Round 20 Drink of choice – Southern Comfort (cheap and nasty but it gets the job done)

uglier; ugliest

As per the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary (NRL Revised Edition).

I don’t think there is any other adjective that really encapsulates tonight’s victory other than ugly. Amidst a raft of errors and a frustrating inability to lock down the second phase play of the Tigers, the Eels somehow grafted their way to a one-point victory. It was a perfect storm of hoodoos for the Eels given they were coming off the bye and meeting the Tigers. Both factors tend to bring out the worst in our team so in that vein, any sort of win is a good result. Still, there is a lot of room for improvement in the Eels so let’s have a chat about what they did to get the two points and what they need to work on in the tilt to the finals.

Eels Compete But Need To Complete

If you needed any sort of validation that the Eels were their own worst enemies today, look no further than our completion rate of 22/36 (61%). From an errant pass by Clinton Gutherson to Bevan French on a kick return to Corey Norman kicking out of the full – the Eels lacked poise and polish throughout the piece today. Even with an abundance of offloads (15) from the Wests Tigers throughout the game, it honestly felt like the Tigers rarely fired a real shot at the Eels. A large chunk of my frustration from today’s victory stems from the fact that we gifted so much territory and possession to a team as defensively inept as the Tigers.

In the handful of moments that the Eels played with good shape this afternoon, they picked apart the Tigers with ease. The tries to Bevan French, Semi Radradra and Clinton Gutherson were all crisply executed by the Eels but also featured flimsy defence from the Tigers. In fact the Eels made a startling 9 line breaks to 1 today but failed to capitalise on the chunk metreage they made via those explosive plays.

I have no doubt that Brad Arthur is going to hammer the team for the string of unforced errors in the video review because everyone at the club knows that you won’t get far in the post-season by completing at 61%.

Edwards Keep His Vow

In the lead up to the Round 20 derby, Kenny Edwards vowed to NRL.com to cut out the brain snaps from his game. The statement certainly resonated with fans after a run of games where the impact forward was guilty of trying to force his hand. Edwards repaid the faith today with a stirring effort that belied the surprisingly low numbers. 11 runs for 113m and 17 tackles (2 missed) don’t really speak towards the impact that Edwards injected into the game. Armed with straighter running game and some ferocious leg drive, Edwards threatened to punch holes through the Tigers for his entire stint.

There is no doubting the immense talent of Edwards, he has it in him to be one of the most devastating ball runners in the NRL. The extra focus and application shown today was not wasted on me. Lay that sort of stuff heavy on me, Kenny!

Mixed Bag, Maiden Field Goal For Norman

Injuries and a new dominant partner in the halves have left Corey Norman short of a gallop this season but there were some encouraging signs today. Greater confidence in taking on the line and a trademark cutout pass to put Semi Radradra over pointed towards him taking steps closer to his sparkling 2016 form. Of course there was one glaring error when he barely misjudged his touch from the boot to kick out of the full (which lead to the Watene-Zelesniak try) while he also probably got a bit greedy in the first half looking to scoop up a loose pass from the Tigers instead of just diving on the ball.

Much like the team, Norman is still yet to find his top gear but there were glimpses of his best today.

Today was also noteworthy for Norman in that it was his first field goal since donning the Blue & Gold. Given Norman’s diverse skill set it is something of a surprising statistic – especially given how close the Eels tend to play games. Still, that marks game-winning field goals for both our halves this season (and from the single attempt each) so perhaps if the Eels find themselves in a golden point shoot out in the finals they will be well equipped to take out the victory.

Moses A Marked Man

You better believe there was a target on the back of Mitchell Moses today. From his first clearing kick where he was taken a fraction late right up to the last significant play of the game where Luke Brooks deadset tried to hack Moses’ legs off in one of the ugliest tripping efforts seen in recent times. It was clear that the Tigers were zeroed in on Moses.

While he was visibly frustrated at times, Moses did well not to nibble on the numerous baited hooks thrown out by the Tigers and while it would have been lovely to see him carve them up – his understated game spoke to a good degree of self-control.

Still, in an under-stated effort Moses still toyed with the left edge of the Tigers in the first half, helping lay on a try to Bevan French before he was desperately unlucky not to put Corey Norman over late in the half. Not too shabby.

Takairangi’s Big Day

Re-uniting Brad Takairangi with Semi Radradra hasn’t quite produced the results that fans would be clamoring for after their record-breaking 2015 season together. Rather it has been our right-edge that has ignited in recent rounds. Today we saw a vintage effort from Takairangi as he ran for 136m from just 10 carries while he also did all the hard work in the lead up to Clinton Gutherson’s go-ahead try. It was a damn good effort from the big man and it deserves a bit of love.

Long Live The King

When Clinton Gutherson was caught from behind and rolled over his knee in the dying moments of the game, it was immediately apparent that he was in some distress. He bravely fought his way back to his feet and worked his way back to the defensive line but the initial indication from Brad Arthur doesn’t bode well.

Arthur touched on the injury to his star fullback in the post-match presser saying “He’ll have some scans tomorrow but we don’t think it’s great,” and “I’m not sure exactly what the diagnosis is but it could be bad.” 

The Eels are in the fortunate position where they can call on the likes of Bevan French and Josh Hoffman (pending an early return from a knee injury of his own) but the potential loss of Gutherson is a devastating blow to the team. From his ever-present knack of being in the right place at the right time to his quietly rock-solid goal-kicking – Gutherson will leave a huge void in the team should the scans come back confirming a serious injury.

Here is to hoping for some good news for one of the good guys in our team.

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