A spirited effort last start against the Kieran Foran led Warriors wasn’t enough for our boys to steal victory across the Tasman in Round 6, which now leaves our Eels boys 2-4 heading into the annual Easter Monday clash with the Wests Tigers.

A much improved effort saw us competing and fighting our way back into the match after absorbing plenty of early pressure, but it wasn’t enough, when we conceded a majority of our points in a crucial period just before halftime. It was a clash that certainly proved that the team who played closest to the 80 minutes would come out the victor, and on this occasion, it wasn’t us.

That philosophy rings even more true as we head into today’s blockbuster encounter with the Wests Tigers.

With the Mitchell Moses subplot aside (side note: how farcical is it that the NRL is letting him play against a team that he could be taking the field for the following week? It is a complete conflict of interest), today’s match will come down to desire.

Everything else aside, we have hit that point in our season where we have a must win game.

Today will be about attitude. We have to out-enthuse our opposition in every little facet of the game. We have to compete with every tackle, every hit up, every controlled measure that we execute and we have to reward ourselves for it.

Today I’m expecting to see a side akin to the Eels team that beat the Sea-Eagles in round one. A side that dictates the pace of the game and a side that builds pressure.

We’ll face some stiff opposition in attempting to do this (fortunately for us the likely orchestrator for the Tigers will at some point in the future find himself in Eels colours) and it will by no means be a walk in the park.

Conditions are perfect for today’s game, with blue skies and a dry track opening up the opportunity for plenty of expansive football – conducive to the way both sides love to play.

Our forwards have to come out and make a statement against the Tigers forwards. We need to run in numbers and hunt as a pack defensively. If we win the early battle, if we score points early, we can dampen the Tigers spirit awfully quickly, after all, this isn’t a side known for rolling up its sleeves when the going gets tough, so we need to be the team that dictates the pace. If you allow the Tigers to control the tempo in conditions like today, that’s when they start racking up 30+ score lines, something the Eels can ill-afford right now. However, if you let them know who controls the game in the opening 20, you start to wear them down very quickly, and points come quickly at the backend of halves.

Support needed: Pressure has to be taken off the kicking game of Corey Norman

Our kicking game will be so incredibly important today.

I risk myself digressing if I go into too much detail about this, however the short of it is, we need better support for Corey with our last tackle options. Clint Gutherson and Brad Takairangi need to assume greater responsibility on the fifth tackle play just so that we have a point of difference and to relieve some of the pressure Corey is being put under. This not only puts doubt into the minds of the defenders rushing Norman, but it affords more time for the likes of Gutherson and Takairangi to pick their place to kick, which is pivotal to them, given they aren’t as strong kickers of the ball as Norman is.

The more we can do to prevent Tedesco and Nofoaluma returning the ball, the better.

In fact, the more we can do to pressure the Tigers into playing high-risk footy, the better. The Tigers are an all-or-nothing team. It either all sticks or none of it does. The key to getting over the top of them is to push them around and force them into playing that high-risk footy.

Sometimes this strategy backfires on teams because they’ll pull some tricks out of their bag and pile on some points despite having spent the majority of the game on the back foot, however it’s incredibly hard to make all your trick shots work when you’re being continuously out-muscled. It only takes one or two of them breaking down to break the Tigers. So let’s chance our hand and force them into trying this. Our defensive line is resolute enough to withstand that type of pressure (so long as we bring our A-game and attitude from the first two weeks of this season).

Line speed, running with numbers, tackling in numbers and a good kick chase to the corner. Let’s do these basics and let’s come away with the win. Let’s want it more.

With this being said, let’s examine how we should manage the main threats in this afternoon’s game.

James Tedesco: It all starts at the back with James Tedesco, arguably the best fullback in the game at present. An elusive runner with blinding speed, always sniffing around for an offload and the ability to play the overlap to perfection, Tedesco has a complete fullbacks game and is one of the most damaging players in the competition. Kicking the ball away from this man is an absolute non-negotiable, unless it’s to take a well placed bomb with the chasers already on him as he catches it. This man turns an inch into a mile, so don’t give him an inch or a staggered defensive line, he will punish it otherwise! Instead remove him from the game as much as possible, tactical kicks to the corner and strong ‘A defenders’ either side of the markers, as well as insider defenders ready for change in the point of the Tigers attack.

Restriction: Limiting the involvement of James Tedesco limits the Tigers

David Nofoaluma & Kevin Naiqama: These two have had a mixed history against the Eels, they’ve had off games and they’ve had on games. When they’ve been on, they’ve both scored plenty of tries between them; when they’ve been off, they’ve been defensive liabilities. David Nofoaluma told the media early this week he gave himself the task of becoming the best winger in the game, and this week comes up against Semi Radradra, a man who probably up until the last few weeks, held this title. He’ll be keen to make a statement against our big Fijian flyer and the onus will be on Semi to step up after a less than impressive four weeks that’s seen him dominated in tackles he usually makes metres at will in. Both he & Jennings, if given room against their opposites, can score plenty of points (provided our forwards lay the platform first). Good early ball to Jennings in a 2-on-2 situation against Naiqama & Nofoaluma is where we might generate our meat pies today.

Jamal Idris: The big man is still finding his feet in the NRL given his 2016 sabbatical, but at the risk of sounding a pessimist, one thing the Eels are good at doing, regardless of our form at any given point in time, is playing a player back into form or confidence. The fact remains that Jamal is still a threat to any team he comes up against, and new Eels centre Kirisome Auva’a will have his hands full in trying to contain his Tigers opposite, especially given the defensive fragilities of our right edge so far this year. If ever attitude was to present itself, it’s in the defensive structure of a team and I expect our right edge to stand up today. That means rushing this man with strong ball-and-all tackles. Auva’a is strong enough to man-handle Irdris and skilful enough to skip around him with the ball in hand. I anticipate big things for Auva’a today and it starts with dominating Idris and not letting he or Moses Suli get on the scoresheet.

Mitchell Moses: The man set to be organizing the Eels backline in the next few weeks is the man currently organizing the Tigers backline. Everything the Tigers do today will be generated from both he and James Tedesco, so shutting him down and preventing him the opportunity to dictate play is where we’ll limit the Tigers. We bought Moses for a few reasons, and those few reasons are what threaten the ‘W’ for us today. Pressure his kicking game, prevent him from straightening the attack and don’t fall for his dummy as he runs back against the grain.

Eel he be or won’t he be: Mitchell Moses is set to join Parramatta, but today he is the opposition

Elijah Taylor: Elijah Taylor probably represents everything Stephen Kearney hoped Joseph Paulo would turn into when they were both at the club. A genuine playmaker in the middle third, Taylor has subtle hands that can catch even the best middle defenders out and holds his own without the ball in hand. He too helps straighten up the Tigers attack and placing necessary pressure on Taylor will prevent the Tigers from creating room on the edges.

Josh Aloiai: Josh Aloiai was a star in the most successful Eels U/20s side to date, with punishing runs on the fringe of the ruck. I, like I’m sure like many supporters who follow our lower grades, was sad to see him leave our system, but couldn’t begrudge him for chasing the NRL opportunity that existed at the Tigers. Josh is a good hole runner and still makes those strong runs on the fringes. Our edge defenders need to be wary of the short ball Moses may pop him, as it’s caught us out before.

Aaron Woods & Sauaso Sue: Although one is starting and the other is on the bench, these are the two forwards that can get the Tigers sets rolling over the advantage line. Both have great leg drive and can pop an offload, so gang tackling them and wrapping the ball up is how we’ll prevent the Tigers from laying a platform and pressure them into trying their trick shots. Give them no room to move.

Numbers: Gang tackling the Tigers middle forwards with line speed will set a platform for the Eels

Heading into this game, Head Coach Brad Arthur has probably named his best defensive line up to date. The inclusions of Daniel Alvaro and Peni Terepo on the bench sure up our middle third when our starters come off, and we don’t miss a beat with Beau Scott coming on for Nathan Brown either. They should all help provide Kaysa Pritchard with the necessary support he requires as he begins to fatigue, as well as re-instate our infamous line speed (so too Kenny Edwards when he returns next week!). This is pivotal to us winning the forward battle and essentially, the win today. Our ability to win the ruck and maintain our middle third has been significantly down on last year and these inclusions (and the way I believe Arthur will use them) is huge for our chances today.

The Tigers will be buoyed by their last start win against the Cowboys in Townsville, no easy-feat even with North Queensland’s current injury woes, and they’re still riding the whole new-coach, new-us thing as it’s only Ivan Cleary’s second game in charge, so they will come out firing in the first 15-20 minutes of the game.

The key for us is to match them and wear them down. We are a much more patient side (when we want to be) than the Tigers, so it’s important to play that way. If we can jab some early points, great! Let’s take full advantage of that, but if we don’t let’s be prepared to roll up our sleeves and put in a solid first forty minutes, even if that means going into the break with limited or no points. The aim of the day should be to out-enthuse and out-last the Tigers, the points will come when they need to.

Greater ownership of the game from Corey Norman, Clint Gutherson and Brad Takairangi will be required today. There should be plenty of talk from these three and much greater responsibility on the forwards to hunt as a pack.

I feel that if we remain patient and we’re deliberate with everything that we do today, that we’ll run away with the points, but again, and I stress, we must earn that right first.

Let’s be vocal out on the pitch, let’s be vocal in the crowd and let’s want it more!

Clint

All images courtesy of the Parramatta Eels, NRL.com and Getty Images

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