The Cumberland Throw

Sea Eagles Analysis – Episode IV: A New Hope

Not so long ago, in a Western Sydney suburb, not so far away…..

Following a period of political war and the most tumultuous year in the Club’s history, Eels management have won their first victory in the restoration of the Parramatta brand, with a new board implemented and constitutional reform seeking to end the evil factionalism that had previously torn the Club apart.

During the battle of 2016, Head Coach Brad Arthur managed to develop a secret plan to help prepare the Eels squad for the ultimate challenge that laid ahead, their 2017 NRL OPPONENTS.

Pursued by their opponents sinister agents, Arthur races aboard the Murray coach destined for Sydney’s Northern Beaches, ready to send his round one team into battle against the men in maroon from Manly, and restore a competitive finals bound team to the Eels fanbase……

If you didn’t read the above with a separate window opened on a YouTube link of the Star Wars opening crawl theme, please go back and do so (no seriously, you’ll enjoy it!). Jokes aside, the 2017 NRL season is here ladies and gentlemen, and with it brings a new hope to all rugby league clubs and fans.

The hope that your team will make the semi-finals, the hope the your team may be there on Grand Final day, the hope that old hoodoos will end and the hope that new traditions will begin.

The greatest game of all is back! And if you’re a Parramatta supporter, you couldn’t be happier.

With our well-documented annus horribilis now behind us, the Parramatta Eels National Rugby League Club moves towards a future that only looks through the windscreen, not the rear view mirror – and if you’re Brad Arthur, you couldn’t be happier.

After setting new expectations and foundations throughout the dramatic 2016 campaign, the Eels Head Coach will be looking to translate the resilience and fortitude displayed throughout the season prior into results on the field in 2017.

A well balanced squad with tremendous depth has Eels fans genuinely excited and ready for the year that lays ahead, but as the old rugby league cliché says: “One week at a time”, Blue and Gold Army.

Jedi Master: Brad Arthur has restored balance in the force

The Opponent

The Manly-Warringah Sea-Eagles have had a small fall from grace in recent seasons. Having consecutively made the finals series from 2005-2014, their club now finds themselves in the middle of a transition period, with the bulk of the stars from those years either retiring or moving on to other teams.

Their coach Trent Barrett, now in the second year of his contract, has taken the opportunity to rejuvenate the side with plenty of fresh faces, leaving the opponents of years gone by almost unrecognisable personal-wise.

It brings with it a different set of challenges to an Eels side primed to take on their arch-rivals at fortress Brook Lottoland.

A lot of rugby league punters have taken aim at Manly for their newly named home ground, but I for one would like to go on record and say that I think it’s an appropriate fit. The diversity of Manly’s squad leaves me thinking that trying to determine the side that will take the field each week will be very similar to trying to pick the winning numbers in the lottery. Not from the perspective of picking their top 17, but more so because they have a side with the capability of upsetting plenty of favourites on their day, just as they have the capability to be on the end of some upsetting score lines themselves.

This is no doubt something the Eels have to be cautionary to, as they aren’t the only ones with a new hope for season 2017. Many people, myself included at this stage, don’t have the Sea-Eagles featuring in the 2017 finals series.

When compared with other squads, their men don’t match the quality of other teams over the course of a 26 round competition. They fall in the bottom part of the logjam of the 10 teams vying for 4th-8th place. However, at the start of the year, when hopes are high and teams are yet to experience this emotional realisation, is the time in which they are most dangerous. They will upset a few bigger name opponents within the first month or two of the competition, before their stronger opponents have found their consistency and grove, and before the grinding wear and tear of week-to-week rugby league starts to take its toll on their roster and they fall away throughout the middle and back part of the season proper.

In short, they are a dangerous side to play at this time of year. They’re fresh, there’s a buzz around some new players and they’ve had some good pre-season form throughout the trials and 9s.

Our Eels will have to remain vigilant throughout this contest. It’ll definitely take an 80 minute team effort to beat Manly, as they won’t beat themselves. With conditions likely to be wet, following continuous down pour throughout the week, it will likely be a soggy and heavy track that will require both teams to compress.

Combination: Clint Gutherson will play his first game in the halves alongside Corey Norman

With this in mind, let’s have a look at who we’ll have to keep our eyes on to come away with the two points.

Tom Trbojevic: On the cusp of NSW Origin selection, Tom Trbojevic is one of the most damaging young ball runners in the game. For any of you who have watched any of the games he’s played from fullback, you’d like him to a young Jarryd Hayne when he first made the transition from wing to the number 1 jersey. His upright running style makes him very difficult to bring down, often breaking tackles with ease, while his support play means that he’s always sniffing around and ready for the half-break. Kicking away from this man on last tackle plays will be paramount, as any broken field and poor kick chases will result in line breaks and points being conceded. His relative inexperience to the position should be tested whenever we’re in a position to do so. Not so much testing him under the high ball, but his communication and positioning with his outside men who don’t excel at this part of their game as much as he does.

Dylan Walker & Brian Kelly: Two centres blessed with speed and fancy footwork. Most of you I’m sure are savvy to the exploits of Dylan Walker, on his day he is the devastating runner who helped Souths to the 2014 premiership. His centre partner, Brian Kelly, is probably someone you’re not as familiar with. He is very much a Dylan Walker clone, albeit slightly smaller at this stage. The young man may be making his NRL debut this weekend, but don’t let that lull you into a false sense of security. This man has a beautiful in and away that could stand up even the best defenders in the game. If we win the forward battle, the effect of these two will be completely negated, our defensive structures will ensure they don’t get near the try line. However, if Manly start rolling over the advantage line at any point, expect them to receive good, early ball. If I’m Brad Takairangi or Michael Jennings, I want to be as physical as possible on my opposite number this week. Let them know that you’re here defensively and get in their head. It’s worth noting that Brian Kelly gives away a considerable size advantage to Brad Takairangi, both height and weight wise. Some cross-field kicks towards his side of the field, where he’ll likely be paired with Jorge Taufua could prove fortuitous for us and go a long way to denting the hopes of this potentially lethal centre pairing.

Strong Pre-season: Dylan Walker has looked back to his best throughout the trials and 9s

Blake Green & Daly Cherry-Evans: The arrival of Blake Green provides some much needed support for Manly captain, Daly Cherry-Evans.  The half has struggled since the departure of Kieran Foran to create the space for his outside men that was once a feature point of the Sea-Eagles attacking structures. Although this is in my mind, largely down to a weakened Manly forward pack, Blake Green provides the half support that Cherry-Evans has lacked. He’ll straighten up the point of attack and provide a short kicking game that will allow Daly to do his thing and make no mistake Eels fans, when Daly is on, he is still one of the more premier halves in this game. Our defensive line speed will be key to shutting down these two men, as both are prone to high error rates when put under constant pressure. A Beau Scott roughing isn’t out of order either.

Apisai Koroisau: A very underrated attacking hooker, Koroisau has shown on plenty of occasions that he can take full advantage of lazy marker work. Likely to share the hooking duties with Lewis Brown throughout the course of the match, our middle defence and markers will have to ensure the play-the-ball is controlled from their side and not the Manly runners. If the latter takes places, Koroisau has the ability to carve us up. The likes of Mannah, Scott, Matagi, Brown and Alvaro will have to work over-time in the middle, so as not to let this man have even a sniff of running the ball.

Martin Taupau & Addin Fonua-Blake: The two Manly enforcers. Taupau starts while Fonua-Blake will provide plenty of energy off the bench. These big men are the two who have the real ability to get the forward pack over the advantage line. Both possess strong leg drive and the ability to offload, so shutting them down quickly with ball-and-all tackles will be key to an Eels victory. If we afford them even them any momentum or quick play the balls, you better believe the team mates listed above will be there to make us pay.

Big body: Addin Fonua-Blake brings plenty of aggression and talent to the Manly pack

Curtis Sironen: A fresh face to the Northern Beaches, Curtis Sironen comes to the Sea-Eagles with the view of reviving a once blossoming career. The big backrower is in the same ilk of Panthers edge man Bryce Carwright, using his big frame either side of the ruck to power over opponents and pop an offload. Much like Taupau & Fonua-Blake, containing his second phase play and shutting him down with ball-and-all tackles will be very important to applying pressure to this Manly side and much like his Panthers counterpart, look for Tepai Moerora to be in his face with some crunching defence. After, it was the Eels backrower who forced three errors some sensational hits in our trial match with the mountain men two weeks ago.

Jake Trbojevic: He’s quickly become the heart and soul of the Sea-Eagles team and for good reason. He gives his heart and soul in each performance and was rewarded with a call up to the national side last year. Look for him to hold down the middle in Manly’s defensive line and to be the link man in the middle throughout attacking raids. His passing before and at the line could provide some second phase play and metres through the middle if we’re not careful.

Key man: The Eels number one player makes his long awaited return to First Grade

As an Eels supporter, this is a game we go into feeling confident. After all, our defence over the past 12 months has given us every right to feel this way, but that doesn’t mean it’s not going to be an easy for us at Lottoland, Manly will be coming into this game with as much confidence as we are.

With aforementioned weather conditions, the forward battle becomes even more important. Our running will have to be relentless, as to will be the necessity to contain any second phase play. If Manly aren’t producing offloads, we will finish over the top of them. The strength of our pack over the course of 80 minutes will wear them down towards the end of the game, much like it did last year when a late double to Jennings and a try to Semi sealed the match. However, if Manly are afforded the opportunity to generate second phase play and are given room to move, they can take us down.

With this in mind, the start is imperative. We have to come out and make a statement in the opening 20 minutes. I have no doubt Brad Arthur will be saying words to this affect come his pre-kick-off address to his troops. If we contain them defensively, if we apply the early pressure, we will wear them out. I’m talking relentless charges up the middle and utilising the short kicking games of Norman and Gutherson to generate repeat sets. If we do so, the attacking opportunities will present themselves on the fringes for the likes of Ma’u, Jennings, Radradra, Takairangi and Hoffman, we just have to earn it first. If we don’t however, we may find ourselves chasing points and the last thing we want to do is give this Manly team an early 12+ point lead.

If we play our cards right, a 1-12 Eels victory will likely be the winning numbers at Lottoland, and two competition points the supplementaries. If we don’t however, the margin will shift Manly’s way.

The force is on our side Eels fans, we just need to use it. May it be with us.

 

Clint

All images courtesy of the Parramatta Eels, NRL.com and Getty Images.

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6 thoughts on “Sea Eagles Analysis – Episode IV: A New Hope

  1. Mitchy

    Nice work Clint. The wet will ensure its a lower scoring affair IMO. I’d say less than 34 points in total match. As long as we get home I’ll be happy, but cannot see either team wining by more than 6.

    1. Clint Post author

      Let’s hope so Anon. If our forwards win the battle, they’ll have little to no opportunities. I’m tipping a big game from a centre of our own, Brad Takairangi. His opposites give up plenty of size and I see try scoring opportunities for him with some cross field kicks, as I do for Josh Hoffman off a Takaz in-and-away and offload. Let’s hope he can contain the debutant the other side of the ball.

  2. GemKM

    Great write up Clint! I am as nervous as I am excited about this one. I feel that we can do it, but I catch myself short of saying I’m overly confident. I don’t want to be sounding too cocky! Either way I am bloody glad we finally get to watch our team tomorrow

    1. Clint Post author

      How great is it that we’re back GemKM? I expect a professional outing from our pack and the game to be highly competitive. Let’s start our season on the right foot and be proactive throughout the middle. Let these Manly boys know who they’re dealing with!

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