The Cumberland Throw

From The Stands – Key Players Stepping Up

I had a lot of questions after our round 4 loss. The surprise is that after another loss, the list is quite a deal shorter. I will leave those alone for this week.

Naturally, there are still concerns.

Discipline with team selection and players being held accountable remains crucial. With that being said, I either trust BA or I don’t. I choose to trust that BA will make the right call with whomever he selects.

Importantly, the players must then respect and re-pay his faith in them. Arthur is putting his own reputation on the line every time he selects the team. Some players repaid him in Round 5, some still need to.

From the stands, our team showed great pride, effort and attitude in the loss to the Panthers. I was more disciplined as a fan but far from perfect. I did some ranting but this was primarily because I want them to win. It’s hard watching players struggle so much with lack of confidence. Even the most basic skills become harder, and quality players end up snatching at the ball.

So, despite some of my concerns, I have decided that this week’s “From the Stands” should be positive and focus on some of the players who really stepped up last round in the hope that others will follow their lead.

The Eels will need to lift without Brown.

First cab off the rank was Nathan Brown. The man that TCT calls “The Cyborg” was simply superb and is undoubtedly the leader in the Eels pack. The crowd knows it and the opposition know it. Topping the running metres was a huge tick, firing up his team with that cracker of a hit on Campbell-Gillard was next level.

That Panthers pack is big and relentless, but Brown kept going. The harder he got hit the more he ran it straight and hard at them. This fearless competitor has surprised me since he arrived at the Eels and now I cannot imagine our pack without Nathan Brown.

Next up we have our Kiwi larrikin, Kenny Edwards. I was so pleased to see Kenny look more like himself on Sunday. He played with energy, skill and like Brown you could see that winning for him is really important. He brought energy to the field, the crowd lifted and other players started lifting as well.

One of those players who seemed to draw from the example of blokes like Edwards was Manu Ma’u. As the game went on, Mau was more like the Manu of old, running harder and straighter – even when he was playing out wide. The Eels need that intimidating Ma’u again – and on a regular basis.

My last comment from the game is reserved for Corey Norman. It wouldn’t have been pleasant to be the subject of a multitude of malicious rumours being spread on various media platforms. The authors often have little regard for the truth – just clicks or ratings.

The real truth is it would have been easy for Norman to bail – especially with his effort. He didn’t.

He got his hands on the ball in what was often a first receiver role. He started directing players on the field again and from the stands his body language looked like the Corey Norman of 2016 and early 2017.

Normz was disciplined with his kicking game and his long kicks were rewarded with a fine 40/20. He took the line on but unfortunately not enough players went with him. Although he was a little indecisive, this might just change as players who compliment his style come back into the team. – especially those players who always back up, straighten the attack and have lighting speed out wide!

Will the Eels win this week?

I don’t know – how can anyone pick any game in 2018 with confidence?

Gutho – a big inclusion this week.

But I do know that if Norman, Mau, Jennings, Brown, Edwards and dare I say Gutherson can continue to improve they may just lift a few players around them. When they play well this invariably goes a long way towards us winning.

I hope our players don’t listen to the haters, don’t listen to all the so called league journalists, I hope they listen to people who know league. Listen to their coaches and coaches from the past; pay heed to the late, great Mr Jack Gibson: “Talent is secondary to whether players are confident.”

Be confident boys, believe in yourself. You can do this.  I went to the game hopeful and really praying that we did not get steamrolled. My family and I left feeling confident this season can be turned around.

But it must start this week.

As BA reiterated last week, it’s important that all 17 players perform. It’s time for more players to step up – time to get off that duck’s egg.

Shelley

 

 

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23 thoughts on “From The Stands – Key Players Stepping Up

  1. June

    I really enjoy your from the stands articles Shelley, what I get disappointed in is the supporters. That Parra Parra song was written to emulate the crowd at Cumberland and Parra stadium. Back in the 70’s and 80’s the crowds would send up the chant when we were defending the line and attacking the line, whether it’s because ANZ is so big or the new breed of supporter is more sedate I don’t know. But it disappoints me a bit when I’m at games and me and my family are the only ones doing it.

    1. Shelley

      I think getting back to our stadium is important. If you don’t get at least 20000 at ANZ it feels almost dead. I must admit I was a little quiet at first, as I was really apprehensive about what would happen during the game, but once the boys got into the game the I found my voice. I also don’t know the reasons behind having no games before the NRL game, but I don’t think that helps either. We got there 20 minutes before the kick off, in the past we would try and get there to watch at least half of the U20’s and there would therefore be an atmosphere when the boys come out to warm up etc.

    2. The rev aka Snedden

      June I have been to many eel games n stand up n try n pump the team up.

      I think it’s a new age thing I’m sure.

      They only chant when we are in the 20 metre zone never when defending.

      I’ve been going for parra all my life n I’ve been thru harder times then this.

      1. June

        Me to Rev, these younger supporters wouldn’t know what tough times are. I remember when Brian Hambly was the goal kicker, not that he got a lot of conversion kicks 😂

        1. The rev aka Snedden

          I sat thru a game at parramatta stadium playing bronco’s.

          Don’t know what year it was but it was a while ago.

          We lead 14 points to 6 at the break.

          Like the other 12od thousand ppl we didn’t expect Brisbane to score 54 points in the 2nd half.

          Yes I stayed n watched …. Why you all ask … It’s called loyalty.

          I thought to my self poor buggers getting flogged was bad enough the last thing they need to see is there own fans turning on them.

          I bleed Blue & Gold always will.

          God I’m that old I still have the John English parra song on tape …yep that’s right tape not CD

          #Eels4life#

      2. Colin Hussey

        Amen to your last line Rev, being a supporter since the 60’s and earlier as a kid my parents, never missed a game when they went, even on train travels to get to other grounds. A lot of good times in the memories and bad times but the best was at the SCG watching the first Premiership that my Dad never had the pleasure to have lived long enough to see.

        Many today are not even fair weather sailors they simply want all calm and the direction they want.

    1. Shelley

      I can assure it was me- that would be Shelley. I have a tendency to put my name to things.
      I have been taught to stand up for what I believe in and I choose to believe in this team and BA.
      I respect the absolute right of other supporters to disagree or challenge anything I write as I am simply a supporter and I know views vary widely on the team at the moment, but please don’t question my integrity.

      1. sixties

        My apologies to Shelley.
        As the editor for a number of posts I have a process to go through. If I’m pasting Shelley’s emailed submission into our drafts the default setting puts me as the author. I forgot to change it to Shelley!
        Again, sorry for the confusion.

  2. Colin Hussey

    Good report 60’s and agree totally with all you say. I was pleased to see Ma’u running hard, Kenny without his usual antics and Browny full of fire, what a shame he is now out for a few weeks with an ankle injury, is hard to replace.

    Still the others stood up and hopefully with the return of Guth and Bev, it will help the confidence of the team, thing is though supporters should not put unrealistic expectations on them especially Guth after his time out.

    Eels by 8

    1. The rev aka Snedden

      I agree brother hussey we must let gutherson take his time in seddling in.

      We can’t sit around expecting him to do everything either.

  3. Anonymous

    Re anz stadium im pretty sure we were the only team in the 8 last season without an actual home ground

  4. Rowdy

    Onya Shelley, good report. It’s amazing how someone else’s positive attitude can change our own? When we are down and it doesn’t appear to have a light at the end of the tunnel from down there, we really need to roll over on our back and look up so someone can give our tummy a little pat. 😉

  5. Trouser Eel

    I too lament the lack of a genuine home ground. The Parra Parra chant used to leave me with a horse throat for at least 24 hours after the game. Now I feel like a lone shouter in the wind, I must confess It’s left me.

    If we all commit to giving the chant throughout the next home game, perhaps we can motivate each other to keep it going. I’m going to give it a try anyway.

    1. June

      Spot on trouser eel, if I don’t have a hoarse throat after a game I know I haven’t done my job. I remember the last game of the year in 1 of our wooden spoon years, there was 9,000 at Parra Stadium but I swear it sounded like 30,000

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