Losing to the Cowboys was a bitter pill. In a match which was likely to define just how far the Eels team has come in less than 12 months, it was frustrating to have that opportunity taken away from the players. Yet in venting my frustration and rage with the officiating I must also acknowledge aspects of Parramatta’s performance that require improvement. When it comes time for Brad Arthur to do the same, I’m certain that his analysis will weigh more heavily on what the team needs to address to ensure that we can better control the destiny of a match.

The Parramatta Performance

(This assessment will be done without consideration of statistics. Such analysis will come later in the week.)

The opening exchanges of this match were brutal. The impact created as  powerful charges were met by crunching tackles cannot be measured in any statistic. The rugby league public were looking forward to the clash between two in-form packs and the first twenty minutes did not disappoint. One could sense that something special was unfolding and the commentators were in raptures about what they were seeing.

Skipping the contentious decisions for now, the first half ended with Parramatta 14 points behind, but wondering how this could have occurred. The possession rate was in their favour and the Cowboys had many moments when they looked out on their feet. Thinking back to past matches, I remained confident that the Eels could finish over the Cowboys. The question of course was whether 14 points would be too great a hurdle.

Being brutally honest, the second half performance by our team took me back to 2015. The Eels fought back to hit the lead midway through the second half, only to see that lead count for nothing in the end. How familiar does this sound? It was the common scenario in nearly every loss last year. In two of the Eels three losses this year the team has been in control of the match, only to lose within the final “quarter”. There is no doubt that Parramatta fights for 80 minutes, they now need to play smart for 80 minutes.

Undoubtedly Brad Arthur will focus his match review on factors the players can control.

This loss of match control against the Cowboys came down to handling errors and penalties. A 50% completion rate would lose you any match! The handling errors can be rectified and it’s certainly drilled at training. Such errors place unnecessary pressure on the defence at a time when the team should be driving home it’s ascendency in the match. It should also be acknowledged that a couple of Parramatta’s in-form forwards did not play their best football. Paulo, Terepo and Alvaro probably had their least effective matches this year, notably in attack. They will need to step up next week against the Dogs.

The penalties are another matter and although discipline can remedy some calls, others are not always within the players’ domain. It’s frustrating that in spite of a litany of handling errors the Eels were still in a position to win the match. Until…..

The Match Officiating 

During this match, at three crucial moments, the momentum and ascendency was stripped from the Eels by highly contentious officiating.

1. Foran No-Try

This left me speechless. To suggest that the decoy line run by Manu Ma’u either took a defender out, or impacted in any way the likelihood of that defender preventing the try, was ludicrous in the extreme. The resultant penalty catapulted the Cowboys deep into Parramatta territory and resulted in a try to the Cows. Bingo – 12 point turn around! The Parramatta momentum was halted and psychologically North Queensland were boosted immeasurably.

I have been a huge critic of the bunker this year and I fully intend to maintain the rage. The sooner that obstruction calls are taken out of the bunker’s sphere of influence and left in the hands of the on field officials who have a genuine feel for whether a defender has actually been impeded, the better.

2. Danny Wicks No-Try Review

A little more subtle yet just as effective for impacting Parramatta’s surge. It was easily discernible that Wicks did not get to the try line. He did not claim a try and the referee was not doing Parramatta any favours in going to a review. The Cowboys were scattered in defence and on the back foot. Parramatta looked like busting them open at any moment and indeed it was only desperation in defence from Coote which had prevented Wicks from scoring. The review process gave North Queensland the opportunity to organise their defence and get air back into their lungs. This decision was one of the most concerning of the night for mine, and I hope that it forms part of BA’s report to Tony Archer.

Danny Wicks never claimed a try. Why did it go for review?

3. The Corey Norman Sin Binning

Not for one moment would I suggest that Corey Norman did not commit an offence which could lead to the sin bin being used. What I will again comment on is the incredible inconsistency. Actually scrap that. The lack of use of the sin bin has been a feature of the 2016 season. The question was continually asked, “When will the sin bin be used?” It was a fair question given the range of professional fouls escaping punishment. We now have an answer – “It will be used against the Eels at the most crucial time in a big match!”

Should the match officials continue to apply this penalty consistently in season 2016, I will be less aggrieved. Hands up if you think that this is a likely scenario.

Other Areas For Concern

It’s impossible to raise these concerns without appearing to be a whinging fan. However, the following did not escape my attention.

• Laying over the tackled player in the ruck. Quite a lot of latitude was allowed in this area. Watch the replay and judge for yourself.
• Hands on the ball in the ruck/stripping the ball. Two crucial decisions went against the Eels here. In the first half a stripping penalty bumped up the Cowboys lead to 14 after what looked to be a simple lost possession. In the second half, a blatant strip on Manu Ma’u was ruled as lost possession as the Eels mounted an attack deep in Cowboys territory.
• Relaxed friendly banter between the referee and Thurston when the match was in the balance. Not a good look!

Not for one moment would I suggest untoward officiating. However the  referees must be consistent in their application of the rules and must be seen to enjoy the same impartial relationships with the players of both teams. I’m not sure that this was “seen” last night.

Final Thoughts

The Cowboys are an exceptional football team. There is no shame in losing a tight encounter to them in Townsville. In an honest assessment they were better disciplined than the Eels last night and placed themselves in the better position to achieve victory.

Nonetheless, every crucial call appeared to fall their way and I am both angered by that inconsistency, yet buoyed that given an even split of decisions that the Eels can easily reverse the result next time round.

Sixties

All images courtesy of the Parramatta Eels

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