Holden Cup Team List
Strap yourselves in folks, this is it. After 24 regulation season games and 2 finals games, the Eels have arrived at a very special Holden Cup Grand Final. Not only is it Parramatta’s maiden berth in the Under 20s decider, it is also the final time that the National Young Competition will run parallel to the NRL before transitioning to a state based program.
The Eels finished the regulation season in 4th place with a 15-9 record – overcoming both injuries and inexperience to storm their way into the finals. Once there Parramatta brutally dismissed the 1st placed Cronulla Sharks (35-22) and 2nd placed Penrith Panthers (28-6) in Weeks 1 and 3 of the finals respectively to book their ticket into the big dance.
Luke Burt has his young charges playing a bruising and physical brand of football rarely sighted in the NYC. From their largely unheralded forward pack to a backline bristling with weapons, the Eels have piled on the physicality in the finals and their opponents have wilted.
Enter the Sea Eagles.
Manly will be firmly grasping underdog status for this title match but they will step into this contest with plenty of self-belief. An 8th placed finish for our arch-rivals meant it was sudden death footy from the get-go but they thrived on the pressure. After knocking off the North Queensland Cowboys in Week 1 they then sent the minor premiers in the Cronulla Sharks packing in Week 2 (following their loss to the Eels). From there they comfortably accounted for the St George Illawarra Dragons to book an improbable spot in the Grand Final.
Indeed, the only time these two teams met this year was in Round 1 where Manly cruised home to a 34-20 victory over a sloppy and slow-starting Eels’ outfit.
Plenty has changed since that loss though and it will all make for a hugely compelling showdown between these two long and storied rivals.
Burt has stayed true to the seventeen players that smashed their way into the Grand Final and given the way the entire team has played you really can not fault the call. By now you should know who looms large as the difference makers for the Blue & Gold: Greg Leleisiuao and Dane Aukafolau are the senior strike men in the backline while Ray Stone and Salesi Faingaa will lead our hard nosed forward pack from the front.
Reed Mahoney and Dylan Brown likely hold the keys for the Eels in the spine and will both be looking to back up electric individual performances against Penrith.
Of course Grand Finals heroes can often be found in the most unlikely of places. Dylan Clifford is coming off a career game after his role in our victory over the Panthers while Noel Aukafolau is stepping that much further out of the shadow of his big brother with every cap in the grade.
The Eels have fought their way here on the back of committed and disciplined team efforts. Their line speed in defence, their efforts off-the-ball and their nigh unbreakable belief in the player standing next to them are all but a part of identity that they have forged across the season. If they are to win on Sunday it stands to reason that it is because they stayed true to that identity.
I hope you all get the chance to watch the future of our club this weekend. Even more so, I hope you get the chance to bring as many of the Blue & Gold faithful together to share the moment. Win or lose it has been an amazing journey for myself covering this remarkable young team across both 2017 and the last four or so years.
It will be my honour to call the last ever National Youth Competition right here on TCT. I look forward to each and all of you that can join me on Sunday.
Thank you everyone for joining me on this wild ride!
Parramatta Eels NYC side
1. Anthony Layoun
2. Greg Leleisiuao
3. Dane Aukafolau
4. Noel Aukafolau
5. John Fonua
6. Dean Matterson (c)
7. Dylan Brown
8. Sean Keppie
9. Denzal Tonise (c)
10. Oregon Kaufusi
11. Dylan Clifford
12. Salesi Faingaa
13. Ray Stone
Interchange
14. Reed Mahoney
15. Mitch Butfield
16. Frank Salu
17. Dom Murphy
18. Tangi Hokai
19. Emosi Alamoti
20. Tuimavave Afualo
21. Nick Okladnikov
22. Kamren Cryer
23. Austin Dias
Another great article to raise the hairs on my neck in anticipation. Thanks for a fantastic debut season for the TCT…been an outstanding addition – not only as an Eels follower – but as a Rugby League follower. Your passion for the Club, and your ‘writing’ is amazing – and very much appreciated by all.
I am moving to a new home in Thurgoona (Albury) on Thursday after 51 years as a resident of Hay. I look forward to watching the Eels in the Under 20s in my new surrounds….
and I am confident this team can bring home the Cup..The defence against Penrith was BRUTAL and very tight. Defence wins big games…
Parra Pete out of curiosity mate, what’s the distance in those areas..?
Hay to Albury is about 340kms..Thurgoona is a ‘suburb’ of Albury —about ten minutes from CBD. Albury is a place where my medical “specialists’ and grandkids are located…BUT I love Hay and everything it has given me during my years as a resident. It will ALWAYS be “MY TOWN”….Will shed a tear that’s for sure…It’s a bit SURREAL at the moment……
One of the best and ornate country rail stations you will ever see.
Just a pity there is no trains Pete.
Hope it all works well for you mate, and cheers for that.
Have heard one of those areas of Albury have some good sports facilities. Go parra
Great read 40; i think the forwards need to pave the way for this one – if they get the power up front our backs will sort it. We just need to play sensible and be patient.
Ive not seen a lot of the NYC but have seen the finals games and these boys have been good oops v v good.
Just hope we can hold our nerve and the young halves go well.
Superb work by the coaching staff and thanks TCT for this one….
I really can’t wrap the coaching and support staff for the NYC enough. They have done a superb job getting this young (and admittedly extremely talented) team to where they are.
The dominance of our last two wins has absolutely been on the strength of the effort from the pack. They have been relentless. If they can produce anything similar this Sunday then we will be hard to defeat.
I thought the forwards were fantastic against the Panthers…They were POWERFUL in both attack and defence. Very impressive, and they are fit…
Yeah Pete i watched the replay twice; fwds were superb. Just need another good one
Spot on Pete. The forwards have blown the Sharks and Panthers off the park in consecutive games – especially with their ferocity in defence. Need one more big effort from the engine room now.
Forty love your work and it has been good reading all year. It was especially nice to meet you this year at the Dogs game and hopefully we can catch up again sometime next year.
I thought that defensively they have been good all year. Whilst I haven’t analysed any stats they just seem calm under pressure and get thru their defensive work even when behind
In a team full of very good players I am expecting a big game from Ray Stone in the GF. I like the way he goes about his work.
Thanks for contributing all season John, it was a blast meeting you this year!
I agree completely with you about the calmness under pressure in defence. They are one of the most poised units on their goal line that I have seen in the 20s. That isn’t to say that can’t be scored on when facing multiple goal line sets but they have done an exemplary job when faced with those tough scenarios.
The second game against Newcastle comes to mind here. The Knights were camped on our goal line for nearly the entire opening 20min and they just rolled with the blows and landed a devastating counter attack before half time to secure the lead.
Admittedly I’ve only caught a couple of games this year, but Salesi Faingaa looks an ultra-impressive prospect.
He doesn’t appear to have the junior rep pedigree of Tepai, Pauli Pauli or Tanginoa … anyone know why?
Salesi had his entire 2016 campaign wiped out before a whistle was blown with a shoulder injury.
He is one to keep an eye on once he gets the benefit of a proper preseason next year.
Let’s they win what will the NYC be replaced with ?
Mostly grownups I hope Anon. No offence meant to these young men, but it is time the blokes playing reserve grade, who have served their time developing into mature adult footy players get their status back as the next in line for NRL. Where they can hopefully play on the same day before the big boys much more often than what occurs at the moment!
I also believe quite a few of these U20’s young fellas will be playing with the grownups at Wenty in Massey or ISP reserve grade.
U20’s was a great pathway for kids and whatever replaces it should continue to do that in an atmosphere of suburban grounds and a few hundred fans. It will take a lot of pressure off boys and/or very young men from their peers and family expectations which were unrealistic in most cases. Very few U20 players ever reach NRL standard.
I would prefer to see the ISP teams play. Some of the defence in the NYC is just terrible and the amount of points scored is off the scale. ISP will give a much better idea of what is coming. What the true backup is for the NRL
Think you’re right Rowdy…..NYC needs some hard heads imo. It was always marketed by nrl as the next crop of NRL players i think and its never been that way. But we shall see what the NRL power brokers have in stall…….