NRL 2024: Parramatta Eels, Wests Tigers spoon bowl set for sellout as punters get behind western Sydney battlers
The Spoon Bowl showdown in Round 27 looms for the Eels and Tigers, as the battle between the western Sydney rivals is becoming a must-see affair for all NRL fans.
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Step aside blockbuster and make way for the spoonbuster.
The betting market is framed and a sellout crowd tipped for what is shaping as one of the regular season games of the year and the prize for the winner — avoiding the wooden spoon.
Wests Tigers’ dramatic win against South Sydney last week has set the scene for what is likely to be a Spoon Bowl showdown against western Sydney rivals Parramatta at Campbelltown Stadium in round 27.
The TAB opened an early market on Wednesday for the Spoon Bowl, anticipating the clash to draw huge interest from punters.
The Eels are $1.65 favourites to avoid the unwanted piece of history in round 27, with the Tigers coming in at $2.25.
“It could be the most interesting and anticipated clash between two battlers in recent NRL history,” Rohan Welsh from the TAB said.
“The Tigers have been favourites in TAB’s most losses market since it opened and they went up at $3. They’re now into $1.30 and have been heavily backed there, to the point they hold a whopping 46 per cent of TAB outlays.
“Parramatta has taken around eight per cent of most losses investments after an influx of outlays over the past month.
“It’s difficult to believe considering the Eels opened at $21 for the Premiership and for a long time were the fifth or six best backed to lift the trophy at the end of the season.”
While the demise of both sides this year has been painful viewing for both Eels and Tigers faithful, that won’t stop either from flocking to Campbelltown Stadium for Spoon Bowl.
Already, the Tigers have sold out two of the four matches played at the venue this season and club officials are anticipating another bumper crowd in two weeks time.
The Tigers go into Thursday night’s clash against Manly on 14 points with the Eels just two points ahead on the ladder in 16th place.
But Parramatta are a genuine chance of going into the final round on just 16 points with two tough clashes against Brisbane at Suncorp Stadium on Friday and a desperate St George Illawarra in round 26.
The Tigers have a bye next week and could go into round 27 on 18 points if they can upset Manly at Leichhardt on Thursday night.
Marshall and his men are desperate to avoid a third-straight wooden spoon, especially at Campbelltown Stadium in front of a home crowd that will celebrate a 16th place finish as a positive end to an otherwise disappointing year.
“It’s the elephant in the room. If you don’t talk about it, then what do you get out of it? So you may as well address it. We all agreed that we didn’t want to get it. But at the same time we still have a lot of work to do to avoid it.
“We have to win tomorrow.
“I knew taking this job it wasn’t going to happen overnight. I think those wins early in the season changed expectations a little bit and put us ahead of where we were.
“(Our fans) are on board with where we are going and with a lot of the young guys coming through, it gives fans hope that we can build as a club.”
Marshall’s more immediate concern is spoiling Luke Brooks’ return to Leichhardt Oval since defecting to the Sea Eagles, a move which has the 227-game veteran headed for his first ever finals series.
Brooks was a whipping boy for the Tigers’ lack of success during his 11 seasons at the club.
Tigers fans are expected to give Brooks a cold reception but Marshall believes the 29-year-old is fair game when two crucial competition points are on the line.
“You’ll have to ask them,” Marshall said when ask if fans will boo Brooks.
“Honestly, that’s the least of my worries about what the fans are doing. We need to win and focus on that, not what the fans are going to do or not.
“I’m happy he is having a really good season but we have to try to get a win so I’m not really thinking about him.”
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Originally published as NRL 2024: Parramatta Eels, Wests Tigers spoon bowl set for sellout as punters get behind western Sydney battlers
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