Super Early Trial Edition Drink Of Choice – Balvenie Double Wood 12YO

A mammoth fortnight at work covering for a staffing crisis almost magically parted way to allow me to attend the first proper Jersey Flegg and Intrust Super Premiership trials of the year at Ringrose Park. You can retrace the blow-by-blow action here but after giving my thoughts a few days to collect and coalesce I figured the best way to package it all up would be with my feet up and a dram of whisky.

So let’s keep it casual as we unwind on a lazy Sunday and bask in the fact that the footy is almost back proper!

Jersey Flegg vs North Sydney Bears

It was picturesque weather at Ringrose Park to kick off the business end of the preseason and coming into this fixture there was almost a palpable sense of hype and expectation. Following on from a season in which the Eels won the SG Ball (and Under 18s National Championship) and were runner ups in the Holden Cup, there was little doubting the talent levels in the 2018 iteration of the Under 20s. Still, backing up from a heart breaking title loss like the one sustained against the Sea Eagles in 2017 can sometimes take a toll.

So were there any lingering wounds on show? Absolutely not. While the preseason rust was apparent (for the Bears as well) in their comfortable 22-12 victory, the Eels were thoroughly dominant through all phases of the game and were only really let down by goal kicking when you look past the errors associated with this time of year. Red zone play-making was kept super vanilla as the Eels refused to venture any set plays or mix-up options but that will come closer to kickoff.

Dylan Brown wasted no time resuming from here he signed off from in 2017 as he took the left edge of the Bears to task. Even though it appeared as if Brown was playing within himself at times, the electrifying half still had a monstrous impact on the trial as he scored a try, constantly popped up in support of his forwards and facilitated some lightning quick shifts through the backline. The only negative aspect of his game on Thursday was his goal kicking as he walked off the field striking at solid 0/3. Brown was almost too good for the Under 20s grade as a 17YO so I imagine there will be a raft of fans closely monitoring his progress in 2018.

Equally pleasing though was the play of Brown’s stablemate in the halves – Joe Taipari. Taipari was graded in the 20s in 2017 but looks primed to break out this year. The owner of the two hottest feet in the team, Taipari threatened a big play with his running ability on at least two occasions and earned a line drop out with a deft grubber kick. Most impressive though was a scything tackle on his goal line that cut down a much bigger man and stopped a near certain try.

Brown and Taipari enjoyed huge success working in tandem in the SG Ball last season. With the likes of Reed Mahoney and John Fonua in the #9 and #1 respectively there is a strong argument to be had that the Eels will field the strongest spine in the inaugural (re-inaugural?) season of Flegg.

Halves aren’t much chop without their forwards though and the Eels are packing a balance of mountainous powerhouses, compact wrecking balls and tireless workers in their engine room this year. Returning core forwards Sean Keppie, Oregon Kaufusi, Dylan Clifford had good, honest outings but for the most part I think it was the return of three young men from long term injuries that stole the show.

One of the best players that fans never saw in 2017 was lock forward Michael Tupou. Struck down in the preseason by a devastating knee injury, Tupou was a huge loss even for a team as talented as the 2017 Eels. While Taipari might have him pipped for the hottest feet in the team, Tupou moves exceptionally well before the line for a forward and as such has a knack for making defenders outright miss or mistime their tackles. Thursday saw Tupou work his way into the game as a relatively mild first quarter gave way to an impactful second quarter. He was denied a try only for a sensational one-on-one strip and ran the ball powerfully.

Bruce Wakeling scored an explosive try from short range and carried the ball with plenty of purpose all game. Wakeling spent a considerable stint on the sidelines with a shoulder injury last year and seems intent on forcing his way into hotly contested forward rotation.

While neither Tupou or Wakeling featured in the 2017 Holden Cup squad, Beni Valu was the opposite – one of our core rotational forwards. That is before an injury knocked him out for the year midseason. Valu looks like his doctor told him that his only road to recovery was to go to the gym and do power lifting exercises. For 12 hours a day. 7 days a week. Valu was always a big forward but the 2018 version of this young lock come prop forward is not so much a rumbling mountain as much as a sentient refrigerator that has discovered that its reason for existence is to run into people as hard as it possibly can.

Valu entered the game off the bench and played with irresistible force. The Bears had simply no answer for the 1-2 punch that was Valu and Salesi Faingaa. Reviewing my notes from the game it looks like Valu was given around 30min towards the end of the game and he certainly maximised his impact!

Salesi Faingaa, as mentioned above, caused plenty of grief for the Bears even if he is still short of his peak physical condition. Robbed of a full-time preseason by the Rugby League World Cup, Faingaa was still in fine form, blending brute strength and shocking finesse for a man his size on Thursday. The right edge backrower got a short run at centre in the second half and his combination with Tui Afualo is as healthy as ever.

Speaking of the backs, it was a solid showing from 1-5. John Fonua laid on the first try with a lovely catch and release pass to Taufa Afu while Noel Aukafolau and Haze Dunster busied themselves with plenty of ruck work. Afualo showed his unique blend of burst and power in the half he was given, clearly relishing his own return from the injury ward in 2017.

Two new faces in Blaise Barnes and James Porter enjoyed very different games. Barnes, a 2017 recruit that garnered some significant hype among the fandom, struggled at hooker in attack. He produced a poor pass and a drop himself to generate two errors and struggled to read the flow of the game in the middle. Defensively he was much better mind you, keen to drop his shoulder into anything that came his way. It was a rough first day on the job for Blaise but game time of any sort is important to facilitate his (hopefully rapid) growth.

Porter on the other hand was a pleasant surprise. A tall and rangy forward that can probably afford to add a few more kilos to his frame, Porter was a useful contributor in attack and defence but seemed to be ever present in support and created a couple of splash plays as a result.

The real loser on the day was the fans as, come Round 1 of the NRL, they’ll be subjected to a fiendishly tyrannical interpretation of the ruck. The Eels seemed to be tighter in their discipline under the imminent crackdown but even so infringed several times. North Sydney on the other hand were simply smashed by the officials and consistently forfeited possession in their own half in back breaking fashion. Cynical fans could be forgiven for thinking that this is just another one of those 2-4 round officiating cycles that we tend to see every season but it could lead to a frustrating opening month depending on how both teams and officials respond.

As for the outlook of this team, it all seems to be boding well. With the experience gained in 2017 driving them to greater heights and with plenty of reinforcements from both the injury ward and the SG Ball to galvanise them as the season wears on, there is little reason not to think the Eels can not be title contenders in the Jersey Flegg.

Sixties Says: This was a typical trial. The plethora of changes obviously impacted aspects of attacking cohesion. However, over the course of the match the squad demonstrated firepower right across the park.

 

With Dylan Brown and Joe Taipari steering the offence, we saw expansive footy that threatened to shred the defence. However, the great scramble from Norths, the high volume of interchanges and momentum stopping four quarter football, all factored in keeping the Bears from being decimated. It was very pleasing to witness the confidence in Tui Afualo’s carries. On a couple of occasions he appeared to be smiling as his combination of power and footwork literally toyed with his opponents
As the halves and dummy halves chopped and changed, the big boys flexed their muscle through the middle. Beni Valu was a powerhouse and Salesi Faingaa (though obviously carrying some condition) provided a reminder of how agile he is for his size. When he came on, Bruce Wakeling made a number of strong charges, one of which resulted in a try. However, the player that caught the eye was James Porter. I didn’t know much about him, but his effort on effort in defence and carries through the ruck were impossible to ignore.
Overall, the core of last year’s NYC squad will carry this team a long way. Throw in the graduates from SG Ball, significant players returning from injury and a couple of astute recruits, and the Jersey Flegg squad should be featuring in the end of season clashes.

 

Strengths: Firepower across the park. Clever halves. Big, skilful forwards.
Development Areas: Kicking Game, ruthlessness – putting opposition to the sword
Player To Watch: James Porter
Trial Big Play: Taipari’s try saving tackle on a much larger opponent

Intrust Super Premiership vs North Sydney Bears

The first 40-50min of this encounter will largely be the focus this week as it contained the NRL and ISP relevant material for this blog. At the close of play the teams were locked up at 14-all and it was a fair reflection of a rough and tumble game.

‘Old Man’ David Gower showed no signs of weariness or rust as he cobbled together an excellent half of play. His veteran savviness and wiles were on full display as he rolled through a couple of shooting defenders. Beyond that he ran the ball effectively, offloaded cleanly and defended the middle stoutly. While his role in first grade has diminished since joining the Eels in 2014, Gower still has plenty to other in both the NRL and ISP and the fact that he looks to have plenty left in the tank is encouraging to say the least.

Jumping a footy generation or two down the ladder we come to Reed Mahoney and Ray Stone, both of whom were clear standouts for the Magpies. In lieu of a recognised halves pairing, Mahoney expertly stepped up to the plate at hooker. Still eligible for Flegg, Mahoney scored a try, kicked beautifully from the ruck and defended relentlessly all through his stint. While Reed may end up starting the season in Jersey Flegg due to our hooking depth in the NRL #9 shootout, it will be hard to keep him down there!

Stone looked completely at home in his first season out of the 20s and went about business as usual, cracking skulls and setting the tone. In fact I don’t think I can recall Stone losing a single collision, defensive or offensive, all game. Despite a smaller frame than prototypical lock forwards, Stone uses superb technique, honed aggression and I guess just deceptive strength to ply his trade and that was all on show when defending his goal line he rag dolled a big North Sydney edge forward. Brad Arthur has shown he isn’t afraid to deploy smaller forwards if they warrant selection so Stone could be a name to keep track of should injury and opportunity open the door for him.

Opportunities for the backline were sparse. Nathan Davis ran some nice lines but produced a number of errors when asked to catch some admittedly 10.0 degree of difficulty passes. George Jennings is the outside contender for one of the wing slots in first grade and while he didn’t do anything to augment his case on Thursday, neither did he hurt it. Eddie Aiono was probably the most impressive new player in the squad. Operating in the first-team he ran the ball powerfully and wasn’t a huge liability in defence.

I was probably more impressed with Dane Aukafolau than Sixties. In his first game since his dreadful individual performance in the 2017 Holden Cup Grand Final, Aukafolau seemed to have tidied up his defensive reads and first contact. He was denied a try after a superb line and take on a courage ball by an equally brilliant tackle and he was diligent in rucking the ball out. Given the established NRL talent ahead of him and a host of exciting young backs behind him, 2018 looms as a make or break year for Dane.

Peni Terepo and Suaia Matagi were surprising inclusions to the starting line up but they didn’t kick any stones – even if neither were dominant. Terepo did finish his play time with a ridiculous carry from a line drop where he must have come from the fences to lay on a brutal offensive hit that unfortunately concussed a defender. Matagi didn’t produce a splash play but will be better for the run as all the NRL contenders eye the all-important Newcastle trial.

The final player worth mentioning is Marata Niukore, who is a popular choice among many fans as a likely NRL debutante. The Newcastle trial will have a far bigger impact on his early season fortunes in that regard but Marata was exceedingly sound in his stint – probably Wenty’s fourth best player behind Gower, Stone and Mahoney. With his ability to play EDGE, lock and even centre, Marata might only need a slice of luck to make a first spot his own.

Wenty’s clear issue on the day was their play-makers, who certainly worked diligently throughout, but failed to make an impact on the game by and large. With plenty of strike and talent in both the backline and forward pack this could loom large as a serious issue for the Magpies in the season proper. With that said I am willing to show a fair bit of patience here given that an experienced option like Will Smith could be a casualty of the fierce competition for spots in first grade while there are a number of exciting youth prospects that could feature here once the season has played out its opening chapters.

For the last few years we have entered each season looking at the Wentworthville roster thinking they are going to be damnably hard to beat. Alas, it hasn’t played out that way once everyone starts playing for keeps so I think it is fair to suggest that they have a bit to prove this year. ‘BA’ has fostered some superb depth in his Top 30 and beyond so there is no reason for the Magpies not to be a force in the ISP in 2018. As with the NRL and JF teams, the Newcastle trial will show us all a much clearer picture of where this team is at, so look forward to it!

Sixties Says: This was a rugged encounter. It’s my understanding that Norths/Souths were fielding quite a youthful team. From a Wenty perspective, much of the kudos would be directed to the forwards.

David Gower was easily the best on field. His energy levels were outstanding, and his carries through the ruck regularly broke the first tackle. It would have been interesting to see his offload stats – it would have easily led the team tally.

Terepo and Matagi were solid during their time on the field. Niukore was playing on the right edge and it required multiple defenders to bring down every one of his charges – but the ball rarely came his way. Similarly, Davis and Aukafolau saw little of the ball in a trial which didn’t enhance their claims. When the ball reached them they were often catching under pressure. Given their size and pace, they need to impose themselves on the game. George Jennings suffered from similar lack of opportunity and had to come looking for the ball.

Pushing Gower for best on field honours was definitely Ray Stone and Reed Mahoney. Mahoney easily stepped up to ISP level in his first hit out in senior footy. His distribution was intelligent, his darts from dummy half were incisive and he held his own in defence.

Ray Stone is a young Beau Scott in the making. Everything about his play is aggressive – but it never crossed the line. He’s not the biggest forward, but he fights the defence in every metre of his runs. There is a brutal quality about his defence – no doubt he hurts people and players would be wary about running at him.

Looking ahead, injuries will determine how many Eels players will turn out for Wenty. The challenge for Cayless revolves around developing cohesion in an ever-changing line up. The key to getting the best out of the NRL players at his disposal will be his selection of halves. Will we see NRL hopefuls, Flegg promotions or Wenty contracted players in those positions? Like other ISP coaches, he may not have much control over that, but it will have a bearing on Wenty’s season.

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