Parramatta Eels Blog: The 1Eyed Eel

Wise Kativerata will spend the rest of the season at the Eels after he was denied a visa to join the Widnes Vikings, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

Chris Thorman rejected an offer to spend another 12 months at Parramatta, according to Sporting Life.

"I had a 12-month option with Parramatta but I have had a bit of a frustrating season and I had a fair few offers from English clubs. I have missed my family and I have missed my friends and the English life, I suppose, but that was not a massive factor. I just weighed everything up.

"The team has probably under-performed and that has had a bit to do with it. I've been in and out of the side but I knew it would be like this. I have learned a hell of a lot and, if nothing else, I am going to come back a better player. That was the main aim."

The Guardian in the UK has reported that Chris Thorman has been signed to play for Huddersfield next year "abandon[ing] his attempt to establish himself in Australia's National Rugby League after a single season".

"He was aiming to emulate Adrian Morley, the only other Briton in the NRL and a cult figure with the Sydney Roosters. But even Morley struggled in his first year and Thorman had an even tougher task in establishing himself as a half-back in the intense Australian competition, not least because of his Geordie accent," the story said.

"After a handful of appearances he has opted for greater financial security in the less demanding environment of the Super League, although his signing is still a major coup for Huddersfield as he was wanted by a number of other British clubs, including Hull."

In a shock move, Parramatta centre David Vaeliki has been released and will join English Super League club Wigan, the Eels have announced on their official website.

Vaeliki has signed with Wigan for the next three years.

Parra boss Denis Fitzgerald made this quote in the media release: “David has made a great impression on everyone at the Club since arriving from New Zealand in 1999. He has a tremendous opportunity to set himself up for life, and he goes with our blessing. I know all Parramatta supporters will join me in wishing him all the very best".

In its report of the news, AAP again confirmed that the Eels are also contemplating releasing Adam Dykes, quoting Steve Rogers as saying: "The negotiations from our end have been completed. We are just waiting on a release from Parramatta – I'm hopeful this week we will have a result."

Chris Thorman's effort against the Storm has seen him named at number seven for this week's match against the Tigers, while Shane Muspratt will return from injury as starting hooker according to the NRL team named tonight.

Despite their impressive debuts last week, Feleti Mateo and Ben Smith have both been dropped back to Premier League as has Fuifui Moimoi, who scored a try against the Storm.

Adam Peek and Justin Tsoulos, neither of whom played last week, have both been named on the bench with Michael Witt the 18th man.

1 – Wade McKINNON
2 - Ashley GRAHAM
3 - Junior LANGI
4 – Luke BURT
5 – Matt PETERSEN
6 – Daniel WAGON ©
7 – Chris THORMAN
8 – Corey PEARSON
9 – Shane MUSPRATT
10 – Michael VELLA
11 – Nathan HINDMARSH
12 – Craig STAPLETON
13 – Lee HOPKINS
14 – Dean WIDDERS

15 – Jack AFAMASAGA
16 – Adam PEEK
17 – Justin TSOULOS
18 – Michael WITT

He may have scored a try and impressed most Parra fans with his hard running against the Storm but Fuifui Moimoi has still dropped from an NRL starter to be a bench player in Premier League.

With Wise Kativerata released to the UK, Ben Smith will now partner Luke O'Dwyer in the centres for Premier Leagues this week.

Feleti Mateo is back to first division five-eighth, alongside half Tim Smith.

1 - Joel REDDY
2 – Matt GRUSZKA
3 – Ben SMITH
4 – Luke O’DWYER
5 – Brett ANDERSON
6 – Feleti MATEO
7 – Tim SMITH
8 – Jim CURTIS
9 – James WEBSTER ©
10 – Chris ARMIT
11 – Fred PETERSEN
12 – Peter ELLIS
13 – Chris MUCKERT
14 – Weller HAURAKI
15 – Fuifui MOIMOI
16 – Steve MOWBRAY
17 – Jeremiah PAI

Wade McKinnon - 6 (76)
Failed to clean up the Scott Hill grubber that led to Orford's try and needed to hit Matt King low rather than high when he touched down out wide. Those moments sullied another solid game.

Ashley Graham - 4 (47)
Probably stopped one try when he came in off his wing to hamper a promising Storm attacking raid, but gave one back when he attempted the intercept that led to Matt King's try. Involvement not high-enough with only one hitup all game.

Luke Burt - 6 (98)
Continued his try-scoring run and played solidly.

Matthew Peterson - 7 (83)
Another fine performance on the wing by Peterson. Did plenty of work out of dummy half, made a couple of runs where he could have been dragged out but managed to stay in the field of play. Has eliminated a lot of the errors out of his game and has really matured into a fine asset to the team, in the back half of this year.

Daniel Wagon - 6 (106)
Solid game highlighted by a couple of good hits.

Corey Pearson - 6 (44)
Was used more as a link player and put in positions where he would be able to offload, which he did relatively successfully with four offloads.

John Morris -4 (102)
Leg injury forced him from the field

Michael Vella - 7 (103)
Worked hard and put on a couple of big hits. Seemed to appreciate coming on after the opening dust-up.

Nathan Hindmarsh - 6 (114)
Did his usual mountain of work but didn't really trouble the Storm forwards. Tended to crab sideways with little effect. Made a couple of mistakes and was involved in the missed tackle that led Matt Orford downfield in the final minute.

Craig Stapleton - 6 (117)
His usual honest contribution.

Lee Hopkins - 8 (63)
Was faultless defensively and did good work out of dummy half, culminating in what could have been a match-winning try. Has really come good in recent weeks.

Dean Widders - 6 (107)
It was either ironic, or understandable, that the Eels two hardest working forwards were responsible for the lazy tackle that let Orford through. Widders did plenty of work but like Hindmarsh, that moment is etched as a blight on his game.

Jack Afamasaga - 5 (53)
Relatively quiet game, although contributed his usual enthusiasm.

Chris Thorman - 6 (24)
A roller coaster game. Stupid defensive decision let Orford through for his first try and took some poor last tackle options. However, his second half was excellent and he became the Eels player most likely to bust the Storm open which he did on two occasions. One break led to a try and the other probably should have. Maybe, just maybe, he is up to NRL standard after all.

Fuifui Moimoi - 6 (24)
The Eels hardest running forward and he was on hand, and showed good hands, to pick up the try off the Thorman break after the pass went to ground. Should retain his position on that performance.

Feleti Mateo - 7 (7)
Made every post a winner in his debut. Despite limited game-time got heavily involved making 15 hitups for 107 metres. Looked a constant threat, managed to slip a couple of smart offloads and will now be difficult to displace. Without doubt, a future star. The question is will it be at five-eighth or lock?

Ben Smith - 6 (6)
Like Mateo, a big young Eel on debut. Shoved off Matt King and then attempted to get around the Melbourne outside backs in an audacious attacking move. Got dragged into touch, but in that moment he showed enough power and speed to suggest he's cut out for the big-time. Defensively faultless and should start in the centres next week, whether Langi is back or not.

Eels winger Wise Kativerata has been released to join the Widnes Vikings, Sky Sports News reports.

Meanwhile, consistent Eels forward Craig Stapleton is claimed to be on his way to the Tigers, the Sydney Morning Herald reported in its club round-up.

It also reported that the Bulldogs are in talks with the Armit brothers, Chris and Nathan. Chris Armit is still under contract for next season. Nathan Armit recently achieved representative honours as an Australian schoolboy.

Former Eel Alex Chan is staring at yet another suspension, over his head-high tackle on Nathan Hindmarsh last weekend. Chan faces four to six weeks on the sideline if found guilty.

 
Meanwhile, Michael Vella was not charged, despite being putting on report for a kneeing incident with Billy Slater.

 Eels fans should not be giving up on the finals, yet. There is every chance come Round 24 that the Parramatta Eels will be in the top eight and in control of their destiny.

Assuming no upsets (that is every game is won by the team currently higher on the ladder) and Eels victories over the Tigers, Sharks and Warriors, the Eels will be eighth coming into the final two rounds of the competition.

Victories against those three teams plus the bye would put the Eels on 24 points.

Cowboys (Dragons, Bulldogs, Rabbits, Panthers) would be favoured to beat only the Rabbits, leaving them on 23 points, while the Sharks (Broncos, Roosters, Eels, Bye) may only pick up 2 points from their bye in the same period to leave them on 22 points. The Knights (Rabbits, Raiders, Manly, Dragons) are likely to pick up four points leaving them on 22 points as well, while the Tigers (Eels, Rabbits, Bye, Broncos) are looking at the same mark.

That would leave the ladder, with two rounds remaining looking as follows:
8. Parramatta 24
9. Cowboys 23
10. Knights 22
11. Tigers 22
12. Sharks 22

Of course, the Eels couldn’t finish the season with any two tougher matches. In round 25 they face up to the Panthers and then they finish the season against the Roosters. However, by that time, the Eels will almost certainly have back Nathan Cayless, Aaron Cannings, Adam Dykes and Eric Grothe and could possibly be at close to full strength.

Indeed, the Eels could lose one of those matches and still make the finals, but they would be reliant on the Cowboys dropping a match as well against either the Tigers (at Leichardt) or Sharks (at Townsville).

The Eels, then, absolutely remain in the race for the final eight.

John Morris is expected to miss the rest of the season after X-rays, confirmed the Eels hooker had cracked a bone in his leg, AAP has reported.

Brian Smith labelled the decision that cost Parramatta any chance of victory "disgusting".

Media reports following last night's clash against the Storm mostly focused on Smith's post-match tirade against officials.

"I think all the Melbourne players were lined up for a play-the-ball, I think they knew what had happened. All of our players knew what had happened. Certainly the bloke who made the tackle and had his arm under the ball and held him up knew," said a Sunday Herald Sun.

"It appeared as if the video ref was the only one who didn't realise what had happened - it was one of many tonight. They were the difference in the winning and losing of the game, it wasn't decided by the players."

Meanwhile, The Sun Herald quoted Smith as saying: "To come here playing under pressure to stay in the race for the finals, and to lose the way we did, on the back of decisions not made by players from either team, is just not good enough.

"If we keep playing like we did tonight and we're on the end of some crap calls, it will make it very difficult [to make the finals].

"[The Orford decision] was one of many tonight - some made in the box, some made on the field - that were the difference in the winning and losing of the game."

Meanwhile, other media reports focused on the performance by Melbourne half-back Matt Orford, who appeared likely to be Parramatta bound at one stage this year.

"He might have been the smallest player on the field, but Melbourne half-back Matt Orford last night won the Storm a last-minute victory over Parramatta at Olympic Park through sheer physical strength," said a report in The Age.

"He is only 172 centimetres and 78 kilograms, but none of the Storm's massive forwards or powerful backs bench-presses more in the Melbourne gym than the dynamo in the No. 7 guernsey."

The Parramatta Eels have lost in heart-breaking circumstances to the Melbourne Storm after Matt Orford scored in the final 20 seconds.

The Eels had shown tremendous grit and determination to level the scores at 16 all, when Lee Hopkins scooted over from dummy half with just a couple of minutes to go. A Luke Burt conversion tied things up and a golden point game looked certain.

However, Matt Orford make a break in his own half to put the Storm on the attack. A couple of plays later the half, who had already scored two tries for his team, managed to get the ball over the line in a three-man tackle to demoralise the Eels.

Brian Smith entered the game with a much different team to the one named on paper. Young guns Ben Smith and Feleti Mateo both made their debuts, Chris Thorman replaced Michael Witt and Fuifui Moimoi started, with Michael Vella moved to the interchange bench and Adam Peek missing out.

Once again, the Eels got off to a great start. Matt Peterson should have scored but for being pushed out of play by Matt Geyer, who earned 10 minutes in the bin for the indiscretion. The Eels took advantage of the overlap on the ensuing set of six and good hands saw Luke Burt score.

Despite having the one-man advantage and completing every set of six, the Eels still had the worst of possesion and the Storm fought back via two tries to Matt Orford. First Chris Thorman made a shocking miss of the Storm half, after rushing out of the line, and allowing Orford an unimpeded run to the tryline. Then Wade McKinnon failed to clean up a Scott Hill grubber and somehow Orford managed to reach over the top of a diving McKinnon as the ball sailed towards the dead ball line and touch down inches in side.

A penalty left the Eels trailing 12 to four at half-time.

For most of the second-half, the Eels looked the better team with Chris Thorman finally starting to look comfortable in NRL football. He created the Eels next try when he busted the line. While his final pass went to ground, fortunately for the Eels Fuifui Moimoi was on hand to pick the ball up score. The Burt conversion, from in front, left the Eels only two points behind.

Luck once again deserted Parramatta when Matt King scored out wide not long after, after Ashley Graham attempted an unsuccessful intercept. King juggled the ball on a number of occassions and miraculously regathered and touched down before the cover defence could push him out.

With Orford missing the sideline conversion, the Eels only needed a coverted try to get back on terms and they got that when Lee Hopkins scored in the 79th minute. However, it only served to make the heart-break more painful, with the Eels failing to maintain the impressive defence that had served them so well throughout out game, to the final whistle.

Unfortunately, despite the much improved performance from the Eels, the final eight is now probably only a mathematical possibility.

Parramatta hooker John Morris has said that despite the Eels injury problems and inconsistent form, the team can still make the final eight.

"There was a period where we let ourselves down by losing four games at home in a row, that was definitely our most disappointing period of the year," Morris told The Daily Telegraph.

"Since then we've had a few good wins and we're still just narrowly in the hunt for the top eight. We can get there if we want to, it's all up to us."

Morris said that Brian Smith had yet to broach his plans for next year with Morris.

"Brian hasn't sat me down for a one-on-one yet but I came here from Newcastle to become a starting player so I'd be disappointed if I was anything else next year," he told the paper.

Parramatta has admitted that the Adam Dykes is very interested in returning to the Sharks, however claim the deal is a "long way from being a finalised", a Daily Telegraph report said.

The Eels say they are waiting for details of a release to be formally tabled by Dykes' manager George Mimis, who said: "We've had discussions with the Parramatta club in relation to a potential release. If the opportunity for Adam to go home to the Sharks in the right circumstances arose he would consider that as an opportunity."

Cronulla has confirmed it is still negotiating with Adam Dykes, according to an AAP report.
 
Sharks CEO Steve Rogers said he hoped to make an announcement as early as this week.

Rampaging front rower Fuifui Moimoi has been named on an extended bench for the Eels clash against Melbourne on Saturday.
 
Coach Brian Smith has retained exactly the same side that went down to the Cowboys last week with the exception of Moimoi's addition to the bench. Six players have been named on the bench with Chris Thorman again the 18th man and Moimoi named at 19.

1 – Wade McKINNON
2 - Ashley GRAHAM
3 - Junior LANGI
4 – Luke BURT
5 – Matt PETERSEN
6 – Daniel WAGON ©
7 – Michael WITT
8 – Corey PEARSON
9 – John MORRIS
10 – Michael VELLA
11 – Nathan HINDMARSH
12 – Craig STAPLETON
13 – Lee HOPKINS

14 – Dean WIDDERS
15 – Jack AFAMASAGA
16 – Adam PEEK
17 – Justin TSOULOS
18 – Chris THORMAN
19 - Fuifui MOIMOI

Promising utility Luke O'Dwyer has returned from injury, name at centre for this weekends Premier League clash against the Bears.
 
The Eels injury crisis is beginning to bite with only three players named on the bench. Josh Cordoba and Mal Kaufusi have not been named in any line-up, so presumably have joined the injured ranks.
 
Meanwhile, O'Dwyer's return means that Brett Anderson drops back to Jersey Flegg.
 
Premier League
 
1 - Joel REDDY
2 – Matt GRUSZKA
3 – Ben SMITH
4 – Luke O’DWYER
5 – Wise KATIVERATA
6 – Feleti MATEO
7 – Tim SMITH
8 – Jim CURTIS
9 – James WEBSTER ©
10 – Chris ARMIT
11 – Fred PETERSEN
12 – Peter ELLIS
13 – Chris MUCKERT

14 – Weller HAURAKI
15 – Jeremiah PAI
16 – Steve MOWBRAY
 
Jersey Flegg

1 – David WILLIAMS
2 – Jesse SHELLEY
3 – Matt LANTRY
4 – Brett ANDERSON
5 – Mark HENDY
6 – Brett DELANEY
7 – Blake GREEN
8 – Brad McLEVY
9 – Scott JONES
10 – Nathan ARMIT
11 – Guy WILLIAMS
12 – Ben TAIA
13 – Simon GREAVES

14 – Mat KEATING
15 – Mark MURPHY
16 – Dale BROCKBANK
17 – Brendan HUNT
18 – Nathan RUSSELL
19 – Thomas MacGOUGAN

Despite being penalised for a number of high tackles on the weekend, no Eels were charged by the judiciary.
 
However, Cowboy Luke O'Donnell, whose tackle on Nathan Hindmarsh went unpunished during the game, was charged with a grade one careless high tackle.
 
The Eels play Melbourne Storm next, who will lose Danny Williams for his controversial kinghit on Tiger Mark O'Neil, but perrenial head hunter and former Eel Alex Chan got away with his high hit against the Tigers.

Wade McKinnon - 7 (77)
Very few fullbacks could have stopped Matthew Bowen one-on-one, but McKinnon again proved why he may be the League's best defensive number one, cutting down the lightening quick Qld Origin rep when he seemed certain to score. Threw a lovely cut-out pass for the Eels first try and troubled the Cowboys bringing the ball back. Did make a couple of errors.
 
Ashley Graham - 4 (47)
Terrible error saw the Cowboys get their first try against the run of play. That was perhaps the turning point in the match. Dropped ball was harder to fathom, considering the remarkable hands he displayed in the second half when he was able to pick up a stray ankle-height pass at pace.
 
Junior Langi -5 (87)
Saw very little ball but was solid defensively.
 
Luke Burt - 6 (98)
Looked dangerous with limited opportunities and appears to be growing more confident in the centre position, but missed tackles are still a problem.
 
Matthew Peterson - 7 (83)
Great game by the enthusiastic winger.
 
Daniel Wagon - 6 (106)
Solid defensively but added little in attack
 
Michael Witt - 5 (33)
Made one break but otherwise failed to spark the Eels.
 
Corey Pearson - 5 (43)
Didn't contribute much at all in a forward pack that was generall outgunned. Nine hit-ups only yielded 58 metres and there were none of the customary offloads.
 
John Morris - 4 (102)
Defence was ok but otherwise a poor game. Gave away penalties, made mistakes at crucial times and was ineffective out of dummy half.
 
Michael Vella - 6 (102)
Tried hard, particularly early in the match but wasn't ever damaging enough to turn the match in the Eels favour.
 
Nathan Hindmarsh - 7 (115)
Forced to make too many tackles. Racked up 47 despite having a stint on the sidelines and was clearly exhausted during the second half when he dropped a ball cold. Subsequently provided very little in attack.
 
Craig Stapleton - 6 (117)
Did a lot of solid work but it didn't have a lot of impact and made some uncustomary errors.
 
Lee Hopkins - 8 (63)
Ran the ball with gusto making good metres as well as putting on a number of solid hits in defence. His enthusiasm seemed to be a level above the other forwards.
 
Dean Widders - 5 (106)
Never got into the match.
 
Jack Afamasaga - 5 (52)
Errors crept into his game and although he tried, he didn't trouble the Cowboys.
 
Adam Peek - 5 (51)
Did a fair job but more than a fair job was needed.
 
Justin Tsoulos - 3 (68)
Injured again. Not for the first time this year an injury to the big fella has left the Eels forwards short. Probably needs some time to properly recover.

Eels coach Brian Smith was highly critical of the number of penalties that went against the Eels in the post-match media conference.
 
While admitting "our game hasn't got it right yet", Smith said: "We didn't reach the heights that we set ourselves particularly knowing that we needed to do that here and the job got bigger with that whopping series of penalties that started the game off for us".
 
"Don't get me wrong. At the end of the day we didn't play nearly well enough to suggest that we could have won this game..it would however have been nice to find out without the extra load," Smith added.
 
He pointed to the high-shot on Nathan Hindmarsh that didn't draw a penalty, while the Eels got pinged for a number of penalties of that ilk.
 
"There was a lot of things that drew penalties and some that didn't. Nathan Hindmarsh got whacked and the guy faces a potential suspension but instead of lying down he thought better of it," Smith said.
 
"It was interesting to see the comparison particularly in relation to some of the penalties we were called for."

Just as the Eels got their finals campaign by on track with a win over the Roosters, it has run off the rails again with the North Queensland Cowboys tonight defeating Parramatta by by 28 points to six.
 
The early minutes looked like Parramatta were in for a romp. They spread the ball early on their first set of six and Luke Burt broke the line. That put the Eels onto the attack and it wasn't long after that the Eels went in for their first try when Wade McKinnon sent a sharp cutout pass to Matt Peterson, who crossed over in the corner. Michael Witt kicked a superb conversion and the night was looking promising for the Eels.
 
However, the Cowboys slowly started to recover from their poor start. Ashley Graham spilt a kick over the top which landed back in the hands of the Cowboys and Ty Williams went over for a try.
 
Then monster prop Shane Tronc who troubled the Eels forwards all game, barged over under the posts and suddenly the Eels were down 12 to six. Another two points from a penalty goal gave the Cowboys a 14 to six lead.
 
The second half was nothing more than an exercise in frustration for the Eels. Nothing went right for them and more and more errors and penalties crept into their games. John Morris was benched after having a shocker, and even Nathan Hindmarsh got time on the sideline after he dropped a simple ball, from what looked like sheer exhaustion.
 
The Cowboys put on two more tries in the second half and the Eels never looked like pegging back the home team. It was a bitterly dissapointing performance from the Eels who will now find it almost impossible to make the eight. Lee Hopkins had a stand out game for the Eels.

Eric Grothe and Jack Afamasaga have both resigned with the Parramatta Eels for next year, according to the official Eels site. 
 
Grothe had been linked strongly with Cronulla but Parramatta has taken up their option on the barnstorming winger.
 
Afamasaga has been a shining light at the Eels over the past two months since making his first grade appearance.

Eels recruit Timana Tahu has been told his ankle needs surgery and he may have played his last game for the Newcastle Knights, according to a story in The Herald today.

Newcastle and Tahu must decide where he has surgery now or tries to play on for the rest of the seaosn with pain killers, before having the operation done in the off season.

Eels will be hoping for the former.

Parramatta CEO Denis Fitzgerald has proposed that the NRL bring in a "trading window" in July where clubs can trade players, or else all trades must wait until the end of the season.

Fitzgerald warned in a report in The Australian that if there was no in-season trading, more NRL stars would be loss to Union and England. The Eels would not have secured Glenn Morrison if they had of been forced to wait until the end of the year, Fitzgerald said.

Rohan Smith, the son of Parramatta coach Brian Smith has joined the London Broncos as assistant coach. The Broncos go up against Leeds this weekend, which is coached by Tony Smith, Brian Smith's brother.

Eric Grothe is still being classed as "not considered" despite reportedly going close to playing last weekend.

Indeed none of the injured Eels have been named in any lineup this weekend, including Adam Dykes and Luke O'Dwyer who was rumoured to be close to a return.

Not surprisingly then, the Eels team is unchanged from last week.

1 – Wade McKINNON
2 - Ashley GRAHAM
3 - Junior LANGI
4 – Luke BURT
5 – Matt PETERSEN
6 – Daniel WAGON ©
7 – Michael WITT
8 – Corey PEARSON
9 – John MORRIS
10 – Michael VELLA
11 – Nathan HINDMARSH
12 – Craig STAPLETON
13 – Lee HOPKINS
14 – Dean WIDDERS
15 – Jack AFAMASAGA
16 – Adam PEEK
17 – Justin TSOULOS
18 – Chris THORMAN

With no changes to the NRL squad there are few changes tricking down to the lower grades. Josh Cordoba is mysteriously missing from any of the named teams which has given Jim Curtis the chance to impress. Curtis has been promoted to the starting side for the Eels Premier League team ahead of Fuifui Moimoi who is still languishing on the bench.

Premier League

1 - Joel REDDY
2 – Matt GRUSZKA
3 – Ben SMITH
4 – Wise KATIVERATA
5 – Brett ANDERSON
6 – Feleti MATEO
7 – Tim SMITH
8 – Jim CURTIS
9 – James WEBSTER ©
10 – Mal KAUFUSI
11 – Fred PETERSEN
12 – Chris ARMIT
13 – Chris MUCKERT
14 – Ryan HINCHCLIFFE
15 – Fuifui MOIMOI
16 – Peter ELLIS
17 – Steve MOWBRAY
18 – Jeremiah PAI

Jersey Flegg

1 – Paul MARZELLA
2 – Jesse SHELLEY
3 – Matt LANTRY
4 – Guy WILLIAMS
5 – Nathan RUSSELL
6 – Brett DELANEY
7 – Michael BASAN
8 – Weller HAURAKI
9 – Scott JONES
10 – Zeb TAIA
11 – Brendan OAKE ©
12 – Ben TAIA
13 – Brendan HUNT
14 – Mat KEATING
15 – Joel ASHER
16 – Mark HENDY
17 – Simon GREAVES
18 – Mitch STANFIELD
19 – Dale BROCKBANK

Although Lee Hopkins and Dean Widders were both charged over incidents from the weekend, neither will miss a game with both rated grade one incidents.

Eels fans shouldn't get too excited that the win against the Roosters has unlocked the secret formula that might see it record that kind of result week in, week out.

The Eels players are still mystified by its up and down form, based on comments in The Daily Telegraph today.

Michael Vella told the paper that: "I don't really know why [we've been inconsistent] and I think if I knew or if the coach knew, we'd be fixing it. It's very frustrating because we keep putting in the effort and in some weeks it comes off and others it doesn't."

Michael Witt said the Eels would have to go back to the drawing board and try and see it it can find the elusive key to success.

"We have to look at what we did this weekend and not get too far ahead of ourselves. We're at a stage where we are taking each game week-by-week."

Glenn Morrison has revealed to the Townsville Bulletin just how close he was to signing with the Bradford Bulls and finishing his career in England.

"If the Bradford (three-year) offer had've been down on paper and the entry visa guaranteed a week earlier I would have gone to Bradford," Morrison revealed yesterday.

"But I've still got hopes of playing Origin and I want to play 200 first-grade games."

Morrison said he was looking forward to playing for the Eels and under Parramatta coach Brian Smith, who was his Country Origin coach in 2001.

"They've got a good team and they've got some good signings," Morrison told The Townsville Bulletin. The story said that Morrison's contract is understood to have a clause enabling him to leave Parra in the final-year of the three-year deal.

Eels fans who gave up on Parramatta making the semis after last week's disapointing loss to the Warriors should have reason for renewed hope following the win against the Roosters.

The Eels are once again in a position where they can control their own destiny. At this stage of the competition, the Roosters, Bulldogs, Broncos, Storm, Pathers, Dragons and Raiders would appear well-positioned to all make the eight leaving one spot to fought out between the Sharks, Knights, Cowboys, Tigers and Eels.

Sharks are currently eighth but they have the most difficult run home, while the Knights have used both of their byes and have a number of tough games to contest, as well. Meanwhile, the Eels will play the Sharks, Cowboys and Tigers meaning they can make valuable ground against those teams if they win.

Wins against those teams, against the Warriors at home and a bye would put Parramatta on 26 points, which might just be enough to get into the eight this year - although chances are for and against would play a part if that scenario came to pass.

Throw in a win against the Storm, Panthers or Roosters and the Eels can reach the 28 points that would almost certainly afford them a finals berth.

It's not going to be easy, but the Eels showed tonight that at their best they can beat any team in the competition. And if they do make the finals, who knows?

A high tackle from Lee Hopkins on State of Origin hero Craig Fitzgibbon was placed on report and doesn't look good for the Eels second rower.

Fitzgibbon was clearly filthy over the high shot and he and Hopkins almost came to blows following the incident.

It seems likely that Hopkins, who had his best game of the year against the Roosters, is staring down the barrel of some sort of suspension.

Wade McKinnon - 7 (80)
People who haven't been watching Wade McKinnon go round, might laugh out loud when Eels fans suggest that McKinnon is a chance at State of Origin next year, but the Eels fullback easily outpointed the current NSW fullback tonight. Impossible to be critical of him for the dropped bomb as he was hit by Chris Walker just as he made the take. Outside of that, he was impeccable, particularly with his position play on kick into the in-goal. That was a weakness in his game, earlier this year, but no longer.

Ashley Graham - 6 (43)
Didn't see much ball at all but didn't let anyone down.

Junior Langi - 6 (82)
Likewise, but got back and took some hit-ups to relieve the forwards when required.

Luke Burt - 7 (92)
When Burty is playing well he has a habit of being in the right place at the right time. Scored three tries and if it wasn't for a last ditch tackle from Minichiello he might have had four after he snatched a quasi-intercept.

Matthew Peterson - 7 (76)
Great winger's game. Finished off well and was always contesting the ball. Peterson has got a lot of the cock ups out of his game over the past month.

Daniel Wagon - 8 (100)
Single handedly rubbed Minichiello out of the game. No one rushed out of the line better than Wagon and he had the Roosters constantly hurrying their play. Made some customary big hits and was just awesome in defence. The third Eel to hit a hundred points for the year in out totals.

Michael Witt - 6 (28)
Witt received a lot of praise from the media for his performance, but there is still an immense amount of improvement left in his game. The bomb was his only tactical kick that really worried the Roosters and the Eels failed to get any repeat sets of six in the second half when they needed to lock the Roosters out. His running game doesn't seem to have nearly as much impact when he's playing half back and closer to the ruck, either. Still, it was an improved performance and augurs well for a good back end to the competition.

Corey Pearson - 6 (38)
Typically solid game. Thankfully, didn't have to do as much work as last week and the Eel's team performance was better for it.

John Morris - 7 (98)
Tried hard, but didn't have a lot of luck creating opportunities around the ruck. Defence was impeccable.

Michael Vella - 8 (96)
Micky V may not have stepped up last week, but this week he game to the game with his step ladder in tow. Made 40 tackles and 21 hit ups for 153 metres.

Nathan Hindmarsh - 8 (108)
Since playing State of Origin Hindmarsh' defence has gone to a whole new level. He no longer just makes a lot of tackles, he now makes a lot of heavy tackles. Constantly put big hits on the much-vaunted Roosters forwards. Didn't have a great impact in attack but did plenty of work here, too. Was best when used on the short side.

Craig Stapleton - 6 (111)Didn't get as much game time as he usually does but was his usual solid self.

Lee Hopkins - 7 (55)
Easily his best game of the year. Ran with a lot of purpose and his mobility was useful in defence. Did get a bit lazy in the second half and gave away a run of penalties.

Dean Widders - 7 (101)
Another Eel whose defence was impeccable. Again looked most likely to bust the Roosters open. Is in superb form. Also broke the hundred points this game.

Jack Afamagasa - 7 (47)
Widders and Afamagasa are wonderful bench players because they are both impact players. Afamagasa was excellent. His defence stung, and he was a handful in attack. His 10 hitups gained 86 metres.

Adam Peek - 6 (46)
While Widders and Afamagasa are impact players, Peek is solid. Got in, did his work. Impressive considering his long absence from suspension.

Justin Tsoulos - 6 (65)
Got least game time of any Eel forward but he made some good barges when he had the chance.

If you read a lot of the media reports that followed Parramatta's defeat of the Roosters, you might think the poor chooks spent the eighty minutes sleeping.

"We looked tired, we played pretty tired," Roosters coach Ricky Stuart was quoted as saying in the Sun Herald.

The ABC Online managed not to give any credit to the mighty Eels, only lamenting the Roosters as "lethargic" and saying they "lacked cohesion in both defence and attack and appeared generally disinterested at times".

"The Roosters had six players backing up from Wednesday night's State of Origin clash and it appeared as though most of them were suffering an emotional letdown, with five-eighth Brad Fittler particularly out of sorts," the report said.

AAP's report said the result "justif[ied] coach Ricky Stuart's fear of a post-Origin hangover.

Thankfully, not everyone forgot that Nathan Hindmarsh was backing up too, and that he was far from lethargic.

"Led by NSW forward Nathan Hindmarsh, the Eels were punishing in defence," said AAP.

In the Sunday Telegraph, Smith said Hindmarsh was the most courageous player in the game.

"I know there are some courageous players in the NRL, but Nathan is special. He was simply inspirational tonight. I don't know what he runs on, but it is high octane."

Smith said the performance was "easily our best [defensive] showing of the year". "This win will act as a real confidence boost for the boys and just showed them what they are capable of."

Said Hindmarsh: "Our problem has been that in some games, half a dozen blokes have played their best and half a dozen haven't turned up. For some reason, we all chose to fire tonight and it was great to see."

Smith also praised Wade McKinnon at the press conference, while the Tele said Lee Hopkins and Craig Stapleton were "outstanding" and praised Michael Witt's kicking game.

Witt told the Sun Herald of his decisions to keep bombarind the left side Roosters defence with bombs: "Once we got the first try, I thought why not go there again. Then I put myself in that position, thinking if I've dropped two in a row I don't want another one. It was all definitely a bit strange."

The Eels have capped off a memorable week by signing Glen Morrison for three years, according to an article in today's Sunday Telegraph.

"I'm rapt to join Parramatta. Bradford were very keen but there's a lot keeping me here," Morrison was quoted as sating.

"Apart from my family, I want to play 200 first-grade games and I still want to play Origin football, so hopefully Parra can give me more exposure.

"Brian (Smith) wants me on one side of the ruck and Nathan on the other, with both of us going for 80 minutes."

The story also said that the Eels had taken up its option on Eric Grothe for next year and remarkably Denis Fitzgerald said there could be more signings to come.

After failing to beat the cellar dwellars last week, the Parramatta Eels rebounded this week to comprehensively knock off the competition leaders.

The Eels were absolutely inspirational in defence, led by captain courageous Daniel Wagon and State of Origin hero Nathan Hindmarsh, they repelled wave after wave of Roosters attack.

The game couldn't have started any better for the Eels. In only the second minute Luke Burt scored off a bomb and three minutes later Burt was over again, after winning a repeat set of six after the Roosters again failed to shut down a bomb to the left hand side.

The Roosters hit back after Brad Fitler put Anthony Minichello over, but then Burt made it a hat trick, from yet another Michael Witt bomb, after Shannon Hegarty dropped the ball into the hands of the Eels centre.

The Eels went into the break with a handy 20 to 6, a lead the Roosters never really looked like running down. That was largely thanks to absolutely torrid defence from the Eels right across the park. Parramatta was constantly in the face of the Roosters, with Daniel Wagon consistently shutting down Roosters raids by rushing out of the line. Meanwhile, Nathan Hindmarsh and the rest of the Parramatta forwards were hitting the Roosters with heavy defence and the Roosters never looked like they have the legs to score enough points to bridge the gap.

They did give themselves a sniff of victory when Chris Walker hit Wade McKinnon just as he tried to grasp a towering Brett Finch bomb. The ball slipped from McKinnon's grasp and Stuart Webb pounced to score.

But the Eels defence held solid, where it has failed so many times before this year, and they capped a memorable victory when quick hands from Dean Widders saw Matt Peterson cross the line. Michael Witt converted, leaving the Eels to celebrate an emphatic 26 to 12 victory.

Eric Grothe's bid to play against his old club, the Sydney Roosters has failed after he was ruled out for another week, with his hamstring injury, AAP has reported.

The report also said Michale Vella was in doubt with a sternum injury.

As expected the Parramatta Eels today announced the signings of Newcastle back Timana Tahu, Rooster forward Chad Robinson and Souths prop Paul Stringer.

Tahu has signed a three-year deal with an option for a third, while Robinson and Stringer have both signed for two years.

The Total Rugby League said that Cowboys forward Glen Morrison "has still to decide whether to join the Bradford Bulls or stay in Australia and play with the Parramatta Eels".

Media reports today suggest that Parramatta has signed Souths prop forward Paul Stringer.

Eric Grothe is again a chance of playing this weekend, after training with the team yesterday, the Sydney Morning Herald reported today.

It was rumoured that Grothe might have been fit for last week's game, but he didn't make it to the field.

Less than 24 hours after news was published that Lyon had decided not to return to the NRL, another news report claimed he may.

Asked about playing bush footy, Lyon told Barry Toohey at the Telegraph that: "Mate I am loving it - probably even a bit more than I thought I would. I love being back out here. The footy has been good and we have been winning a few games."

He was then asked if he would return to the NRL at any stage. "Maybe next year, I don't really know. I haven't really been watching too many games. But I still think I wouldn't mind giving it another go down there.

"Whether it is back at Parra or somewhere else I don't know. I'd have to get a full release [from the Eels] to play somewhere else. It all comes down to how we [the Panthers] go at the end of the year and how I'm feeling at the time. I haven't really talked about it with anyone yet."

Parramatta has officially offered Morrison a two-year deal and now looks certain to sign Timana Tahu after Manly withdrew there offer, the Daily Telegraph reported.

The Parramatta club also denied that Tahu had been offered $400,000 per year, as claimed in some media outlets yesterday. The Eels said the offer is a three-year deal around the $300k mark.

Jamie Lyon won't be returning to the NRL next year, AAP has reported.

The story quoted Lyon's manager Allan Gainey as saying the Eels had asked Lyon to make up his mind about next year before the June 30 anti-tempering deadline.

"He had to let them know by June 30 whether he wanted to come back next year. That was the way it was going to go all the time," Gainey told AAP.

"He doesn't say much. He's just playing footy, pig shooting and doing what he always does."

AAP has reported that Timana Tahu is almost certain to sign with the Parramatta Eels.

The article described Parramatta as "raging hot favourite" to win the signature of the Australian representative.

Remarakably, the article pegged the offer as being worth up to $400,000 per season, while Newcastle are believed to be offering $220,000 per year.

While Parra boss, Denis Fitzgerald refused to express any confidence that Parramatta would get Tahu, Manly football manager Peter Peters said that it looked like his club's offer for Tahu had been blown out of the water.

"I think the dogs are barking that he's going to go to Parramatta," said Peters.

Chad Robinson is also rumoured to have signed with the Eels.

The strength of the Eels reserve grade pack is highlighted by the fact that players like Fuifui Moimoi, Jeremiah Pai, Jim Curtis and Ryan Hinchcliffe are all sitting on the reserves bench this week.

Despite the return of Moimoi from suspension, young Josh Cordoba keeps his spot as starting prop alongside Mal Kaufusi. Back rowers are Fred Peterson, Chris Armit and Chris Muckert.

Feleti Mateo has been named at five-eighth.

Premier League

1 - Joel REDDY
2 – Matt GRUSZKA
3 – Ben SMITH
4 – Wise KATIVERATA
5 – Brett ANDERSON
6 – Feleti MATEO
7 – Tim SMITH
8 – Josh CORDOBA
9 – James WEBSTER (C)
10 – Mal KAUFUSI
11 – Fred PETERSEN
12 – Chris ARMIT
13 – Chris MUCKERT
14 – Ryan HINCHCLIFFE
15 – Jim CURTIS
16 – Peter ELLIS
17 – Jeremiah PAI
18 – Steve MOWBRAY
19 – Fuifui MOIMOI

Jersey Flegg

1 – Paul MARZELLA
2 – Jesse SHELLEY
3 – Matt LANTRY
4 – Guy WILLIAMS
5 – Nathan RUSSELL
6 – Brett DELANEY
7 – Michael BASAN
8 – Weller HAURAKI
9 – Scott JONES
10 – Zeb TAIA
11 – Brendan OAKE (C)
12 – Ben TAIA
13 – Brendan HUNT
14 – Mat KEATING
15 – Joel ASHER
16 – Mark HENDY
17 – Simon GREAVES
18 – Mitch STANFIELD
19 – Dale BROCKBANK

Chris Muckert is the only player dropped from the team that lost to the Warriors last week.

Muckert makes way for Nathan Hindmarsh who barring injury, will return from State of Origin duty.

Adam Dykes and Eric Grothe have again been listed as “not considered”, while Chris Thorman has again been named as 18th man. Thorman was named 18th man last week, too, but started at half against the Warriors.

Adam Peek, who has not played an NRL game for some two months, has been named in the NRL squad ahead of Muckert and Chris Armit.

1 – Wade McKINNON
2 - Ashley GRAHAM
3 - Junior LANGI
4 – Luke BURT
5 – Matt PETERSEN
6 – Daniel WAGON (C)
7 – Michael WITT
8 – Corey PEARSON
9 – John MORRIS
10 – Michael VELLA
11 – Nathan HINDMARSH
12 – Craig STAPLETON
13 – Lee HOPKINS
14 – Dean WIDDERS
15 – Jack AFAMASAGA
16 – Adam PEEK
17 – Justin TSOULOS
18 – Chris THORMAN

What do you think of the team? Post a comment.

Somebody at Parramatta has really peeved off somebody upstairs. We’re not sure what they’ve done, but it was enough to make sure the Gods conspired to do everything in their power to help the Warriors beat the Eels.

Like many Parra fans, 1Eyed Eel was heart broken by the loss to the competition’s bottom-ranked team. However, after closing watching the replay, the effort was not nearly as bad as we first thought. We’ve picked up the remains of our most vital organ and somehow we’ve managed to find a pulse again.

There were a number of key factors that really hurt the Eels. The first were early penalties. After getting the ball back from a short kick off, the Eels should have been able to apply early pressure but they gave away a string of penalties that put New Zealand on the attack early in the game. The first try came after a bad missed tackle on Richard Villasanti from the forwards and then the backline again failed to number up from the ensuing set deep in Parramatta territory. Stacy Jones doesn’t miss when he’s got four on three.

It’s hard to find somebody to blame for the second try. The referee made what must surely be the worst refereeing blunder of the year when he penalised Corey Pearson for a flop, despite the fact that he was the only man in the tackle. That put New Zealand on the attack and Stacey Jones managed to squeeze between Daniel Wagon and Junior Langi to slip a pass away and the Warriors were over again. Not a lot the Eels could have done but the Warriors should have never been in that position. You’re a goose Steven Clarke.

New Zealand’s props were awesome early and they gave New Zealand some momentum, but their impact may have been somewhat overstated as it was largely limited to the first 25 minutes of the first half. The Eels then began to turn the game around with breaks made by Parramatta’s WWW - Wagon, Witt and Widders. The Witt bust should have resulted in a try but Afamasaga went outside instead of in and Ashley Graham overran the play. Peterson’s near-try was another missed opportunity and Parramatta really should have been going to the break at 12 all and at the very least 12 to six, which would have had them well placed considering they were running with a gale force wind in the second half.

Unfortunately, Parramatta didn’t put the points on the board and instead Chris Thorman threw a pass that was never going to anyone but Stacy Jones, who sprinted away for a heart-breaking try.

All of a sudden, the Eels were needing to make up 18 points in the second half, although it could almost have been 24 as Michael Witt ran almost a copy cat play to the Thorman intercept, finding Vinnie Anderson who was fortunately called back for offside.

As if the task wasn’t difficult enough, torrential rain started belting down 10 minutes into the second stanza and from that point on, it was always going to be near impossible to score four tries in those conditions. The Warriors did their best to give the Eels a shot continually turning the ball over, but the Eels simply didn’t have enough go-forward or enough spark from the halves to run through the Warriors like Melbourne did the week before.

Refereeing decisions continued to play against Parramatta when a short Daniel Wagon pass that sent Lee Hopkins over was called back for a forward pass.

However, Parramatta’s problem is they can’t afford to have things not go their way. Every time a bad call goes against them it seems to result in a try because their defence has trouble holding out under pressure and spilled chances are rued, because not enough are created to make up for those squandered.

The Eels need Dykes back desperately or they need to find another halves combination. Neither Witt or Thorman have the experience or command to guide the Eels around the park and while Parramatta may get away with playing one of them alongside a player like Dykes, with both of them on the park, there are just too many bad options and not enough pressure for Parramatta to really worry the opposition in attack.

Wade McKinnon – 6 (73)
Defence at the back was again faultless but made a couple of forced errors and didn’t have quite the same impact as in recent games

Ashley Graham – 5 (37)
Graham gives the impression he is still regaining pace and confidence but he still outrates any other Parramatta player for the number of line breaks he makes per match. Made a great bust when he came in looking for work from his wing. However, it’s hard to forgive the fact that he overran Jack Afamasaga and subsequently a certain try was bombed.

Junior Langi – 6 (76)
Langi continues to develop for Parramatta. He’s not afraid to get his hands dirty and he’s looking more threatening every game in attack. Didn’t see as much ball as he might have liked, though, and this limited his impact.

Luke Burt – 5 (85)
The ball seldom got out to the centres giving Burt few opportunities but he got in and made a number of solid runs from dummy half.

Matthew Peterson – 6 (69)
It could so easily have been a great game rather than just a good game. Almost made a try out of nothing but dropped the ball over the line. It was a fantastic effort to stay in the field of play when he scored his try.

Michael Witt – 5 (22)
Running game was good, highlighted by a bust that should have resulted in a try. However, failed to light up the Parramatta attack with his kicking or passing game.

Chris Thorman – 5 (20)
He scored a try and occasionally was good. But Parramatta lacked direction and penetration inside the opposition 20 and as a half back he has to take responsibility for that.

Corey Pearson – 7 (32)
Pearson was good in a pack that was generally outpointed. He made the most hit-ups of any Eel and gained 123 metres and consistently managed to get a pass away to start a second phase attack.

John Morris – 7 (91)
Morris’ running from dummy half was very effective and he did a lot of tackling, however, there were occasions where he seemed to get lost drifting between dummy half and the halves leaving the Eels missing direction when they need it most.

Michael Vella – 3 (88)
Micky V’s performance was all the more disappointing considering his great game last week and the fact that he came out in the press and called for the Eels forwards to step up to compensate for the missing Nathan Hindmarsh. Vella didn’t step up at all.

Craig Stapleton – 6 (105)
A willing worker in both attack and defence but like most of the Parra forwards he struggled to get over the advantage line.

Lee Hopkins – 5 (48)
We’re pretty sure it was Hopkins who missed the tackle on Villasanti that indirectly led to the first try. That aside, he did some good things but he certainly didn’t fill the shoes of the mighty Nathan Hindmarsh.

Daniel Wagon – 7 (92)
Stepped up and took over much of the defensive workload normally handled by Nathan Hindmarsh. Made two busts, one of which should have resulted in a try but for a wrong forward pass call from the referee.

Dean Widders – 6 (94)
Made one good break and was busy in defence, but didn’t have as much impact as has had in recent games.

Chris Muckert - 4 (21)
Got no game time but in the time he got, he made only 2 hit-ups.

Jack Afamasaga – 6 (39)
Tried his heart out. Some things came off, some things didn’t but he got heavily involved making 14 hit-ups.

Justin Tsoulos – 5 (59)
Tsoulos seems to be feeling his shoulder and is not attacking or defending with the same ferocity we saw from him in a number of games this year. It didn’t stop him from making a good number of hit-ups but they seldom caused the big Warriors forwards any trouble

The Sunday Telegraph has published the suggestion that Adam Dykes is returning to Cronulla, despite being under contract for the Eels next season.

The paper published the rumour at the bottom of its match report, which describe the match as "arguably the worst of the season".

In other news, ex-Eels cult figure Mark Tookey has been released by the Warriors to join Castleford.

Timana Tahu looks almost certain to leave Newcastle and join either Parramatta or Manly.

Tahu told the Sydney Morning Herald "it is not looking good with the Knights" and said he and his wife would now be looking at real estate around Parramatta and Manly before deciding on a club.

"It is going to be a tough decision to make, it is going to be what suits my family," Tahu said.

The Eels path to the semi-finals just got immeasurably harder after they went down to the New Zealand Warror 20 to 10.

The Eels were totally outplayed in the first 20 minutes with Stacy Jones creating two tries for the Warriors. The Eels then began to mount their own pressure, but despite having plenty of ball and opportunities they couldn't score any points.

Matt Peterson looked to have scored a nice solo try but the video referee ruled he didn't control the put down, then Ashley Graham overran the ball after a break down the right hand side, forcing Jack Afamasaga to throw the ball forward.

Then just before the break, Chris Thorman threw a pass that was intercepted by Stacy Jones to put them 18 nil down at the break.

In the second half Parramatta had a strong wind at their back and plenty of possesion but the rain started bucketing down making handling difficult. Chris Thorman had a mixed game but redeemed himself somewhat scoring a solo try, then Matt Peterson did a great job to get over after Craig Stapleton made a clever strip.

The Eels had plenty of opportunities to mount more points but the slippery ball stunted any real expansive play and the Warriors were able to hang on.

Chad Robinson is returning to the Eels, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

A story in the SMH today said the Robinson had signed a two year deal with the Eels but it has not yet been confirmed by the club.

Meanwhile, Ray Hadley claimed today that Parramatta had made a big offer for Timana Tahu.

Michael Vella will be assistant coach of the Malta national rugby league team.

Head Coach of the Malta Knights is Parramatta Harold Matthews Coach Joe Grima, who led the Eels under 16 team through to an undefeated premiership.

Grima offered the assistant coach role to Vella who is "absolutely wrapped" with the position, according to di-ve.com.

The Malta Knights will play their first match in September of this year.

Glenn Morrison is favouring a move to Parramatta, despite also attracting the attention of the West Tigers and UK clubs, ABC Online has reported.

One thing for sure is he won't be playing for North Queensland next year, having told the Cowboys he is not interested in taking a pay cut, the story said.

The Parramatta Forwards will need to lift this week to cover the workload usually taken by Nathan Hindmarsh, who is missing because of State of Origin duty, an AAP report said.

"[Hindmarsh] does a lot of work for us because he is out there for 80 minutes," Vella tol AAP.

"A few of the experienced players like myself will have to step up and share the workload. Pearson will have to do a bit more. Stapleton has been good for us this year and Justin Tsoulos can get through some work for a big boy.We will all have to lift to help the club go forward."

Vella said he was regaining match fitness after being hampered by injury and hoped to build on last week's strong game. "I feel like I have put together a few good games back to back," Vella said in the report.

Chris Armit has been dropped from Parra's 19 man bench, according to the SMH's Late Mail column, indicating Justin Tsoulos has shaken off his shoulder injury enough to play.

It had been rumoured earlier in the week that Eric Grothe could be a late inclusion, but there has been no further word on that in recent days.

The Warrior's lock Vinne Anderson will miss the game, according to SMH.

Nathan Hindmarsh will be used in origin first and foremost as a "line-breaker", the The Daily Telegraph reported today.

In an article that finally gives Hindmarsh the respect most Parra fans know he has deserved for a very long time, State of Origin assistant coach said Hindmarsh was in the team for his line breaking abilities

"We'll be looking to Nathan for some of those dynamic busts.

"Nathan made some breaks in Origin II and said he felt very comfortable in that game. And he can play for the entire 80 minutes. He's a workaholic," Daley was quoted as saying.

Hindmarsh said that was a role he craved. "I'd like to be considered as that [a line breake]. Making one line break a game, if not more, is something I aim for each game."

Coach Brian Smith described Hindmarsh as a "machine" and Denis Fitzgerald said: "Nathan is certainly one of the club's greatest forwards".

Last night on The Footy Show, Paul Vautin described Hindmarsh as one of the greatest second rowers of the modern era.

Well done, Hindy, you deserve every one of the plaudits.

Glenn Morrison yesterday met with the Parramatta Eels as well as the Wests Tigers, according to the Sydney Morning Herald's club roundup today.

The paper also noted that Parramatta was likely to be one of the club's seeking to recruit Joel Monoghan.

Meanwhile, Chris Thorman has the rest of this month to prove his worth to the Eels. Parramatta must take up his option before July 31, SMH said. It said the Eels also have an option on Lee Hopkins and said Craig Stapleton and Fui Fui Moi Moi remain unsigned.

Having spent most of the prior year playing for Souths’ premier league team and with Luke Burt in spectacular early season form, Wade McKinnon probably had cause to think it would be a tough road into Parramatta’s top grade.

However, McKinnon claims he never thought that way. “Burty’s a good player and I knew he would start the season at fullback, but I always had confidence that I’d be able to work my way in,” McKinnon told 1Eyed Eel this week.

It’s that confidence and passion that has spurred McKinnon’s sudden rise from near obscurity in Parramatta’s Premier League ranks to being one of the NRL’s outstanding fullbacks, week in, week out.

In Round 8 and only his second week back in the top grade, McKinnon played in a Parramatta team that was soundly beaten by an out-of-form North Queensland Cowboys. At the ensuing press conference coach Brian Smith criticised his players for lacking intensity but singled out McKinnon for having a “fire in the belly”. That same fire has burned bright in every match that McKinnon has played since.

Asked if that intensity was born out of a desire to hold onto his number one jumper, McKinnon replied with a much simpler answer. “I just want to win”.

McKinnon was in Parramatta’s reserve grade ranks when the Eels went on their record-breaking run through the 2001 season. Brett Hodgson was the NSW fullback and McKinnon, desperate for an opportunity to play first grade, signed a contract to play for Souths, who had just been allowed back into the NRL.

McKinnon’s early form for Souths impressed many observers, although he characterised his 2002 season as only “ok”. However, in 2003 he struggled to get a run in Souths top team after Paul Langmack took over the coaching reigns. “I didn’t really agree with the new coach and some of the stuff that was happening,” McKinnon said.

So when Parramatta expressed an interest in having McKinnon back at the Eels in 2004 he jumped at the chance.

“I couldn’t wait, they’re a great bunch of boys, a great coach and I really don’t have a bad word to say about the club,” he said.

Arguably, McKinnon has been the Eels buy of the year and fans applauded when McKinnon recently signed on for another two seasons. And McKinnon seems equally as happy to have secured his next two years in the Blue and Gold.

“When I left I didn’t really want to leave, it’s just that the opportunities weren’t there, so now that I’m back I’m happy to stay here for as long as I can,” he said.

McKinnon has impressed in any number of ways since his rise to the Eels’ first choice fullback. His ability to beat the first tackle when returning the ball and his support play have been superb, but it’s probably been his tremendous last man defence that has most impressed Parramatta fans.

“It’s a pretty big part of my game that I’ve worked hard on this year and towards the end of last year,” McKinnon said. He said at that time he came to the realisation that as the last man between the opposition and the tryline it was imperitive that his defence was up to the task. And then there’s that competitive spirit, again.

“I don’t like to be beaten,” he said.

McKinnon’s never-say-die defence was best highlighted in the St George game when big bopper Ashton Mills trampled over the Eels goal-line defence and only had to get the ball down to score. However, somehow McKinnon managed to strip the ball from the young prop and save a certain try. Then last week, rampaging young Panthers second rower Frank Pritchard broke through the line and attempted to run over the top of the much smaller McKinnon. However, McKinnon not only stood his ground, he put a shoulder charge on Pritchard, jolted the ball loose, saved a try and put the Eels back on the attack.

Asked what goes through his head when faced with a rampaging footballer like Pritchard charging at him, McKinnon said he simply focuses on the fact that if a player has the ball and is coming at him, it’s his job to knock them over. It's a job he's been performing admirably and arguably he's established himself as one of the best defensive fullbacks in the League right now.

Perhaps McKinnon’s only unhappy game this year came against the Broncos. While outstanding in every other area, he failed to hang onto two towering Darren Lockyer bombs, both of which, directly or indirectly, led to Brisbane tries.

“I knew Lockyer has always had a great kick and I dropped two bombs there, but I worked hard on that last week,” McKinnon said.

It was fortunate he did, because Amos Roberts who kicks the ball as high as any player in the competition also targeted McKinnon with the bomb. This time, however, the Parramatta custodian was up to the task. While he didn’t attempt a catch on the first bomb, with the ball fortunately bouncing over the dead goal, he caught both of the next two high kicks

“I just think that it’s my job and you’ve got to get on with it, because occasionally it (a dropped ball) is going to happen.”

Many Eels fans believe that McKinnon has representative honours ahead of him, but the Eels fullback said “at the moment, I just want to make sure I’m playing well for Parramatta”.

As for the rest of this season: “The goals are to keep my form up and obviously, it’s both a personal goal and a team goal to get into the top eight. I think if we can all play well, we’ll be there in the semis at the end of the year”.