Bankwest Stadium will play host to Thursday's Round 2 NRL game between Parramatta Eels and Melbourne Storm. The game kicks off at 8:05 pm with Melbourne Storm heading into the game as favourites with the bookmakers. Continue reading for our in-depth preview of the Parramatta Eels vs. Melbourne Storm game and give you our free tips and bets.

When: Thursday March 18, 2021 at 8:05 pm

Where: Bankwest Stadium

Bet: Bet On This Match HERE

Parramatta Eels vs Melbourne Storm Odds

Parramatta Eels vs Melbourne Storm Preview

The Parramatta Eels just managed to avoid embarrassment after allowing the lowly Brisbane Broncos to race out to an early lead last week. If not for a handful of injuries to the home side, Parramatta may have been entering this week looking to avoid back-to-back losses. It’s just as well Brad Arthur’s men completed the comeback. They face an uphill task against an outstanding Melbourne Storm side in this one. The Storm can be forgiven for slowing down in the second half. After all, they’d done the work to build a lead, and slow finishes ended up a common theme around the NRL in Round 1.

Melbourne looked every bit like the 2020 version. Their middle worked the team up the field while the spine found opportunities to score behind it. Ryan Papenhuyzen, in particular, has quickly put himself into the ‘best fullback in the game’ conversation. Unfortunately for Parramatta, they looked every bit like the 2020 version of themselves too. The second half version, at least. Their side-to-side attack offered very little against a Broncos team that conceded over 30 points per game last season. The changes – Moses/Matterson to the left and Brown/Lane to the right – struggled to iron out the kinks. They’ll be better for the 80 minutes on the field but not good enough to upset a Storm side that hits the ground running for the early rounds of a season every year.

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