the Roosters defence while second rower Feleti Mateo was very dangerous and threw a superb cut out pass to put Hayne across in the second half.

Parramatta have the second best attack in the NRL - behind league leaders Melbourne - with halfback Tim Smith and five-eighth Brett Finch hitting their straps setting up tries with both hand and foot.

Grothe, a contender for a NSW State of Origin recall on Tuesday, said the Eels attacking potential is now as strong as it has ever been boding well for a strong run at the NRL finals.

"We are pretty lucky in that we have good attacking options right across the park," said Grothe.

"Guys like Kris Inu and Ben Smith, they are a danger on either side and those boys are going great and when these young fellas are scoring tries I like to sit back and just watch them.

"They're only young too those boys. I think they're all signed up for a few years to come so it's only going to get better for us.

"I'm looking for a big second half of the season and getting to the semi finals and anything can happen from there."

Parramatta coach Michael Hagan couldn't be happier with his side's first half of the season, reaching their bye weekend with a 9-6 record to be sitting third on the competition table.

Captain and in-form prop Nathan Cayless (broken hand) is due back in the coming weeks along with representative centre Timana Tahu (hamstring) which could provide some selection headaches for Hagan.

Tahu's replacement Inu has been sensational in his debut season while the Eels have plenty of forward firepower with Josh Cordoba, Fuifui Moimoi and Aaron Cannings all superb in recent weeks.

"Invariably those things sort themselves out," said Hagan of his looming selection issues.

"I think we've got through this representative period pretty healthy as far as injuries and our form is concerned.

"I think we'll hopefully look forward to Nathan Cayless and maybe Timana Tahu coming back after the bye or not too far after that.

"We are looking forward to a really good run home from here.

"I think the players will enjoy the week off because they have worked very hard for 15 weeks of the competition and we're the last team along with three others to get the bye next weekend.

"We can be reasonably happy with what we've done and can still improve on our performance in the coming weeks."

Eels thump Roosters 36-16, Wing booed

Craig Wing was jeered by his own supporters but the worse was yet to come as a rampant Parramatta annihilated his Sydney Roosters 36-16 in their NRL clash at Aussie Stadium.

Playing his first game since signing a four-year deal with fierce rivals South Sydney, Wing was loudly booed when he was announced at the ground and the cries only intensified with his first run from dummy half.

While Wing couldn't silence the 12,211 crowd, the Eels did with a superb first-half performance to race out to a 22-0 lead at the break.

The Roosters rallied in the second stanza and halfback Mitchell Pearce showed glimpses of a very bright future with a hand in all three of their tries.

However, the damage had been well and truly done and the Eels secured their ninth win of the season to hold down third spot on the NRL table.

Eels winger Jarryd Hayne scored two tries in three minutes early in the second half - his second a 60m intercept effort that put the result beyond doubt for a 30-4 lead.

Pearce put Shaun Kenny-Dowall and Sam Perrett over in succession to reduce the deficit to 14 points with 15 minutes to play, but the Roosters' revival came too late.

Eels fullback Luke Burt scored his second try in the last minute to complete a 16-point individual haul.

Parramatta's opening 40 minutes were simply outstanding, Ben Smith scoring first in the eighth minute after Sia Soliola fumbled an intercept attempt leaving the Eels centre with an easy over-lap to exploit and dummy through to the line.

An Ashley Harrison dropped ball off a scrum 10m out from his own line led to Nathan Hindmarsh barging over for a 12-0 lead.

The Eels scored off another attacking scrum in the 27th minute when Brett Finch kicked immediately for Burt to score untouched.

Then off the re-start prop Aaron Cannings sparked an amazing play when he broke the line and offloaded with the ball eventually landing with winger Eric Grothe who completed an 80m move.

Tim Smith kicked for the corner on the next play and Kiwi international centre Krisnan Inu collected the ball from his bootlaces to score for the 22-0 lead.

The loss ends the Roosters' best winning streak of the season - two - and their task only gets harder next week with a clash against the resurgent Bulldogs.

Eels prop Cayless breaks hand



Parramatta captain Nathan Cayless is out for four weeks after he was diagnosed with a broken hand.

The New Zealand international suffered the injury in the Eels 20-12 NRL win over St George Illawarra at Parramatta Stadium on Sunday.

Coach Michael Hagan has promoted Josh Cordoba from the bench into the starting side while Daniel Wagon returns from illness to play this Saturday against the Sydney Roosters at Aussie Stadium.

Nathan Hindmarsh will captain the Eels side in the absence of Cayless while his brother Ian Hindmarsh will play his 150th NRL game.

Hagan said the injury to Cayless is a huge setback.

"He has been one of our really good players so far this season and it is a blow to the team and to Nathan personally," Hagan said.

"Hopefully against the Roosters we can apply the necessary attitude and work hard again. It is going to be a tough game. They are obviously full of confidence and will be looking to play well at home as well."

Eels too classy for struggling Dragons

The Eels made sure Nathan Hindmarsh's 200th first grade game for the club was a memorable one with a 20-12 win over St George Illawarra in this afternoon's round 14 NRL encounter at Parramatta Stadium.

The New South Wales and Australian second rower did not manage to cross the line in his milestone match, but put in a typically busy display with a monster 53 tackles for the match and eight hit-ups.

The loss leaves the Dragons languishing on the bottom of the table with just four wins for the season, while Parramatta has cemented itself a place in the competition top four.

After going into half-time with a 2-0 lead courtesy of a Luke Burt penalty goal, the home side scored three tries through Jarryd Hayne, Eric Grothe and Krisnan Inu while restricting the Dragons to two four-pointers.

The Dragons were the first to score after the break through Tom Hewitt to lead 6-2 in the 50th minute, but the Eels took the lead eight minutes later and never faltered, with Dragons half Jamie Soward crossing for a consolation try on the full-time siren.

Hayne scored on the left wing after a neat backline move, the Blues speedster taking advantage of a pin-point long ball from Burt that put him on the outside of the Dragons defence.

The Dragons stayed in touch until the 70th minute, trailing 8-6 before Grothe crossed to put the Eels out by eight points with Burt's conversion.

Inu's try three minutes later sealed the game for the Eels, the big centre leaping high to collect a bomb on the Dragons tryline.

Parramatta 20 (J Hayne, E Grothe, K Inu tries; L Burt 3 conversions, 1 penalty)

St George Illawarra 12 (T Hewitt, J Soward tries; J Soward 2 conversions)

Parramatta Eels Half Yearly Report

As the 2007 season approached the Eels fans were quietly excited but in reality didn't really know what to expect from the new coach in Michael Hagen and only two signings of note, being Brett Finch and the return of Ian Hindmarsh.

The eels chose to invest in the future of their youngsters as they had won the Premier League grand final two years running now and it was time to either give these young players a chance in the NRL at Parramatta, or risk loosing them to other NRL clubs.

The Eels exodus included experienced NRL players like Dean Widders, Jeremy Smith, John Morris, Wade McKinnon and Glen Morrison. A lot of fans believed that some poor decisions were made however they were also keen to see how the youngsters would perform in the NRL and after the first few rounds, it was apparent that these new combinations would take some time to gel.

And gel they have.

As the season has rolled on the combinations have started to work, some better than others. Some individuals have stood out but generally the young players have performed pretty well.

Best Player

Each week the League Unlimited Eels members vote for the player of the round on a 3,2,1 basis and the votes are cumulated weekly. The best players at the completion of Round 13 are as follows:

17 points - Nathan Cayless
10 points - Luke Burt
9 points - Tim Smith
8 points - Nathan Hindmarsh
8 points - Fuifui Moimoi
7 points - Feleti Mateo
5 points - PJ Marsh
3 points - Ben Smith
3 points - Aaron Cannings
3 points - Mark Riddell
2 points - Jarryd Hayne
1 point - Daniel Wagon
1 point - Brett Finch
1 point - Blake Green

Most Disappointing Player

Our most disappointing player so far this season would have to be Brett Finch, although the Eels don't really have to much to be disappointed about at this stage. To his credit, he has been excellent in defence but we have plenty of back rowers and good support off the bench.

A good 5/8 should provide more in attack than Brett Finch has so far this season and his kicking and passing has been disappointing.

Timana Tahu has also been a bit disappointing in that he seems to always be injured and can't really get to much momentum going.

Best Win

The Eels best win for the season would have to be the game against the Tigers in round 12. The Tigers had won 6 on the trot and the Eels were looming as a team who were slowly starting to gel against mediocre opposition. It was to be a big test against a team above them and they not only won convincingly, but shown they were capable of racking up a big score without relying on the boot of Tim Smith to got them over the line.

Most Disappointing Performance

The Eels most disappointing loss so far was second round 13 loss to the Raiders on a cold night in Canberra.

The Raiders put 24 points on us in the first 12 minutes and that's where the damage was done. We looked uninterested from there on and were never in the game at any stage.

It was most disappointing considering the previous week, the Eels played some of the best footy of the year against the in form Tigers.

The Round 2 flogging by the Bunnies was also a bit of a slap in the face

Best Rookie

The Eels have had a few debutants this season, thanks to Michael Hagen's interest in giving Premier League players a run in th NRL.

So far this season Krisnan Inu, Junior Paulo, Weller Hauraki, Blake Green and Zeb Tia have all debuted for the Eels NRL team.

By far the most impressive debutant has been Krisnan Inu who also debuted for New Zealand at fullback during the Anzac day test match.

Weller Hauraki was very impressive in his only game. Blake Green also had a creditable debut despite being played out of position at 14 and being a regular half or 5/8 in the Eels premier league team.

Best Signing

The Eels only had two new signings for the 2007 season. The main signing being Brett Finch from the Sydney Roosters, a former NSW State of Origin half and the resigning of Ian Hindmarsh from English Super League.

Of the two new signing, Ian Hindmarsh has given the Eels the most creditable service so far this season, despite missing out on the last couple of rounds with a head injury. Close call but I'd give it to Ian Hindmarsh.

Summary on the first half of the season and predictions for the second half

Like a glacier slowly gaining momentum, the Eels have been building on their teamwork and starting to gel. With a mass exodus of experienced players the Eels had to go through a rebuilding process. While coaching staff believed in the depth at the club after winning the last two Premier League grand finals, it was a matter a nurturing the talent that was at the club.

There was always going to be a settling in period and it took time for player to settle in, particularly the halves combination of Tim Smith and Bret Finch. As the season has progressed so has their form and their confidence which was apparent during the round 12 games against the Tigers.

As far as the rest of the season goes I predict that the team will continue to improve although it may be a rocky road for such a young team and a top 4 finish would be expected at this stage.

The Coach

After the turmoil of 2006, when Brain Smith decided he was past his use by date at the Eels, they were left with their Premier League coach, Jason Taylor, to get them through the season.

The Eels went on a winning spree that got them into the final 8 and there were a lot of fans who wanted to see JT stay on at the els but the decision was made he he was Redfern bound.

Enter the next contestant, Michael Hagen, the third coach in a 12 month period.Nowdays a coach's role is not only to coach the team, but to mould it and have a big say who stays and who goes. Its hard to judge a coach on half a season, but if the Eels position on the NRL table is an indication, then Michael Hagen has done a reasonable job.

One thing that Michael Hagen has done which his predecessor did not is to encourage a lot of the younger players at the club by giving them a chance in the NRL team.

As previously mentioned we have had a higher than usual number of debutants this year and this has been a pleasing feature of Hagen's coaching, as there is a lot of junior talent at Parramatta Stadium.In any case, the players seems to be a bit more relaxed as the season progresses and the Eels are slowly climbing the NRL ladder, and thats normally the barometer for success.

Final Position Prediction

At this stage of the season the Eels seem to be on the improve.

Should they continue to improve at their current rate, they should finish top 4.

Most Improved Player

The Eels have a few players that have significantly improved their form this year.

NATHAN CAYLESS. You might think, how can an established NRL and International player improve ? Nathan Cayless is currently our best player for the season and his work rate has increased significantly over the past couple of seasons. He is now back to his form of 2001 and one the Eels most improved players for 2007.

LUKE BURT. After spending the 2006 season on the Wing, at fullback, then at fullback in Premier League, then back to the NRL team, Luke Burt has made the fullback role in the NRL team his own this year.

It was widely tipped that Jarryd Hayne would eventually fill the fullback role as that was his role in a lot of his junior football and for the Eels premier league team.

However Luke Burt's form has been so good that he is the Eels No 1 fullback and his support play has been excellent this season. He also leads the NRL point scoring at this stage of the season.

FELITI MATEO. At 23 years of age he has been around for a while but not given too many chances by Brian Smith. With the exit of Dean Widders there was an opportunity to make a bench spot his. His form has been so good that he has cemented a back rower's spot, despite playing a lot of his junior football at 5/8.

He has the ability to be an alternative play maker with his deft passing and his ability to free his arms as well as unload the ball in tackles. He's also got a good kicking game and has a fair bit of acceleration for a player his size.For me, he is the Eels most improved player so far this season.

He's has also been considered by the current Australian coach as a future Australian representative.

Ben Smith also deserves a mention. He is now building the strength and confidence after a leg fracture that kept him out for almost a full season. There has never been any doubt about his defensive capabilities, however the pleasing aspect is his attack is building nicely as the season progresses.

No nasty surprises in store - Riddell

PARRAMATTA hooker Mark Riddell has been gone from St George Illawarra for less than three years, but there is hardly anyone left in the Dragons' side he played in.

The mix of players in the St George Illawarra side for tomorrow's game against the Eels at Parramatta Stadium is on three levels - the experienced, the inexperienced and the just plain raw. Parramatta will field a mostly experienced line-up, but many of the players in the two teams will be facing each other for the first time.

Could that present a problem for the Eels? Will some of the younger and relatively unknown Dragons bring a surprise to the game? Riddell thinks not. He believes the Eels have sufficiently done their homework.

"We've watched a bit of tape on them this week," Riddell said yesterday. "But we haven't spent any more time on that than we would on other teams. I like to watch the Dragons, since I played for them and I've still got mates at the club, and I've been able to point out a few things about the young blokes there, to go with the tips we get from the coaching staff.

"And 'Finchy' [Parramatta halfback Brett Finch] has given us a bit of information on Jamie Soward [the St George Illawarra halfback]. I think that, with the homework we've done, we've got a pretty good handle on their strengths and weaknesses. I think we're well prepared.

"There are a lot of players in the 17 the Dragons named for this game that I didn't play with and I've only been gone from there since the end of 2004. Looking at the team, I played with Jason Ryles, Matt Cooper, Ben Creagh and Justin Poore and that's it. A lot of the guys in the team I'll be playing against for the first time."

Riddell said that while it was important to be up to date on the potential of young players in the opposition, Parramatta's priority was to ensure their attitude was right in the wake of last weekend's poor showing against Canberra. The Raiders led 24-0 after an amazing first 12 minutes and went on to win 38-10.

"We were well aware of what can happen when you go down to Canberra, but when the game kicked off we just weren't there mentally," he said. "They got a quick try, then another one … They scored four tries in a hurry and we ended up copping a hiding.

"We knew that once Canberra got a sniff down there they were dangerous, but we didn't stop it from happening. It was disappointing and getting our own backyard in order is what we've concentrated on this week. I think we've done a good job of that.

"Obviously, the way the weather is at the moment, the ground will be heavy and there's a big chance it will rain during the game. When we trained yesterday it was bucketing down and we trained pretty well, so that was good preparation for the conditions we're probably going to face."

St George Illawarra will field a similar side to the one that upset a star-studded Brisbane outfit 11-4 at Jubilee Oval two weeks back, but they will find it much more difficult at Parramatta Stadium. The Eels have a win-loss record of 5-1 at home this season and will relish going back there after playing two straight away games.

El Burt's magic has Eels kicking along

The Bulldogs have El Magic, but Parramatta fans might soon take to chanting El Burt.
Eels fullback Luke Burt has booted an astonishing 51 goals from 59 attempts in 2007 to be the NRL's leading goalkicker and pointscorer.

His 86 per cent success rate is equal with the Dogs' Hazem El Masri, the man many regard as the league's greatest-ever goalkicker.

Burt puts his form down to thinking less, and three men - former coach Jason Taylor, legendary boot whisperer Daryl Halligan and El Masri.

"I've watched his kicking," Burt said of the Bulldogs winger.

"I don't know actually what he's thinking or anything behind it.

"He's got a pretty different style to mine but, geez, it's a bloody good one for that many years."

Current South Sydney mentor Taylor spent several years at the Eels as an assistant and head coach, while Halligan has been working with the Eels' kickers this year.

Respectively, they're the second-highest and third-highest point-getters in the league's history behind Newcastle great Andrew Johns.

"A lot of the base is off JT (Taylor) but Daryl's given me a few extra things just to top it off," Burt said of the 10 sessions he's had with the former New Zealand international.

"(Halligan's focus is) probably not thinking too much, knowing what I need to do and just being confident in myself with going out and doing it and it's been paying off."

Burt changed his approach mid-season last year and hasn't changed a lot since.

"I was getting back and I was taking too long and thinking about too many things over the ball," he said.

"I made a base from last year and just kept practising and didn't have to change too much this year, so I've had a long period of the same sort of style."

The Eels sharp-shooter's boot could come in handy during Sunday's clash with St George Illawarra at Parramatta Stadium - when the sides fought out an arm-wrestle in the wet last year, and the scoreline read 2-1 until the final minutes.

The sixth-placed Eels will go in favourites against the 15th-placed Dragons and have a 5-1 home record in 2007.

Prop Josh Cordoba, who was concussed in last week's 38-10 loss to Canberra, trained with the side on Saturday and is expected to play.

The Dragons face another week minus most of their stars but they do get centre Matt Cooper back from NSW State of Origin duty.

Raiders 38 Eels 10

The Canberra Raiders have beaten the Eels 38-10 in Canberra.

Four tries in the first 12 minutes have given them a healthy lead early in the first half. Backrower Glen Turner grabbed two tries, both from close range as Parramatta, who looked genuine NRL premiership contenders against Wests Tigers last weekend, began to fray defensively.

The other early try scorers for Canberra were five-eighth Terry Campese and prop Scott Logan. A short and high rugby union style drop out from Eels' fullback Luke Burt provided the Raiders will a full set of six well inside Parramatta territory.

In-form Eels wary of slipping up in frosty Canberra

MICHAEL Hagan used to coach lower grades at Canberra, where he saw visiting teams arrive looking as if they were already beaten. He has even taken Newcastle teams that included the great Andrew Johns to Canberra and still found winning a struggle. Now he's back for one of the toughest away trips in the game with Parramatta.

If the draw gives you a day match at Canberra Stadium early in the season - when it's dry and maybe even warm - you think you've won the lottery as a coach. But the Eels weren't so lucky this season.

They drew a night game in the miserable cold of a Canberra winter in round 13. The Raiders live and train in it and they know the conditions will suit them and annoy the opposition.

Sure, it's hosing down in Sydney at the moment but you can bet that whatever the temperature is when tonight's game kicks off at 5.30pm, it will be even colder in Canberra.

So, Parramatta fans, don't look at last Monday's big win over Wests Tigers and think you've got it made for this one. Apart from the conditions, the Eels have to deal with the Monday curse that has brought so many teams undone this season.

Most who played on Monday nights lost their matches the following round but the Eels' difficulties are compounded by a short, five-day turnaround and a road trip. If your team gets out of the national capital winning by a point, Parramatta fans, take it and run. If they happen to win comfortably, then they've done a fantastic job.

"The short turnaround, the conditions, the fact Canberra play so well at this time of year down there … it has made the alarm bells ring with me, as a coach," Hagan said.

So what has Hagan done to try to remedy the situation? First, he went light on training to give his players the chance to get over Monday's game. Then he arranged for the team to train at Canberra Stadium yesterday afternoon, straight after the bus trip down. That was their only full-on session all week.

And he planned to talk to his players last night about why it was difficult to win there and the on-field approach they needed to take to give themselves every chance of overcoming the adverse conditions.

"I just want to remind them of it, without going overboard," Hagan said before heading south.

"It is one of the hardest away games to win and the short week just makes it harder. That's why I've gone easy on them this week. We played a pretty physical game against the Tigers and a few of the guys needed to take it a bit easy after that."

Parramatta have lost two of their stars - second-rower Nathan Hindmarsh and winger Jarryd Hayne - to the NSW team for State of Origin II. Canberra have lost one - second-rower Neville Costigan. Hagan feels that losing his two Origin reps may help keep the rest of the Parramatta players on their toes.

The Eels may draw inspiration from the fact they beat the Raiders in Canberra last year, 18-12. They also beat them, 38-6, at Parramatta Stadium in round four this season.

But just when you think you've got the wood on Canberra, they have a habit of nicking one off you against the odds and form guide. That's why the Eels must be wary tonight.

Hayne happy with form

JARRYD Hayne watched a full replay of Origin I a day after the game - mostly that try and THAT pass - and decided, on balance, he was on the right track.

The young Eels winger had etched his name into Origin folklore at Suncorp Stadium with a stunning first-half try and a shocking second-half gaffe but Hayne shelved the memory of his NSW debut content in the knowledge he belonged in Blue.

"I watched it the next day, I saw the pass and I saw the try," Hayne said yesterday.

"By about the third day I was pretty much over it. It's all about emotions you know in footy, and you have got to get over it."

As NSW spent the day indoors doing video and gym work yesterday – cancelling a third day of wet weather training – the innately confident Hayne vowed he would not change his "instinctive" game for Origin II.

Emboldened by selectors' faith and a hot streak of form for Parramatta, Hayne said he'd continue to push the envelope and back himself.

And though Graham Murray would not want to see it on his watch, Hayne said he'd be happy to keep making mistakes as part of his steep learning curve.

"I'd be happy enough to make more errors you know? I am a young bloke, I am happy with my game," Hayne said.

"I was disappointed about that pass but you have to get over it."

King, queen or Kangaroos?

HE has only played 11 first grade games but already fans are wondering which country Parramatta back rower Feleti Mateo will one day represent.

And yesterday the Australia Test coach weighed in - urging the Parramatta rookie not to turn his back on Australia.

The 23-year-old has become the latest rookie to set the NRL alight.

But after learning that Mateo wants to play for Tonga and also qualifies to play for Great Britain, Ricky Stuart yesterday called on the rising star to pledge his allegiance to Australia.

"He was born in western Sydney, is a Parramatta junior and has the potential to represent," Stuart said.

"I would like to think he would want to play for his country.

"He should make a decision now, whatever that may be."

Fresh from signing a new three-year deal with the Eels, Mateo yesterday revealed he could play for the British Lions, Tonga or Australia.

"My father is Tongan and my mother is English," Mateo said. "I hold a UK passport and could play for them.

"I couldn't rule out playing for them but they haven't approached me about my availability yet.
"I have recently played for Tonga so I have some options there."

The Lalor Park junior is keen to continue playing under Jim Dymock for Tonga at next year's World Cup, but admits his dream was to one day play for Australia.

Dymock, a former Bulldogs and Eels star, is Test coach Stuart's assistant at the Sharks.

"I guess my dream is to play for Australia but I couldn't rule out playing for Great Britain," Mateo said.

"It would be a dream to play for New South Wales and Australia but maybe England might approach me first."

Respected South Sydney recruitment manager Mark Hughes last night said Mateo was the closest player in the NRL to Bulldogs star Sonny Bill Williams.

And Hughes should know - he was the man who brought Williams to the Bulldogs.

"He has really burst on to the scene," Hughes said.

"Along with Krisian Inu, they are the two young players making their mark at the moment."

But just two years ago the 104kg back rower was shunted to the English Super League after making his NRL debut as a 19-year-old.

Mateo said Brain Smith didn't consider him good enough to play first grade, so he was sent to the other side of the world to learn his trade.

He spent five months playing for the London Broncos.

"I'm not sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing," Mateo said.

"I played one game of first grade and then went to the London Broncos.

"It was the first time I had moved out of home and was a real experience for me.

"It was part of the process Brian Smith saw for me to mature."

On his return, Mateo went back to the Premier League, becoming Eels reserve grade player of the year.

His chance came with the arrival of new Parramatta coach Michael Hagan.

"I am in a good place at the moment and have good people around me. I was just happy to get the opportunity to play first grade," Mateo said.

"It was a shock the other clubs were looking at me so much, but I am a local junior and I was happy to stay here."

Eels name team for Canberra game

Parramatta will be without NSW players Nathan Hindmarsh and Jarryd Hayne for this Saturday's round thirteen NRL match against Canberra.

Joel Reddy takes Hayne's place on the wing while Chad Robinson moves from the interchange bench, where he started from in Monday's 38-8 win over Wests Tigers, to the starting team with Ian Hindmarsh back from injury named on the bench.

Timana Tahu is still out with an injured hamstring.

The team is Luke Burt, Joel Reddy, Ben Smith, Krisnan Inu, Eric Grothe, Brett Finch, Tim Smith, Nathan Cayless (C), PJ Marsh, Aaron Cannings, Chad Robinson, Feleti Mateo, Daniel Wagon;

Interchange: Mark Riddell, Josh Cordoba, Ian Hindmarsh, Fuifui Moimoi, Weller Haraki (one to be omitted).

Match kick-off this Saturday in Canberra is 5.30pm.

Eels tame the Tigers, 38-8

Parramatta proved their premiership credentials by beating Wests Tigers at their own game with a 38-8 victory at Telstra Stadium.

The Eels constant offloading and second phase play was impossible for the Tigers to stop as Parramatta ran out seven tries to one victors and claimed their third successive win and sixth straight against the merger club.

The defeat ended the Tigers' six-game winning streak and is their biggest loss of the season.
Parramatta dominated the match using the same brand of football that carried the Tigers to the 2005 NRL premiership.

With a 16-2 lead at halftime, the Eels rapid ball movement led to two quick tries within eight minutes of the restart to put the result beyond doubt.

Led by rampaging young forward Feleti Mateo with two tries, teenage NSW winger Jarryd Hayne and some powerful runs from cult hero Fuifui Moimoi, the Eels were never threatened in the game and scored three of the better tries seen this season.

Grothe's 17th minute try started with two reverse flick passes and an overhead tap before the former NSW winger grounded the ball with his right hand at a full stretch just as two Tigers dragged him out of the field of play.

Moimoi set up Hayne's effort when he burst through the defensive line and offloaded to Mateo who then bamboozled the Tigers with an inside pass to Hayne who ran 40 metres untouched to score beneath the posts in the 24th minute.

Brett Finch stepped over just before the break to score after Chad Robinson prevented Daniel Fitzhenry from grounding what should have been a straight forward try at the other end.
Finch turned provider in the 45th when he cut his way towards the line then passed over the head of a defender for Mateo to score.

Centre Ben Smith reached out for another one-handed try in the 48th minute as the Eels lead swelled to 26-2.

Prop Aaron Cannings offloaded near halfway for PJ Marsh to break clear and put Burt into open space and score under the sticks for a 30 point lead on the hour.

The Tigers finally broke through the Eels rugged defence in the 65th minute when Brett Hodgson, only minutes after being floored from a head clash with Marsh, put teenage centre Chris Lawrence over for his sixth try in five games.

Former Eel now Tigers halfback John Morris ended the game in the sin bin after holding down Marsh after making a tackle that prevented a try.

With the extra man the Eels continued to stretch the Tigers with Mateo slamming down his second try in the 76th minute.