The Eels get a golden opportunity to climb in to the top four and earn a double chance if they can knock off the Storm in a mouth-watering Thursday night clash at CommBank Stadium.
Parramatta's win over the Broncos took them to 32 competition points, equal with the Storm who lost to the Roosters, so the winner of this match is guaranteed two bites of the cherry in the finals.
Both sides have shown enough in recent weeks to suggest they can mount a serious challenge for the title and the winner of Thursday night's game takes huge momentum into September.
The atmosphere at CommBank Stadium will be electric as the Eels look to make it two wins over the Storm for the season after scraping home 28-24 in Round 3 in Melbourne.
Sportsbet Betting preview: Eels v Storm
The Rundown
Team news
Eels: Marata Niukore will start and Ryan Matterson comes from the bench in a late switch that has become the norm in recent weeks for coach Brad Arthur. Prop Reagan Campbell-Gillard was found guilty of a dangerous contact charge at the judiciary on Tuesday night but is free to play as he faces a fine. The Eels came through their win over Brisbane unscathed so Arthur had the luxury of naming the same 17-man squad for their shot at a top-four spot.
Storm: A huge blow for the Storm with Jahrome Hughes (calf) ruled out of the clash. Cooper Johns will come into the side at halfback to partner Cameron Munster in the halves with Nick Meaney named at fullback. In a switch an hour before kick-off Tui Kamikamica comes into the starting side and Josh King goes to the bench. Felise Kaufusi returns to the second row after coming from the bench last week on his return from personal leave.
This article contains content that is only available on pan66.com
Key match-up
Mitchell Moses v Cooper Johns: It was shaping as a pivotal battle between the halfbacks prior to Jahrome Hughes' late withdrawal; now it's looming as a huge test for Cooper Johns against one of the competition's finest playmakers. With 22 try assists to his name, Moses is No.1 in the NRL in that category, and he has 14 line break assists and 16 forced dropouts for good measure. After missing two weeks with a finger injury Moses has returned in dazzling fashion to orchestrate wins over the Bulldogs and Broncos as Parra tune up for a shot at their first title in 36 years. How the Storm go at handling him, and bringing their own attacking flair, will be key. Johns performed admirably when Melbourne downed Penrith just a few weeks ago, and it'll be fascinating to see how he, Nick Meaney and Cameron Munster combine in attack with the latter adopting his move roving fullback-five-eighth role in recent weeks.
Stat Attack
The Eels have won seven of 10 at CommBank Stadium this season while the Storm are 7-4 away from home. The last time the sides met at this venue the Eels got home 16-12 in Round 2 last year thanks to a late Maika Sivo try.
This article contains content that is only available on pan66.com