Both coming off losses and sitting at 2-2 on the season, the Raiders and Eels will be desperate for a win when they meet in Canberra on Sunday evening.
Match details
- Who: Canberra Raiders vs Parramatta Eels
- When: Sunday 7 April, 6:15pm AEDT
- Where: GIO Stadium, Canberra
- Weather: min 11, max 22, 60% chance of rain, 0 to 3mm
- Click here for tickets.
- Head-to-head record (1982-now): Played 64. Raiders 33 wins. Eels 31 wins.
Team lists
| RAIDERS | EELS | |
| Jordan Rapana | 1 | Clinton Gutherson |
| James Schiller | 2 | Maika Sivo |
| Matt Timoko | 3 | Will Penisini |
| Sebastian Kris | 4 | Bailey Simonsson |
| Xavier Savage | 5 | Sean Russell |
| Ethan Strange | 6 | Blaize Talagi |
| Jamal Fogarty | 7 | Dylan Brown |
| Josh Papali’i | 8 | Reagan Campbell-Gillard |
| Danny Levi | 9 | Joey Lussick |
| Joseph Tapine | 10 | Junior Paulo |
| Hudson Young | 11 | Shaun Lane |
| Ata Mariota | 12 | Ryan Matterson |
| Morgan Smithies | 13 | J’maine Hopgood |
| BENCH | ||
| Tom Starling | 14 | Luca Moretti |
| Corey Horsburgh | 15 | Wiremu Greig |
| Simi Sasagi | 16 | Joe Ofahengaue |
| Pasami Saulo | 17 | Kelma Tuilagi |
| RESERVES | ||
| Kaeo Weekes | 18 | Ofahiki Ogden |
| Nick Cotric | 19 | Daejarn Asi |
| Trey Mooney | 20 | Brendan Hands |
| Zac Woolford | 21 | Makahesi Makatoa |
| Emre Guler | 22 | Morgan Harper |
Despite lashing his side after last week’s loss, Ricky Stuart has made minimal changes to the Raiders 17. Zac Hosking is out due to concussion, with Sasagi to make his Raiders debut off the bench and Mariota to start in the second row.
The Eels welcome back former Raider Simonsson, who always enjoys playing against his old side, and Greig, with Harper and Hands dropping out of the 17.
Referee: Adam Gee
Season so far
Raiders: 8th (2-2)| 92 points for, 78 points against | LLWW
After a strong first three outings, the Raiders fell back into old habits last week, blowing an early 18-0 lead to lose 36-22 to Cronulla.
It was a performance we have seen several times from Canberra over the last few seasons, and one that left Sticky fuming, declaring that “Nobody was solid tonight”.
The Raiders get the perfect opportunity to respond to their at home, so this clash should say a lot about the character of this squad
Eels: 9th (2-2) | 88 points for, 75 points against | LWLW
Without setting the world on fire, the Eels have been ok so far in 2024. They’ve had a couple of good wins and two close losses so it’s hard to know exactly where they fit in the finals picture.
After leading late in the piece, they would’ve been disappointed with their Easter Monday loss to the Tigers last week.
Losing Mitchell Moses for an extended period could prove difficult to overcome, with Brown now having to play the lead role and the young Talagi stepping into the halves.
They’ll need to find a way to win a few games without Moses
Last 5 meetings and history at GIO Stadium
- 2023 round 11: Raiders 26 – 18 Eels at GIO Stadium
- 2022 Semi Final: Eels 40 – 4 Raiders at CommBank Stadium, Sydney
- 2022 round 12: Raiders 20 – 28 Eels at GIO Stadium
- 2021 round 19: Eels 10 – 12 Raiders at Cbus Super Stadium, Gold Coast
- 2021 round 6: Raiders 10 – 35 Eels at GIO Stadium
The Eels have a pretty good recent record over the Raiders, having won five of the past seven encounters. However, Canberra won the only meeting between the sides last year, a close scrap at GIO. Moses also missed that 2023 clash.
Parramatta have won two of the last three matches in Canberra. However, prior to that, the Raiders had won nine straight at home and 13 of the last 14 against the Eels dating back to 2001.
Players to watch
Raiders – Xavier Savage: Savage showed his immense talent early on against Cronulla, breaking through off a scrum to score a nice individual try. Unfortunately, following that, he had a couple of moments he would rather forget (mind you, he wasn’t alone), helping the Sharks gain ascendancy. He was great over the first three weeks so hopefully he bounces back right away.
Eels – Dylan Brown: Brown is now the main man for Parramatta as he assumes the 7 jersey. Everyone has seen his talent at five-eighth but whether or not he can guide his team around the park remains to be seen. Gutherson had to take the reins late in the game against the Tigers, so we’ll see if Brown can deliver in his second game as halfback.
Pre match predictions
Ata boy: Ata Mariota to cross for a try as he gets the start in the second row. Raiders by 12.
Rapa-naissance: Rapa to wind the clock back to his famous 2021 Eels Gold Coast game with 200+ run metres and a try. Raiders by 6. – Denholm Samaras
Have any predictions of your own? Let us know in the comments below.
Other match details
Gates open: 3:45pm
NSW Cup: 4pm – Raiders vs Eels
The match will be broadcast live on Fox League channel 502 and is also available to stream on Kayo. Overseas fans can watch via Watch NRL.
You can listen to the match on Raiders on Mix (Mix106.3 FM), Radio 2CC (1206 AM) and ABC Grandstand (666).
