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Post Game Grades – Round 9 at Cronulla – The Cumberland Throw

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The Cumberland Throw

Post Game Grades – Round 9 at Cronulla

mitch Match Review, NRL 54 Comments

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Parramatta_Eels_logo.svg  Parramatta Eels 20

 Cronulla Sharks 22

The Good:
 We only lost by 2.
The Bad:
 We only lost by 2.

If you missed the game, skip over everything from our first try until the final 10 minutes. Tonight the script dictated we get thoroughly beaten for the middle 70 minutes by the Sharks reserve grade side, only for the final 10 to demonstrate what should have happened across 80. For the vast majority of the game we didn’t complete, we missed tackles, we kicked poorly, we gave away penalties and until the final 10 minutes, we looked pretty lifeless in attack. It was a car crash of a game.

It would have been very much against the run of play if we managed to pull that one out of the fire, but coming back to within 2 is better than getting beaten by 18.
X-Factor:
 Throughout much of the game, we looked devoid of defensive ideas every time the Sharks ran the ball on the last tackle. What a weird thing not to be good at.

We just cannot seem to get a win over the Sharks.

This might make me unpopular, but I think the final 10 minutes was more a case of the Sharks dropping off (and the Eels seizing that opportunity) than it was the Eels flicking a switch on their own. Still at the very least, such a close scoreline gives you something to work with for next week (although we’re running dangerously short on next weeks).

If you’re looking for a little ray of sunshine, the Panthers started 2-7 last year before making the 2017 Finals.

Light a candle and put it in the window, Eels fans; it’s getting desperate and it’s only May.

In more pleasing news, this post is sponsored by the good people at:

Welcome to this week’s Post Game Eels Deal. This round you can get yourself a Mens 2018 Eels Indigenous Jersey; normally $169.95  for only $153 with free shipping. 

Just make sure you use the code ‘TCT’ at Checkout.

It’s win, win – buy yourself a fancy looking Indigenous jersey and support the work of The Cumberland Throw.

Tell ’em Mitch sent you – I’m pretty certain it won’t make the slightest difference.
The MVP:

 

 This game was a pretty weird one to watch; like a game of two halves where the second 40 was squeezed into the last 10. Still, a few players (Gennings, Tepai, French) maintained the rage throughout. However for the second week in a row, no one raged like the original Monster Mash. Manu’s 14 runs, 137 metres, tackle break and 33 tackles is another solid showing from a man very much maligned in the opening weeks of 2018. Admittedly tonight’s game would never be worthy of pool room status, but welcome back nonetheless, you animal.

PS – Due to the weird to and fro nature of tonight’s game, this has been a weird one to grade. You should probably prepare yourself to strongly disagree with me as a result.

1- Clint Gutherson (c)

Fullback, Parramatta Eels

The Captain King cops his first loss of his reign, but his passion and pursuit of the unlikely victory never wavered. A massive 15 runs for 169 metres, 2 tackle breaks and a line break assist for Clinton tonight, and hopefully more of these individual stats to come in future weeks.

2- Bevan French

Left Wing, Parramatta Eels

Bevan went full circus mode in scoring our first try, juggling a pass, spinning through an attempted tackle and then somersaulting his way towards the tryline; good poise, 8.5.

Overall I thought Bevan showed plenty of class, making 2 linebreaks, 61 metres, breaking through 3 tackles and getting across the line on 3 occasions (the first a try, the second a dubious forward pass call and the third millimetres from being a spectacular four pointer). The Bevan Comeback tour marches on.

3- Michael Jennings

Right Centre, Parramatta Eels

Jet chased the Corey grubber like a greyhound after a motorised rabbit, and his 8 runs for 83 metres, 2 tackle break attacking game was a solid contribution to the Eels’ collective close call in Cronulla. Still his defensive reads (normally such a strong point for Jenko) in the first half were pretty poor.

4- Brad Takairangi

Left Centre, Parramatta Eels

In the modern game, ideally a centre has the quickness and agility to punish rushing defences, being able to put on a quick step either in or away from a charging defender. This is probably Taka’s greatest weakness, as his defence (13 tackles with only one miss) and running game (9 for 77 metres) still very much hold up. It’s not ideal, but he’s doing a job for us keeping Auva’a’s brain explosions out of first grade until Jarryd returns.

5- George Jennings

Right Wing, Parramatta Eels

Just forget his two errors for a minute. Gennings had 18 runs for 176 metres, 2 tackle breaks, 17 tackles (without a miss) in an almost Semi-like performance. Me want more George.

6- Corey Norman

Five-Eighth, Parramatta Eels

Even though we were poor, even though our game management and kicking was gutter-esque for the first 70 minutes, Corey actually managed to have a pretty good individual game with 7 runs, 64 metres, 3 tackle breaks, 19 tackles, 254 kicking metres and a try assist. Still, our recipe for victory involves possession and building pressure, and that was absent for basically the entire night.

I’m going to file this tweet under “Things we didn’t do for the first 70 minutes“.

To be clear, this isn’t a Corey alone issue, I mean stat wise he did play pretty well. Still Normy is one of three guys (with Moses and Gutho) who have the greatest say in our game plan, and when it starts to fall apart, each need to be a bit keener to grab the wheel and right the ship.

7- Mitchell Moses

Halfback, Parramatta Eels

In the other 70 minutes, Mitch didn’t take the line on and played like cabbage. Not only were Moses’ defensive statistics damning (with 5 missed tackles and a further 2 ineffective), his attacking game read like a boring, spineless, B grade horror movie (1 run for 3 metres). To be clear, I did thoroughly enjoy his second run (for 13 metres) which ended up in an 80th minute try, but as I said above we need less chaos and more calm across 80.

Bonus point for the Moylan taunt, and I don’t blame him for missing the kick, we never should have been in that position.

8- Daniel Alvaro

Prop, Parramatta Eels

Daniel Alvaro – Copy, paste. Although the tackle numbers are great (48 with only 1 miss!), the attacking stats (9 runs for 76 metres) are less than ideal.

Seems to be the same story every week for Polar Bear, and it’s much easier to stomach when we win. Just put him in the middle and let him work.

9- Kaysa Pritchard

Hooker, Parramatta Eels

Kaysa’s game tonight felt like a bad second date – I just sat there wondering where the magic of last weekend went.

10- Suaia Matagi

Prop, Parramatta Eels

Nope.

11- Manu Ma’u

Back Row, Parramatta Eels

Not just his attack, but a couple of really great shots in defence tonight, too. With that said, he did miss 3 tackles.

In other news, I don’t really know how else to say this, but I have reason to believe that Manu Ma’u is actually a cannibal.

12- Tepai Moroea

Back Row, Parramatta Eels

YES TEPAI. The edge running maniac returns, racking up 118 metres from his 13 runs. Get him out of the middle BA, get him wider and watch him thrive. More or Less also threw his hat in the ring for 36 tackles without a miss and went very close to snatching the MVP off his edge back row partner.

13- Peni Terepo

Lock, Parramatta Eels

Peni Terepo made 40 tackles tonight (missing only 2), and had zero errors; so that’s a pass mark in itself for the Butcher. Terepo’s attacking game (9 runs for 82 metres) screams “reliable back up”.
Interchange

14- Will Smith

Interchange, Parramatta Eels

Oh, William; that 43rd minute dummy half mistake cut me up, and the ever so slightly forward pass to Bevan French 10 minutes later rubbed salt into the wound. Tonight’s game was more Wild Wild West than it was Bad Boys or I Am Legend.

15- Kenny Edwards

Interchange, Parramatta Eels

I had my head down for a lot of the second half so I admittedly didn’t notice a lot of Kenny out there tonight. I know it took him a while before he made it onto the park, and didn’t actually play in the first 40. Nonetheless in his 35-ish minute stint, the stats tell me he ran for 82 metres from 8 attempts, only made 9 tackles (missing 2) and had a tackle break. Not a bad day’s work.

16- David Gower

Interchange, Parramatta Eels

Nice hustle for the last try David, but the penalty around the 60th minute mark was a bit of a back breaker. The good Dr Gower nonetheless posted some terrific running numbers, going 90 metres from only 8 runs, breaking 2 tackles and getting through 34 tackles of his own. He certainly doesn’t play like a 37 year old, which is great news as he’s only 32.

17- Tim Mannah (c)

Interchange, Parramatta Eels

Another vintage performance from Mannah II: Super Sub. Just the 11 runs, 115 metres, 35 tackles and a HIA for Bench Big Cheese. If you’re still blaming him for our losses and he’s blocked you on Twitter, you probably deserve it.

 

Team Grade

Parramatta Eels

Round 9 was a disappointing collective performance, even if the individual statistics were more than solid and even with the score ending up so close. We can’t be a backs to the wall sort of team every week, particularly in regards to our discipline and defensive intensity.

Knowing what we all knew before kick off regarding the Sharks’ injury toll, I’m still a bit confused as to how we lost that game.

I’m sure I’m not alone in calling it for the Eels – if we don’t beat the Bulldogs next week you can put a line through us for Season 2018.

Let it not be so.

See you then, sports fans.

 

Go you Eels,

Mitch.

 

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Photos courtesy of the Parramatta Eels. Stats courtesy of Champion Data.

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