Darry Worthington previews the headline Round 15 NRL clash which will see the Parramatta Eels and the Melbourne Storm go toe-to-toe on Thursday the 20th of July.
Image copyright – Steve Haag Sports
The Parramatta Eels and Melbourne Storm will kick-off Round 15 of the 2020 NRL season when the two high-flying sides meet this coming Thursday. The hosts are currently only two points off the Storm, who occupy second spot on the NRL ladder.
Who will come out on top when these two title contenders square off?
Parramatta Eels v Melbourne Storm
Thursday 20 July
Bankwest Stadium
11:50
Bankwest Stadium
11:50
To Win (80 Mins)
Eels 11/20
Draw 18/1
Storm 15/10
Handicap
Eels
Storm
Eels
Storm 15/10
Handicap
Eels
Storm
Eels
The Eels were far from convincing last weekend but still managed to get the job done beating the Cronulla Sharks 12-14. This was their eleventh victory of the season and it was a decent way to bounce back from their shock Round 13 home defeat to the St George Illawarra Dragons.
In terms of their recent clashes with the Storm, have an absolutely atrocious record against the Storm losing four of the last five matches between the sides. Even worse, their last two defeats have been 32-0 and 64-0. That doesn’t make for a good omen for Parramatta fans.
Storm
The Storms solid season continued last week as they beat a much fancied Roosters side 6-24. This was their twelth win of the campaign with their only two losses coming at the hands of the Prenith Panthers (21-14) and the Canberra Raiders (6-22).
As noted in the Eels segement, the Storm have a fantastic record over their opponents with their last defeat coming back in July 2017. They have won the last three meetings between the sides by more than 15 points.
Verdict: Storm 15/10
The Eels haven’t been at their best in recent weeks and I can see the Storm taking full advantage of this. My money is on the visitors.
