Raiders v Eels preview - 2017 Round 5

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Consistency key as title contenders look to get back on track.

The Raiders and Eels come into this Round 5 clash on the back of last-start losses - the Raiders falling just short in a scrappy contest against Brisbane while the Eels put in a second straight poor showing in going down to premiers Cronulla in their first home game last week.

With both sides struggling for form, it means these two teams expected to do plenty of damage this season are sitting outside the top eight going into Round 5 and for Ricky Stuart and the man who replaced him at Parramatta - Brad Arthur - there's work to be done. The more concerning formline is probably the Eels - after dominating the opening fortnight with wins over Manly and St George Illawarra, they crashed to the Titans and Sharks in subsequent performances, and look a bit short of a run at the moment.

On the team news front Canberra have had to do some shuffling to accommodate the suspension of Elliot Whitehead - the result is Dave Taylor back in the side and his size will come in handy here. Parramatta meanwhile have lost Tepai Moeroa in the lead up to this clash which sees them with a similar squad to last week - former Bulldog Frank Pritchard starting in the second row yet again.

All told, despite the patchy lead-up form from both sides, this one should deliver plenty of impact with big boppers like Matagi and Ma'u for Parramatta, against Raiders' big men Boyd & Papalii. 

Last meeting: Round 24 2016 - Raiders 28 Eels 18

Awful record for the Eels at GIO - 4 wins from 19 clashes at the venue for the blue and gold. The head-to-head overall record is much closer - in fact it's perfectly split. From 54 contests both sides have notched 27 victories since 1982. Since 2009 the Raiders have dominated the fixture with 7 wins from 10 matches.

Who to watch: As mentioned above the big men for each team will write the story in this one. Canberra have the size advantage in this contest but there's plenty of skill in the Eels' forward pack as well. At his best, Pritchard is a highly damaging ball runner while the aforementioned Matagi and Ma'u had both had stellar starts to the 2017 campaign.

Canberra's Josh Papalii has been an absolute standout not just for the Raiders but for Queensland in recent years, and this season is no different. His presence creates such an important platform for Austin and Sezer to weave their magic and release their backs into open space down the edges.

The favourite: As the home side and arguably in better form, the Raiders are well backed in this one.

My tip: I'm going with the crowd on this one, it'll take a fair turnaround from the blue & gold to get a result here. Canberra to viking clap the Eels all the way back up the Hume. Raiders by 8.

1. Jack Wighton 2. Nick Cotric 3. Jarrod Croker 4. Joseph Leilua 5. Jordan Rapana 6. Blake Austin 7. Aidan Sezer 8. Junior Paulo 9. Josh Hodgson 10. Shannon Boyd 11. Josh Papalii 12. Iosia Soliola 13. Clay Priest 14. Adam Clydsdale 15. Luke Bateman 16. Dave Taylor 17. Joseph Tapine

1. Bevan French 2. Semi Radradra 3. Michael Jennings 4. Brad Takairangi 5. Josh Hoffman 6. Clint Gutherson 7. Corey Norman 8. Suaia Matagi 9. Kaysa Pritchard 10. Tim Mannah 11. Manu Ma'u 16. Frank Pritchard 13. Beau Scott 14. Nathan Brown 15. Daniel Alvaro 17. Siosaia Vave 18. David Gower

Referees: Gerard Sutton, Alan Shortall; Sideline Officials: Ricky MacFarlane, Michael Gordon; Video Referees: Luke Patten, Steve Chiddy;