After a stirring victory over the North Queensland Cowboys last Saturday, Wests Tigers will head into their Easter Monday clash against the Eels full of confidence.
The same cannot be said for Brad Arthur’s side, however, who slumped to their fourth consecutive loss with a 26-10 defeat away to the New Zealand Warriors in Auckland.
Both teams will be without key players — fullback Bevan French remains sidelined for the Eels while halfback Luke Brooks again misses out with his hamstring injury — but that shouldn’t detract from what’s shaping as another thrilling Easter Monday match.
A fixture that always draws a strong crowd, the Easter Monday slot has produced three exciting and close games since the annual fixture began in 2014, with Wests Tigers winning the first two encounters before Parramatta won 8-0 back in Round 4, 2016.
Wests Tigers do hold a recent head-to-head advantage between the two, having won seven of the last 10, while the Eels have lost 20 of their last 25 games at ANZ Stadium.
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MATCH DETAILS
Date — Monday, April 17, 2017
Time — 4:00pm AEST
Venue — ANZ Stadium
TV, LIVE STREAM AND RADIO INFORMATION
TV — Live via Fox Sports League (Ch.502, subscription required)
Radio — AM 702 ABC Grandstand, FM 104.9 Triple M Sydney (check local guides)
Live Stream —NRL Digital Pass and Foxtel Go (subscription required)
MATCH OFFICIALS
Referees — Ben Cummins and David Munro
Touch Judges — Brett Suttor and Kasey Badger
Review Officials — Luke Patten and Ashley Klein
FINAL TEAMS
Wests Tigers
1. James Tedesco 2. David Nofoaluma 3. Jamal Idris 4. Kevin Naiqama 5. Moses Suli 6. Mitchell Moses 7. Jack Littlejohn 8. Aaron Woods 9. Matt McIlwrick 10. Ava Seumanufagai 11. Josh Aloiai 12. Chris Lawrence 13. Elijah Taylor (Interchange: 14. Tim Grant 15. Sauaso Sue 16. Michael Chee Kam 17. Jacob Liddle) — Coach: Ivan Cleary
Parramatta Eels
1. Clinton Gutherson 2. Semi Radradra 3. Michael Jennings 4. Kirisome Auva’a 5. Josh Hoffman 6. Brad Takairangi 7. Corey Norman 8. Suaia Matagi 9. Kaysa Pritchard 10. Tim Mannah 11. Manu Ma’u 12. Tepai Moeroa 13. Nathan Brown (Interchange: 14. Beau Scott 15. Peni Terepo 16. Daniel Alvaro 17. Siosaia Vave) — Coach: Brad Arthur
RECENT RESULTS
Wests Tigers
Round 2 — Penrith Panthers 36 def. Wests Tigers 2
Round 3 — Canberra Raiders 46 def. Wests Tigers 6
Round 4 — Melbourne Storm 22 def. Wests Tigers 14
Round 5 — St. George-Illawarra Dragons 28 def. Wests Tigers 6
Round 6 — Wests Tigers 26 def. North Queensland Cowboys 16
Parramatta Eels
Round 2 — Parramatta Eels 34 def. St. George Illawarra Dragons 16
Round 3 — Gold Coast Titans 26 def. Parramatta Eels 14
Round 4 — Cronulla Sutherland Shark 20 def. Parramatta Eels 6
Round 5 — Canberra Raiders 30 def. Parramatta Eels 18
Round 6 — New Zealand Warriors 22 def. Parramatta Eels 10
THE HISTORY
· Head-to-Head — Played 33, Eels 18, Wests Tigers 14, Drawn 1
· At ANZ Stadium — Played 10, Eels 7, Wests Tigers 3
· Last Time They Met — Wests Tigers 23 def. Eels 8 (Rd.21, 2016)
THREE FINAL FACTS
· Kevin Naiqama has scored three tries in his last four games against the Eels
· Wests Tigers have won four of their last six games against the Eels on a Monday
· James Tedesco ranks 1st in tackle busts (53) and 3rd in total metres (1098m)
