The Tip Sheet The Cumberland Throw

You got a halfback, you got a fullback and suddenly we're putting the band back together. The Blues (& Gold) brothers made all the difference for the Parramatta Eels in Round 13 as they emerged victorious from a high scoring shoot out against the Cronulla Sharks with a 34-22 win to their names.

Sixties and Forty20 look at the immense efforts of Mitchell Moses and Clinton Gutherson as Parra snapped a 5-game losing streak. There were plenty of other tremendous efforts across the park as the Eels finally overcame a series of second half fades against the competition leaders of all teams.

The boys were also joined by the wonderful Steve Ella for the Pre-Game Show live from the Bistro. Steve is a favourite of the show for good reason and he shares some great insight on the current attacking emphasis in the code, stories from State of Origin and how the Eels could engineer an upset against the Sharks.

Can the Eels snap a 5-game losing streak with Clinton Gutherson and Mitchell Moses back in the fold for Round 13? Sixties and Forty20 discuss the Thursday night match-up against the Cronulla Sharks and why there could be reason for actual optimism this week.

The preview starts with the Jersey Flegg though as the Eels look to build on a rousing victory against the Rabbitohs. Josh Lynn is back at the helm for the U21s as the Blue & Gold look to mount a charge up the ladder. Speaking of charges, the NSW Cup squad are eyeing a 5th straight victory as they host the Newtown Jets on Thursday. The Jets are always a fearsome proposition in reserve grade but Parra are rolling.

The NRL preview looks at the immediate impact of Gutherson and Moses on the team and how both the Eels and Sharks could react to big Round 12 losses. Sixties details the voice that Moses added to training and the energy both the senior stars brought to the mix.

Clinton Gutherson and Mitchell Moses are back! The Tip Sheet gets a slight Lord of the Rings theme this week as the boys sound the horn for the return of the King (mixing up movies but who is counting?).

How does the team shape up now that the star fullback and halfback have returned? Team List Tuesday yields some surprises as Trent Barrett starts to shape the squad in his image. The club announced the community focused Eels Foundation while the search for a new head coach continues.

Round 12 saw some blow out scores and some gritty wins against the odds, which teams found themselves on right side of that ledger? The boys take a first look at the State of Origin squads while the Integrity Unit has made its moves regarding Braydon Trindall and Taylan May.

The Instant Reaction podcast goes up-tempo this week as Sixties and Forty20 do a rapid fire breakdown of Parramatta's 42-26 loss to the South Sydney Rabbitohs in Round 12.

It was a case of the same issues cripply the Blue & Gold with errors and sloppy ruck defence elevating their opposition. Parramatta fought back to make the game somewhat interesting but the Bunnies were never seriously threatened. The biggest question to come out of this game only tangentially involved Parramatta as confusion over what kind of hip drop tackles warrant sin-binning continues to reign.

There was good news in the NSW Cup and Jersey Flegg with both teams securing important wins. The Cup continued their huge midseason resurgence with an 8-point win this evening while the Flegg secured a huge Top 4 scalp with their commanding 26-8 victory earlier today.

A week of turmoil culminates in the Parramatta Eels clashing with the team that beat team for the services of Wayne Bennett in the South Sydney Rabbitohs. With Indigenous Round as the backdrop for the Round 12 meeting, can Trent Barrett guide the Eels to a bounceback win?

Before that though there are two other games of footy to play with the Jersey Flegg and NSW Cup also in action on Saturday. The Flegg are coming off a global bye and need to find a way to upset the 4th placed Rabbitohs while the Cup are flying high and starting to make some legitimate noise in the upper bracket of the ladder.

The Tip Sheet continues to explore a critical juncture for the Parramatta Eels in the week they sacked head coach Brad Arthur. Forty20 and Clint examine the latest developments on that front and beyond in another busy episode.

Wayne Bennett has rejeceted the Eels, choosing to stick with South Sydney...so where does that leave our club? Who sticks out as the prime candidates to helm Parramatta and which ones fit the criteria laid out in the club's press conference on Tuesday?

For his part, Brad Arthur continues to be nothing but class after speaking to a host of media outlets on his 50th birthday.

Team List Tuesday yielded almost nothing new for fans in a surprising twist. Trent Barrett hasn't rocked the boat in his first week in charge and the boys try to puzzle out the why of it all.

The Magic Round debrief covers a hugely successful weekend for the NRL as the boys look at a spread of closely fought games and terrific attendence. The pre-Origin carnage continues with Cameron Munsters and Kotoni Staggs now joining a galaxy of other stars on the sidelines.

Another negative news story is circling involving Taylan May and the show addresses the alleged situation before closing out on a positive note with a celebration of the upcoming Indigenous Round.