Titans v Eels: Triple boost for Titans; Lane ruled out
An early-season rematch hands the Titans a chance for revenge for their round one loss to the Eels in what was a high-scoring shootout at CommBank Stadium.
That topsy-turvy game saw the Eels race out to a 10-0 lead inside 10 minutes and a total of 10 tries scored in the first 41 minutes of the match - five to each team - then none thereafter, with the Eels holding on to a 32-28 win largely thanks to three penalty goals.
The team's fortunes have diverged a little since with the Eels' impressive past fortnight lifting them to third on the ladder and the Titans needing a last-gasp miracle try against the struggling Wests Tigers last week to earn a second win of the season that has them sitting in ninth.
Sportsbet Betting preview: Titans v Eels
The Rundown
Team news
Titans: Beau Fermor, Phil Sami and Isaac Liu have been named to return to the starting side after they were ruled out following COVID-19 protocols last week. Sami switches to the centres in place of Brian Kelly. Young gun Jayden Campbell will be given another week off to nurse a rib injury with Jamayne Isaako to start again at fullback. Herman Ese’ese (COVID-19) dropped out of reserves list when the squad was trimmed 24 hours before kick-off. Sam Lisone is 18th man.
Eels: Ryan Matterson will start in the second-row in place of Shaun Lane, with Bryce Cartwright moving onto the bench. Lane had been named to return after missing last week's win over the Dragons but dropped out when the side was finalised 60 minutes before kick-off. Mitch Rein also comes into the 17 for his club debut.
Team Lists
Backs
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Fullback for Titans is number 1 Jamayne IsaakoFullback for Eels is number 1 Clinton Gutherson
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Winger for Titans is number 2 Corey ThompsonWinger for Eels is number 2 Waqa Blake
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Centre for Titans is number 3 Phillip SamiCentre for Eels is number 3 Will Penisini
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Centre for Titans is number 4 Patrick HerbertCentre for Eels is number 4 Tom Opacic
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Winger for Titans is number 5 Greg MarzhewWinger for Eels is number 5 Bailey Simonsson
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Five-Eighth for Titans is number 6 AJ BrimsonFive-Eighth for Eels is number 6 Dylan Brown
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Halfback for Titans is number 7 Toby SextonHalfback for Eels is number 7 Mitchell Moses
Forwards
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Prop for Titans is number 8 Moeaki FotuaikaProp for Eels is number 8 Reagan Campbell-Gillard
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Hooker for Titans is number 9 Erin ClarkHooker for Eels is number 9 Reed Mahoney
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Prop for Titans is number 10 Isaac LiuProp for Eels is number 10 Junior Paulo
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2nd Row for Titans is number 11 David Fifita2nd Row for Eels is number 12 Isaiah Papali'i
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2nd Row for Titans is number 12 Beau Fermor2nd Row for Eels is number 15 Ryan Matterson
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Lock for Titans is number 13 Tino Fa'asuamaleauiLock for Eels is number 13 Nathan Brown
Interchange
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Interchange for Titans is number 14 Will SmithInterchange for Eels is number 14 Makahesi Makatoa
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Interchange for Titans is number 15 Jarrod WallaceInterchange for Eels is number 16 Oregon Kaufusi
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Interchange for Titans is number 16 Jaimin JolliffeInterchange for Eels is number 17 Mitch Rein
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Interchange for Titans is number 17 Kevin ProctorInterchange for Eels is number 18 Bryce Cartwright
Reserves
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Replacement for Titans is number 20 Sam LisoneReplacement for Eels is number 20 Hayze Perham
Match Officials
- Referee: Peter Gough
- Touch Judge: Dave Munro
- Senior Review Official: Alan Shortall
Last updated:
Key match-up
AJ Brimson v Dylan Brown: 23-year-old Maroons Origin utility AJ Brimson has made the switch to the halves this year and is making a good fist of it, including touching down for last week's match-winner. Meanwhile at the Eels, 21-year-old playmaker Dylan Brown is threatening to turn this into his true breakout season after a stunning opening month that has him right in the conversation for NRL's form player.
Stat attack
The Eels have put up some impressive numbers the Titans will need to overcome. The blue-and-golds currently boast an NRL-best average possession rate of 54% and average completion rate of 83%. The Titans sit 14th for possession with 48% and 13th for completions at 72%.
