NRL rivals pick Parramatta Eels as Nines favourites
A staggering 63 per cent of NRL Nines skippers have opted to pick one team to bring home the NRL Nines title from Perth. ‘They’ve a virtual NRL side’ is a common refrain. TAKE OUR POLL.
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Parramatta skipper Clint Gutherson says his Eels have come to Perth expecting to win the 2020 NRL Nines – and the rest of the competition agrees.
Already $5.50 TAB favourites for the tournament, the Eels can also now be outed as the team most feared by rivals following a poll of all 16 captains by The Daily Telegraph.
Asked which team other than your own will win the Nines, a staggering 63 per cent opted for an Eels side boasting the likes of Mitchell Moses, Maika Sivo, Blake Ferguson, Ryan Matterson and hyped teenager Stefano Utoikamanu.
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Quizzed on the findings, Gutherson not only confirmed his team expected to take out the tournament they last won in 2016 – only to be stripped as part of salary cap cheating — but added anything less would be considered “disappointing” by the group.
“We’ve come here to win this,” Gutherson said.
“And if we go away having lost, it’s going to be disappointing.
“We’ve done a little training and we’ve got plenty of boys who, in the Nines format, you can throw just the ball and they’re a good chance to score. So that’s exciting, we can’t wait”.
Of the 16 captains, Parramatta polled 10 votes, followed by Brisbane (3), Cronulla (2) and Penrith (1).
Asked who loomed as the tournament’s biggest threat, Manly Nines skipper Marty Taupau nominated Parramatta saying: “They’ve got a virtual NRL side”.
Gold Coast captain Mitch Rein agreed the Eels were “stacked” while Penrith international Dean Whare added “we arrived on the same flight and they’ve named some big outside backs … a guy like Maika Sivo is capable of being player of the tournament”.
Asked who would be the Eels major threat, Gutherson nominated a Brisbane outfit boasting players like David Fifita, Anthony Milford, Payne Haas and Brodie Croft.
“Trying to pick the best side, it’s hard to say,” Gutherson conceded. “But I would have to pick Brisbane.
“You look at a guy like Dave Fifita, whenever he gets the ball it’s a linebreak, an offload, something.
“So I’d tip the Broncos just on Dave and the side they’ve put around him.”
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North Queensland megastar Jason Taumalolo agreed with the Broncos tip, adding: “They’ve named a young side with plenty of big, explosive players.
“They’ll be the biggest threat.”
According to the TAB, Brisbane ($6.50) are behind only the Eels in betting, followed by Cronulla ($7) and Penrith ($8).
New Broncos halfback Brodie Croft was the sole player to nominate the Sharkies as title favourites, saying: “I like what Wade Graham did at the World Nines, he has that ability to unlock a lot of players on his outside”.
Originally published as NRL rivals pick Parramatta Eels as Nines favourites