Goodbye season 2018. Never darken my door again.
How did this Parramatta team, predicted by a multitude of experts to challenge for the title, finish the season with the Wooden Spoon?
The simplest answer is to video package the bookends of the season – the first two rounds and the last two rounds. Present that compilation to any sports lover, anywhere in the world, and ask them to predict where the team in Blue and Gold finished, and it’s a pound to a penny that the majority of those people will respond “last”.
Whatever happened between those rounds was simply the filling. The Eels literally started and ended the season in similar fashion.
The high expectations of the pre-season were understandable. The same squad and coaches were a genuine threat to the Storm in 2017, and deserved to beat the Premiers in last year’s finals series. It was reasonable to expect that the team would be strengthened with the return of Hayne and a full pre-season for Mitch Moses.
So what went wrong to produce the type of wretched performances which placed our Eels at the bottom of the ladder?
I’ve looked for reasons, not excuses, because I believe that it was a combination of factors. Some problems have already been rectified. Some are yet to be addressed.
Dysfunction Does a Disservice (or the Halves vs Halves Not)
When dissecting the 2018 season, it is impossible to ignore the dysfunction of the Eels halves pairing of Moses and Norman. For mine, the start and end of Parramatta’s woes are located here. It stifled the attack and resulted in the instability of other players across backline roles.
Your halves are the true leaders on the field. Other players might bear the “C” next to their name, but the spine is where it’s at when it comes to conducting the football orchestra. They lead the team around the park, barking orders as they go. In 2018, the Eels were on a mystery trip every time they entered the arenas.
To that end, should the Eels enter 2019 with the same halves combination, I would expect a continuation of our misery. Like oil and water, they will never mix and one of the two needs to be moved.
Will Norman be at the Eels in 2019?
Both are under contract, and probably both would be under pressure if the decision to extend their deals had to be made right now. Therefore, to release both before 2019 would cost the club a fortune. To part ways with just one will still mean significant coin for the Eels.
This might be one of those times when fans will have to accept the club losing money to release a player, because it would be absurd to have another season of musical chairs with backline positions.
Who should that be?
Moses was given the opportunity to own the team. His game against the Dragons was outstanding, but every match from that point left much to be desired. In the meantime, Norman fluctuated between fullback and wing during matches, before returning to five-eighth for the final round.
Do the Eels keep a specialist half or a player capable of playing multiple positions?
My ISP and Jersey Flegg reports document my support for halfback, Dylan Brown. I believe that it would not be prudent to hold him back next year. On that basis, Moses moves into the danger zone.
Lamentable Loyalty
This was only evident in hindsight. This roster had been responsible for battling against the odds and delivering courageous performances during the salary cap dramas of 2016. They built on that by reaching the top four in 2017. Few would have doubted their credentials going into 2018.
However, form and injuries would conspire to expose the flaws in the squad.
Key players began the season out of form, or on the injured list. The resilience of previous years was missing as the team stumbled to loss upon loss, with certain players retaining their place despite inconsistent efforts.
Selections were made difficult as the type of errors or the players responsible seemed to change on a weekly basis. Each match produced its own villain or problem to be rectified.
Nonetheless, without singling out individuals, a case could be made that it was only through loyalty (and/or the salary cap) that particular players retained their place in the top grade.
Wenty Woes
A poorly performing ISP team provides an NRL team in need of change with few options. I’ve written three posts about the need to end the ISP venture with Wentworthville, so this post won’t go over old ground.
Rookies, like Kaufusi, need support as they progress.
But a point needs to be made in relation to this year.
At various times during this season, up to one third of the Eels Top 30 roster sat on the sidelines. This meant that the ISP team was filled with as many as nine Ron Massey Cup players. Therefore, the remainder of the Eels squad – mostly Rookie contract players if not Flegg players – were taking the field alongside part-time footballers. The dearth of suitable players in the halves and dummy half some weeks was diabolical.
Furthermore, these players were all coming from one club – Wenty. This restriction to utilising RM Cup players from the one club is not conducive to either developing Parramatta’s best young talent, let alone support fringe or returning first graders in regaining their form.
Ultimately, any players under consideration for promotion to first grade were coming from a losing ISP team, and that was never going to work out.
Track Work Trends
I don’t produce training reports during the season proper, but I attended virtually every field session. It was interesting, if not frustrating, to watch these sessions as the season unfolded.
During media calls, it became common for the players to speak about how well they prepared but how poorly they executed.
I can report this to be true.
Apart from a period between rounds 3 to 5 when their execution at training was a bit clunky, the team looked the goods and maintained a strong work ethic.
Polar gets brought down during pre-season training.
Arthur changed things up during the season – times, scheduled days, drills, structures, methods, staff – keeping things fresh. Eels legends visited ETC and spoke with the squad.
In previous seasons, with a couple of exceptions, I could regularly correlate form at training with match performances. Sometimes it would be how sharp they trained, other times it might be their intensity. I could normally predict what they would deliver. This year, I couldn’t and I stopped trying to do so.
It was infuriating to watch plays and defensive choices drilled, then not implemented. It was equally frustrating to watch players receive personal coaching from kick specialist Damien Hill, only to deliver performances like the kicking in the Roosters game.
The team entered the season on the back of the most thorough pre-season I’ve ever witnessed. They hit the ground running with a trial which reflected how they prepared. Maybe the players got ahead of themselves. Maybe they thought it would just happen – it didn’t!
Size Matters
Without doubt, the Eels were impacted greatly by their lack of big forwards in the first half of this season.
In 2017, the Parra pack had been praised for their tenacious play, and for the relentless and aggressive manner in which they took on other packs. This was not by accident. The mobile Blue and Gold forwards functioned best when the ball was kept in continuous play.
The early rounds of 2018 saw the refereeing crackdown and the inflated penalty counts. The impact of this was to manufacture a game of frequent stoppages which suited the larger forwards and the associated power plays. In contrast Parra had players who had stripped kilos from their frames.
By the time the Eels were able to adjust as best as they could, the season was gone. The recruitment of larger framed players for 2019 has been no surprise.
Spread Thin
The departure of Peter Gentle was unexpected and done after the staff had begun planning for 2018. The targeted replacement was unavailable, so the team entered the season with one less assistant coach than previous years.
Lachlan Wilmot received unfair criticism given that the loss of Ron Palmer left the new High Performance Unit without a rugby league specialist. Contact coach, Brett Bumper O’Farrell was another to leave.
David Kidwell was added to the coaching staff (Arthur, Murphy and Grima) as soon as his New Zealand commitments were finished. Former Storm trainer Adrian Jimenez was also added to the HPU from Round 14.
Corrections have been made, and we assume that changes will eventuate from the review.
Given that a number of the staff also take on responsibilities that would normally fall to a Head of Football, criticism must be made that the staffing was spread too thin for too long this season.
Injury To Insult
There is no denying that 2018 has been a horror year for injuries. The list of players missing for prolonged periods during this season was extensive and significant.
Brown was among a host of injured players in 2018.
Gutherson, Hayne, Brown, Alvaro, Mannah, Moeroa, Pritchard, Ma’u, Scott, Smith, King, Williams and Evans all missed at least five games through injury. With most of the injuries occurring to Eels forwards, the depth was pushed to its limits.
The up-side to such a full casualty ward was the opportunities that opened up for young players. Hopefully the benefits will be felt in 2019.
Mindset Malaise
I have little doubt that a negative mindset was prevalent this year. The team lost confidence, and a number of matches slipped out of the Eels’ grasp despite an apparent dominance by the team. Essentially the team forgot how to win.
The team’s ego was shaken by the loss to the Panthers in Round 1, then the Brookvale bludgeoning added self doubt on a huge scale.
Although this may seem to be attaching far too much significance to a couple of early season losses, the continued references to those games by the players was evidence of the impact on the team psyche.
When a team finds ways to lose as often as Parramatta did, the negative mindset is impossible to ignore.
Drawn Out
The Eels weren’t the only team to play in early season heat, but they were scheduled to begin the season playing at 4pm on consecutive Sundays in temperatures of over 40 degrees.
The team was fit and trained in heat during the summer. But the conditions on those days were extreme, and took their toll. It was horrible to sit in the stands, let alone play football.
To be drawn at those times in the first two rounds was a rough way to start the season. I’d hope that the NRL doesn’t schedule afternoon matches during March next year, regardless of which team that may be.
No Place For No Home
Two years without a home ground – don’t kid yourself about its impact!
Playing at home is worth around 2 – 6 points per game, be it through extra penalties or the odd 50/50 call going your team’s way.
But it’s not just the occasional decision which might fall to a home team’s advantage. The smaller home grounds help a team to draw energy and inspiration from their crowds.
Whilst ANZ Stadium has good spectator facilities, there’s little doubt that a disconnect has developed between players and supporters on match days. There’s minimal atmosphere, built primarily from vast empty sections and the sheer distance between the punters and the field.
Additionally, the traffic on the turf along with match schedules, leaves the Eels (and other tenants) rarely able to hold Captain’s Runs at the Stadium.
Essentially, all home advantage has been removed during the past two seasons. The good news is that the players are excited about playing out of the new stadium.
The Bright Spot
The future snapped in this photo.
Crazy as this might sound, a horror season was far better than an average one. The atrocious results have culminated in a department wide review and opened the door to much needed change.
Injuries and the team’s poor form have led to the debut of five young players this year. In truth, were it not for NRL regulations, that number would have been seven.
I had only expected two players to be elevated to first grade this year. Their success has paved the way for other young players to follow in their footsteps in 2019.
Niukore, Stone, Mahoney, Salmon, Kaufusi, Brown, Utoikamanu, Parry, Dunster, Fainga’a, Schneider, Dresler, Afualo – these names and others are more likely than not to become familiar to Eels supporters over the next two seasons.
In a market short on free-agent players, the Eels have undertaken a solid recruitment program. Paulo, Lane, Ferguson and Sivo head the list of additions to the roster, and size appears to be the order of the day.
A very different looking Eels can be expected to take the field in 2019, and hopefully it will be backed up by an Eels ISP team and quality mentoring from senior NRL players. With Gutherson and Hayne both returning to injury free football, the signs are positive.
A Final Word
The next two months will be critical.
Before the players return for their pre-season we should see a finalisation of the 2019 roster and the release of the review findings. Further changes to the roster or roles at the club may be likely.
Eels supporters can expect a Head of Football appointment.
I’ll hold off on any predictions about next season until after the team returns to work in November – future directions should be clear by then.
Regardless, my support will remain just as strong.
Eels forever!
Sixties
Well said Sixties, you have done a fine job, through what has been a disastrous year. Sadly I don’t think I can remain a seasoned ticket holder for next year, as the increase in price is prohibitive to my budget, thus I will probably lean more on the “Throw” to keep me up dated.
Sorry to hear that mate, especially with the new stadium.
We’ll be here.
Thanks for your support.
Thanks Sixties for your work and all the other writers at TCT that kept a positive tone for this rotten season when it was hard to see many positives. I certainly am looking forward to the finalisation of the review, the handing down of the report and the implementation of the recommendations. They cannot come soon enough for me.
This post today really sets the tone for what hopefully comes out of the review, along with other aspects that you have brought to the fore through the year, one big essential is the divorce between Wenty and the eels in the ISP comp, that really should be worked on now and being set in place for next year, it is an urgent and therefore priority position for me.
Of the games I have watched this year, the performances, or lack of them by our 6&7 have been nothing short of ??? I cannot find a word really to describe them and I am referring only to two players in that. I am not sure who is the worst of the two or who is the best, at times they seemed to take turns at outdoing each other in their no care attitude on the field, trouble is to release and have to pay part for both of them elsewhere is not value, yet one needs to go and which one? That’s the question.
Norms not long back had the best 40/20 kick record in the game, MM was considered to be the next SOO blues half after his performances last year, what a change in both, this year they were both playing as tantrum babies.
The players that will leave in reality have themselves to blame, sadly some because of their injury history this and in previous years, however while I see Mahoney as the long term solution and gets the right help, he is really a year off playing 80 minutes each week. Some are saying Luke is being sort for next year, I’m not that fussed with that owing to age, and would rather see us keep Pritchard for another year and bring in someone like Ennis to work with him and Mahoney once or twice a week, review their work at training and how they performed in the previous match. In regard to the 7 spot, Mahoney has the size to play there if needed, as I have noticed he has done work that is normally carried out by the 7.
I am more than happy with the signings so far, but would like to see another big and mobile forward, no good having big and slow forwards, and while Jnr has the power he is best served I believe in the early hit ups to sap the opposition defence, and have a more mobile prop to follow him next run.
They young ones blooded this year can only improve next year, in fact they may end up be the leaders in showing the way with youthful passion.
Bring it all on, acceptance and full implementation of the reviews recommendations and get the players fit and ready for new future starting this November.
Colin, the TCT writers really appreciate your support of our site. Your opinions on all topics add different perspectives to the discussions.
I would also like to add one more forward, but if we can’t, believe me Utoikamanu has the size to impact any defence.
I think Pritchard is likely to get another year as You need a couple of NRL dummy halves in your roster, and Schneider is yet to play Flegg.
Thanks mate, appreciated.
I am just an old fart dedicated eels supporter and nothings going to change that, I hurt with loses and shout for joy with wins, hurt has been with me too much this year.
I sincerely hope that Pritchard gets another contract at least for one year, while he’s been duded in his career with injuries, I do know the eels players love him around owing to the energy he brings to the game as well as enthusiasm, very much contagious I would think.
As I said I think Mahoney is likely the future for the top 9 role, but with Pritchard there, there is a good mix and they can interchange during the game, and with Mahoney he could fit the halves at times through a game as well if needed. I do believe and have said so, that we should chase Ennis to come on board even for a day per week and work with our hookers including any below Kaysa and Reed. I doubt if King will be considered.
Having seen Oto the giant, he could be a good fit for the team also.
While not wanting to really push for players to come to the eels. I have been an interested watcher of the cowboys player Ethan Lowe, he’s in the back half of 20’s, off contract and does a lot of heavy work, and would fit the eels ok I think.
I was a fan of Lowe a couple of years ago, but I’m not sure whether he’d be on our radar now.
Interestingly the games I have seen him play this year he has been quite strong. He is a bit in the same mould as Lane though, and older. I also like what I have seen of Lane this year especially in beaten sides, been quite consistent and is a good pick up I believe.
Lane is an outstanding pick up in my opinion Colin.
i agree sixties strong tall n can offload n score a try
Sixties. I am new to your site and love the hard work you and your team do. Keeping us all informed with relevant and current information. Thank you.
I have watched numerous games and have had a few conversations with people within the club.
I have herd a lot of talk regarding 3 players in particular. Schneider, Brown, Utoikamanu.
From what i have herd all play different roles within a team. All players are highly regarded and i mean highly regarded from those within the club.
I herd Schneider is a natural leader and a quality player and kid. A player all team mates love to play with and leads bye example. But i did hear this season was cut short due to injury which is disappointing as the club had some plans for him in 2018. Slight set back.
Brown is a quality player with composure and skills like no other,
Amazing running game and strong defensively. Brown can turn nothing in to something at the flick of a switch and has developed his game where he can play what is in front of him..
Utoikamanu is a giant of a kid who has had bad luck the previous 2 seasons with 2 shoulder reconstructions.
He posses amazing skill set for a big kid and has amazing speed, endurance and agility for a kid his size.
Utoikamanu has a great work ethic and i know the club have huge expectations of him next year. After talking with the club I wouldnt be surprised if Utoikamanu is in the Nrl squad 2019..
So my question to you is this.!
Can you add any further information on these players and give me another perspective / opinion that i have not already been informed. I know you have a lot of knowledge and information on these kids either personally or through people you know.
Can you shine some more light on these boys for me please.
Fanatic, you have been given great mail already.
Schneider was hurt in the early rounds of the SG Ball. He was odds on to captain NSW 18s.
He is one of those players who seems to have time. His style of play could be compared to Cam Smith, in that he’s an organiser rather than an explosive Damien Cook type. Also kicks goals.
He would have played Flegg this year, and in fact he joined their squad in the back half of the season. He’s training with NRL staff a couple of mornings per week. Quality young bloke. Look for Flegg start, maybe ISP later in the year.
Brown is the real deal in my opinion. He’s going to be a big half when he stops growing – he’s already around 6ft and strong.
You are correct – he has one of the best defensive games and is incredibly composed. Not afraid to take the line on. Obviously at 18 he isn’t the finished product, but he won’t become that in Flegg or ISP. Confident but realistic young bloke. He is worth a punt next year.
Stefano Utoikamanu is a specimen. Here’s some perspective – he started this year in SG Ball and if he was eligible would have gone close to an NRL debut.
I’ve watched him train alongside NRL forwards and he is bigger than most. When he’s carrying the footy it looks like he’s going to create something on most possessions. Picture the big Broncos forwards currently making an impact – he could easily fit in there. Great attitude.
His older brother Filia is the forgotten one. He was injured in the 18s Origin last year and hasn’t played since. Hopefully he will play next year. Not quite as big as Stefano but he’s also a talent and a leader.
I look forward to watching this Utoikamanu kid progress. Cantt wait. Sounds like a great talent,
Very promising player BNGF.
No Kaysa wont be here he was told he’s not in our plans going forward Reed is who they are investing in long term.
although if he can’t get a gig and we have a spot available you never know
Investing in Reed and Kaysa getting a deal aren’t mutually exclusive. Reed will enter next year as the number 1 dummy half. Does that mean Kaysa won’t be there? Has Kaysa told you he won’t be?
I think I said elsewhere that Reed will be our primary 9 going forward, likewise the need for a back up, so the question is who is the back up going to be?
Some are saying and I saw it in a news item that the eels were chasing Isaac Luke, watching his game yesterday against Penrith, I thought for the few decent runs he had, he was terrible in other decisions, picking the ball up from dummy half and running into the play the ball players backside and dropping the ball, same with his dropped ball and missed tackle letting the Panthers in for a try. Grubby tactics as well do not help either, last thing we need is a player like that. Luke would do nothing that could assist other 9’s development either.
King and Kaysa are the primary options but King to me has blown more chances than Pritchard. Of the two for backup Kaysa is the better of the two, he wont cost us big coin but is more than capable at the top level.
I still would like to see the club look at a decent ex 9 to come in a day or more a week to help our 9’s across the grades, someone like Ennis would be ideal.
I’m confident that Kaysa is staying Colin.
Thanks Sixties, at least for me that’s good news.
👍
Sixties. Thank you for your insight. How old is Mahoney.? With Schneider being 18 already it will be interesting too see what the club does with these 2 players. Mahoney has already established himself whereas Schneider is not proven. But if all goes to plan as they club hope it does, it makes for a very interesting conversation as to what the club does having possibly 2 quality hookers
Reed turned 20 earlier in the year, so this would have been his last year of Flegg.
Schneider is coming back from a shoulder injury and will probably play most of the year in Flegg, and maybe get a look at ISP late in the season.
They have a couple of younger dummy halves up in Queensland too, including Jed Edwards.
Hank, the bitterness in what you have said does you no great benefit, rather it brings vitriol across from the other site and achieves nothing.
What Sixties has said shows a person that has a heck of a lot of pain and likely more than you do, as how often have you been to the training and watched how the players all work together and come game day, the play as almost total strangers.
Look at the list of players that shows 13 players that have had injuries this year, that is a full run on side, more especially does it hurt its because they are mainly forwards in the list, how many other clubs have been hit that hard in the forwards dep’t this year?
The aspect regarding the coach is also mentioned as to the training and how they all work at it, but on game day the players run out and what happens? The club itself has let the coach and players down owing to the moving on of people like Gentle, and as sixties said was unexpected, he was very much part of the main coaching team for some time, and I understand he left owing to the offer he got elsewhere and closer to his home.
Thing is too many play the person without seeing that the person also has problems without the support staff he needed in such a rotten year, I doubt if many other coaches would have worked under the same conditions any better than BA has.
He cannot run on to the field and point out the moves at each play the ball either rather its up to the 17 players in the game day team to play to their best, not worst, & play to their abilities rather than inabilities and feuds with a team mate, if they are feuding then it should be off the field and not on it, think of the team and supporters rather then themselves.
Great read Sixties. I was almost out with my pitchfork, after the Roosters game but my anger and negativity has mellowed since then. I like your updates, insights and thoughts on the team and look forward to hearing them again in 2019.
I was bombarding my mates with expletive filled texts and voicemails after that game too.
I’ll be back mate.
We are cut from the same cloth Pete. I see 2019 as a “getting back on track” year rather than a hugely successful one. Lets start the process to long term success even if that progress takes time. I live in hope.
It’s tough to acknowledge that, but I feel similarly. If I set my hopes there, anything beyond that is a genuine bonus.
Good read!! Who were the 2 other players that couldn’t make their debut?
Brown and Utoikamanu would have been very close.
I think we well and truly over achieved last year (2017). Despite our ladder position we struck fear into nobody. In 2018 we had no dominance in the forwards and our recruitment didn’t provide anyone to bring the grunt we needed. Halves will find it difficult to perform behind any pack that is continually dominated.
Our bubble was burst very early in the season. Firstly the second half against Penrith followed by the flogging by Manly in the heat. We lost so much confidence from that 120 mins of football that our season was already out of control.
I’m not going to tear up my ticket but I’ll remain very cautious about predictions for 2019 as I am yet to be convinced we will have the necessary grunt in the forwards to threaten the top teams. Anything above 10th next season following this years disaster will be an achievement.
I see what you’re saying regarding compared to this year, but for mine it’s Top 8 or bust.
I see that Phil. We weren’t a dominating pack, but the job that they did worked for the style of footy we played. This year, being mobile meant little. It was the return of the big man. As I said, I’m holding off on my predictions pending the result of the next couple of months.
The thing I hope we get back next year is the defensive mentality we had in the 2016 and 2017 seasons. Despite the dramas we went through, I always enjoyed watching the team play in those seasons because we had a great defensive mentality of “turning up for one another”.
Well said Tyler. That mentality of not wanting to let your mate down, as well as trusting the bloke next to you, was definitely missing this year.
There are a couple of dominating topics to this season. The style of play that was on show each week, seemingly apart from th Saints game, was a grinding forward style without the forwards to implement it. Certainly it appeared 3 hit ups, a sweep play then a kick. Whoever was in charge of our attack needs a massive kick in the gonads and moved on.
When we look at defence , who the heck didn’t understand the reality of being constantly found wanting on the edges. We leaked the most tries untouched on the outside in the whole competition , it never seemed we learnt how to combat it, at set plays from scrums it seemed we were wide open on the wings every single time. Defending inside the tram lines was a disaster which the opposition worked out and we never countered.
If we keep the current head coach, then the assistant coaches should be changed, doing the same thing and expecting a different result is the definition of madness.
Finally, we have been witnessing the move through of the first wave of talented juniors, so not ensuring they are available for selection would be failure of recrutment and retention again. Not wiling to mention body shape after the preseason, so obvious and noticed by everyone.
To add a postscript, our CEO has been far too silent on many issues, the lack of communication from even the signing of Shaun Lane to poor updates on the stadium, he needs to step up or move on, Bernie’sperformance has not been what was expected, very disappointing
🔪🔪🔪🔪
Willing but non-dominant pack, out of synch halves, inconsistent kicking game(except Norman repeats),red zone defence out wider, and red zone attack would be my big 5. But a question I struggle with is around completions/possessions. We lost a lot of games on the back of poor possession stats. Is it the above 5 problem areas(and a few others)that cause poor completions or is it just too many players lacking concentration, patience and composure. These 3 things are up between the ears and much harder to fix than skill or structural deficiencies. Mentoring and sports psychology can provide answers but you just can’t have it as a wider problem. I reckon the Warriors are making an effort to deal with this issue.
Sixties, great articles all year. In Shelley’s blog I mentioned Gavin Cooper as an example of faultless attitude and respect for the game. I reckon TCT takes the Gavin Cooper approach, it’d probably be better if I said Nathan Brown but looking elsewhere right now for best practice may not be disloyal.
BDon, appreciate your detailed reply. That negative mindset that I wrote about, leads into patience and composure issues that you raised. You don’t trust the person next to you in defence, you second guess natural decisions, you steer away from the team’s processes. Ultimately, not everyone is on the same page and frustration sets in.
We need calm heads steering the team out on the field so here I am coming back to the halves.
Thanks for the update’s this year. I have enjoys every minute of this year win lose or draw. to me it’s a sign of a true eels fan.
on the isp team i think they should also be called the Parramatta eels n end this teaming up with wentworth ville magpies.
On to the review the club is going thru i am looking for a more & approved eels club n team in 2019 then the 1 we all witnessed this year.
it’s going to be a much better club when the review is done. more ppl to help brad.
In my opinion i think brad tried doing everything from recruitment to being the defense n attacking coach n it was all a bit to much.
i think this season we saw our future in Mahoney, stone , marata , salmon , kaufusi,.
the future looks bright.
2019 i hope we continue to blood our jrs n stop other sides taking our good players.
I think 2019 is make or break year for brad its top 8 or nothing.
I like many have waiting long enough for our team to win the winfield cup. like it’s been 32 years sence we tasted victory on the big day.
#eels4life#
Thanks for your continued support too Rev.
I have tempered any enthusiasm for next year until I see what happens with the roster, Head of Footy and ISP. They are important changes that need to be made.
Agree, I just read the bit on the eels webb site with Norms, seems the players are now on holidays and resume on November 1, seems he & BA have had a head to head talk and seems to have made a difference in him, at least that’s what he saying, pudding and proof comes to mind.
If I read right it seems that there is no team holiday together, maybe a good idea and nothing about a mad Monday either – thankfully.
Certainly the review, its findings and what’s implemented will have a huge bearing on next year. The appointment of the Football operations manager, coaching and other assistant staff will be vital as to getting quality. I hope that Jiminez is kept also. I guess by the time of the players return we will know which ones wont be back, and maybe the news will coincide with the reviews findings.
I read where John Folou has turned his back on RL and heading to RU.
I hope Johnny is successful. You wouldn’t meet a nicer bloke. Some of the players are on a break. Some aren’t. There’s different time that players are entitled to eg some get 6 weeks, some get 8 weeks..
Jimenez is definitely staying.
The sooner we get news about any changes or appointments, the better.
John was a player that could have been vg, but sometimes living in the shadow of a higher profile brother may have placed too much of an expectation on him. I have yet to meet any of the islanders no matter from where and I have many of them I consider friends, & they are all lovely and sincere people.
Good with Jimenez staying which means IMHO that the players will be more than ready for season 2019 fitness and in their heads wise.
I too look for the news to come, especially signings and rosters for next year, the suspense of it all is really building.
Sixties n tct crew you all have my support no matter what.N thanks for your support during my tought time losing my mother. Come the 2nd week of feb i will do a team list as i think parra will bring in more gun players n i think we will be much better.
#Eels4life#
Look for a post from us on that topic during the pre-season Rev.
nws sixties will do
Very good read. I think you nailed it with the halves. I can’t see us progressing with both Norman and Moses. One of them has to go. Norman said on radio today that he was staying. I guess time will tell. One of those guys ‘owning the team’ with salmon at six. I think that might work. I still think we’re short another big guy. Hoping that there’s one or two signings to come. I haven’t watched much NRL this year, except for Parra games. I’ll have the finals on in the background, but no real interest compared to previous seasons. I’ll look forward to getting back into it next year.
Thanks WCE. I’d hope for another big prop to be signed too. It sucks to be watching on again during the finals – I agree. It’s sucked writing about such a poor season too! Thanks for sticking with us.
Superb article mate; absolutely great read and to the point. We need another signing or two and need to move on a few who are earning decent $$$$
Thanks Milo. One more forward and a decision about the halves. That’s the go.
Hi Sixties. I believe those two points are absolutely pivotal to our 180 deg turn for next year mate. That is not diminishing the wonderful and expansive dissection of 2018 that you’ve posted here.
I recall you and me talking about the potential in the skinny underage halfback tearing up the SG Ball early last year (2017) then wondering how he’d handle Jersey Flegg? Well he has just continued to do the same again this year, even against the men for Wenty in ISP! Do you think they might take a punt on playing him in the halves with Norman in NRL 2019 if he has a big preseason?
In a word, yes.
Sixties,
Agree with so much of your review, many thanks to you and the TCT team for brightening a disastrous season.
The halves haven’t worked, suggesting Brown is an audacious call, particularly with Salmon in the mix – but totally agree something has to give and the change may be costly.
Misplaced loyalty led to complacency and must surely be one of BA’s harshest lessons! The clean-out of ~10 from the roster alluded to earlier by BA will be a test of whether this lesson has been internalised.
The lack of dominance in the forwards was tough to watch, our forwards toiled but rarely won the contest. Injuries cruelled the season across the 3 grades with people playing up, is there a correlation between injuries and forwards fighting above their weight? The Eels were constantly penalised at the start of games, the get square penalties in the 2nd half masked the imbalance, again possibly related to lack of dominance.
The experienced input from Gentle and Palmer were missed and no doubt the review will ensure informed corrections are made.
But there’s hope; a solid core playing group, exciting juniors debuting with more to come, new signings (surely more to come with the cap space available), brilliant new stadium, a new appetite for considered change (ie review) and a stable professional front office. Looking forward to a competitive 2019, my support remains strong.
One of the reports I read as to why some players at the eels had it that they could not relate or take to the eels culture, or words to that affect. I wonder how many other teams have that same problem especially with many imports into the side rather than juniors who come through the system???
I think back and good examples of imports as such who bought into the culture or the aspect of playing and doing the best for the club, such as Sterlo, Price, Cronin, Quayle to name a few, but there was always a good smattering of juniors in the teams at the time. Kenny, Ella, Bear, Campbell. to name a few, each played their hearts out in the B&G outfit, I wonder what they thought of an eels culture, think of Steve Edge a STG winning captain who did the same when he came to the eels, and stayed on for years after he retired from the game.
What is the eels culture and the same for other clubs, except it to be winning and/or playing to their best abilities each week that they ran on to the field, a few beers together after the Tuesday night training before heading home, they welcomed sensible fans who blended with them, and I was privileged to meet a lot of them at the pub after wards.
It was a culture that had them wanting to play RL and to win, they wanted to be together and talk tactics as well as run off at the mouth about good times and question each other in the bad times. But they played together, as a team and worked that way. A player signing to play with any team, needs to be brought in with the leaders and accepted, listened to and helped to improve their skill sets and that’s not just for playing the game, but skills in being players of value to themselves and their team mates and supporters.
Those coming through the juniors were part of that from their early days but those coming in had to be open to the new place and players. Looking at the various training photo’s each week, they seem to bond and enjoy each others company but what happens between the last run together and playing day? Therein is where the culture seems to fade and become foreign at least this season anyway.
Identifying players who have the desire to play for the eels is a primary goal to be achieved for season 2019
I was of the belief that the group were tight, but I suppose that’s not the same as having a connection to the club. I’ve seen them supporting their mates in the lower grades at Wenty.
The young players coming through are definitely very supportive of each other and have a desire to be a part of the same first grade team. They are buoyed by their mates elevation to first grade this year.
When the Flegg team photos were done in the last week of the season, Mahoney, Salmon and Kaufusi all turned up to join their mates.
You should talk to the players mate. They dont lie. Salmon walks around ignoring most of the 20s players. His rude, Arrogant and thinks his better than the boys. This attitude wont get you far at all. Nrl has all ready gone to his head. Salmon is not a fan of majority of Flegg boys.. On the other hand Kaufusi is the most inspiring guy. Although he made his Nrl debut he talks to everyone shows respect to the players and has not forgotten where he has come from. Salmon could learn a thing or 2
I do talk to the players but I don’t ask them about specific players or what they think of them. I’ve been privileged to be at a couple of team events and only witnessed a good dynamic. Nobody bagged someone that wasn’t there. I’m not denying that it’s possible, I’m just saying it’s not what I’ve witnessed, but to be fair, if I had I wouldn’t have written about the team dynamic as I did above.
Billy, I’ve never seen that in Salmon. Bearing in mind, he only played a handful of games in Flegg and didn’t actually know most of the boys from Parra except the ones he played NSW with. I think you should ask the Sharks flegg players that question as that’s where he grew up.
I can’t answer for others, but he has only ever been respectful when I’ve spoken with him.
Great work, Sixties, once again. Billy, think you might be shooting from the hip with Salmon. He has always had time for those who’ve approached him. To be honest, he really hardly knows the Parra boys. I hope we’re not starting to take potshots at players who we want to do well. Seems petty and counterproductive to me, something that this site is not.
Pete, many thanks. Earlier this year when Jaeman was playing Flegg, I spoke with him between the Flegg and ISP games at Ringrose. He made a point of introducing me to both his father and grandfather. As I said above, I can only judge him on how respectful he’s been to me.
Thanks DDay,
I may have suggested that Moses is in the danger zone, but that isn’t locking Normz in and Salmon out. Logic says you need more experience than having Brown, Salmon and Mahoney all in the spine, so it’s probably the less likely option. But salmon and Norman both have utility value so there’s alternatives.
I’d suggest that BA would own issues like roster, loyalty, halves, etc.
Interesting thought about injuries, but the types of injuries varied eg facial fractures, hand, knee, hamstring etc.
I can see reason to be positive, though I’m impatient because I want a return to finals footy and I am firm about the need for change in the halves.
I’ve been really looking forward to this blog and Sixties you didn’t disappoint! Talking about every point and concern I was thinking of.
The Halves
Something went down during the off-season with Norman that set up this once promising pair for a disaster season. The The rumours started in the off-season that Parra where trying to offload Norman which I thought was ridiculous at the time but only got louder as the season went on to a point where he himself confirmed it. Having one of main players hanging around because no one else wants him is not a great position to be in.
Spread thin
This one does my head in because the club or/and BA failed in a big way.
The next two months will be very critical indeed.
Appreciate that Michael.
Here’s where I’ll give some respect to Norman. His form was down but his effort wasn’t. He never spat the dummy. He wants to stay, and I’ve not heard too many bad words about his character as far as his conduct at training and footy commitments are concerned.
I’ll now answer the question of the coaching team.
I think that there was a great synergy/balance with BA, Murph, Gentle and Grima. And I say this from observing them as a team for years and I’ve not discussed this topic with any of them. However, having interviewed all except BA (I’ve never approached BA for an interview but spoken with him quite a few times) and seeing their personalities and dynamics it was like they complemented each other. Taking away one ( Gentle) did leave a bit of a hole. When BA couldn’t fill that hole for a while, there was a definite workload increase for all.
I thought Normys form at fullback was great. His defence was outstanding.
Its all been said before but something is seriously wrong when effort is strong but execution is so poor. Issues are much more than effort and attitude. Lets hope this is recognised moving forward.
Great write up.
Ta.
Thanks Gazza – that issue of something else being wrong is why I had to record a variety of factors. I think Normz form was a bit stronger than Moses.
Great read Sixties.
Have you heard anything from the club to suggest that a move away from the Wenty partnership is being spoken about? I, like yourself believe for the club to move forward and grow stronger it’s an absolute must!
Tim
Tim! You made it!
It’s a chance I believe. It’s why I’m pushing it.
Outstanding write up once again my friend….really enjoyed it.
Thanks Muz.
As always a great read, I really enjoy reading your thoughts on our great club, especially when I am in sunny LA. Many of my thoughts have been noted above but I will write them anyway, call it a cleansing of this horrible season.
I will start with a theory, we gambled on a small and mobile forward pack again this year and I really think the penalty crack down did us absolutely no favours as this style of play was completely nullified with the big boppers running amok as they were getting a rest every 2-3 minutes. At the point the penalty crackdown was stopped, we already had back to back games in searing heat, our confidence was shot to bits and we had a wretched run with injury, a multitude of factors came together. I give a bit of credence to my theory (nobody else will 😉) by the way we played in the Knights trial, the great form was there.
I will add a couple of notes to my theory in that, I didn’t think our fitness was great early and mid season, which when you add the rest provided by the penalty crackdown it might well have been a massive problem. This looks to have been addressed by the addition of Jimenez in the back end of the year.
I thought our attack was outdated, block plays are gone, teams just slide all day and you end up over the sideline; insert B French here. I strongly agree our forward pack is lacking but in a lot of games we had plenty of ball in the opposition 20, we got to the business end, and could not create scoreboard pressure by scoring tries, as games ebbed and flowed on the back of possession, as NRL does, we could not score points when it was our turn to dominate the game and the other team invariably would whenever given their crack. You watch a lot of our games and we were in them up to our ears and that is outside the 7 we scored the same amount of tries in, the opposition would invariably get away on the scoreboard in the back end. Fast old school backline movements are back, amazing how many tries we saw of scrums this year with quick movement of the ball.
Only Moses knows what went wrong with him his year, he was great last year, even better at the World Cup and it went to shit in a massive way, he just forgot to run. He would benefit in playing with a Blake Green style player to just allow him to play what is infront of him and not worry about guiding the side around play after play. What can you say about Normz, I hope he was playing injured mid season because he was dead set taking the piss in some games and was barely breaking out of a jog. Their was a noticeable slow down in play when he had the ball in hand, they don’t work together and I don’t see it changing, Moses’ great form last year seemingly papered over the cracks.
Many players also just didn’t kick on, added to the loss of Semi who is a freak, French was woeful, Takaz in the 2nd row didn’t work (I thought it was a good idea), Jennings was a nightmare and I would suggest some of his errors lead directly to losses in at least two games I can remember. I was never a fan of Matagi and Vave, fans would get excited off the back of 1 game which was generally followed up by 2 average ones. You can play with guys who give you 6/7-10 every week because you can incorporate structure around there play and let good players do their thing. You cannot do that when you get a 9-10 followed by 4-10, 5-10 and then another 4-10 as the good players don’t get the platform they need.
Positives: plenty of young kids came through, Mahoney looks a keeper and could be really good. Salmon looks handy but is a wait and see and Kaufusi needs more time in 1st grade. I think Ray Stone could be the best of all of them. Hayne must be re-signed, correctly report his year of 3 early games of ok form, 1 game back for 15 min with a line break and a try assist and his great back end and you just have to re-sign him. The way the media reported his year was extremely unfair and I would say poor and biased towards negativity but that is no surprise from the bananas masquereading as NRL journalists.
As per the thoughts of others I would like to see another big prop, I hope reports on Taupau are true. Unlike many others I like what Mannah brings from the bench and with him and Alvaro plus Kaufusi supporting Marty and Junior from the bench it gives us a good prop rotation. Reed needs some support for the next year at least before becoming an 80 min player. Hopefully Tepai steps up and becomes the player we thought he was going to be, he showed good signs in the back end. Blake Fergusson will be enormous for us to give a good start to sets and he can score a try, we just need to get the ball there quickly. Also very pleased with the Lane signing, again needs to continue to develop his game after many years with injuries and up and down form.
Bring on 2019, it surely can’t be as bad as this year, please no…………
What a reply Jimmy! I hope it cleansed the soul. 😬
There was plenty of common ground in our posts, esp the mobile pack which was not f minimal use during the penalty blitz.
I didn’t touch on the loss of Semi, which was obviously significant, because players move and it is what it is. But in those close losses, having a player like Semi on board could have been the difference. Beyond his ability to score tries, he was also doing the job of carting the ball back from kicks better than anyone.
Hope you’re enjoying LA.
Bring on 2019 as you said.