Round 22 Drink of choice – Chivas Regal 12 year old (with a splash of water in honour of tonight’s game)
As the rain poured down at ANZ Stadium the Eels strung the Dogs out to dry on the boots of Mitchell Moses, Corey Norman and Cameron King. It was a masterful display from the various boots of the Parramatta play-makers and not too dissimilar to the way we dissected the Dragons back in Round 15. The sixteen point blitz in the first half paved the way for a comfortable victory and while fans may have been left wanting more in the second half, the (hopefully) precautionary resting of Bevan French meant the Eels were always going to fall back to a safety first approach. We have plenty to wring out of this water-logged game so let’s get right into it.
Kings Of The West
After clinching the 2-0 sweep of the Canterbury Bulldogs tonight the Eels will now finish the regulation season undefeated in all their Western Sydney derbies. Tonight’s win follows a 2-0 sweep of the Wests Tigers and a victory over the Penrith Panthers in the lone game played between the two clubs this year. It amounts to nothing but bragging rights but add in the Round 1 victory over the Manly Sea-Eagles and all of a sudden the Eels are lording it over nearly all their traditional rivals in 2017!
The Magnificent (#)7
While Corey Norman continues to hum away nicely in his own personal build to the finals, it is Mitchell Moses that is stealing the show on a weekly basis. In some of the most testing conditions of the season he positively toyed with the Bulldogs. Not content with just setting up Bevan French for a try after darting in behind the ruck, he then played a key part in the lead up to Semi Radradra’s try after pump-faking to kick three times! I lost count of how many drops outs he forced while he continues to hold his own in defence.
I don’t think it is unreasonable to suggest that he is the most in-form half in the NRL. It is more than just individual form as well. The combinations between himself, Norman, King and French is creating points of attack all over the field and opposition teams are struggling to account for them all.
While Moses is running hot the Eels stand a real chance against anyone. Some serious kudos to our commander-in-chief Brad Arthur here as well. In a halves market that was about to blow up he struck while the iron was hot to snare Moses.
Pack Mentality
When Nathan Brown was ushered up the tunnel for a head injury assessment (HIA) in the opening exchanges of the games, fans could be forgiven for any momentary palpitations. It is no secret that Brown is our best middle forward and in conditions that pointed towards to a grindathon, losing such a titanic presence through the ruck could be a huge blow.
The (short-term) loss of Brown however served to galvanise the Parramatta pack with Siosaia Vave (13 runs, 117m) Tim Mannah (11 Runs, 101m) and Daniel Alvaro (13 runs, 115m, 1 Try) turning in excellent opening stints. Kenny Edwards (15 runs 124m) and Manu Ma’u (12 runs, 111m) poured on the pressure from the edges. Add in the contributions of Suaia Matagi (12 runs, 125m) and Peni Terepo (7 runs, 68m) and you can see why the Eels maintained ascendancy throughout large portions of the game.
Nathan Brown ended up clearing HIA and returned to the field to post the modest figures of 157m from 18 runs.
Much has been made of the under-sized pack the Eels field in 2017. It is even reflected in our recruitment for 2018 with the additions of Kane Evans and Willis Meehan pointing towards an aim of tipping the scales more and adding greater vertical presence to the forward pack. Despite all of this, if they can continue to find ways to win the advantage line then our fast-settling spine will be there to dial in the pressure on whomever we play.
Three Horse Race For The Golden Slipper
So just who is the most dangerous kicker for the Eels? While the real Golden Slipper was run way back in March, it is fast becoming hard to split who is possesses the most lethal boot for the Blue & Gold. Corey Norman has made a name for himself over the last two seasons for his ability to dissect the backfield of opposition teams while Mitchell Moses has grown in confidence in both the long and short games from the boot. Chuck in the wildcard that is Cameron King from dummy half and all of a sudden opposition wingers and fullbacks are tearing out their hair trying to figure out where the kick will come from in a given set.
A razor keen kicking game is one of the best ways to augment a smaller forward pack and in these three players it would seem the Eels could be backing a winner.
Discretion The Greater Part of Valour As Eels Ice French
There was plenty of head scratching at the beginning of the second half in the stands when Bevan French failed to return from the dressing room. Sports Ears would quickly reveal that the excitement machine had hit the showers early with a tight hamstring. Speaking to the media in the post-match presser, Brad Arthur noted that he didn’t want to risk his young custodian on a heavy track. Corey Norman stepped up as the emergency fullback and did a decent job but the void left by Bevan was apparent.
Even with only one half of footy under his belt tonight, French showed that he is in some keen form as he made it his sixth consecutive game in which he has posted a try. French also added a forced line drop out to his name but it was a drop in the ocean given the Eels forced NINE total line drop outs!
Final Word
The Eels have now marched to their sixth straight win and provisionally own fourth place on the ladder. Results involving the Cowboys and Broncos will decide just where they finish the round but with 30pts in the bank and a team that is brimming with self-belief they very much own their destiny in regards to a Top 4 finish.
Brilliant analysis Forty. To comment further in any detail will require a clear head and another perusal of the well presented data mate. Couldn’t go to bed without thanking you though, it certainly aroused my memory of the professional way we actually dispatched the Dogs to their kennel in that first half.
Thanks again Forty 20, you’re a great stimulus to the TCT faithful with your diligent musings mate.
Cheers Rowdy!
What Rowdy said! 🙂
It was very relieving to see Parramatta show steel in attack and defence in such wet conditions! Years gone by, this was the kind of game that would certainly have been our undoing but our halves kicked them to death, and so may it remain for ever and ever, amen.
Moses, Norman and King controlled the game from beginning to end. Our forwards have another incredible effort to lay the platform.
A great performance under very trying conditions.
And to think this is a team without Gutho!
Great stuf XL.
Id be interested in your thoughts on F Pritchard. I must admit I wasnt a fan of his performances prior to his injury. Sure he is a big body and I guess this is why he’s high on BAs list. That said, and even allowing for the fact it was his return match last evening, I thought his form mirrored his early season form. Takas drop and Semis missed tackle appeared to provide stimulus for the lone Dogs try but to my untrained eye, FP totally missed his assignment. Add in his poor handling last night, I feel he was somewhat of a passenger out there. Im certainly not wishing to sound critical after another strong performance but surely there are better options than FP.
What can be said re Cameron King? Is is pure coincidence we now are stronger in the ruck and our forwards are taking the ball at the advantage line and mostly powering through it?
Ive been a strong advocate for CK being given an opportunity. All glory to Mr Moses but goodness CK has been a magnificent contributer towards our reinvented up tempo game.
The other player Id like to see given a much deserved opportunity is Marata. I see really good things in this kid.
Go you Mighty Eels.
I totally agree with your assessment of King’s contribution. He is a quality player and will only get better. He is no stranger to the plays or his team mates as he interchanged in the role with IDG and Kaysa during the pre-season, and he had also trained whenever Kaysa didn’t participate in certain training sessions when he was doing a bit of rehab. In other words, the transition was going to be relatively smooth. However, I expect that as King becomes even more confident with more NRL matches under his belt, we will see him get even better.
Be patient with Marata. He is rated and is seen as having a future in the NRL.
Am I correct in saying Marata remains unsigned beyond season 2017? Hopefully both he and CK are secured shortly.
I wouldn’t stress Gazzamatta. Things just get done at Parra.
Lol. My stressing days are over. Great news re Marata. Cheers buddy.
Gaz
The wet conditions unfortunately dissuaded laps around Homebush by Forty in his Holden Sandman to celebrate a win in Retro Round. However, a live NYC blog and a late night Whiskey Musings are his gift to TCT readers.
I really like the kicking artillery that we have in Parra’s arsenal right now.
Fate has been kind in a way. We all lamented the dramas around Foran last year, yet if they hadn’t occurred, Moses would not be in the Eels ranks.
The thing about Mitch is he looks like he belongs in Eels colours. He’s a smart half back who plays what’s in front of him. And he will only get better under BA and with full pre-seasons with his team mates.
Absolutely agree re Moses. I wouldnt swap him for 2 Forans and Im not sure I would have said that prior to his signing. Hats off to BA. A very wise choice is Mr Moses. He runs to the line like Foran. Has a better running game and kicking game to KF. His defence within the Parramatta structure has progressed amazingly well. I love the kid. What a player.
The big thing is that he’s not afraid to take the hits.
Hes also got a frame that can be developed and strengthened. That shoulder charge he took last week was a massive hit. He’s as tough as. BA told him he would turn him into the best half back in the game. The Kid is obviously believing the Gospel according to BA. Great player.
I recently compared stats of Foran (2016) with Moses 2017, same amount of games. There was not a lot in the stats, much the same
However while Foran ran more metres than Moses, Mitchell had almost double the try assists which in my opinion is the telling stat.
The other stat of note is that in Mitchels last 4 or 5 games his missed tackles has reduced significantly to about 2 per game
Nice work John.
Again our forwards laid the platform and halves had time to move forward; was v pleasing to see. Just hope we can stay fit over the next month for an eelectric assault on the finals….will be keeping a close eye while o/seas. Is Tep due back next week?
I reckon he’ll be good to go. Enjoy the trip mate.
Indeed a lot of our recent success can be laid at the feet of our forwards. Kudos to the pack for aiming up and also well done to Cameron King for leaping at his chance.
On the way out to the ground I was hoping for a massive flogging of the Bulldonkeys to improve our for & against. But the reality is, a controlled game with tidy possession was the most beneficial outcome for us come finals. The Eels seem to play the style game required to beat their particular opponent each week. That works for me.
An impressive, mature win… Great work the boys!
Matt – when you win in the best way for the conditions and the opposition it is as you say – impressive and mature.
Thanks Forty,agree with everything except the drink of choice. Performance deserved at least Chivas Regal 18 year old straight no water considering the way the team played under those conditions. Dogs did under perform a bit,but I don’t think they would have got their lone try if French (or if we still had Guth) available, as it was Normie nearly stopped their try except he just didn’t have French/Gutherson speed. I privately thought we would go back to our old ways especially with the rain. I’m glad I was wrong! We truly have a football team!
Right now, you’d suggest that we’ve built into this season.
I thought BA sent them out with a great game plan. I think that they executed with discipline and patience
Under the circumstances the first half was one of their finest halves of football this year
Forty thanks for the conversation last night
He mentioned the circumstances of meeting you John. Good to have you as a regular reader too.
Practically been here from day one Sixties. Would not miss it for the world. First place I go to each day when I go online.
It was great to meet you John! Absolutely agree with you about the first half. One of the most clinical forty minutes of football any team has assembled this year – especially considering the conditions. Our willingness not to overplay our hand bodes well moving towards the finals.
I am in awe of the way you report and analyze the matches. All I can say is WOW. I really appreciate your wonderful skills.
Look, he goes goes ok Pete, but right now he does this for free. Let’s not praise Forty too much. 😬
Thanks Pete, it means plenty.
Well Forty, as for the detail I promised late last night? I just cracked a bottle of The Glelivet. Single Malt, Founder’s Reserve. The label notes ” The River Livet” name means “Smooth flowing one”! I think it’s appropriate considering our footy team and it’s ever increasing, fluent combinations in attack and defense are there to see in every performance.
The 1, 6 and 7 in our spine are all displaying a finesse we have not seen in Parramatta footy jumpers since our glory days and truly have the potential to be, not just Sterlo but Kenny and Ella too. When Gutho gets back in 2018, wow how good can we get?
As you rightly pointed out Forty, our forward pack are a hardworking bunch of metre eaters who are also willing and able to stop the big opposition packs in their tracks as evidenced in our last two games. This also has similarities with the ’81 Parra pack and next year will even look more like the ’82, 83, and ’86 packs which grew in size and brutality as “Big Jack” and “Little John” Monie set their sights on off contract additions who “wanted to join our club and play for our coach” !Sound familiar to anyone else?
I’ll share another detail too. I drink my Scotch in Green Tea, warm! It really enhances the flavour of the Whiskey. It also seems to stimulate the imagination.
Sounds like a nice way to settle back and watch the replays Rowdy. Well summed up too. I see the similarities. With BA already on the path to establishing himself as one of the longest term coaches in the Eels history, he’ll create his own legacy with how this club was turned around. One of the best things about BA is whilst he’s the undoubted bloke in charge, he always gives credit to his staff. It’s a good crew there.