Eels v Raiders: Moses good to go; Horsburgh to start
The Raiders are running hot with five-straight wins to their name, while the Eels will be seeking a quick fix after being overwhelmed by the defending premiers in the second half last week.
Led by a dominant showing from their forward pack, Canberra overcame the Storm in convincing fashion to win 28-20 in week on of the finals and are playing with confidence across the park right now.
While the final scoreline probably didn't reflect how the Eels played, particularly through an impressive first half, they still failed to foot it with Penrith when they kicked it up a gear last week and were outscored 20-2 in the second 40 minutes.
In their only prior meeting this year the Eels overcame a 18-16 half-time deficit to win by eight in Canberra. The last time they met at this week's venue, CommBank Stadium, was in 2020 and Parramatta won by a field goal.
Sportsbet Betting preview: Eels v Raiders
The Rundown
Team news
Eels: Coach Brad Arthur has named the same 17 that went down to Penrith but will again start with Marata Niukore at lock with Ryan Matterson to come off the bench. Former Raider Bailey Simonsson is the 18th Man. Mitchell Moses is good to go after overcoming a head knock last week.
Raiders: There's a late reshuffle for the Raiders with Corey Horsburgh set to start at lock with Corey Harawira-Naera reverting to the bench. Englishman Ryan Sutton joins the bench in his return from hand surgery. Albert Hopoate is again the 18th Man.
Team Lists
Backs
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Fullback for Eels is number 1 Clinton GuthersonFullback for Raiders is number 1 Xavier Savage
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Winger for Eels is number 2 Maika SivoWinger for Raiders is number 2 Nick Cotric
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Centre for Eels is number 3 Will PenisiniCentre for Raiders is number 3 Matthew Timoko
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Centre for Eels is number 4 Tom OpacicCentre for Raiders is number 4 Sebastian Kris
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Winger for Eels is number 5 Waqa BlakeWinger for Raiders is number 5 Jordan Rapana
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Five-Eighth for Eels is number 6 Dylan BrownFive-Eighth for Raiders is number 6 Jack Wighton
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Halfback for Eels is number 7 Mitchell MosesHalfback for Raiders is number 7 Jamal Fogarty
Forwards
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Prop for Eels is number 8 Reagan Campbell-GillardProp for Raiders is number 8 Josh Papali'i
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Hooker for Eels is number 9 Reed MahoneyHooker for Raiders is number 9 Zac Woolford
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Prop for Eels is number 10 Junior PauloProp for Raiders is number 10 Joseph Tapine
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2nd Row for Eels is number 11 Shaun Lane2nd Row for Raiders is number 11 Hudson Young
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2nd Row for Eels is number 12 Isaiah Papali'i2nd Row for Raiders is number 12 Elliott Whitehead
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Lock for Eels is number 17 Marata NiukoreLock for Raiders is number 16 Corey Horsburgh
Interchange
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Interchange for Eels is number 13 Ryan MattersonInterchange for Raiders is number 13 Corey Harawira-Naera
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Interchange for Eels is number 14 Makahesi MakatoaInterchange for Raiders is number 14 Tom Starling
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Interchange for Eels is number 15 Jake ArthurInterchange for Raiders is number 15 Emre Guler
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Interchange for Eels is number 16 Oregon KaufusiInterchange for Raiders is number 17 Ryan Sutton
Reserves
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Replacement for Eels is number 19 Bailey SimonssonReplacement for Raiders is number 18 Albert Hopoate
Match Officials
- Referee: Ashley Klein
- Touch Judge: Dave Munro
- Touch Judge: Phil Henderson
- Senior Review Official: Gerard Sutton
Last updated:
Key match-up
Junior Paulo v Joseph Tapine: It promises to be a huge clash in the middle of the park between two of this season's form front-rowers. Tapine was outstanding against the Storm, running for 216 metres and coming up with six tackle busts. Paulo led the way in a beaten side last week, with a 59-minute stint that included 166 run metres and 31 tackles.
Stat Attack
These two sides are the NRL's offload kings, with the Eels' average of 13.2 per game the most in the competition, followed by Canberra's average of 11.7. Both forward packs love to generate second-phase play, and off the back of it these teams have the players to take advantage.
Match: Eels v Raiders
Finals Week 2 -
home Team
Eels
4th Position
away Team
Raiders
8th Position
Venue: CommBank Stadium, Sydney
