Parramatta Eels NYC side

1. Anthony Layoun

2. Haze Dunster

19. Emosi Alamoti

4. Noel Aukafolau

5. John Fonua

6. Dean Matterson (c)

7. Troy Dargan

8. Sean Keppie

9. Matt Price

10. Tangi Hokai

11. Filia Utoikamanu

12. Salesi Faingaa

13. Denzal Tonise (c)

Interchange

14. Reed Mahoney

15. Mitch Butfield

16. Beni Valu

17. Oregon Kaufusi

 

 

Bare bones updates today folks. My apologies but I have a splitting headache.

 

There is a debutante for the Eels today with Emosi Alamoti coming into right centre.

 

First Half

 

Eels receive the ball to start the game. Straight forward opening to the match with both teams trading sets. The Eels concede a 7-tackle 20m restart early on but the Warriors match that by making the first error of the game.

Real head-scratcher from the referee there. The Eels are clearly pushed back to the ground in the ruck in a second effort. We don’t drop the ball and get back up to play it and the ref waits for us to take a run and then signals a knock on. Straight up bizarre.

Fortunately the Warriors squander the gifted set as a short ball pings over the dead ball line after hitting the shoulder of the short option runner.

More fortune now as the Warriors lose the ball in the ruck from Matterson’s clearing kick.

Parramatta go left in a nice set play to Anthony Layoun. He steps through the first couple of tackles and is pulled down a metre short of the line. A couple of tackles later Denzal Tonise storms over to the left of the posts but is somehow held up deep in goals.

The Eels go left as Matterson sprints out left of Dargan to put on a set piece. Matterson rifles a pass to John Fonua who grasses it. Turnover to the Warriors.

A couple of sets later and the Eels leapfrog ahead of the Warriors in the territorial battle thanks to an excellent. controlled kick from Troy Dargan. Knifed it along the ground from halfway and found touch 10m out.

Urgh, sloppy play from the Eels rewarded there. Matt Price is slow to get to dummy half on the last tackle and has the ball knocked out of his grasp by the marker. The refs correctly rules a knock-on against the Warriors but that is plain unlucky for the visitors.

The Eels quickly do them a favour though. Just as they look like scoring the opening points from the resultant set the final pass back inside from Matterson to Tangi Hokai is too low and the big forward drops the tough take with the try line begging.

And it is the rookie who breaks through first! Emosi Alamoti screams onto a fading line from Dean Matterson on the right-edge and tears through two arms grab attempts before centreing the ball. Great work from Matterson and a lovely crash line from Alamoti.

 

Try scored by Emosi Alamoti. Conversion successful.

Eels lead 6-0

24min gone

 

Massive metres up for grabs from the kick off set but the Eels undo the great ground work when a sweeping move to Layoun down the left is penalised for an obstruction element.

Warriors on the attack as a result. They get a consecutive penalty – this one on Parra’s goal line – when the home team try to slow the ruck down late in the tackle count.

Good read and tackle from Noel Aukafolau down the left edge. Warriors are held up over the line on the following tackle and from the sllooooww restart of play the right-edge of the Eels is caught out badly somehow. New Zealand go a couple of passes wide to their left where they find Paul Turner who dances back in-field to beat a defensive line that gets caught cheating on the slide. He pins his ears back after that to score from 10m out. Too easy.

 

Try scored by the New Zealand Warriors. Conversion successful.

Warriors lock the score up at 6-all

28min gone

 

Terrific kick to complete the set after points for New Zealand. They stab it in over the head of Fonua as he is tackled in-goals as the roll-on gets away from him. Line drop-out.

Wowza. The officials nearly missed a massive knock-on from dummy half for the Warriors. The Parramatta players bay out their outrage and the ref lets the Warriors play three passes out before calling it. The heck?

Tough call against Noel Aukafolau for a high shot now. It will put the Warriors right back on the attack. The Eels survive the attacking raid. The Warriors couldn’t find any penetration around the ruck and bombed towards Haze Dunster on the last. The rangy winger let his opposite claim the ball before wrapping him up for the turnover.

Gee the Eels are their own worst enemies in attack. Matterson has the right-edge purring late in this set as he zips down the narrow side and fires a perfect cut-out pass to Emosi Alamoti who drops it cold. Mistakes are killing us.

Prolonged break in the game now with injuries for both teams. Beni Valu has reeled out of a tackle in real bad shape and is heavily concussed. Meanwhile the right winger for the Warriors has limped off after hurting himself trying to score a couple of tackles later as he tries to fight his way around Fonua in the corner. When play eventually resumes the Eels have a 20m restart with under a minute to go. A penalty quickly follows as tempers flare up through the middle. The ref cautions the Warriors captain and puts someone on report.

With 15 seconds on the clock the Eels kick for touch and then put on a set-play as Dargan kicks ahead on the first for Fonua. The Parramatta flanker catches the ball on the bounce and tries to flick an offload to Aukafolau in support but he is hit in the motion and he does his best Tom Brady impression instead as the ball flies out 20m forwards. That will do us in the first half.

 

Half Time

Parramatta Eels 6 – New Zealand Warriors 6

 

Second Half

 

Eels kicking off.

Tidy start to the half from both teams. Some energetic ruck work from the Eels nets them the first penalty of the half. Nice short ball from Tonise to Keppie to start this set. The Warriors do well to hold on.

Dargan looks to have crossed for the Eels as he dummies to the left and takes the line on from 10m but as he touches down the referee quickly raises his arm for a penalty. That is the second time tonight the Eels have been done for an obstruction – execution is really killing us.

And again! Matterson kicks out on the full two sets later. We are just gifting New Zealand chances tonight.

Much better defence now. The Warriors pin the Eels back on their goal line with a fortuitous 6-again call. Parramatta really rally in this set and Matterson forces a turnover with a terrific read and jam on the New Zealand backrower.

The home team get a piggy back out of their half as the Warriors are pinged for a dangerous throw that goes on report.

Ooph. Execution once more. Just as Dargan looks to have trapped the Warriors in-goals with a brilliant grubber kick from 15m out the Parramatta chasers are ruled to be offside. I really don’t know about that call though. The kick was nearly in line with me and the chase looked clean.

Hang on! The Warriors looked to have earned a line drop out of their own with an excellent and kick that traps Layoun deep in goals. He is tackled but doesn’t go down and offloads at the last moment to Fonua who races back into the field of play. Was Fonua out there? Not sure but both the officials on that side were happy to play on.

A penalty comes afterwards as the ball is reefed out early in the set. Parramatta on the attack once more.

Finally we capitalise on the swing in territory and possession! Mahoney hits Tonise on the short ball on the goal line and the multi-talented forward spins through the contact and slams the ball down! Soft defence but excellent footwork and footy moves from Tonise.

 

Try scored by Denzal Tonise. Conversion successful by Troy Dargan.

Eels lead 12-6

56min gone

 

Parramatta bomb a prime chance to take a two-score lead when some enterprising second phase play on the last tackle opens up some big channels down the left-edge. There is a 3-on-2 overlap as Layoun sweeps down that edge but he opts to grubber ahead instead of pass and the Warriors trap it in the line. Chance gone begging! Misfortune for the Warriors from the turnover though. Their player that cleans the kick up is pulled down from behind by Filia Utoikamanu and gets his legged trap in a bad way. He eventually leaves the field of play.

Mislay after that misfortune now as the Warriors kick out of the full from their own half. Big chance for the Eels.

Much better from our boys now as Layoun earns a line drop out on the last tackle with a neat grubber kick.

A soft error from Noel Aukafolau early in the set undoes all the good work though. He lost the ball in the ruck cold.

The up-tempo play continues as the Eels venture down their left from deep in their half. Dargan finds Fonua with a long pass that puts him into space. He comes back in-field where he draws a penalty for a second effort from the defence.

The Eels can’t cross from the resultant set but Dargan shows plenty of poise to earn a repeat set with a well-weighted grubber.

Try time! Finally! A surging run back to the posts from Alamoti sucks in defenders and the Eels execute a crisp left-edge play on the back of it on the next tackle. Mahoney zips the ball to Dargan who goes to the line before firing a bullet to Fonua. John Fonua locks up his opponent with a hesitation move before diving back inside him in the corner. Someone has finally greased the wheels as the Eels start to resemble their Top 4 selves.

 

Try scored by John Fonua. Conversion successful by Troy Dargan.

Eels lead 18-6

68min gone

 

Monstrous metres for the Eels now. They are dominating the ruck. Mahoney looks to slip down the right short side on the last and stab a kick in behind but the left centre of the Warriors takes a slips catch in front line – terrific hands there.

Really solid set for New Zealand in return but is it enough? They roll their sleeves up and grind their way into Parra’s half before finding touch 10m out.

That was a heck of a brain snap from the New Zealand rake there. Layoun tracks the kick down in the field of play and is pulled down 5m out but the hooker lays all over him and then kicks the ball out. Easiest penalty the ref has had to call all game.

Gee that is a great end to the set from Dargan. He sums it up perfectly from 40m out as he goes towards the line and drives the ball through it to find touch 10m out. Great touch.

Okay, third obstruction penalty against the Eels now and this time the ref has gotten it all wrong. Matterson makes a half break down the right edge and pivots to offload as the whistle comes. He caught the ball on the outside shoulder and none of the decoys took a defender out. Dreadful call.

New Zealand on the attack as a result and they end up held up over the line early in the tackle count. They go wide right from there and are really lucky to pick up a (correct mind you) 6-again call as an errant pass is just knocked on by the Eels. Really gutsy goal-line stand here by the Eels with 3min left on the clock.

Time off for an injure Warrior. It allows both teams to regroup. New Zealand run a massive obstruction play down their left edge to no call but the Eels remain composed and collapse on the ball carrier. That brings up the last and the visitors run it down their right edge where they are met equally by the Eels to force the turnover. Outstanding discipline and effort there.

Oh wow! Absolutely gorgeous play to bring an end to this game! Mahoney plays short to Matterson down the right edge and he weaves in behind the ruck. He stands through contact to offload back to Mahoney who slides through and quickly turns the ball outside to Dunster! Haze puts on a lovely in-and-away to beat his opposite and the fullback as he touches down in the corner!

 

Try scored by Haze Dunster. Conversion unsuccessful by Troy Dargan

 

Full Time

Parramatta Eels 22 DEF New Zealand Warriors 6