Eels v Titans: Brimson out; Eels as named

With seven rounds remaining, just two points separate the Eels and Titans on the ladder as both sides find themselves part of the dogfight for places in the bottom of the eight.

Both teams are coming off a Round 19 loss but will hope to welcome their big guns back for good after being hit hard in the Origin period. 

The Eels will be desperate to get their season back on track after the Warriors ended their five-game winning streak on Saturday night, with miss tackles and ill-discipline haunting Brad Arthur's side in front of a home crowd.

With only three games left at home, the Eels will be determined to make amends with their faithful against the Titans and ensure they have a place in the 2023 finals series.

Meanwhile, dropping into 11th position after a tough golden-point defeat to the Dolphins on Sunday, the Titans will be hopeful Maroons Tino Fa'asuamaleaui, David Fifita, Moeaki Fotuaika and AJ Brimson are fit and firing on all cylinders, desperately needing a win if they're to remain in finals contention.

The last time these two sides met was Magic Round and it was the Gold Coast who scraped through with a narrow 26-24 victory, but prior to that the Eels have won the past seven head-to-head clashes. 

Sportsbet Betting Preview - Eels v Titans

Team News 

Eels: There are no changes to the Eels an hour from kick-off, with all three of Brad Arthur's Origin reps remaining in the squad. The return of Clint Gutherson moves Sean Russell to the wing, while Ofahiki Ogden reverts to be 18th Man after starting at prop last week. Mitch Moses is back in the halves, so Ryan Matterson moves to the bench. After making a successful injury return via the interchange last week, Shaun Lane starts in the second row which bumps Andrew Davey back to the pine.

Titans: AJ Brimson is out of the game, but his three other Queensland Origin teammates will back up with Moeaki Fotuaika and David Fifita all remaining in the squad, with Tino Fa'asuamaleaui moving to the bench. Jayden Campbell has been elevated to the fullback role, while Chris Randall starts at prop for Fa'asuamaleaui. Aaron Schoupp also moves to the bench with Jojo Fifita coming into the centres. Forwards Jaimin Jolliffe (hand) and Joe Stimson (concussion) will both miss the match after suffering injuries against the Dolphins. Jolliffe is facing four weeks on the sidelines and is replaced by Klese Haas this week in the second row.