Parramatta Eels salary cap: What they have to do to make the NRL finals

THE Eels have been stripped of 12 competition points by the NRL, but can they secure an impossible finals berth? We analyse their run home.

Corey Norman of the Eels. Picture: Mark Evans

CAN the Eels do the impossible?

With the confirmation that they have been stripped of 12 competitions points, the Eels have plummeted down the NRL ladder.

They now sit in 14th place* in 12 points, six points adrift of the eighth-placed Dragons.

Also ahead of them are the Panthers (18 points), Titans (16 points) and Wests Tigers (12 points) - all teams that they face in the run home.

Updated #NRL ladder after @TheParraEels docked 12 points. pic.twitter.com/RqCc0siO9a

— League Central (@League_Central) July 9, 2016

With 28 points seen as the cut-off for a finals berth, the equation is simple: Parramatta have eight matches left in the season and they need to win them all and have results go their way to sneak into the playoffs.

We take a game-by-game look at their run home and try to work out if their crazy season has one more twist.

* The table has been updated to reflect teams having the bye this round (Round 18) - the Broncos, Dragons, Knights, Rabbitohs, Sea Eagles, Storm, Titans, Warriors

PARRAMATTA’S RUN HOME

Round 19: Panthers (currently 9th) @ Pepper Stadium

The always tricky Panthers will have Matt Moylan and Josh Mansour returning from State of Origin and have Bryce Cartwright smarting from his omission. Penrith are dangerous but flighty and the toughness of the Eels could see them win the day. They should be confident of success.

Matt Moylan‘s Panthers present Parramatta’s first challenge.

Round 20: Titans (currently 10th) @ CBUS Super Stadium

Performing away from home is tough at the best of times and the Titans will be well rested after Round 18’s bye. They should also have star halfback Ashley Taylor back on deck, as well as a couple of outside backs. With a full two weeks since the deduction, the danger here for the Eels is falling flat. The Gold Coast are a dangerous side with finals aspirations and should never be taken lightly.

Round 21: Tigers (currently 11th) @ ANZ Stadium

The Tigers are dangerous bunch and whenever they have James Tedesco in the team they are capable of beating anybody in the competition. Moving the game away from Pirtek Stadium, which the Eels have been wont to do in recent years, could backfire.

Corey Norman of the Eels. Picture: Mark Evans

Round 22: Sea Eagles (currently 14th) @ Pirtek Stadium

Manly will be trying to perform a similar walk along the finals tightrope but their distant playoff chances could be extinguished by the time this game rolls around. As with their win earlier this season at Brookvale Oval, staunch defence should see the Eels home.

Round 23: Broncos (currently 6th) @ Suncorp Stadium

In the Broncos current iteration, you’d back the Eels to come out on top. But God only knows if Brisbane will have transformed back into whirling, attacking machines. Smart money says that Anthony Milford and Ben Hunt will have their mojo back and Wayne Bennett will have Brisbane peaking at just the right time.

Anthony Milford and the Broncos could be firing by the time they host the Eels.

Round 24: Raiders (currently 5th) @ GIO Stadium

If you say you know what the Raiders are going to do you are a fool. They are the kings of madness.

Round 25: Dragons (currently 8th) @ Pirtek Stadium

This match would seem certain to devolve into a low scoring grind given the lack of creativity in both teams but the Eels are tougher and could just snag a few tries through the likes of Radradra and French. Regardless of what happens between then and now, the Eels will like their chances.

Round 26: Warriors (currently 7th) @ Mt Smart Stadium

See Raiders, Canberra. Literally anything can happen when the Warriors take the field.

Can they do it?

Nothing is impossible, but a lot of things are unlikely. The Eels have been through so much this season its bound to take its toll at some stage. To make the finals they need every single little thing to go right for the final two months of the competition and they haven’t gone two weeks this season without something crazy happening to them. A finals berth seems a bridge too far.