No changes made to the side beaten 50-0 in round four.
Parramatta coach Ricky Stuart has shown tremendous faith in his current squad after retaining the same 17 players for their clash against Cronulla.
The Eels were humiliated 50-0 by a fired-up Sydney Roosters outfit last round in what was Stuart’s worst loss a coach in his illustrious career.
A list of records were set and broken by the defeat, as the Eels stumbled their way to a poor performance that saw them miss a staggering 48 tackles and give up 11 line breaks to the Roosters.
Despite the backlash by fans and analysts Stuart did not wield the selection axe, but did warn fans to expect more pain as he begin his rebuilding process of the side.
However, the club’s senior players have come under fire after the loss for failing to show up at a scheduled press conference as part of the team’s recover session.
None of the three co-captains, Tim Mannah, Reni Maitua and Jarryd Hayne, fronted up to explain their capitulation at the hands of the Roosters.
Instead, young players including Ken Sio, Ryan Morgan, Joseph Paulo, Jacob Loko were sent to face the music, before the waiting media pack walked out after one hour.
An Eels club spokesperson said there was a break down in communication which led to the senior players not being present for the media conference.
Parramatta will face a Cronulla side this weekend desperate to get back into the winner’s circle after being upset by St George Illawarra in the Shire derby.
The only major change is Chad Townsend coming in for injured star Todd Carney, who is set to miss two weeks with an ankle injury.
Matthew Wright has been dropped, with Jonathan Wright moving to centre and Nathan Stapleton coming into the side in the other changes for the Sharks.
Eels: Jarryd Hayne, Ken Sio, Ryan Morgan, Jacob Loko, Vai Toutai, Luke Kelly, Chris Sandow, Mitchell Allgood, Matt Keating, Tim Mannah, Reni Maitua, Ben Smith, Joseph Paulo. Interchange: Ben Roberts, Darcy Lussick, Fuifui Moimoi, Kelepi Tanginoa
Sharks:Michael Gordon, Nathan Stapleton, Ben Pomeroy, Jonathan Wright, Beau Ryan, Chad Townsend, Jeff Robson, Andrew Fifita, John Morris, Ben Ross, Luke Lewis, Wade Graham, Paul Gallen. Interchange: Chris Heighington, Jayson Bukuya, Isaac De Gois, Anthony Tupou, Sam Tagatese, Stewart Mills
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