Eels 6 defeated by Sharks 20

Crowd: 17,003

 

Well let’s start this write up with one highlight. At least we scored more points than the Bulldogs.

That’s about all I can come up with for this week as again the Eels failed to fire.

Unforced errors once again killed any hope of Parramatta gaining the upper hand in what was a game that really didn’t hit any high standards. Cronulla were just as bad, but they composed themselves well enough at the crucial times to come away with the win.

Let’s look at the stats that matter to Parramatta.

Parramatta Eels
H	Minute	Name	Event	Score
1	10	J.Brailey	TRY	0 – 4
1	12	J.Maloney	CONVERSION	0 – 6
1	29	S.Feki	TRY	0 – 10
1	30	J.Maloney	CONVERSION	0 – 12
1	40	D.Gower	TRY	4 – 12
1	40	C.Gutherson	CONVERSION	6 – 12
2	46	J.Maloney	PENALTY GOAL	6 – 14
2	55	J.Maloney	TRY	6 – 18
2	56	J.Maloney	CONVERSION	6 – 20

 

Full Time Stats:

 

PAR	Team Stats	CRO
47	Possession (%)	53
26/42 (62)	Complete/Total Sets (%)	27/40 (67)
40:36	Time – Opposition Half	39:38
11:08	Time – Opposition 20	14:19
2058	Metres Gained	2214
8	Scrum Win	8
1	Goal Line Dropout	1
8	Penalty Conceded	10
0	Forty Twenty	0

 

Looking at the full time stats, you would think that the game was closer than it was. These numbers would indicate that these two teams were pretty even all game. However, once you examine the completion rates for both teams, a true picture of the encounter emerges.

This was not a march for the ages, with errors figuring prominently throughout. With a tally numbering 17 for the Eels and 15 for the Sharks, neither team would be comfortable with their handling. Unfortunately, many of those errors for the Eels occurred in the opposition quarter, so little pressure was exerted on the Sharks defence.

You can’t win a match if you can’t complete your sets.

 

1^st Half:

 

PAR	Team Stats	CRO
47	Possession (%)	53
13/21 (62)	Complete/Total Sets (%)	12/19 (63)
27:56	Time – Opposition Half	12:12
6:52	Time – Opposition 20	6:54
1012	Metres Gained	1161
4	Scrum Win	5
1	Goal Line Dropout	0
2	Penalty Conceded	5
0	Forty Twenty	0

 

The first half should have been the platform to victory. The Eels dominated time in opposition half but the promised land of the opposition 20 just couldn’t be reached. This statistic confirms the location of our turnovers. The Eels were perfectly positioned to launch attacks, but instead of working for repeat sets in the quarter, the ball was consistently handed back to the Sharks.

We even had penalties running our way, but again the dropped ball killed any momentum the Eels tried to build.

 

2^nd Half:

 

PAR	Team Stats	CRO
47	Possession (%)	53
13/21 (62)	Complete/Total Sets (%)	15/21 (71)
12:40	Time – Opposition Half	27:26
4:16	Time – Opposition 20	7:25
1045	Metres Gained	1053
4	Scrum Win	3
0	Goal Line Dropout	1
6	Penalty Conceded	5
0	Forty Twenty	0

 

The 2^nd half reads very poorly for the Eels. The team completely lost their way and everything they tried pretty much turned to mud. The Sharks controlled possession and territory and suffocated Parramatta into submission. That pesky little thing called “unforced errors” was again our 14^th man. And didn’t he star – check out his stats!

 

Attack:

 

Top 5 Runs
	Name	R
CRO	P.Gallen	22
CRO	V.Holmes	18
CRO	A.Fifita	16
PAR	F.Pritchard	14
PAR	B.French	14

 

Top 5 Run Metres
	Name	RM
CRO	P.Gallen	197
CRO	V.Holmes	176
CRO	A.Fifita	151
PAR	F.Pritchard	139
CRO	S.Feki	129

The effort of the Eels can’t be questioned, but the execution certainly can be. Although they didn’t feature at the top of the statistic, six Eels made over 100 metres and a further five Eels were in the 90’s. It’s not bad numbers, given that the Sharks also had a similar number of players better the 100 metre bench mark. The foundation metres are there but we just can’t capitalise on this. There were tackle breaks happening, but either support runners were missing or poor passes were being thrown.

 

Frank Pritchard	139m
Siosaia Vave	112m
Bevan French	109m
Semi Radradra	108m
Corey Norman	101m
Daniel Alvaro	100m

 

Defence:

 

Top 5 Tackles
	Name	TAK
PAR	K.Pritchard	41
PAR	N.Brown	38
PAR	D.Alvaro	38
CRO	J.Brailey	36
CRO	M.Prior	33
Top 5 Missed Tackles
	Name	MT
PAR	K.Pritchard	6
CRO	J.Maloney	5
CRO	R.Leutele	3
CRO	J.Bird	3
CRO	C.Townsend	3

Predictably, the highest tackle counts were notched up by Eels players.

Kaysa again topped the list. He is working very hard in is defence and although he made a game high 6 missed tackles, his defensive rate is second to none.

Ten Eels made 20 or more tackles and a special mention goes out to Siosaia Vave. The big fella made 19 tackles and added 112 running metres in an awesome effort off the bench. He was sure to have received some plaudits from the coaching staff after his first hit out following a long term injury layoff. It was an impressive debut game in the Blue and Gold.

The mounting Eels unforced errors was certainly the primary cause for the increased defensive workload. The extra 36 tackles equates to an addition 6 sets of possession for the Sharks. The only positive from this statistic was a missed tackle rate which was lower than Cronulla. Unfortunately that meant little when it came to the scoreboard.

Eels Tackles: 351 (18 missed tackles)

Sharks Tackles: 315 (23 missed tackles)

 

This game is now history and we have to look ahead to the big road trips over the next few weeks. This week we head to our nations capital to play the Raiders, then off to Auckland to play the Warriors. It’s a big ask for our boys. Whether near or far, lets get behind them.

Sixties sent a tweet yesterday that rang so true ‘A supporter’s strength isn’t found during the good times – it’s evident during adversity.’ This I cannot agree with more. In this day of the fickle fan and band wagoners, a true fan sticks solid. Yes, have your say. But be constructive.

It’s no use blaming refs – we can’t control that. We know they will make mistakes. But we can control the ball better. Complete sets better. Game manage better. That’s in our hands. That’s in our control. Control that and the refs won’t matter in the end.

 

Stat Attack: Player of the Week

 

 

BEVAN FRENCH

 

Bevan just looks dangerous every time he gets the ball.

Whether it’s running a long kick back or bobbing up in the opposition 20, every time he touches the ball you move to the edge of your seat because you know that something is going to happen.

With each game at fullback, Bevan is looking more and more comfortable, and his game watching is increasing game by game. He has a natural instinct for the game and knows where to be on the field during each defensive set. He’s rapidly placing himself in the top fullbacks in the game. His defence, especially one on one, has improved out of sight.

I can’t think of anytime during his stint at fullback from late last year to last Saturday where he has been out of position – unlike a former fullback who even at that time was dreaming.

No use going on about his attack as that is a given. But even this facet of his game has improved as he reads the attack and the opposition defence to know when to inject himself.

Well done Bev.

Possessions	31
Runs (metres)	14 (109m)
Kick Returns	4
Offloads	2
Tackle Breaks	3
Kicks Caught	4 (0 errors)
Minutes Played	80

Colmac

Champion Data

Stats courtesy of Champion Data. All these stats and more can be viewed on our match centre at http://mc.championdata.com/nrl/ including live game stats.

– Colmac

Champion Data

Follow @championdatanrl

mc.championdata.com/nrl/