Welcome to Part 1 of your NYC Grand Final primer! It has been one hell of a ride to get to the big dance but after 26 weeks of regulation play and a frenetic finals series, the 4th placed Eels will take on the 8th placed Sea Eagles in the last ever NYC Grand Final. Throughout this week I will be breaking down the various positional groups of our valiant Holden Cup team amidst their bid at a maiden Holden Cup title.

Parramatta’s forward pack has completely set the tone in our two post-season victories over the Cronulla Sharks and the Penrith Panthers with their disciplined and bruising play-style. Playing with defensive intent and aggression rarely seen in the Under 20s, the Eels’ forwards have physically dominated their opponents, completely wearing them down over the course of the game. Parramatta’s plentiful strike weapons on the edges have prospered directly on the back of this platform to open up comprehensive leads in the back end of games as a result.

The largely unheralded Parramatta pack has overcome numerous injuries to key personnel to arrive at this Grand Final in an effort that I can only stand and applaud. So without any further ado, let’s get into who’s who of Parramatta’s engine room!

 

Note – Part 2 will cover the back line while Part 3 will run the ruler over the spine

 

#8 – Sean Keppie

 

A former Australian Schoolboy lock forward come NYC prop, Sean Keppie possesses prototypical prop forward height along with an excellent motor. A 2016 SG Ball graduate for the Eels, Keppie is one of a number of forwards that is continually growing into his role under Luke Burt’s tutelage.

The rangy prop forward has proven himself to have a nose for the try line – crossing for 4 tries to date this year.

Keppie clearly has plenty of filling out to do in the coming seasons but as with all his compatriots in the engine room he has made up for any short-term, erm, short comings with effort, discipline and controlled aggression.

Burt has shown that he is equally comfortable in deploying Keppie as a starter or from the bench this year. In recent rounds though the rangy prop forward has consistently been injected into the game as an interchange forward as part of a one-two punch with Frank Salu.

 

 

#9 – Denzal Tonise

 

‘Hang on Forty’ I hear you all saying, ‘You said the spine was going to be in Part 3!’. You are spot on but Denzal Tonise is a special case. Despite invariably donning the #9, Tonise is for all intents and purposes another prop for the Eels with Reed Mahoney working as the primary shot-caller in the ruck. Mind you, Tonise is quite capable of providing spot relief for the dynamic Mahoney!

The first thing you immediately notice about Denzal is that he is built THICK. While he may be somewhat lacking in height, Tonise makes up for it with his exceedingly dense frame. This makes him a nightmare on the goal line for opposition defences with the nuggety hooker-come-prop getting his name on the scorer’s sheet an impressive 10 times this year.

Tonise, along with Dean Matterson, is one of two co-captains for the Eels and helps form the all-important senior core of a very young team. His importance to the 2017 campaign should not be undersold and I believe it is reflected in the fact that Luke Burt often leans on his hybrid hooker/prop for 80min efforts.

 

 

#10 – Oregon Kaufusi

 

Prop is notoriously one of the most age-gated positions in rugby league with clubs and fans making plenty of allowances for young bookends to grow into the position through their early and mid 20s. Oregon Kaufusi has stepped into the cauldron of NYC footy at the tender age of 17 (in fact he only turned 18 late last month!) and has hardly taken a single step backwards.

In fact, Kaufusi is one of FOUR players named in the Grand Final team that were eligible for SG Ball this year. Over the course of the season the Eels blooded EIGHT total SG Ball eligible players in a team that finished Top 4 in the NYC. The enormity of this fact should not be lost on any fan!

While his numbers may not be the most flattering on a per game basis, Kaufusi has made a noticeable impact throughout the season with his physicality on both sides of the ball while his hustle off the ball saw him make three key defensive plays (by my count) in our triumph over the Cronulla Sharks in the first week of the finals.

Oregon has crossed the white stripe three times this year and has proven to be something of a handful in the red zone. Indeed quite a few of Luke Burt’s props have proven themselves to be genuine threats close to the line, perhaps due in part due to the wiles of crafty rake Reed Mahoney.

This is a player that I expect to take significant strides in the coming seasons as he grows into his frame and garners more experience but his value to the team right now can not be denied.

 

 

#11 – Dylan Clifford

 

After spending the majority of the early parts of the season on the bench, a mid-season injury to young gun Filia Utoikamanu opened the way for Dylan Clifford to lock down a starting role in the backrow. Despite the pressure of having to help ease a 17-year-old halfback in Dylan Brown into left edge Clifford hasn’t taken a step back and indeed, he is coming off a career day against the Penrith Panthers.

Clifford rattled off 143m from 15 runs and 37 tackles (2 missed) in a superb 80min effort in the Grand Final Qualifier. Penrith made a concerted attempt to pick off Brown but the live-wire half and Clifford combined to show plenty of defensive steel.

The right-edge for the Eels may be studded with stars but the left is more than holding up its end of the deal and Clifford has plenty to do with that.

 

 

#12 – Salesi Faingaa

 

How do I begin to describe this young man? Equal parts brutish power and silky finesse, Salesi Faingaa is a hulking presence on the right-edge for the Eels and presents a unique challenge for opposition defences. Salesi missed the entirety of 2016 with a shoulder injury and has made up for lost time in a big way this season.

Faingaa lead the way for Parramatta forwards in hit-ups (323) and run metres (2793m) across the season and was good for 12.42 runs and 107.42m a game. While his ability to help build a platform for his halves was crucial, Faingaa often played the part of play-maker himself. His ability to play before the line has tormented defences and seen the backrower chalk up 7 try assists and 5 line break assists.

Pretty to watch!@TheParraEels regain the lead, 10-6 after 23 minutes. #HoldenCup #NRLFinals pic.twitter.com/ZH5mrjeDB4

— NRL (@NRL) September 23, 2017

It looks simple but Faingaa does wonderfully well to sell the overs line from Dane Aukafolau before hitting a flying Greg Leleisiuao underneath with a deft short pass.

You could be mistaken for thinking that Salesi is your stock standard NYC attacking powerhouse that puts all his efforts into the glamorous side of the ball. 28.65 tackles with just 2.65 missed a game says otherwise. Faingaa works his backside off with or without possession and he can also produce the odd defensive gem like this…

 

 

#13 – Ray Stone

 

Oooh boy, now here is a throw back player. Ray Stone is one mean and uncompromising son of a gun. I just showed you some footage of Salesi Faingaa laying down the boom against the Wests Tigers earlier this year but no one hits as hard and as consistently in defence as Stone.

This young man is a hammer in defence.

Luke Burt has called upon the services of Stone at lock for the Eels but the 20-year-old backrower also has shown he is adept on the edges. Perhaps a smidgen undersized if anything, Stone plays well above his weight and has arrived at a time where the NRL is seeing a genuine resurgence in the tough-as-nails, scrappy lock forward (Nathan Brown, Josh Maguire, Jack De Belin, Dale Finucane etc).

Stone only has a middling 14 NYC caps to his name this year due to the fact that he was promoted to the Intrust Super Premiership for a significant portion of the season. He returned late in the season to bag a cool 4 tries against the South Sydney Rabbitohs in Round 26 and it is no coincidence that the Parramatta defence has been elevated to a new level since he reclaimed starting duties at lock.

 

 

#15 – Mitch Butfield

 

Another unsung member of Parramatta’s forward pack, Mitch Butfield has quietly done his job all season from the bench for the Eels.

Sensing a trend here? This is one drilled and hungry forward pack that Luke Burt has created.

Speaking of trends, Butfield has chalked up exactly three tries in 2017, putting him right alongside Kaufusi and one behind Keppie. With a dominant set of starters ahead of him in the likes of Tonise, Faingaa and Stone, Mitch’s playing time can fluctuate anywhere from 20-50min but he has shown himself to be well worthy of a place in the grand final roster throughout the course of this season.

 

 

#16 – Frank Salu

 

When big Frank Salu gets thrown into the game you know it is time for the Eels to look to put their foot on the throat of their opposition. While the defensive workload in a given game is shared across nearly the entire pack, from my spot in the stands it would seem like Salu’s role from the bench is almost entirely to put the Eels up-tempo in attack.

Luke Burt’s troops have shown a predisposition for absorbing early pressure and then counter-punching before the break – and this is where Salu provides his value to the team. Good for anywhere between 5-10 carries in his short burst, Salu spearheads that counter-punch through the middle.

 

 

#17 – Dom Murphy

 

Consigned to the smallest role from the bench for the Eels, Dom Murphy has still found ways to impact big games in his limited minutes. A splashy charge down and recovery late in the game last week against the Penrith Panthers helped knock any life out of an improbable comeback. He also produced a crucial turnover against the Gold Coast Titans in Round 23 while on his goal line to blunt their attempts to work their way back into the game.

 

Notable Contributors

 

• Steve Dresler
• Tangi Hokai
• Nicholas Okladnikov
• Filia Utoikamanu
• Beni Valu