Maitland Trial Drink Of Choice – Nothing! I promise to line something special up for Round 1!
Parramatta fans were left to wait the longest time out of any club to see their team turn out in the preseason…but I will be damned if it wasn’t worth it. In fact, Brad Arthur likely came out of the game last night with a multitude of headaches surrounding the question of how he is going to pick his bench come Round 1. This blogger right here has absolutely no clue on the matter because no matter which way you twist it – worthy players are going to miss out.
The evening started off in competitive fashion with a fired up Newcastle outfit throwing plenty at the Eels in the opening exchanges. It culminated in Parramatta conceding the first try of the day to Shaun Kenny-Dowall but if anything that only served to galvanise the Eels as they proceeded to slip into the familiar gear that took them into the Top 4 in 2017. Newcastle, enriched in talent but bereft of team experience, faltered as the tempo increased and 26-points later the rout of the Novacastrians was complete.
Barring the surprisingly errant goal kicking of Mitchell Moses, it was really as perfect a trial as you could ask for. Execution and intensity were top notch and above it all there were no injury concerns. The Eels are now primed to explode in Round 1, so let’s sift through the plethora of positive to come out of last night as we begin the tortuously long wait for Sunday week!
Just quickly, I can’t help but gush over the new strip after seeing it live in action. I know it has had a mixed reception online but it definitely looked the part last night!
Integrity, Intensity and Intelligence
The spirit of Kurt Angle was with the Eels on Saturday night as they reveled in their time without possession. Fitness levels were evident as the game wore on and the contact from Parramatta defenders was punishing throughout. Peni Terepo made his presence to all in attendance after entering the game from the bench with a sequence of bone crunching shots that will see him firmly in the mix for Round 1. Kane Evans showed he was no mug either in that regard as Jamie Buhrer was annihilated in a textbook one high, one low shot also featuring Terepo!
More than just the aggressiveness and willingness to throw their bodies around the Eels defended intelligently. Kick chases were presented in uniform lines (largely nullifying the electric Kalyn Ponga) while interior defenders would regularly pour across to the flanks in cover defence. Ever the perfectionist, Brad Arthur was far from content in his post-match presser as he singled out the try to Kenny-Dowall as a missed opportunity for star fullback Bevan French. Regardless of his coach’s comments, I daresay French would be dirty on himself over the whole scenario as well. Speaking of that young man though…
Evolution triumphs but French Revolution just getting started
Back on Wednesday I highlighted the fascinating duality between the Eels and Knights with the former invested heavily in evolving their existing roster while the latter have undergone an almost unprecedented revolution in their roster make up. Darwinism wasn’t the only winner on the day with Bevan French leaving attendees and viewers on the edge of their seats throughout.
After getting lavished with praise by his coach on Triple M earlier in the week, expectations were about as high as you could set for French but somehow the boom custodian managed to exceed them. Two tries and a try assist are what the record book says but French was all over the park. A third try was called back due to an obstruction call while only a poor final pass from the young man prevent a second try assist getting chalked up to his name. The lead up to that error was nothing but jaw-dropping as French exploded out of dummy-half, stepped through the line and turned Ponga inside and out for what felt like a dozen times.
It was scintillating stuff and Newcastle had no answer for him – even when he switched to right wing in the second half. All signs point towards French breaking out for a massive year and with Clinton Gutherson terrorising the rehab unit, Arthur has another hell of a selection headache looming.
Of prodigal sons and a new bull’s first run
Jarryd Hayne was always going to be the focus of the media in this game. The human headline has been diligent and focused in his preseason work and that was on display in his re-debut for the Eels at right centre. Tidy in defence and threatening in attack, Hayne wasn’t able to break free for the big play in the first half but showed more than enough encouraging signs moving forwards. If anything, his decoy work and Newcastle’s overzealous attention given to him opened up attacking channels for Bevan French to profit off.
Hayne was given the third quarter of the game to roam the field in his favoured role of fullback. He was rarely required to do anything in defence but he did expertly lay on a try for French on the right wing with a timeless cutout pass that was pulled right from the prodigy’s personal vault. It was encouraging from a depth perspective to see that Hayne still had ‘it’ as a #1 but it is hard to see the custodial roles belonging to anyone but French or Gutherson barring an injury crisis (and we did lose both last year) from here on in.
Now we move from a returning face to a new one in Kane Evans. Recruited to be a difference maker in the forward pack, Evans entered the game from the bench and duly impressed. While there were no spectacular line breaks for the highlight reel, Kane was a noticeable presence in our go forward as we begun to steam roll Newcastle through the middle while we certainly helped lay some boom down in defence (refer to the video linked earlier!). There was even a quality offload as the man with the near 7-foot wingspan looked to free his arms later in the game.
Just how Evans flourishes under Brad Arthur will prove pivotal to the Eels this season. BA has shown a knack for getting the most out of his forward recruits and in Evans he has a body type and player that is decidedly unique to anything else he has coached.
Golden depth leads to the bench blues
I have no idea how BA figures this riddle out but based on the intense mathematical thesis I have been busily formulating over the weekend, he has to find a way to fit 7 players into 4 positions. Tim Mannah, Daniel Alvaro and Kane Evans will lock down 2 starting front row positions and 1 interchange spot between them which leads us to the following scenario…
Beginning with who starts at right edge we have a shoot out between Brad Takairaingi and Tepai Moeroa as to who gets the starting nod. Moving on to the 3 available bench positions you have to select just 3 of Kenny Edwards, Beau Scott, Suaia Matagi, Peni Terepo and Will Smith along with the ‘loser’ of Takairangi/Moeroa. All of whom deserve selection after strong preseasons and terrific showings this weekend. It doesn’t end there though, no sir.
David Gower has done nothing but excel in both ISP trials this preseason while Kaysa Pritchard showed the he has added a new string to his bow in the ISP trial yesterday as he kicked effectively from dummy half and ran through the Knights on two occasions. Blog favorite Marata Niukore was a dervish on both sides of the ball for the Magpies. Indeed it was Niukore who maximised his limited window of opportunity late in the NRL trial with a flashy showing of hard hitting defence and aggressive running that netted the team a rare penalty.
Wenty stand to be the biggest winners out of this selection quandary but not be before it gives Arthur a few sleepless nights I dare say!
Time not talent the limiting factor for Newcastle
It is hard not to look at the Knights and see a twisted reflection of what the Eels once were. Both clubs have battled through periods of adversity that would have driven lesser fan bases to abandon their franchise. Parramatta have emerged from their tribulations stronger than ever and are now poised to make a genuine tilt at the NRL premiership but so too have Newcastle glimpsed the dawn of a new era. Nathan Brown has done superbly well in his recruitment efforts for 2018 and it is no longer a question of talent for the Knights. They simply need time, game time to be precise, to bring their team chemistry and new combinations to the fore.
Kalyn Ponga is a certified superstar in the making and forms part of an exciting new look spine while their pack combines industrious workers with powerful movers. Patience is the most demanding of traits for long suffering fans but as someone who has walked this same path I implore frustrated Newcastle fans to stay strong. There are good times coming.
Moses and Norman dot their i’s but miss from the tee
Mitchell Moses and Corey Norman were incandescently brilliant in the comprehensive victory over the Knights. Both looked in mid-season form and their combination together looked better than ever. From slick edge-to-edge set pieces to Norman’s shortside work and the footwork and support play of Moses – it was a clinic. Their goal kicking however left everyone with the absolute only piece of consternation from the trial. Mitchell’s 1/5 and Corey’s 0/1 meant the Eels left 10-points on the field.
Now one game could simply be an aberration, especially for Moses who showed some good form from the tee in 2017 but if I had to nit-pick anything from the result last night this would be it.
The Final Word
The next fortnight can not fly by quick enough. While BA agonises over the composition of his Round 1 line up, fans will be left chomping at the bit for the season to get underway proper. I have said it before but the Eels are no longer flying under the radar after their efforts in 2017. While the likes of the Storm, Cowboys and Roosters still receive the majority of the title favouritism from the media, the Eels are now consistently mentioned in the same breath. Fortunately it would seem that has had little impact on the psyche of the playing group and they are poised to explode out of the blocks if Saturday is any indication.
The burden of expectation has never been heavier but by the same token I don’t think we have ever been better prepared at the launch of a new campaign. Strap yourselves in ladies and gentlemen, 2018 is going to be one hell of a ride!
Before I go I need to give a quick shoutout to Ron who did the heavy lifting in the streamable clips posted earlier in the article. Thanks my man!
Forty.
I would like to see Evans start in one prop position to start, possibly with Mannah, leaving Alvaro on the bench to replace Mannah. Either Matagi or Terepo to be the replacement for Evans when he comes off.
From my perspective, on what I saw last night on the stream, its going to be hard for BA to seperate the forwards and the bench.
A very nice report 40’s and an accurate one of the game.
Who were the three no numbers last night. Davis on the wing, with Salmon doing the dummy half, A bald fellow, Stone?
The numberless interchange players were Dane Aukafolau (left centre), Nathan Davis (right centre) and Reed Mahoney (hooker). I think Ray Stone might have been in there as well but I can’t recall with 100% certainty.
Definitely no Jaeman Salmon though. He has just pulled on the fluro orange non-contact kit at training as he works himself back to the playing field.
Forty, do you know who 23 at right centre was, Marata? He certainly was big enough.
yep Marata was No 23…………….or was it Michael Jordan?
Air Marata was indeed in the #23 but I believe he was lined up one inside Davis at right edge backrow.
23 was Marat Niukore and he played all his minutes at right centre, due to us being short a few outside backs and Arthur not wanting his players to get too fatigued and risk injury.
Stone did indeed play in the middle, with no jersey number.
yep Stone made a short cameo with a numberless jersey. He was the “bald guy”
Pou & Through & through, thanks for confirming Stone played, and now have to retract that part of my reply to 40’s, as it would have been Stone that I thought went quite well for the short time on the paddock.
Thanks Mate, noticing three players without numbers on their jersies made for an interesting last 10 minutes for me.
If it was Dane Aukafolau as the player was dark and think he had a shaved head, but whoever it was did some good stuff in defence. Mahoney also looked very competent, but I am not fussed on Davis though.
While Davis went ok I felt his lazy attempt, that is if it was an attempt to gather in the line kick late in the game I thought was a bit poor. Sure the game was over, but he could have got to the ball and made some ground with it.
Cheers Forty, great to be watching the team again.
In my opinion it seems like there is really only one edge forward spot available on the bench. I can’t see BA leaving Edwards or Scott out. You could make a strong case for all the players you have mentioned – Taka, Matagi, Terepo and Smith. To be honest, I see Taka playing a similar roll to that of Kenny Edwards – a bit of a ball playing front rower and I don’t think you need to carry two players of similar style on the bench. Which makes me leans towards one of the other three, but BA has gone on record to say that Taka has to be in the 17 somewhere. Ah! Gives me a headache let alone having the duty to actually pick the side. My hope is that we don’t lose these forwards due to a lack of opportunity in first grade because all of them deserve to be playing.
Takairangi will start at right edge forward for sure, and go close to 80 minutes. Edwards will probably play most of his minutes in the middle, like Moeroa did last year. Or maybe Ma’u will get a rest this year. Either way, there will only be three blokes playing edge forward at full fitness – Ma’u, Takairangi and Edwards.
Team selection will be a trial for BA. I guess it is a good dilemma to have
I thought that Peni Terepo was very good coming off the bench last night. He was great in the collision work both in defence and attack. Also I would be leaving Tepai as the starting right edge. I think as the incumbent he did enough last year and during the preseason to get first crack at the spot
I would also like to see Will Smith get a crack at the utility role as well but I do not know how you fit him in. He has worked hard during the pre season and was good again last night when he came on. He looked quicker last night than I remember
Nice, Forty.
John, I saw two players last night show some speed that many have said they do not have, the first one was Auva’a when he set MJ up for his try, the speed he showed on that left side to get through was exceptional.
Smith also showed a good deal of speed on occasions with his darts, certainly is quick off the mark.
Anyone else get the feeling that Smith has moved ahead of Kritchard in the pecking order?
Smith’s value is in where he can play – anywhere in the backline, and its too early to write Kaysa off.
Not writing Kaysa off by any means Colin, I just think that Smith offers more and so his value as a potential bench spot is higher at the moment, especially while King is doing a solid job.
Smith spent zero minutes at dummy half in the Knights trial, though his utility value surely puts him ahead of King/Pritchard for a bench spot.
Never saw the match but just can’t get excited with Mannah and Alvaro starting together. They might have been good against a poor Newcastle side but don’t think they’ll worry the good packs. Would prefer one paired with Evans to start the game.
One way BA could fix the forward selection problem is after he picks his first round team, he scores them from best to worst with the bottom two making way for the best two from those not chosen. So that every week there is literally competition for spots with the least impressive two making way?
It’s about the only way I can see possible to keep the enthusiasm up and the boys playing out of their skin.
Players are scored but I don’t think any team would look to make two changes every week. The season has a way of sorting out opportunities via injury and form. Naming 21 players each week gives coaches the chance of encouraging players by letting them know how close they are.
I wont comment on team selections suffice to say we should be strong; i still hope Trex / Vave can come through. We need one good bopper imo.
Thanks for the clips as its great to watch again and see the defence and attack; good old Perenara he was right on the fwd pass IMO.
Great analysis by forty and clips too. The boys just need to reel in some lapse in discipline from 2017 and that will help. We have a settle squad which is great.
Finishing second halves is imperative……
Milo, agree everything. When I saw Perenara as the ref, I shuddered, and when he awarded the first penalty against the eels, my thoughts was, here we go again. I have to say though, after that I though he was pretty fair to both sides, but, its early times and the main season is still to start.
I guess if I have one hope for the year is that the eels will actually get a fair shake of the pea.