Dyldam Parramatta Eels Holden Cup side

1. Mason Cerruto

2. Atini Gafa

3. Tyrell Fuimaono

4. Dane Aukafolau

5. Jermaine Mati-Leifi

6. Michael Doolan

7. Troy Dargan

8. Alex Twal

9. Denzal Tonise (c)

10. Tom Amone

11. Jack Morris

12. Tom Field

13. Craig Field

Interchange:

14. Matthew Price

15. Jamie Stowers

16. Jonathan Mose

17. Kurt De Luis

 

 

First Half

 

The Cowboys receive the pill to start the game and on the back of a penalty in the first set they secure first points as the Eels are caught short down their right-edge. Atini Gafa raced in there when he might have had the man-to-man play.

 

Try scored by the Cowboys. Conversion unsuccessful.

 

Cowboys lead 6-0

 

A nice little screw kick-off catches the Cowboys napping and the ball bounces out for a Parra scrum. Parra have good shape through their first red zone set and get a golden chance to hit back straight away as Dargan engineers the overlap down our left-edge but Cerruto’s pass to Maiti-Leifi is awful and rolls behind the winger and into touch. Chance gone begging.

 

The Cowboys punish us for that missed opportunity as well. After working the ball down our right-edge first, they then go to the opposite side of the field and create an overlap from mid-field. The last pass looked very dubious but the ref lets it go and Miski can’t shutdown the 2-on-1 at the last line. Geez that hurts.

 

Try scored by the Cowboys. Conversion unsuccessful.

 

Cowboys lead 8-0

8min gone

 

Oh dear. The Cowboys make it three tries on the trot. This time it comes on the last tackle of the set, the halfback for the Cowboys sends a bomb up oh-so-high and Cerruto looks dreadfully uncomfortable under it. The leading chaser was a mile offside (no bias here, legitimately offside) but was right on the money to scoop up the dropped ball from Cerruto and score next to the posts. Parra in all sorts here.

 

Try scored by the Cowboys. Conversion successful.

 

Cowboys lead 14-0

11min gone

 

The Eels finally get the ball back after what seems an eternity. Metres are very tough to come by though as the Cowboys ride the momentum in defence. Dargan and Morris give a bit of impetus to set up the last tackle and Dargan then looks to run it down the left-edge short side but his linebreaking pass to Maiti-Leifi is pulled up for travelling forwards – the officials didn’t miss that one, funnily enough.

 

Phew, bullet dodged there. Cowboys somehow make a massive overlap out of nothing down our right-edge but drop the moneyball pass for an easy let off.

 

Good charge from Auckafolau early in our following set. Doolan gets Tom Field through a half gap two tackles later but he somehow loses the ball going through the gap! Parra compound things by giving away a penalty on the following tackle.

 

Better hitting from the Eels this set, they are leaving a mark on the Cowboys now. The visitors slow the pace down at the end of the set and drive the ball into touch, despite been in range for an attacking kick. Parra will pack down for a scrum 10m out from their own goal line.

 

Parra’s outside backs come in to work the ruck for the first three tackles before Alex Twal has a great charge and offload to bring up the last. Dargan bombs the right-edge of the Cowboys and a good chase from Maiti-Leifi brings down his opposing winger as he secures possession.

 

The Cowboys kick early this set and Cerruto gets back to pick up the rolling ball. Parra look to establish themselves in the arm-wrestle of the game and pound it up the middle. A deft kick from Doolan sees the Eels complete another set and the Cowboys start in their red zone before time is blown off for an injured Eel – none other than Dargan. He is alright though after a short break.

 

Our right-edge is looking real shaky at the moment. Again the Cowboys catch us short but some sloppy ball-work lets us recover on the slide. The drill the ball downfield early once again and Cerruto is extremely hesitant to play at the ball, leading to him losing it backwards into the in-goals. He cleans it up but gee he isn’t instilling any confidence in me.

 

The Eels finally catch a break in their next defensive set as the Cowboys drop it cold. Doolan loses it backwards early in our set but we keep possession but our shape is pretty ordinary and it comes to peak on the last where Dargan drops it as he swings down the right. Safe to say our level of play is poor at the moment.

 

And the yips keep coming for Cerruto, dropping another regulation catch at the back. There wasn’t any zest on that kick either, just an end-over-end bomb. Massive pressure on the Eels now to defend their goal line.

 

Thank goodness! The Cowboys come up with an error on the their first tackle in reply. Gafa scoops it up and offloads to Fuimaono who makes a further 30m. Three tackles later the Eels pick up their first penalty of the game. Only took us 25min!

 

We can’t capitalise on the chance though as our attack sputters its way to the last tackle where Doolan’s grubber is read extremely well by Ponga. The Cowboys get a penalty late in their tackle count and will immediately swing to attacking in our half yet again.

 

Nothing too testing from them early in the set. Another forward pass goes by unnoticed but we hold out until the last. What happens next should deadset have prompted the ground announcer to play the Benny Hill theme. The Cowboys get away with another forward pass on their last tackle before kicking out on the full. From the resultant play-the-ball – a fresh set mind you – the Eels have no one at hooker and the Cowboys dive on the ball to get possession right back. On the next tackle the Cowboys get the ball jolted loose so we have thee changes of possession in the space of 30 seconds.

 

Back to the game itself and the Cowboys pick up yet another penalty, only team getting reffed here. Errors creeping into their game too now. Oh wow, the Eels give it straight back as Johnathan Mose loses the ball on the first tackle back. The Cowboys look like making it four scores as they open us up in reply but they lose it with no one in front and under the posts! What is going on this game?

 

The Eels get their second penalty of the game in return as we come out of our half. I actually can not keep up with this game!

 

Finally one of the Eels decides to put their stamp on the game. Tyrell Fuimaono says give it to me down the right edge and just storms past his opposite from 20m out. Too strong and quick enough to beat the cover defenders. Great try and the Eels are finally on the board!

 

Try scored by Fuimaono. Conversion unsuccessful by Doolan.

 

Parra trail 4-14

34min gone

 

Gafa secures the kickoff, thankfully Cerruto was no where near that one! De Luis and Craig Field follow him up while Morris carries a coupe of defenders over half way. Dargan stabs it in behind on the last and forces Ponga to clean it up 1m off his goal line.

 

Great cover tackle by Morris there! Cowboys nearly through in behind the ruck before he chopped the runner down at his legs. The Cowboys put in a shallow attacking kick but Maiti-Leifi does well to clean it up but two tackles later Cerruto drops it cold as the ball is passed to him! Unreal. He is having a shocker.

 

Two swings of fortune there, bad luck for the Cowboys who look to have an injured runner from a non-contact injury and good luck for the Eels as Mose nabs the loose ball and races 35m downfield. The ref blows time off a tackle later as trainers race out to attend the downed Cowboy. The injured Cowboy is assisted off the field by two trainers and play will resume for the Eels near halfway.

 

Monster carry by Fuimaono there. Just barrels over multiple defenders there. The Eels then get some love from the ref when a blatant forward pass is ignored and then the Eels pick up a penalty for some offside defenders. Awful reffing there it must be said.

 

The Eels make the most of the poor-call though as they spin the ball down their left-edge. Cerruto gets the ball on the sweep, much to the horror of onlookers, but he goes someway to redeeming himself as he cuts through the sliding defence who were looking to cheat on the cutout ball and scores out wide! We have a game.

 

Try scored by Cerruto. Conversion unsuccessful by Doolan.

 

Half Time

North Queensland Cowboys 14 lead Parramatta Eels 8

 

Second Half

 

Cerruto gets his hands onto the ball! He then finds Mose. Huzzah for a clean take. Very good first set by the Eels punctuated by a searching run from Doolan. The Eels surge on the back of it as Cerruto puts Auckafolu through a small gap on the unders line. Auckafolau brushes past the defence and storms into the backfield with support on either side. He has a look both ways but decides to go himself and nearly makes a meal of it but he powers over Ponga and scores. Phew.

 

Try scored by Auckafoloau. Conversion unsuccessful by Doolan.

 

Parra trail 12-14

43min gone

 

De Luis and Mose cart the ball up for Parra first up. Tonise looks to jump out of dummy half for some useful metres but he cops a helluva tackle that knocks the ball free from his grasp. Pressure goes right back onto the Eels.

 

The Cowboys are still in the error making mood of the first half and cough the pill up looking to work on right-edge but a jam from Gafa gets the mistake out of Ponga. Parra rifle off a kick early in the following set and it is terribly close to both going out on the full and securing a 40/20 but in the end it gets neither after bouncing in the field of play and then finding touch on the 21m mark.

 

The Eels weather the next set from the Cowboys and then work out from their red zone with a bustling carry from Fuimaono. After the early blemishes in defence he has really worked his way into this game. Parra complete their set with a bomb directed towards Ponga but he is much more sure-handed than Cerruto, who speaking of has switched places with Doolan in the second half.

 

And following that vein of though, the Cowboys have punished the makeshift custodian replacement as they drop a kick in behind early in the set from 12m out. Our left edge had come up to defend the pass play and Doolan was terribly positioned to cover the kick. Maiti-Leifi is easily beaten by his opposite for the try.

 

Try scored by the Cowboys. Conversion successful.

 

Cowboys lead 20-12

51min gone

 

Another clever kick off from the Eels nets us a scrum feed 10m out from the Cowboys’ goal line. Cerruto takes the carry from the scrum win and earns a penalty and a nasty high shot follows directly after. That shot will be going on report. Twal takes a shot from the tap restart but rolls through it and carries defenders to 1m short of the line. The Eels go to Tyrell on the third where they earn yet another penalty. Need to make the most of this chance now. De Luis gets over the line after pin-balling his way through some defenders but is held up. Parra go to their left from the restart with Twal and he surging over the line but he loses the ball! Oh no. Twal did so well there right up until the last.

 

The Cowboys complete a simple set and look to bomb our new fullback but Doolan fares better under the high ball than Cerruto. Dargan bombs Ponga on the last but again the North Queensland custodian proves to be sure-handed under pressure. Both teams are going through the motions now as they trade completed sets. An excellent kick from Dargan on the last truly tests Ponga this time but instead of the bomb it was a flat kick that threatened the 40/20 result. Ponga does extremely well to bat it back in and recover it though. Terrific football between the two young talents

 

Parra continue to defend well, at least compared to their first half efforts but the Cowboys secure a line drop out on their last tackle after regathering a bomb and putting a second kick through. Good hustle from Auckafolau means that only a line drop out is conceded though. The repeat set cruels the hopes of the Eels though as Ponga chimes in from the back and throws a cutout ball to his winger down our left-edge. Maiti-Leifi is playing man-to-man but has given his opposite too much real estate and he is comfortably beaten to the goal line.

 

Try scored by the Cowboys. Conversion unsuccessful.

 

Cowboys lead 24-12

62min gone

 

And yet another screwball kickoff! One of the few bright spots today. This one takes a wicked turn for the dead ball line and rolls between the legs of the man fielding it. Line drop out incoming.

 

A defender has been left in the wake of a rampaging Eels which gives Parra a man advantage in attack. They go right with Fuimaono but the Cowboys mark up well on him and a tackle later the Eels damn well cough up the ball going into contact. This is brutal viewing folks.

 

Simple set for the visitors now as they roll it upfield and bomb Doolan. The temporary custodian is up to the task though and marks the ball well. A good carry from Amone gets the Eels on the front foot and Dargan looks to run it on the last. The Cowboys have to scramble to adjust and he nearly opens them up but he needed to offload to support on the inside. Instead he is tackled and that completes the turnover of possession.

 

The Eels need something more but can’t produce it in attack and the Cowboys just burn them in return. Our front line is shredded and then Doolan is flat footed at the back and is easily beaten. The runner for the Cowboys has nothing but green grass in front of him but somehow trips over himself! Plenty of blushes for him after the game but the Cowboys still manage to cross the white stripe a couple of tackles later, all but closing out the game.

 

Try scored by the Cowboys. Conversion successful.

 

Cowboys lead 30-12

70min gone

 

Good set by the Cowboys after securing the match-winning lead. Just grind it up the middle and find the grass in behind. Maiti-Leifi cleans the kick up and meets a wall of defenders. And the dimmest hope that we had flickers out as Doolan makes a terrific half bust and finds Fuimaono in support. The blockbusting centre comes back in field and finds Tonise in turn and then double pumps to commit the fullback before passing to Tonise but the bullish hooker drops it 10m short of the line! My oh my that hurts.

 

The visitors make an error coming out of their half so we will go back on the attack. Twal and Amone run to the line early in the set. A penalty follows Amone’s run and we take the tap. Cerruto runs down our right edge but it well tackled and then we kick in behind early. Cerruto chases through and appeals to the ref for the try but we will come back to the sticks for a line drop out with 5min on the clock.

 

A booming drop out sails over Doolan and he has to head back to our 40m line to retrieve it but we pick up a penalty from the carry of Mose to put us right back on the attack. Dargan goes to Amone who in turn uses Morris down our left but the Cowboys are right there. Doolan goes to the right but there is nothing on so another tackle is wasted and then Dargan tries to kick in behind early again but the ball takes a deflection in the line and pops up favourably for the Cowboys who then counter attack down field. They get all the way to our 30m line before the final interchange of passes is grassed with the cover defence breathing down their necks.

 

Not to be out done the Eels turn it back over immediately and the Cowboys pinch 30m in the turnover to set camp on our goal line. They score what should be the final points of the game on the back of sizzling cutout ball from Ponga that creates the space down our right-edge. That was a seriously good pass mind you, Fuimaono and Gafa weren’t poorly positioned on this occasion.

 

Try scored by the Cowboys. Conversion unsuccessful.

 

Full Time

North Queensland Cowboys 34 DEF Parramatta Eels 12