Dyldam Parramatta Eels Holden Cup side

24. Bevan French
2. Atini Gafa
3. Tyrell Fuimaono
4. Dane Aukafolau
5. Jermaine Mati-Leifi
1. 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:
6. Dean Matterson
15. Jonathan Mose
16. Kurt De Luis
17. Jack Miller

 

French is back for the Eels!

 

First Half

 

The Eels field the ball from the kickoff and construct a very solid set as the drive the ball into the Tigers’ half and then bomb their custodian. He stands firm and takes the ball very well.

 

The Tigers get pressured by the eager defence of the Eels and look to be getting overwhelmed before some desperate second phase play opens up space down the right-edge of the Eels and Bevan French quickly gets his hand tested as he makes an outstanding try saving tackle on the goal line! That was up against Obeid Kharwan if I am not mistaken and he had not right to hold him out there!

 

That massive play kicks the Eels into gear and with the aid of a penalty to take them downfield they sweep through the Tigers through our lethal left-edge. Not sure if it was Dargan or French who lays the money ball on to Maiti-Leifi but the winger takes the pass and steps back inside the fullback to score!

 

Try scored by Maiti-Leifi. Conversion unsuccessful by Maiti-Leifi.

Parra lead 4-0

5min gone

 

The Eels pick up their second penalty of the game as they work the ball out of their half from the kickoff. Tom and Craig Field get early hit ups this set before the Eels spin it to their left where Dane Auckafolau makes some great meteres. We quickly shift it back to our right using Tom Field and some great vision from Dargan creates something for us on the next play. He sees the Tigers pushing up and deftly stabs the ball in behind and it pulls up perfectly in the in-goals. The Tigers actually get back to it first so at worst it should be a line drop out but Dane Auckafolau somehow strips the ball to score! Embarrassing stuff for the Tigers there.

 

Try scored by Auckafolau. Conversion unsuccessful by Maiti-Leifi.

Eels lead 8-0

8min gone

 

Strong carry from Alex Twal from the kickoff and then there is some more magic from Dargan! He takes the ball down the left shortside and holds the ball up beautifully to put Jack Morris through the gap! Morris streaks down the sideline. He has Maiti-Leifi on his left and French on his right and he uses his livewire custodian and French has far too much pace for any of the chasers! Gorgeous footy right there.

 

Try scored by French. Conversion successful by Maiti-Leifi.

Eels lead 14-0

10min gone

 

The non-stop action finally comes to a half this set as Denzal Tonise loses the ball running it from hooker late in the count. Looked like he was trying to draw a penalty for offside markers…bit unlucky not to get a penalty for it as well.

 

The Eels go on to cencede their first penalty of the game to give the Tigers their first real attacking opportunity.

 

French is called on again to make a try saving tackle as we are caught out near the posts with a ball back to the inside but once again we hold the home team out. The Tigers then swing it to their right edge and roll the ball in behind. Well weighted kick too and French has no choice but to bat it dead.

 

Oooooh. We are very lucky there! It is early in the count and our right-edge have pushed up and the Tigers see it and chip in behind for Kharwan. No one near him but the kick is just too heavy and he can’t bring it in. They will get yet another chance though as Fuimaono has made a mistake trying to play the ball in our red zone. Poor error there.

 

Solid defence from the young Eels though, even with the early errors. They repel the Tigers up until the last tackle where they run it and are once more turned away.

 

The Eels keep it very simple through this set as they run it from dummy half through conesectuive tackles. Michael Doolan rifles off a 40/20 out of nowhere! Superb strike off the boot with very little angle to work with.

 

We capitalise immediately from the bonus attacking set as Troy Dargan embarrasses some very, very soft defence under the posts as he steps his through some sleepy defenders. I almost missed him scoring that try as there was nothing on and the next moment he is through.

 

Try scored by Dargan. Conversion successful by Maiti-Leifi.

Parra lead 20-0

20min gone

 

Tigers are tilting off the face of the planet now as they kick the ball a good 5m dead on the full from the kickoff.

 

Good run and offload from Twal which nearly sees French slice through the line! Only some last ditch tackles stopped the try there. We go back to our right where Doolan nearly crashes over between some hesitant defenders but he is held out at the last moment as the cover defence comes in to aid the Tigers’ fullback and they finally get a reprieve as we drop the ball from the dummy half pass on the next play.

 

Short respite though as the Tigers in turn lose the ball in the ruck. They appeal for a penalty but the ref is having none of it.

 

Outrageous piece of play from French, even if a try doesn’t come from it. Nearly beats the Tigers for pace from the scrum win and when they do manage to catch him he gets a reverse flick pass around his back to Gafa. Ridiculous.

 

The buttery soft defence from the Tigers continues as Doolan mimics the effort of his partner in crime, Dargan, by stepping his way through the line! Gee it is a training run out there at the moment.

 

Try scored by Doolan. Conversion successful by Dargan.

Parra lead 26-0

26min gone

 

Incomplete set for the Eels from the kickoff. We ruck the ball out to halfway before looking for a decoy play down our right. Amone turns before contact to play it out the back to Fuimaono but he makes his second error of the game as he drops the pass cold.

 

The Tigers finally get on the board and it comes via a rare error from French. They run the ball down their left-edge shortside but see a man-to-man defence so they grubber it in behind. French tries to scoop the kick up off his ankles but it bursts through his grasp allowing the Wests chaser to get through and plant it down.

 

Try scored by the Tigers. Conversion unsuccessful.

Tigers trail 4-26

29min gone

 

Well that was bizarre! The Tigers try to make our kickoff sail dead by getting a foot on the dead ball line but their half only succeeds in jumping from the field of play and taking it dead for a line drop out. Just Holden Cup things…

 

With the aid of a big lead at our back we play very attacking football with French sweeping into the line down the right-edge and throwing a massive cut out ball to Gafa. Atini had no one near him and was dead certain to score but the ref has called it forwards.

 

The Eels get the ball back immediately from an error from the home team and a penalty swiftly follows but the Eels can’t punish the Tigers as we in turn cough it up.

 

A moments applause for the Tigers for completing a set.

 

Maiti-Leifi fields their kick and puts a very solid kick return together and we just look to kick to our kick which in turns sees a hilarious sequence of events play out. The Tigers allow the bomb to bounce on their goal line before reeling it in only to then RUN INTO the goal post. They are saved further blushes when the ref pings the Parra chasers for not positioning themselves onside.

 

The Tigers actually play out a solid set in return as the muster themselves deep into our half but their fifth tackle kick is a shocker and rolls dead by a long way.

 

Urgh, another error. This one from our boys. We started the game brilliantly but have slowed down a great deal and now are matching the Tigers for a lack of intensity. Amone the guilty party this time with a sloppy play the ball in the Tigers’ red zone.

 

The sloppiness continues as the Tigers fail to get to their kick on the following set and instead run the ball in a panicked fashion that leads to a knock on.

 

The Eels get the final attacking chance of the half and Dargan looks to put a shallow kick in behind for Maiti-Leifi from midfield but it is a bit too heavy off the boot and rolls into touch. That will do us for the first half!

 

Half Time

Parramatta Eels 26 LEAD Wests Tigers 4

 

Second Half

 

Parra kicking off in the second half.

 

Oooh, interesting kickoff! That is a flat, dead-ball strike and it draws an error out of the Tigers! Thier second rower dives at it close to the sideline and grasses it. We go down our left where Dargan cuts out to Maiti-Leifi but he comes back in field and loses a few metres. Twal gets us back on track with a great carry to the posts. Two tackles later we opt to run it on the last with French the key man as he looks to play it out to Gafa on the right. Once more Atini is in for a try but yet again the play comes back with French’s pass deemed forwards – this call was pretty fair for mine.

 

The Tigers work the ball down their right-edge before bombing towards French but the lively fullback is secure under the high ball, even with the pressure of chasers right on him.

 

Similar set in return for the Eels as they work to their own bomb on the last. Good chase from Morris to bring the winger down as soon as he secured the ball.

 

The back and forth gets broken up when the Eels charge down the Tigers’ kick on the last but fail to regather the ball. The ref calls for a fresh set and then we got sliced open in the chaos that follows. We do scramble quickly to shut down the break and on the following tackle the Tigers come up with their umpteenth error of the game, dropping the ball cold.

 

We are pretty sluggish working the ball out of own half. Half time has done neither of these teams a favour. Dargan puts up a nasty torpedo bomb that looks to be knocked forwards from the Wests’ fullback but he must have got his boot to the falling ball and kicked it backwards. Very odd game today.

 

Parra complete another basic set but look to be edging ahead in the territory war as the Tigers grind it out of their half. A late penalty on what would have been the last tackle of the set remedies that though and the Tigers will get a very good chance to open the scoring in the second half.

 

Scratch that. Strike it from the records even. The Tigers look to spin the ball early in the set to their left-edge but their accuracy with the pass is awful and the ball intended for their centre hits the deck and skids into touch.

 

Morris and De Luis get the Eels to half way before we chance our arms with some second phase play. French runs a nice support line to create a half break but he is overzealous in looking for support on his right and passes blindly to a defender. Parra then concede a penalty shortly after and go back on the defence but hang on, the Tigers LOSE THE BALL AGAIN. This game fellas, this game.

 

A penalty for the Eels now. First of the second half for us? Not sure. Anyway. Morris and De Luis get us going before Jack Miller gets a run down the right edge. One of the Field boys, Craig I think has a carry before we go back to our left where Bevan French does a killer impersonation of a professional contortionist as he twists his way between defenders to plant the ball backwards over his head.

 

Try scored by French. Conversion unsuccessful by Dargan.

Parra lead 30-4

55min gone

 

What would you know? Another error. This comes from us as we ruck the ball out of our red zone.

 

Wests really aren’t throwing anything at us as we defend the goal line set easily with French positioning himself perfectly to take the shallow grubber. We manage to get to our kick amidst all the incomplete sets only to kick it out on the full! Someone get me the Panadol….

 

Once again we defend our line solidly as the Tigers desperately run the ball on the last only to be easily held out. Apologies for the lack of quality updates but beyond the first 20min it has really been once of those games.

 

Finally we get a good kick in! Doolan I think the one that struck it. Got in behind the winger and pulled up 15m out from the goal line. The Tigers take the ball down their right-edge early in the next set but make another error.

 

Oh that is some nice footy! Fuimaono gets early ball from the scrum win and beats his opposite man easily on the outside, allowing him to get Gafa down the sideline. Atini dances down the white stripe and then offloads back to Tyrell to complete a sensational try but NO! What? The touchy has called it forwards. Rubbish call! A great try has been stolen from us.

 

We then somehow get penalised from the scrum. Shrugs all round there.

 

Game is breaking down even more as the ref gets trigger happy with the whistle. Play swings from end to end as result, currently favouring the Tigers.

 

A good shot from Fuimaono forces the ball loose as the Tigers attack our right-edge on our goal line. That was one of the few forced errors today!

 

Both teams trading possession now with completed sets, which is a bit of a change of pace. French earns us our first penalty in a while with a sharp kick return that beats three defenders and forces the third man to hold him down in the ruck.

 

Parra play the ball down our left-edge early in the set with Dargan once again looking for an early cut out ball to Maiti-Leifi. This pass lands on his backside shoulder and then into touch.

 

Don’t worry though, the Tigers have the Eels covered as they immediately drop the ball themselves and then concede what may be a shot clock penalty from the scrum. What is going on?

 

The Eels use Twal and then Morris. Amone centres the ball which opens up a massive right side movement. French is the key man again, chiming in from the back and finally getting that final ball to Gafa 100% backwards in the eyes of the touchy. Gafa finally gets his meat pie!

 

Try scored by Gafa. Conversion successful by Dargan.

Parra lead 36-4

72min gone

 

Craig Field has a big bust up the middle! Nothing doing there and he just gets in behind the ruck and races down field. We quickly shift the ball down our left, looking once more for French who in turn goes to Maiti-Leifi…but it is a poor option as the Eels flanker is pushed into touch easily.

 

Play goes back and forth from each red zone but the Eels end up ahead in the territory game. French is simply too fast for the Tigers this time around. The same right-edge shift we used dozens of times this game but the superior fitness and speed of French shines through as he just outpaces the sliding defence and creates the half gap on the line to poke through.

 

Try scored by French. Conversion unsuccessful by Dargan.

Parra lead 40-4

78min gone

 

Time off with three seconds on the clock for an injured Tiger. We finally resume play and finish the game. Phew.

 

Full Time

Parramatta Eels 40 DEF Wests Tigers 4