ANZ Stadium, Sydney

Crowd: 14, 218

Parramatta made a welcome return to the winner’s podium in Round 12 after posting a 22 – 16 victory over the South Sydney Rabbitohs.

The Eels put on a clinic in the first half, and looked like running away with an emphatic victory.

But someone must have laced the oranges at half time as the Eels conceded penalty after penalty which brought the Bunnies back into the game and gave them a sniff of victory.  Once again, the Blue and Gold Army shifted to the edge of their seats as the Eels held onto win this match.

Along with some very, very poor officiating, the Eels didn’t help themselves by giving away momentum and territory. These lapses of discipline would no doubt be causing Brad Arthur some concern and he would have been in two minds about whether to tear shreds off them or the officials at full time.

However, a win’s a win and those 2 competition points are safely in the bank.

So let’s look at the stats that matter for Parramatta.

Score Flow

Full Time Stats

Although the completion rate left much to be desired, the Eels dominated many aspects of the game. Time and territory were all Parramatta especially in the first half. But double the penalty count would not have pleased Brad Arthur and this let the Bunnies back into the match.

Discipline was one of Brad Arthur’s benchmarks for improvement after the 2015 season and it would not have changed this year. It’s difficult to control how many penalties you receive, but as a team you have some say in how many you give away. Has the team lost its discipline or are they being treated harshly? I imagine that’s being looked at by the coaching department.

1^st Half

It was total domination from the Eels in the first forty minutes. I dare say this was Parramatta’s best opening stanza of the year. The Rabbitohs had nothing and the Eels just took every chance. If not for a Kaysa Pritchard error with a try beckoning we could’ve seen the score blow out even more. Add missing stars Norman and Jennings and this half could’ve been anything. The combination of Moses and Moeroa was working a treat.

2^nd Half

Poor ball control and discipline nearly gave up a superb opening half back to the Rabbitohs. Yes the officiating was terrible and beyond belief but that’s uncontrollable. Ball control and discipline is our own control and that went right out the window in the 2^nd half. A 60% completion rate does not win too many football games and this was something that should give cause to take a stroll into the giant room of mirrors. After the first half, the Eels should have stayed in the drivers seat. We need to be ruthless.

Attack

Six Eels ran for more than 100 metres and a further four ran for more than 90. Five Rabbitohs also topped the 100 metres.

It was a top all round effort from both the backs and the forwards. Mitch Moses was playing outstanding before his hip injury and this had the Eels moving forward all night. Even in the second half, Moses dug deep and still managed to guide the team.

Defence

Seven Eels made 20 or more tackles. In a great defensive display, Tepai Moeroa made a game high 36 tackles and no misses. Kaysa’s reduced defensive performance really benefitted his attack in this game. This would have been Kaysa’s best performance for the Eels and the game management and control instilled in him by BA and the coaching staff had him playing top level on Friday night. He seemed to have more energy and that showed in his attacking game. If you compare last week to this week it seems like two totally different players. Well done Kaysa. In my opinion he played all over Farah on Friday night.

Parramatta – 313 tackles, 18 missed tackles

South Sydney – 303 tackles, 30 missed tackles

It was great to see what Parramatta can show on the park without star player Corey Norman. Mitch Moses stood up and showed what he can do and why he is regarded so highly. After an extra week of training he played the house down and even when injured still managed some classy touches.

Corey is still at least a week away so hopefully close to our full contingent will be available for the 2^nd half of the season and a (fingers crossed) strong run into finals footy.

STAT ATTACK PLAYER OF THE WEEK

DANIEL ALVARO

This week’s award could’ve gone to a number of players, but I thought Polar’s game against the Rabbits was nothing short of outstanding.

After getting the nod to start the match for the injured Nathan Brown, Daniel took his opportunity with both hands and really gave it his all.

He played the definitive forward’s role. No mess, no fuss. With strong ball carries he bent the line with each run and helped to put the Eels on the front foot. By half time he had run more metres than all  of the Burgess boys combined.

Sensational effort Polar.

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.

Champion Data

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