Vale: Terry Hill
19 hours ago | National Rugby League
Eels v Raiders preview
Parramatta Eels v Canberra Raiders
Pirtek Stadium - Sunday 2:00pm 
Reflections on what might of been for two embattled clubs.
The season concludes for both of these sides on Sunday afternoon with both of these clubs probably hoping that they could have season 2015 all over again. Both Parramatta and Canberra have shown glimpses of what talented football sides they can be this season but ultimately consistency and momentum has evaded both of them. Both sets of fans and coaches will be desperate to get the win and finish the season on a good note.
Parramatta were great in patches against in form Cronulla last week but just couldn't pull the victory out of the bag and fell 35-28 in an exciting match. However they will have derived a lot of confidence from that match and will be keen to head out to Pirtek Stadium and excite their fans with some free flowing football. Since the departure of Chris Sandow we have seen some wonderful displays from both Luke Kelly and Corey Norman amongst others. I wouldn't go as far to say that the future is bright for the Eels but there is certainly a lot of promise.
In the only slight change for the Eels, Darcy Lussick moves back to the bench from Lock and David Gower moves from the bench to start at Lock.
Canberra are an enigma. No one really knows what to expect of them week to week. On the one hand they have the attack to dismantle any team in the competition and have shown that with wins against Manly, Souths and a 40 point thumping of the Gold Coast Titans. Their crop of young, exciting attacking players are a joy to watch and bring people through the turnstiles week in and week out. However on the flip side, they have long moments of broken concentration. Defensive lapses and missed tackles have haunted the Raiders this year. For a side that was on the cusp of the 8 (and a distinct possibility to make the playoffs) it has been a very disappointing slide in the back end of the season. After last week's solid outing against the Panthers, the Raiders would like nothing more than to end the season with a flurry and condemn the Eels to a defeat at home.
In team changes for the Raiders Sisa Waqa shifts back to fullback and Jordan Rapana returns from suspension on the wing in place of Jack Wighton, who himself is suspended. Mitch Cornish replaces Blake Austin at five-eighth who is injured.
Last meeting: Round 26 2014 - Canberra Raiders 33 Parramatta Eels 20
Canberra have won 5 of the past 6 between these clubs including the last meeting at Parramatta Stadium between the two which resulted in a 24-14 victory for the Raiders in 2010. However despite winning the last game at Parramatta Stadium they have only won 9 of 22 matches all up at the ground.
Who to watch: There are a lot of hard working forwards in the NRL that don't get the recognition they deserve, yet week in and week out go out on the field and get their job done for their team. For Parramatta David Gower is one of thoise players. The Former Manly and St George Illawarra forard has been Mr Fix It for the Eels this season with his hard hitting defence (averaging 26 tackles a game), he is also a solid attacking player with 2 line breaks and 2 try assists to add with his average of 83 metres a game. Gower is one of the hardest workers in the Eels pack and he will be the first one to take on the big boys of the Canberra pack come Sunday. Players like Gower deserve more recognition. Let's hope he can get it on Sunday.
Canberra will be at a massive loss without star Five Eighth Blake Austin on Sunday and will be hoping that centre Jarrod Croker can take some of the workload off the young Canberra Halves. Not only is Croker the leading point scorer in the NRL, he is one of the most talented and dangerous centres in the NRL with ball in hand. His speed is one of his best attributes but he also has one of the best fends in the league as well. When Croker finds space he is a joy to watch. Look out for him to search for points on that left hand edge on Sunday.
The favourite: Canberra slight favourites after last week's win.
My tip: Parramatta will get the victory here and end the season on high at home. They have looked good in the last few weeks and I believe the fans will get them over the line. Canberra are too inconsistent and think they'll be pipped in this clash. Absorbing match though. Parramatta by 6.
1. Reece Robinson 2. Semi Radradra 3. William Hopoate 4. Ryan Morgan 5. Bureta Faraimo 6. Corey Norman 7. Luke Kelly 8. Junior Paulo 9. Isaac De Gois 10. Tim Mannah 11. Manu Ma'u 12. Tepai Moeroa 13. David Gower
Interchange: 14. Pauli Pauli 15. Darcy Lussick 16. Daniel Alvaro 17. Peni Terepo
1. Sisa Waqa 2. Edrick Lee 3. Jarrod Croker 4. Brenko Lee 5. Jordan Rapana 6. Mitchell Cornish 7. Sam Williams 8. Frank Paul Nuuausala 9. Josh Hodgson 10. David Shillington 11. Josh Papalii 12. Jarrad Kennedy 13. Shaun Fensom
Interchange: 14. Kurt Baptiste 15. Luke Bateman 16. Paul Vaughan 17. Shannon Boyd
Referees: Adam Devcich, Chris James; Sideline Officials: Brett Suttor, Anthony Elliott; Video Referees: Shayne Hayne, Daniel Irvine;