Unfortunately there will be no highlights footage for the District Representatives this week due to a battery bungle-up on my end (one kit bag packed for the District Representatives, one for the Penrith Trials – guess who put all the batteries in the latter?) but I will endeavour to make it up to you all with live updates from both games!

 

Harold Matthews

 

First Half

Parra kick off to get the game underway. Some heavy contact in the first set as the Eels aim up against the home team but the Tigers reply with a superb 40/20.

 

The goal line defence for the blue and gold withstands the first raid of the day and fullback John Paul Nohra earns a penalty coming out of the in-goals.

 

Ooh, gee that is unfortunate. Schneider had broken away up the middle but is called back for the ball to be played again. The Eels complete their set with a neat kick in behind from Ronan King but give up a penalty for a dangerous tackle on the chase.

 

Looks like backrower Matt Doorey has picked up an injury here. The Eels manage to hold their goal line defence even with Doorey struggling but concede a line dropout.

 

Outstanding defence on the sideline by Joshua Boumelhem stops a near certain try but the Tigers pull together a slick backline move a couple of tackles later to draw in his fellow winger, Cliff Lea’aetoa, on the fullback sweep to cross in the other corner.

 

Balmain lead Parra 6-0 (Conversion successful).

 

The Eels force a turnover from the kickoff set and then earn a penalty late in the count to build more goal line pressure. They spin it early to William Kei down the left edge and he pins his ears for the line in a straight 2-on-2 match up but he loses it over the line.

 

Oh dear! That felt like a carbon copy of the first defensive set. The Eels aimed up and contained the Tigers but Paul-Nohra and Lea’aetoa were caught in no man’s land and the Tigers rifle off another 40/20.

 

We look solid on the goal line again but come up with an error on a tough take as they looked to stab it in behind down our left edge. The Tigers then earn a penalty for Parra slowing down the ruck.

Again the Eels prove resolute in their redzone as the Tigers kick it dead on the last but then we come up with an error from the 20m restart! Slice of luck in return though as the home team turns the ball over to us three tackles later.

 

A penalty for a high shot helps us down the field.

 

Great carry from Schneider there as he fends off a couple of Tigers for a 20m gain but our kick on the last is poor and sees us knock on as we try to scoop it up after skewing off the outside of King’s boot.

 

Tough call there in defence now. Setafano Utoikamanu looked to have forced the ball loose but the ref rules a knock on against the Eels.

 

The Eels hold on comfortably against that repeat set though and in reply Luke Sommerton earns a penalty after a clever snipe from dummy half.

 

The Eels take it left early in the set and give Kei some room to work in and he takes some tackling before getting pulled down in the redzone. We then work it back towards the posts for a couple of tackles where Wellington Seve ia brought down after shrugging off a couple of defenders and on the last Schneider jumps into first receiver and finds Utoikamanu who bulldozes his way over the line!

 

The conversion is good from Schneider.

 

Parra lock it up at 6-all.

 

Schneider once more in the thick of things as he drives the Eels deep into the Tigers’ half from the kick off set and in return the Tigers loom to run it out their final tackle but are cut down by a beautiful effort from Mark Tepu-Smith.

 

Ronan King beats a couple of defenders in a right edge shift but can’t anything more and the Eels too go out on the last trying to run the ball.

 

Oof, pace is lifting now as ths Tigers start hammering away in behind the ruck but get pinged for a forward pass! Hang on, the ref is reversing his call and signalling for a penalty to the Tigers.

 

Dominant tackle from Valance Harris there! Picked up hia opposite backrower and simply drove him backwards. Massive effort play as well as it undoes all the redzone momentum for the Tigers and Parra come away with the pill on the last.

 

A penalty for a high shot takes us down field but the Tigers hold firm on their goal line and clean our kick up just metres into the field of play.

 

There is enough time for the Tigers to complete their set and get a kick away, giving the Eels two tackles before the half time buzzer rings out.

 

Half Time

Parramatta Eels 6 – Balmain Tigers 6

 

Second Half

 

Tremendous effort from Tepu-Smith in the first set as he takes an astonishing THREE carries to drive the Eels into the redzone. We get caught running on the last once more but unleash a punishing set of defence to let the Tigers gain nothing and ultimately force the ball loose!

 

We strike quickly from the change of possesion with five-eighth Dylan Brown running to the line down the left edge and sneaking through a couple of defenders that were hanging off on the outside and inside options.

 

Schneider converts.

Parra hit the lead 12-6.

 

A couple soft errors are giving the Tigers a sniff now and the home team makes us pay as the crash over under the posts from dummy half. That one hurts as we gifted them the chance.

 

Conversion is good.

 

Score is locked up once more, this time at 12-all.

 

Great work from Nohra there! Raced up to stop the chip kick and then pinched a good 20m. It gets the Eels right onto the front foot too and they strike right back through a sensational piece of work from Williame Kei. Nohra is involved one again, feeding Kei the ball on the fullback sweep but Kei still has plenty do! He steps back towards the posts off his left foot and then in one motion pirouettes back to the sideline to create an overlap out of nothing. He then pins his ears back and scores himself!

 

Schneider nails the extras from out wide.

 

Parra back in front 18-12.

 

Big goal line save from Nohra there. Balmain created an overlap there ans he held firm at the last line to drive the winger into touch.

 

Few minutes later now (apologies for the sporadic updates but my phone battery is starting to dip and there is still the SG Ball to cover) and the Tigers slice through our right edge to score. Good acceleration from their centre but that was pretty soft.

 

Conversion attempt is waved away.

Tigers trail the Eels 16-18

 

With 3min left in the game the Tigers pick up a penalty for a high shot and elect to take a crack at the two points. The attempt is good and for the third time today the scores are locked up.

 

Tigers convert a penalty attempt to leave the scores at 18-all.

 

Massive effort from Nohra there! The Eels will likely have the last roll of the dice and he comes up with a stellar kick return!

 

The Eels rumble down field on the back of the impetus given there and it is Nohra AGAIN in the clutch! He swings down the left edge to create the overlap to Kei who draws and passes to Lea’aetoa who still has plenty of work to do but storms over two or three defenders to seal the game!

 

Schneider hits the uprights and is waved away but it was purely for minor F/A in any event.

 

Full Time

Parramatta Eels 22 DEF Balmain Tigers 18

 

 

SG Ball

 

First Half

Awful start as the Eels make a mistake in goals from the kickoff and have to come back for a drop out. They manage to fend off the attacking set of the Tigers though and then late in their reply set they get the first penalty of the game.

 

Michael Tupou, wearing the #13 makes a nice run off of a left foot step but from the resultant play the ball, Vea Tapa knocks on trying to scoop up the ball.

 

Gee, a chance goes begging there! Tui Afualo shrugs off two defenders and flicks the ball to Haze Dunster who races down the sideline. He could have passed inside but chooses to kick and the ball goes dead.

 

Tigers end up crossing for first points in somewhat dubious circumstances. They bomb Haze Dunster in the red zone and come away with the pill from a contested take. Shades of a double knock on there, albeit in the favour of the Tigers, but the ref rules play on and they barely get the ball over the line.

 

Conversion is good.

Tigers lead 6-0

 

That seems to have stirred the Eels to life as they reply in lightning fast fashion with Steve Dresler pounding his way through to score under the posts.

 

Turnbull converts with ease.

Parra make it a level game at 6-all.

 

The Eels on a roll now. Tupou, Filia Utoikamanu and Dresler just hammer the ruck of the Tigers to drive us into their red zone and a Langer-esque grubber from Turnbull allows fellow half Alex Seve to pounce!

 

Turnbull converts again.

Parra in front 12-6.

 

Massive break in play now as Johnny Fonua goes down after taking a hit from a kick chaser. He is in a bad way and gets helped off the field. Broken jaw maybe? No call comes for the high shot and rather the Eels get pinged for him losing the ball.

 

Alex Seve pushes back to fullback in his absence and Elie Elzahem enters the game from the bench to play in the halves.

 

From the resultant set the Tigers breach the goal line twice but are held up on the first occasion and lose it over the line on the second attempt.

 

And in the shade of half time the Eels have forged their way ahead despite some serious adversity as Ethan Parry gets into dummy half near the posts and powers over.

 

Turnbull makes it 3/3.

 

Half Time

Parramatta Eels 18 lead Balmain Tigers 6

 

Second Half

 

Parra pick up where they left off as the trouble the scorers first in the second half. Tui Afualo was the architect here as a lovely short ball puts Filia Utoikamanu between two defenders. The big backrower offloads to Parry who in turn finds Noel Auckafolau and Noel crashes over in the corner.

 

Seve takes over the kicking duties and nails it from out wide.

 

Parra lead 24-6

 

Update on our backline. We have Dunster at fullback, Afualo/Auckafolau on the left and Elzahem playing centre in the right with Josh Carr on the right wing!  Parra thriving in adversity at the moment.

 

And I curse myself as I tap that out as Jesse Cronin takes a sickening head knock in defence which causes the game to come to an immediate halt. The stretcher comes out and Cronin is slowly and carefully transferred to it. Best wishes for the tearaway forward, along with Johnny Fonua.

 

As play resumes the Tigers look to the bomb and it pays dividends for them. Haze Dunster is covering at fullback and he has been shaky under the high ball all day, as he was again on this occasion. He loses the ball backwards in goals and the Tigers pour through to ground it first.

 

Conversion is good.

 

Tigers trail 12-24

 

Correction to that backline. Turnbull is off so Afualo is in the halves and it is Parry/Auckafolau on the left.

 

Parra has no one left on the bench and will quite possibly have to play out the final 24min with the 13 they have on the field.

 

And as I type that out Turnbull and Tapa return from the sheds to sit on the pine.

 

Back to the game, Ethan Parry makes a strong run down the middle carrying defenders into the red zone but the ball comes loose on the ground. Plenty of hands on the ball there but no call comes.

 

Tensions explode on the field now as both teams race in for a session of jersey grabbing. No penalty at the end of it all, we resume with a play the ball for the Tigers.

 

Silly error from Parra at the end of the set as we are done for a shoulder charge. The Tigers cash in on the repeat set as their fullback slices through an overlap down our reshuffled left edge.

 

He fails to convert his own try.

 

Balmain trail 16-24

 

Parra hanging on for dear life here. Injuries have gassed them badly and they aren’t getting any 50/50s.

 

Inteception for the Tigers now. Massive play as we had the overlap otherwise. Seve chasers the runner down but a couple of tackles later they cross down our right edge.Weight of possession coupled with our horrible luck is killing us.

 

The conversion is good.

 

Balmain trail by 2 now, 22-24

 

7min to go.

 

The Tigers run it on the last and find us one man short down our left edge to score out wide. Heart breaking stuff after the effort shown.

 

The conversion is unsuccessful.

Tigers lead 26-24

60 seconds left.

 

We get the shirt kickoff off as Dunster tsps it back to Afualo but Tui has the ball punched out from behind.

 

The Tigers proceed to run it out.

 

Full Time

Balmain Tigers 26 DEF Parramatta Eels 24