Parramatta Eels

The victory lifts Parramatta above Souths into fifth place on the ladder with games against the Broncos and Storm to come in the final two rounds.

The Bulldogs drew first blood through a Matt Burton penalty goal in the sixth minute but tries to Will Penisini and Waqa Blake in quick succession had the Eels up 12-2 after 15 minutes.

A mistake by the Eels in the 28th minute gifted the Bulldogs field position and Aaron Schoupp made the home team pay when he left Blake clutching at thin air to grab his eighth try of the season.

Since their bye in Round 13 the Eels have gone L-W-L-W-W-L-W-L, a rollercoaster ride which has seen them spoken about as premiership contenders one week and inconsistent under-achievers the next.

That stretch of games started with a shock loss to the Bulldogs in Round 14 and that's the opponent they confront again this week in front of what us sure to be a raucous crowd at CommBank Stadium.

The Bulldogs looked jaded in Auckland on Friday but they've had a chance to recharge their batteries and will be buoyed by the news of Cameron Ciraldo's arrival as head coach in 2023.

With Alex Johnston and Cody Walker grabbing doubles the Rabbitohs beat the Eels for the second time in seven weeks to reinforce their premiership credentials.

The Rabbitohs got the ball rolling in the fifth minute when Damien Cook found Walker from close range and the five-eighth caught the Eels defence flat footed on their own line.

Walker got across the line again in the 11th minute but the came loose as he was attempting to ground it and the Eels were off the hook.

The Eels won without Mitchell Moses last week and crucially showed an ability to back up from a big win the previous week, something which has been lacking for them in 2022, and will have taken confidence from overcoming the Sea Eagles in the final half hour of the match.

South Sydney were always in control against the Warriors and were able to manage the minutes of a couple of key men as a result of being well up midway through the second half.  

Maika Sivo scored twice inside the opening eight minutes to get Parramatta, who were without injured halfback Mitchell Moses, off to a flying start at 4 Pines Park, but it soon became a contest where the lead changed on numerous occasions as both side's enjoyed periods of dominance. 

Trailing 20-14 with 28 minutes to go, the Eels powered back with tries to Waqa Blake, Gutherson, Will Penisini and Dylan Brown, to put the result beyond doubt. 

The blue and golds are walking a little taller after upsetting the Panthers on Friday while Manly endured a tough night against the Roosters with seven key players missing the game for personal reasons.

When these sides met at CommBank Stadium in round 11 it was the Eels squeaking home 22-20, with Manly losing Tom Trbojevic for the season to a shoulder injury.

Des Hasler's men will be hoping for better luck on home soil as they look to avenge that defeat and get on a roll towards the finals.

The Eels were on top before Cleary was sensationally given his marching orders by referee Todd Smith for a lifting tackle on Kiwis five-eighth Dylan Brown at a sold out CommBank Stadium.

Piling on five first half tries, Parramatta inflicted Penrith's second defeat of the season - and they were also responsible for the other loss in round nine.

Trailing 30-4 at halftime and without Cleary or injured five-eighth Jarome Luai, the Panthers showed why they have been the NRL's top team of the past three seasons to limit the Eels to just one late try despite being a man down.

The Panthers had to do it the hard way against a dogged Sharks side in miserable conditions last Saturday, and for the first time all year are presented with the motivation of facing an opponent who currently has the wood on them. 

The Eels have suffered two defeats at CommBank Stadium this year, while the Panthers have won in five of their seven visits to the venue, with one of those losses coming against Parramatta in 2020. 

Both clubs sit on 24 competition points leading into round 19 with 11 wins each and are all but bound for the finals after solid seasons so far.

The Eels have still looked a bit wobbly in patches against teams in recent weeks despite wins but remain a threat to any side in the Telstra Premiership. 

Brisbane won a hard-fought Queensland derby against the Titans last start but will want to knock off a top scalp away from home as they look to go to another level in the final weeks of the regular season. 

For most of the season Parramatta have followed up a win against a top team with a loss to a bottom-placed side and after their homecoming win against Wests Tigers two weeks ago the Warriors played with confidence and energy.

However, the New Zealand-based team conceded too many six-again calls, while the Eels playmakers Mitchell Moses and Dylan Brown forced four goal-line re-starts to put the home team in a strong position.