Harold Matthews Grand Final 2016
Parramatta Eels v Newcastle Knights
Pepper Stadium, Saturday 7 May
12pm
Referee: Cameron Paddy
Touch Judges: Micheal Ford and Ben McMurray

Parramatta: 1 JP NOHRA 2 PETER TEVAGA 3 DENNIS MATAIA 4 ASAELI VUICAKAU 5 CLIFF LEA’AETOA 6 HYRUM WICHMANN 7 DYLAN BROWN 8 HARRY DUGGAN 9 KYLE SCHNEIDER 10 STEFANO UTOIKAMANU 11 MATT DOOREY 12 CHARBEL TASIPALE 13 UELLINGTON SEVE 14 LUKE SOMMERTON 15 MARK TEPU SMITH 16 PHILLIP FANENE 17 VALANCE HARRIS 18DALLAS KING TYLER FIELD RONAN KING JAYDEN TANNER WILLIAM KEI COACH SCOTT JONES

Newcastle: 1 MATTHEW SMITH 2 TEVA MATAORA 3 SHAUN CASEY 4 TOBY MARKS 5 BRADMAN BEST 6 JOCK MADDEN 7 PHOENIX CROSSLAND 8 LACHLAN POPE 9 CAMERON DAVIES 10 KINGSLEY JENNINGS 11 ROSS HAIDLE 12 JOEL DARK 13 BROCK GARDNER (C) 14 TYRAN OTT 17 TOM BAKER 19 TIMANU ALEXANDER 20 SAM JONES 23 JYE BIEMAN – KING 24 ETHAN GRINECOACH MARK MORRISSEY

 

First Half

 

Phew, got here just in time! Awful traffic on the M4. Big team news with Wiliam Kei IN but Stefano Utoikamanu OUT.

 

Frenetic start to the game with both teams getting early shots at opening points with the Knights making an error from the kickoff and then the Eels conceding a 40/20. The defence of both teams proved up to the task through those initial blows though.

 

The Eels get the next attacking opportunity after a defender pushes Valance Harris during his play the ball attempt and make a bust down the left-edge of the Knights via Asaeli Vuicakau but he is shepherded towards the sideline and driven into touch.  Close call there.

 

Newcastle then pick up a penalty for a marginal high shot coming out from their line and roll upfield via simple work from dummy half. They bomb on the last and Dennis Mataia loses track of the ball in the haze but Nohra cleans it up. The Eels continue to threaten the Knights without being able to put them away as a gorgeous ‘around the corner’ ball from Doorey gets Kei into space but he is dragged into touch by the cover defence. Parra then get pinged for another marginal call, this time for slowing the ruck down when the Knight player himself was injured.

 

The Knights work it towards the right-edge of the Eels before running the ball down the same edge on the last. They keep the ball alive through a number of offloads but the Eels keep scrambling and bring the play to an end.

 

Parra’s outside backs get invovled this set as they aid their pack in getting out of the red zone before Schneider kicks with great control from dummy half. A sound kick chase pins the Knights in their own half and the Eels lifht their defensive intensity in the following set to make a big gain in net territory.

 

Another solid set follows for the Eels as they ruck it out to half way and then bomb the Knights. The smoke haze continues to wreak havoc with the back three of both teams as the Knights let the ball bounce but clean it up via their fullback. The Eels are once more on point with their kick chase but Uelllington Seve stays down after completing the tackle – looks like an ankle injury. The referee blows time off a few tackles later and Seve is aided from the field with a very noticeable limp.

 

Luke Sommerton comes on which will push Schneider to lock. As I type that John Paul Nohra makes a superb kick return, slicing through the chasers and making a good 30-35m. The Eels work the ball down their left before swinging back down their right where Hyrum Wichmann shows and goes! He is right through the front line and only has the fullback to beat but his edge backrower Charbel Tasipale has pushed through in support and gets the ball from Wichmann to get the Eels on the board first! The Eels have absorbed some early pressure and a setback to Uellington Seve and struck first blood.

 

Try scored by Tasipale. Conversion successful by Schneider.

Parra lead 6-0

17min gone

 

Duggan and Tasipale get the Eels on the front foot at the start of the kickoff set. They both get two carries this set as well. Tremendous effort. Schneider runs it to bring up the last before Wichmann rifles a kick down the short side. Sweet strike. Again the kick chase is on point.

 

Newcastle do well to ruck it past half way, again looking for dummy half runs and angled lines from the tight men in behind the ruck. They put the brakes on the game when they find touch with a deft kick, 10m out form the Eels’ goal line.

 

Doorey and Sommerton get the early runs for the Eels before ‘The Fridge’, Phillip Fanane takes a hit up. Schneider takes a carry down the left but on the following play Brown grasses the ball cold from Sommerton’s dummy half pass. Nothing wrong with the pass there, Brown was just thinking ahead too far.

 

The Knights take full advantage of the error from the Eels as the Newcastle #7 Phoenix Crossland imitates the effort of Dylan Brown from earlier with a big show and go the opens the Eels up. Nohra has two mean to cover and ends up committing to neither allowing Crossland to throw and second dummy and score himself.

 

Try scored by Crossland. Conversion successful by Madden.

Newcastle lock it up at 6-all

24min gone

 

Newcastle continue to assault the ruck defence of the Eels, angling in behind the markers and driving the Eels onto the back foot. They send up the bomb on the last but Cliff Lea’Aetoa takes it very well and then pinches a few metres from the chasers. The metres are harder to come by for Parra this set though and the have to kick long and flat. The kick is well taken by the Newcastle custodian who also makes a strong kick return.

 

The Knights roll into Parra’s half and once again bomb Lea’Aetoa who again brings the ball in safely before drawing a penalty for crowding in the ruck. Parra will gladly accept that one.

 

Very odd set from the tap restart though. The keep it simple through the early tackles and then kick early from halfway but there is far too much gutso on the kick as it rolls dead for a 20m restart. The Knights respond by opening the Eels up the middle via their #17 and look all odds to score as support pours through for the runner. Nohra holds off on committing to a chaser which allows Wichmann and one of our winger to make a ridiculous try saving cover tackle! Hot damn.

 

Parra need to lift here and they most certainly do as they show great discipline in their goal line defence before Lea’Aetoa bundles the Eels out of trouble again! Awesome effort. With a min left on the clock the Eels look for a huge trick play as they kick cross-field early for Kei. Kei has the running over his opposite and Mataia is also there in support but the ball gets an awful bounce. Mataia goes back to scoop it up and flicks it to Doorey who has no one in front of him but the touchy has called the chasers offside! That looked a terrible call from my initial feeling but those are the breaks I guess…

 

Half Time

Parramatta Eels 6 tied with Newcastle Knights 6

 

Second Half

 

Newcastle kicking off in the second half.

 

Duggan takes the first run of the half. Tasipale takes the second down the short side before we swing left and put Doorey through a gap! Only a 25m bust but a very positive start to the half. Fanane works it down the left before a pinpoint bomb falls 1m short of the goal line. The kick chase is on there to trap the Knights on their goal line.

 

Newcastle continue to work around the ruck before kicking long but Lea’Aetoa takes it cleanly over his shoulder before linking up with Nohra. The Eels stall a bit this set when Brown can’t fidn the shift he wants down the right and they end up kicking in shallow on the last. The play nearly comes off but a friendly bounce from the chip kick bails the Knights out.

 

High octane footy now as the Knights create an overlap down our right edge. The cover defence flies across through and Lea’Aetoa continues to put himself in the right place as he intercepts a ball and then turns defence into attack, beating the defenders before time is blown off for an injured Knight.

 

The break does the Eels little good when Tasipale loses the pill two tackles later on halfway.

 

The ruck assault continues but Schenider does a great job of slowing the play down before the Eels are again pinged for a marginal high shot. The 50/50s are adding up quickly here.

 

Newcastle, perhaps a tad surprisingly given the grade, elect to take a shot at the penalty goal. They are 15m in from touch and 25m to their right of the posts. Not a gimme by any means.

 

Penalty conversion attempt successful by Jock Madden (it bounced it off the posts)

Newcastle lead Parra 8-6

37min gone

 

Big set from Newcastle as they roll the ball into Parra’s half. They complete this set by bombing towards the other edge but Mataia is up to the test. Parra respond by working the ball down their left-edge but fail to get to their kick when Doorey comes up with an error late in the half. He ran down the short side and it looked like he tried to force an offload.

 

Luck finally swings the way of the Eels when the Knights make an error in the play-the-ball. This is a really big chance and indeed the first real chance for the Eels in the second half.

 

Wiliame Kei gets the first touch of the set. Tasipale follows. Fanane has a huge run towards the sticks which opens up space down the left edge. We sweep that way but Nohra gets jammed by an inside defender. He somehow frees his arm for the offload to Kei and that is where the magic happens. Kei hot steps his way past 4 or 5 defenders en route to an amazing individual try next to the posts! Outrageous stuff!

 

Try scored by Wiliame Kei. Conversion successful by Schneider.

Parra lead 12-8

43min gone

 

Harris and Vuicakau take the Eels upfield. Harris takes a second run before the Eels kick early downfield. The Newcastle fullback does a pretty damn good job of racing across to track it down before he is tackled. The Parra defence pours the pressure on this set and Newcastle match it in an absorbing passage of play but the Knights lose track of the tackle count and run it up the middle on the last for an easy turnover.

 

Time is blown off midway through Parra’s set at Fanane stays down. He looks to be in some trouble here. He is helped off by two trainers in what might be another ankle injury to a Parra player. Duggan comes back on to replace him.

 

Parra make a couple of half chances from the resumption of play before pulling together an astounding passage of play! Brown pump fakes and ends up running it on the last in what may have been something of a panic move. He beats the first defender he comes to and manages to pass to Taspiale who quickly turns the ball to Vuicakau. Asaeli takes the ball forwards before linking up with Lea’Aetoa who steams into the cover defenders and somehow offloads to a sweeping Tasipale who shows winger-like finishing ability to plant the ball down in the corner! What. A. Try.

 

Try scored by Charbel Tasipale. Conversion unsuccessful by Schneider.

Parra lead 16-8

48min gone.

 

Harris, Kei and Mataia are the early options for hte Eels here. Doorey rucks it up the halfway before Kei brings up the last. Brown bombs the fullback on the last and Charbel Tasipale makes an excellent one-on-one tackle against the fullback. The Knights get a break when the referee pings the Eels for infringing inside the 10m mark. Big moment in the game here.

 

Harris puts in the hard work from marker to make a double. Newcastle continue to hammer the ball in around the posts before executing a simple shift down their left. Parra shut it down and the Knights have to come back to their right where they roll it in behind. Nohra is right there though and secures the ball for the Eels.

 

We keep it simple and kick long and Tasipale again makes another big tackle in the kick chase. Huge shot from Doorey at the end of this set! Shot out of the line and devoured the ball carrier!

 

Parra let the ball bounce from the Newcastle bomb but Nohra is able to reel it in and the Eels get back to work looking to ruck it out of their half. They do a good job of the task up until their last tackle where they try to get cute and run it down the left-edge shortside and make an error pushing an offload.

 

Newcastle sweep down their right early in this set but the Eels mark up well and Brown makes the tackle on the fullback. The Knights are not deterred though and manage to generate numbers down the opposite edge a tackle or two later. They breach the line outwide and manage to improve the position of the ball considerably right to the mark of where they took that penalty shot.

 

Try scored by the Knights. Conversion successful by Madden.

Newcastle trail 14-16

55min gone.

 

Oh wow! A swirling torpedo kickoff from Nohra has drawn an error from the Knights! Second one of the day. The Novocastrians let it bounce them two of their players tried to grab the ball at the same time and knock it on.

 

And double wow. Parra throw caution to the wind and look to score from the first play. Kei beats the front line defenders and pins his ears back from 10m out but is pulled down from behind. He tries to offload to Mataia but Dennis loses it and Newcastle get the ball back.

 

Good effort in defence from the Eels in this set as the Knights throw their all at them. Newcastle panic on the last and somehow get a kick away from their fullback. Nohra tries to pull it in overhead with one hand but loses it back in goals and it is there he is trapped to give this game a grandstand finish.

 

Jock Madden dummies and runs through the line looking certain to score but Nohra was held him up! Holy shit! The Knights then look to play it down the left edge short side. Asaeli Vuicakau was half a step behind his opposite man when he got the ball but he scrambled incredibly well to not only trap him but start a push against him that ended up bundling him into touch with a minute left on the clock.

 

The Knights look to push in the scrum which results in the ref repacking it. On the third attempt Schneider quickly grabs it from lock and from there things escalate. A Newcastle player lashes out at an Eels which quickly results in a penalty. The Eels player fly in to pat the foolish Knight for his brain snap which in turn leads to the other Newcastle players joining in to officially make it a fracas. Amidst all this the clock runs out which means following a kick into touch the Parramatta Eels are the 2016 Harold Matthews Champions!

 

Full Time

Parramatta Eels 16 DEF Newcastle Knights 14