The St George Illawarra Dragons will run on to Bankwest Stadium for the time on Sunday in just the second NRL match ever held at the venue.
Since 1998 the Dragons have come up against the Parramatta Eels on 35 occasions and been victorious 15 times. But the Eels have recently strung together seven wins from eight matches against the Dragons dating all the way back to 2013. Leaving the Dragons with a mission to tip the scales back in their favour.
After seven rounds of the competition, there isn't much to split the two sides who both currently sit inside the top eight.
The Dragons rank eighth in defence having conceded 128 points, while the Eels rank seventh, leaking 125 points.
And while their defence is evenly matched, the Eels hold the high ground in attack scoring the third most points of any team so far this season. Brad Arthur's men have crossed the line for 163 points, boosted by 51-point romping over the Wests Tigers in Round 6.
The Dragons have notched up 130 points leaving them ranked eighth for attack and with some ground to make up on their opposition.
But in testament to the Dragons attacking potential, they have only found themselves in the opposition 20 for 150 tackles throughout seven matches. While the Eels have enjoyed 58 more tackles than the Dragons in the green zone to boost their scores.
Danger man
Clint Gutherson has been starring for the Eels in the opening rounds and currently leads the NRL in both running metres and line break assists.
Gutherson has run for an impressive 1,268 metres, averaging over 180 metres a game. All while keeping the NRLs star playmakers on their toes throwing eight line break assists in seven matches.
The Parramatta fullback will be a crucial cog for the Eels chances on Sunday and will be looking for another performance similar to his last outing at Bankwest stadium, when he notched up two try assists and 190 running metres.
Key Matchups
Ben Hunt v Mitchel Moses
The battle of the halves will play a significant role in the outcome of the match. Ben Hunt hit form with a stunning performance against the Bulldogs in Round 4 and has backed it up with five try assists, two line break assists and getting dirty in defence with 148 tackles.
His opposite number, Mitchell Moses, has also been enjoying a standout season and has posted some impressive figures so far. Moses currently has five try assists and two line break assists, but has struggled in defence making only 114 tackles with 79 per cent efficiency, and ranking inside the top 10 for handling errors.
Tyson Frizell v Shaun Lane
The all-star power of Tyson Frizell will come up against the towering potential of Shaun Lane on Sunday.
Frizell missed some time on the paddock in the opening rounds due to injury, but it hasn't stopped him from leading the way in the Dragons pack since returning. Frizell has averaged over 100 running metres this season and has been busting tackles for fun with seven in four matches.
Since joining Parramatta at the start of the season, Lane has been instrumental in their attack busting the line for three line breaks. Standing an imposing 198cm tall, Lane has thrown seven offloads and made 197 tackles.
