It is a gorgeous Saturday morning in the Inner West as the Eels launch their finals campaign in both the Harold Matthews and the SG Ball. The regulation season proved to be largely successful for both squads as they each dropped the sole game against the Illawarra Steelers. Our 16s finished third on the ladder and will play the second placed Cronulla Sharks – who they defeated in 36-18 in Round 7. Our 18s finished equal first on wins but second in F/A and play the third placed Canterbury Bulldogs as a result.

 

Join me live from 11:00AM for all the action from the Harold Matthews while the SG Ball will kickoff at 2:00PM!

Harold Matthews

First Half

 

Alright! Here we go folks, the players are taking to the field on a perfect Saturday morning. The Eels will be receiving the ball and running towards the Keith Barnes stand.

Albert Faave takes the bouncing kickoff and brushes off the first defender he meets. The Eels work to their left for two tackles from there before coming back to the ruck with David Hollis. Trey Mooney brings up the last and Bailey Biondi-Odo drives the ball down field off the boot.

Cronulla punch it up the middle initially before playing down their right They cross halfway on their last tackle and run it down their left edge on the last but there is an errant cut out pass that catches a hand from their centre Douglas Levi.

Time is off for an injured Eel. It is hard to tell with the trainers and physio in the way but it looks like it might be Albert Faave. It looks like he might have busted his shoulder. He doesn’t look in a good way at all.

Great run and offload from Sam Hughes from the resumption of play. It leads to a big run from Campbell Byrd down the left edge. The Eels go right immediately from the ruck but Christian Wihongi is well tackled near the sticks. Another right shift to Peni Tohi is rebuffed and our hooker, Jed Edwards is caught on the last. Squandered chance there.

A really solid set of defence follows for the Eels which allows Tevita Masima to swoop on a shallow kick. Jandamurra Stewart provides a typically fiery carry up the middle as the Eels work to an attacking bomb from midfield. The Sharks spill the ball forwards and confusion reigns as the referee is unsure what to call before looking around and penalising the Eels for offside chasers. That was all a bit how you doing?

A second penalty for a high shot quickly follows. Sharks right on the attack now. They commence their set down their right edge where they go one out for a couple of tackles before playing the ball between their two props. Their halfback runs at the posts and it pulled down before they try to crash over with their biggest forward. The Eels are impressive on their line and stand resolute before Viliami Penisini does the Cronulla grubber kick with some deft hands.

Ooph. Error from the Eels working out of their half now. Need a big set of defence here. The Sharks work from their right to left before Penisini races up to clean up a bouncing pass and race to halfway! Great heads up play. The partisan Parra crowd are baying for a penalty as Penisini is held down by a second effort but nothing comes. Parramatta swing to the other side of the field looking to exploit the retreating defence. Byrd looks to put Stewart away down the left sideline but a late hand in the tackle catches the ball. Scrum for the Eels.

Parra go left from the scrum win but nothing much is doing there We work right with Hollis who has a powerful carry. Biondi-Odo feeds a short ball to Trey Mooney who nearly spins over but is held up at the last. We kick shallow right but the Sharks clean it up. Aggressive defence forces an error on the next tackle!

We build to a left edge movement and it is executed beautifully as Campbell Byrd feeds a pinpoint pass to Jandamurra on the wing. Stewart steps back in against the sliding defence and brushes through two would-be defenders and probably could have scored himself before linking up with his fullback Tevita Masima who crashes over! Great footy.

Try scored by Tevita Masmia. Conversion successful by Tyler Field.

Eels lead 6-0.

14min gone

Christian Wihongi provides a good carry from the kickoff but there is an error in the ruck. Not sure if it was Wihongi or Edwards at fault there.

Good tackle and ruck control from Hollis through the first two tackles. The Sharks play down their right but the Eels pin their half as he dummies back to the inside. Cronulla come back to the posts and are again knocked back. Intense defence around the ruck for the Eels. Time is blown off now as the impact from the last hit leaves a Shark on the ground.

Finally the game resumes as the Cronulla player is aided from the field by two trainers. Looks like it may be a heavy head knock. The Sharks look to roll the ball ingoals but it has far too much heft to it and rolls dead with ease.

Tidy set from the Eels. Jed Edwards kicks early and flat. The rolling bounce and a good kick chase traps the Sharks 3m off their line and some aggressive defence forces another error! Huge chance for the Eels here.

Tyler Field dummies and runs from the scrum. Sam Hughes nearly crashes over to the right of the sticks. He is tackled short but sucks in a lot of edge defenders. The Eels capitalise on it as Masima swings down the right and feeds a simply pass to Peni Tohi who forces his way through the centre and winger as they stand on their goal line. Simple but effective stuff there.

Try scored by Peni Tohi. Conversion unsuccessful by Tyler Field

Eels lead 10-0

19min gone

Wihongi is the kickoff option again. Trey Mooney and Hollis follow with the latter offloading to his halfback. Sam Hughes has a monstrous carry and offloads to Edwards who links up with Wihongi who in turn storms through a couple of defenders. Huge play there. The Eels kick ahead now, Field I think was the player, and another committed kick chase traps the Sharks on their goal line. Hang on! Deja vu again! Aggressive defence has once more forced an error on the second tackle. Is that the third time today already? Loving the fire in defence here.

Eels set for a scrum 10m to the right of the sticks. Tohi runs it and the Eels swing left to Byrd who steps off his left and is barely pulled down in time. Tyler Field runs it now and is tackled at the line. Two tackles later the Eels go left with a cutout pass to Byrd. The pass isn’t a good one but Byrd shows supreme athleticism and hand-eye coordination as he scoops the ball up on the half volley and in the next half-second dives over in the corner despite the attention of two cover defenders. Stellar individual play!

Try scored by Campbell Byrd. Conversion unsuccessful by Tyler Field.

Eels lead 14-0

23min gone

Wihongi is met by a strong tackle this time. Still manages to get a good play the ball away. Trey Mooney runs it up on the second and is taken high. A penalty quickly ensues. Play resumes 10m shrot of halfway but the ref brings play back because of several offside defenders. Back in my day that was a penalty, not a second chance for the defence!

Hollis centres the ball before the Eels play left via Biondi-Odo and Skinner. Byrd is taken by a strong tackle but the Eels are in position for an attacking kick. Biondi-Odo kicks wide and flat to Penisini who is right in the contest but a great take from his opposite secures the ball for the Sharks. Sam Hughes provides a bellringer on the next tackle as the Eels fire up in defence. Good defensive set there.

Alas, Masima and Penisini are split by a great kick and the Sharks give chase to pin Masima on his 10m line. That was a big play from the Sharks. Stweart and Masima provide some great impetus up the middle before Edwards knifes an early kick from just inside the 40m mark. Looking for the 40/20 but the angle isn’t there.

The Sharks run it down their right on the last but terrific vision from Campbell Byrd sees him pluck the ball out of the air. He has one man to beat and he then has clear space in front of him but the Cronulla defender does extremely well to get enough of him. Parramatta go on to turn the ball over on their 40m line, gifting the Sharks one final chance this half with 90sec on the clock.

Cronulla play down their right, as they have been wont to today before building to a left edge movement. Peni Tohi reads the play beautifully and jams brutally on the short option. Lovely defence. The Sharks kick on the next tackle and Masima is content to bat it dead but his halfback intercepts the bat-back and somehow gets back into the field of play! Amazing stuff.

Jandamurra Stewart is dumped on his head rucking it out so some minor fireworks ensue but the Eels are content to say that is enough for the first half as they tap and kick into touch.

Half time

Parramatta Eels 14 lead Cronulla Sharks 0

 

Second Half

Parramatta are kicking off in the second half, running away from the Keith Barnes Stand.

Intense first up defence from the Eels. Sharks aren’t backing down either. Good footy. The Sharks put a bomb up that deadset comes down with ice on it but Masima takes it pretty well. He flicks a pass to Stewart in support as he gets driven back but Stewart too is taken by eager kick chasers and a goal line drop out is the result regardless. Quality finish to that set by the Sharks.

Wihongi leads the drop out kick chase and makes the first up tackle. He is there two tackles later as well as he knocks a big forward off his feet. The Sharks go right and turn play back to the posts via their #4 Elliot Moaga and he beats a couple of defenders before he is tackled over the line. The disruption to the defensive line sets up the opportunity for their hooker Jared Domazetovski to dive over. Bit of contention over the grounding from the crowd but I think he got it down.

Try scored by the Sharks. Conversion unsuccessful.

Sharks trail 4-14

35min gone

The Sharks lose the kickoff backwards but get back in time to clean it up. Messy start to the set though. They swing left and then come back to the ruck where there are some big carries to take them into Parra’s half. Another bomb goes up and Jandamurra Stewart leaps high for it but can only get a loose hand to it and the Sharks get a huge chance here. Fortunately the Eels force another error in defence and a penalty follows on the ruck immediately after as the Sharks hold onto the ankles of the Parra runner. Hollis and Skinner go up first this set but there is another error from the Eels in the ruck. Concentration levels clearly have dropped since half time.

The Eels are struggling around the ruck here. Line speed and first contact have slipped. The Sharks get back to the posts and roll the ball in behind our right edge. Tyler Field loses it back into the ingoals before grounding it for another drop out.

Parramatta don’t have to take too much pressure in defence this set as a greedy run from the Sharks from our right sideline is punished by our defence. Cronulla are bundled into touch 10m out.

Hollis and Skinner cart it up before Caleb Tohi takes a run. Lovely play from Edwards and Masima around the ruck gets the Sharks right on the back foot and from the resultant ruck, Bailey Biondi-Odo screams down a gap on the left. He links up with Tyler Field in support as he comes to the fullback and Field, who is getting run down by cover defence, throws an around-the-corner one hander to Campbell Byrd! Gorgeous team try there.

Try scored by Campbell Byrd. Conversion unsuccessful by Tyler Field.

Eels lead 18-4

42min gone

Wihongi trucks the ball up from the kick off. Hollis provides a tremendous carry on the next tackle. Edwards palys to his left as Skinner careens into the defensive line. Caleb Tohi plays at the line to Wihongi as the big prop makes a break up the middle. He can’t link up with support but he does bust a tackle or two. The Eels settle things down on the last tackle as they roll the ball into touch 10m out from the Cronulla goal line. Good set after points.

Good defensive set from the Eels now as they contain the Sharks to inside their half. Masima is a bit jumpy under the high ball this time around and pulls his hands away at the last second. He gets back to clean it up. Stewart and Caleb Tohi get us going through the middle. Trey Mooney brings up the last and Field sends up a wicked torpedo bomb. For all money I had the fullback as touching that and losing it backwards but the ref clearly saw differently. The Eels still give chase and nearly score in the last inches of the ingoals but the ball rolls dead for a 20m restart.

The Sharks get downfield with the aid of the extended set but they are pinned brilliantly by Peni Tohi on the last as they run it down his edge. Once more he makes a brilliant read and tackle to end a set.

Simple stuff from the Eels through the early exchanges in this set before Sam Hughes sparks the Eels with a fantastic late offload to Bailey Biondi-Odo. Bailey shows his electric acceleration again as he splits the line. Tyler Field is off his left shoulder once more but Bailey throws the dummy and uses his left foot to step past the fullback and score under the black dot! Our halves are playing blinders today.

Try scored by Bailey Biondi-Odo. Conversion successful by Tyler Field.

Eels lead 24-4

49min gone

Another powerful charge from Sam Hughes. The Eels play left to Byrd who gets good metres before his tackled. Jayden Skinner then provides a good carry and ruck for the kick. The Eels go high and Hughes gives a vigorous chase but he just mistimes the hit as the fullback is still in the air. Fair penalty.

Wihongi has laid the wood in defence all day and this set is no exception. Brutal sounds reach the bleachers.

Cronulla bomb to our right on the last and again we are shaky under the high ball as we lose it forwards. Chance for the Sharks to remain in touch with 8min to play. They play down their left where they are turned away and then go to the posts where their #6 steps back off his right. He is eventually taken.

The Sharks do manage to cross in a bizarre turn of events two tackles later. They grubber in behind our right edge, Masima is right there to clean it up but the ball takes a higher bounce than expected and he loses it backwards. Penisini then cleans it up and gets back into the field of play before he loses the ball straight into the arms of a defender who falls over the line to score. Messy stuff.

Try scored by the Cronulla Sharks. Conversion successful.

Sharks trail 10-24

55min gone

Good battle from both teams this set as the Sharks look to snipe the Eels through the ruck. Parramatta remain extremely disciplined throughout though. Quality defence on display.

Cronulla bomb from their own half on the last, looking for something – another error or whatever comes – but Jandamurra Stewart is cool as ice. He ends up getting dropped on his head for the second time this game and a penalty comes. Another defender goes on report as well. Cronulla could be without two outside backs next week.

Parra work the ball into the Cronulla redzone and Jed Edwards spots out the slow line speed as he jumps down the left edge short side and finds his mainstay lock, Sam Hughes, who powers through to score a well deserved try.

Try scored by Sam Hughes. Conversion successful by Tyler Field.

Eels lead 30-10

58min gone

Mooney and Hollis are again at the fore for the Eels in rucking it out. An early kick catches the Cronulla custodian out of position but he ends making a handy return as he hustles back.

The Sharks make a rare line break as they crack our right edge with some second phase play. The Eels scramble throughout and eventually an error comes as Cronulla force one pass too many. Neither team is showing any interest in packing a scrum as the clock winds down and that will put the seal on a very polished effort from our boys.

 

Full Time

Parramatta Eels 30 DEF Cronulla Sharks 10

 

TCT Best On Field

3. Bailey Biondi-Odo

2. Tyler Field

1. Sam Hughes

 

Damnably hard to give points out for this game as so many players deserved a mention. Barring a slow start to the second half the Eels were very impressive throughout. Peni Tohi and Campbell Byrd were clinical in the centres while Christian Wihongi was brutal up the guts on both sides of the ball.

 

SG BALL

 

FB	1	John-Paul NOHRA	14	INT	Kyle SCHNEIDER ©
RW	2	Uikilifi LEA’AETOA	15	INT	Sione TUPOU
RC	3	Taufa AFU	16	INT	Harry DUGGAN
LC	4	W. KEI	17	INT	Dallas KING
LW	5	Ethan PARRY	18	INT	Alex SEVE
FE	6	Joseph TAIPARI	19	INT	Haze DUNSTER
HB	7	Dylan BROWN	20	INT	Noel AUKAFOLAU
PR	8	Valance HARRIS	22	INT	Matthew DOOREY
HK	9	L. TAPAATOUTAI	23	INT	Charbel TASIPALE
PR	10	Mark TEPU-SMITH
LSR	11	Kyle CASSEL
RSR	12	Dennis MATAIA
LOCK	13	Jesse CRONIN

First Half

The Eels receive the ball from the kickoff. Through the ruck an then to the right for the Eels as they work their way over halfway before Joe Taipari sends up a bomb. The Dogs lose the ball forwards but the referee blows a penalty and taps his shoulder. Is he indicating a shoulder charge against the Eels? Odd stuff.

Canterbury drive the ball deep into Parra’s half on the back of a penalty but their grubber kick is well fielded by Nohra who does well to stay into the field of play. A couple of changes for the Eels as I seem them but Noel Aukafolau and Matt Doorey are starting on the left edge while seems to be starting on the right.

Lovely ball play from Parra down their right edge as I type that out but the final pass from Cliff Lea’Aetoa is intercepted by the fullback. A try was cooking up there as well.

The Eels end up back in possession as Lea’Aetoa fields the attacking bomb from the Dogs. Valance Harris provides a great carry up the guts before Tasipale again torments the Dogs down our right edge. Taipari sends up a towering bomb that is lost backwards by the Bulldogs and the kick chase pins the Dogs deep in their redzone.

A good defensive sets results in a poor last tackle kick and from there John Paul Nohra roars to life as he seizes upon a shallow kick and bursts through the flimsy kick chase over halfway! He comes up to the final defender and links up with Joe Taipari who guns it towards the right corner before turning it back to Nohra who is pulled down with inches to go! Dang! Joe Taipari shows good vision though as he jumps into dummy half and splits the desperate marker defence to cross for first points!

Try scored by Joe Taipari. Conversion unsuccessful by Kyle Schneider.

Eels lead 4-0

8min gone

Sandow style grubber kickoff by the Dogs now. Looks like it won’t go the 10m but it wills itself over the final centimetres and the Dogs pounce on it. Aggressive defence from our right edge knocks the ball out a few tackle later though and Parramatta complete a nice set in reply as Taipari finds the carpet down the right sideline.

Coming out of their own half, Canterbury drop the ball in the ruck and Parramatta will pack in for a scrum 10m into their opponent’s half.

Great run from Doorey on tackle two. The Eels go right as Brown and Taipari link together before Nohra gets the crash ball. He is barely held up over the line and the ball comes back to the 10m line. Harris and Tepu-Smith relocate the ball with brutish carries, the latter of which attracts a penalty as the ball is reefed out.

Mark Tepu-Smith gets the tap restart and he channels The Incredible Hulk as he drives through three defenders from 10m out and somehow reaches out to score. Incredible strength on display there as MTS overwhelmed his rival forwards.

Try scored by Mark Tepu-Smith. Conversion successful by Kyle Schneider.

Eels lead 10-0

14min gone

HOT DAMN! What a play! What a pass! The Eels burst into the backfield down their right edge as Haze Dunster slices through the front line. Dunster passes to Taipari at the fullback but the cover chase is willing and mows the five-eighth down. Not before he reaches deep into his bag of tricks and channels Benji Marshall in the 2005 grand final with a ridiculous flick pass back to Cliff Lea’Aetoa who goes on to score! Incredible passage of play.

Try scored by Cliff Lea’Aetoa. Conversion successful by Kyle Schneider.

Eels lead 16-0

16min gone

A lapse from the kickoff from the Eels as a miscommunication allows the ball to bounce in-goals and then dead. Noel Aukafolau flips the field midway through the tackle count though with a beautifully read interception. The Eels look to be over for their fourth try in rapid succession when Taipari rifles a cutout pass to Lea’Aetoa down the right but the touchy quickly raises his flag to indicate the forward nature of the pass.

A penalty to the Dogs follows and leap frogs them down the field. They play down their left edge from the resumption of play. A nice interchange of passes nearly gets the Dogs over as their hooker dives at the line but willing last-line defence means he has to make a second effort and reach out and the referee is right on the spot to call out the double movement.

A greedy touch finder by the Eels is punished at the Cantebury fullback navigates the sideline to reel in the ball. The Dogs spend the set working to their right to little effect before bombing to Lea’Aetoa’s edge. Cliff gathers himself fora leap at the ball but the Dogs get an inside running at it. They lose it forwards fortunately for the turnover.

Ethan Parry provides plenty of bustle up the guts as the athletic winger drives forwards backwards (funny little league-ism there!) and earns a penalty. Parramatta tap and go and punch right through the guts. Big metres up for grabs with fast rucks. The last tackle is brought up after Doorey runs a nice line down the left. Field angles his grubber back towards the posts as it catches a deflection off a defender back to the left. Two Eels, Tepu-Smith and Schneider, swoop in and it is Tepu-Smith that gets there first and shows both incredible hands and agility to dive onto the rolling ball and ground it in-goals!

Try scored by Mark Tepu-Smith. Conversion successful by Kyle Schneider.

Eels lead 22-0

24min gone

Half break from Charbel Tasipale down the right edge. The Eels are deep into the Dogs’s half here and positioned for an attacking kick. Dylan Brown provides it as he looks for the towering winger in Ethan Parry. The giant winger soars high and comes down with it before nearly driving his over the goal line. The Cantebury defence rallies and drives him into touch. Good effort there.

Simple set from the Dogs in reply. It allows Lea’Aetoa to make a really useful kick return. From there the games escalates. Plenty of niggle from the Dogs in the ruck and Ethan Parry bites at the bait. There is a big scuffle down the left with plenty of jersey grabbing and a bit of pushing. Time is blown off and the three officials converge for a lengthy chat.

The conclusion of it all is that Ethan Parry will spend 10min in the bin. The Eels have a 22 point buffer but this could be a pivotal turning point in the game.

Kyle Cassel lays out a big hit from the tap restart. The Dogs work to their left where the Eels meet them equally. Dylan Brown makes a ripper of a cover tackle as the Dogs look to exploit an overlap down our left edge and the subsequent burrow over attempt on the last is valiantly turned back. Incredible defensive set.

Haze Dunster has another terrific run down the right as he carries his opposite for a 15m gain. He is slow to get up following the tackle though and time is blown off.

Hang on? Are they saying he lost it now? I think they are as the Dogs get the scrum feed following the injury time out. You don’t usually see that.

Vallance Harris lifts his time with a textbook driving tackle up the middle but the difference in numbers finally reaps dividends for the Dogs as they attack our left edge once more. We try to jam on the backline movement but a clever spin and pass from the unders option provides a devastating riposte to the jam. Nohra is left with the winger to take on his lonesome and he is caught too close to his line to really be able to make a difference.

Try scored by the Bulldogs. Conversion successful.

Canterbury trail 6-22

30min gone

Early error from the Dogs now! Breakdown between hooker and runner leads to a dropped ball. Dylan Brown pokes his head through half a hole down the left and shows surprising strength to carry a couple of forwards for some extra metres. Vea Tapa seizes on the momentum and quick ruck to scoot out of dummy half and burrow his way over! The Eels have wrested the initiative of this game right back – despite only fielding 12 men currently.

Try scored by Vea Tapa. Conversion successful by Kyle Schneider.

Eels lead 28-6

33min gone

Another short kickoff from the Dogs. This one is sent up high and batted back a good 15m which allows the Dogs to clean it up. Good presence of mind from Noel Aukafolau down the left now. He bats down a pass to negate a heft over lap. Time is off for Matt Doorey who looks to be having severe calf cramps. He hobbles back to the scrum after a brief stretch.

Canterbury work the ball down their left over the first couple of tackles before sending it back to the posts. Powerful defence drives their massive forwards back off their feet. A lot of passion and ticker on display here.

Cliff Lea’Aetoa races off his wing as the Bulldogs attack our right edge and positively levels the Canterbury centre with a legal but wince inducing hit. The centre manages to pass the ball but it is ruled forwards and the Eels swarmed the winger who cleaned it up it in any event.

The Eels are more than happy to ruck the ball out from the scrum win and let the half come to its natural conclusion. That was a very, very impressive effort.

Half Time

Parramatta Eels 28 lead Canterbury Bulldogs 6

 

Second Half

The Eels are kicking off to start the second half.

Nohra gets us underway and the Dogs start fired up with two strong carries before the touchy nabs them for a forward pass from hooker. Costly mistake there.

Scrum is set 20m out, 10m to the right of the posts. Doorey has a nice run from the scrum win and the Eels work to their left from there with Harry Duggan. Taipari runs it down the right, beating the first defender before he is thrown to the ground. Tasipale takes it to the line before Harris is used to both centre the ball and bring up the last. A neat grubber from Dylan Brown pins the Dogs in their in-goals for a line drop out

The drop out bounces between Taipari and Lea’Aetoa and the latter retrieves it before wearing a heavy blow from the kick chase. Brown plays short down the left to Doorey and Schneider leaps out of dummy half afterwards with a great run. Joe Taipari rides the forwards momentum as he plays to the line and bullets a spot-perfect cutout pass to Haze Dunster as he knifes between the centre and winger to score out wide.

Try scored by Haze Dunster. Conversion unsuccessful by Kyle Schneider.

Eels lead 32-6

40min gone

Duggan and Tepu-Smith gets us going to start this set. Aukafolau gets into the ruck with a good carry to take us over halfway where he kick towards Lea’Aetoa down the right. Dunster and Lea’Aetoa are there for the contest and look to bat it backwards but the referee quickly blows the play up – indicating the ball traveled forwards. Turnover.

Parry has completed his stint in the sin bin as the Dogs work over halfway and bomb Nohra. As clam as ever, Nohra defuses it with ease and runs into the teeth of the kick chase.

Parramatta gradually move the ball from their right to their left edge and Nohra lurks up in support for some second phase play but gets the ball knocked out of his grasp near halfway. Fortunately the Dogs are kind in returning possession to the Eels a tackle or two later.

Noel Aukafolau provides a good first up run carry. Dunster is up next as two of the senior squad members roll their sleeves for the team. Schneider runs a nice overs line in the red zone and wears a great shot for his efforts but both players bounce up off the ground just fine. Time is blown off for an injured Bulldog in backfield. Bit of a set play on the last tackle for the Eels on the last tackle as Taipari, Nohra and Lea’Aetoa interchange passes and running lines looking to drag the Dogs to the sideline and set Cliff back to the posts. Canterbury don’t take the bait and bring an end to the set with a clean tackle.

Defensive set from the Bulldogs in reply. Looking to establish themselves in the game, albeit quite late, as the keep it simple and find touch with a dabbed kick 20m out from the Parramatta goal line. Tasipale and Sione Tupou are the early metre eaters this set. Dylan Brown continues to threaten as he weaves down the left edge. The Dogs pull him down – but barely in the nick of time. A nice midrange grubber and subsequent kick chase from Parry pin the Dogs near their line.

The Dogs get away with a couple of forward passes as they break our line moving the ball from left to right but a tremendous effort from the rangy prop, Harry Duggan, in cover sees him push back and knock a pass back inside to a fellow defender.

Parramatta get the ball back into Cantebury’s half in return but a messy ruck midway through the tackle count gifts the Dogs possession.

Harry Duggan is in everything at the moment! First up there is a big hit early in this set before a second such tackle jolts the ball free for a turnover! Great effort.

Alas the Eels fail to go anywhere with the ball as Tasipale grasses it from the scrum win. Chance for the Dogs here.

The Eels start their goal line defence with some gritty work near the uprights but Dylan Brown ends up isolated against the right edge backrower for the Bulldogs and is carried over the line. Cover defence converges to try and hold him up but they are just too late.

Try scored by the Canterbury Bulldogs. Conversion successful.

Canterbury trail 12-32

54min gone

Haha! What a slice of fortune for the Dogs! They look to have spilled Nohra’s kickoff forwards but their centre drops the ball onto his foot before it hits the ground and it pops back up for him to take! One of those moments that has to be seen to be believed.

In the mean time the Dogs complete what would traditionally be an excellent set after points as they roll over halfway and find touch 10m out from Parra’s goal line. Problem is that they trail by 20 points and only have 14min to play.

Sound set and completion as the Eels bomb the Dogs from midfield via Taipari. Brown gives chase and traps the Canterbury winger long enough for support to arrive.

Coming over halfway now the Bulldogs drop the ball due to an errant pass to their halfback. He has to reach behind to bring it in and can’t do so.

Parramatta go left with Doorey before coming back to their right as Taipari feeds Tasipale. Tupou takes the ball back to the posts. Taipari goes left to Brown who beats a shooting defender, deadset tap dances on the spot for a second or two and grubbers in behind for Noel Aukafolau who pushes ahead to ground it! Fancy footwork and execution from Dylan Brown there.

Try scored Noel Aukafolau. Conversion successful by Kyle Schneider.

Eels lead 38-12

60min gone

Third short kickoff of the day from the Dogs. This is the first to be fielded by the Eels as Tasipale takes it cleanly. Dallas King gets his first touch of the game as the Eels crash over halfway and he ends up getting dropped on his head. A penalty, caution and report are all forthcoming.

Tupou takes the ball towards the sticks and from there the Eels execute a lovely set piece with some gorgeous slight of hand. Brown calls for the ball to the left and gets it but immediately pivots to his right and finds Joe Taipari sweeping to the right. Taipari has a short option that commits the sliding defence but his real target is his fullback JP Nohra and the custodian slips between the bamboozled defence to score a fantastic try.

Try scored by John Paul Nohra. Conversion unsuccessful by Joe Taipari.

Eels lead 42-12

64min gone

The Dogs roll the dice on another short kick off and slip to 50% on the conversion rate as they knock the ball on in the contest. The Eels lay on a minor set play from the scrum as Doorey links up at the line with Tasipale I believe. Brown shows great vision from there to take play down the left and the Dogs are caught short as Ethan Parry strides down the left sideline. He only has the fullback to beat and from an early point he pins his ears back for the line. The Canterbury fullback makes contact with him 5m out but Parry just surges forwards to score.

Try scored by Ethan Parry. Conversion unsuccessful by Joe Taipari.

Eels lead 46-12

76min gone

Nearly a 30m carry from Mark Tepu-Smith from the kickoff. He and Valance Harris have been titans up the guts for the Eels today. Parramatta swing right from there where Vea Tapa has a snipe from dummy half. He makes a half break before he is pulled down and the Eels, looking to capitalise on a retreating defence, play at the line on the next tackle but things go awry and a turnover occurs.

Canterbury look to chip over the top and spark something but Dylan Brown is too wily for it to happen on his watch. He darts back, fields it and fires a pass to Nohra in support. That is confidence right there, folks! Speaking of Brown, he puts a final stamp on a pretty useful indiviudal effort as he makes a surgical incision down the left edge on the next tackle. It speaks to his energy and drive that he is doing this in the dying moments of the game but he races down the left side line and shows a clean set of heels to beat the fullback! Great try.

Try scored by Dylan Brown. Conversion successful by Joe Taipari.

 

Full Time

Parramatta Eels 52 DEF Canterbury Bulldogs 12

 

TCT Best On Field

3. Mark Tepu-Smith

2. Dylan Brown

1. Joe Taipari

 

Much like the Harold Matthews, this was a bloody hard game to dish out the points for. Superlative team effort across the park. Vallance Harris was superb as Tepu-Smith’s partner in crime while the edges were well served by the likes of Noel Aukafolau, Haze Dunster and Charbel Tasipale. Harry Duggan had a huge defensive impact from the bench. Like their younger cohorts in the Harold Matthews, the Eels have earned a week off and will progress directly to the qualifying finals.