EELS 51
(Tries: M. Jennings x 2, M. Moses, B. Takairangi, J. Salmon, O. Kaufusi, R. Mahoney, M. Sivo, S. Lane. Goals: M. Moses 7 from 9. Field Goal: M. Moses 1 from 1.)
Defeated
TIGERS 6
(Tries: B. Matulino. Goals: E. Marsters 1 from 1.)
Monday, April 22 2019
BankWest Stadium
Crowd: 29,047
Rugby league can be a funny game.
Last week I had nothing to say about our performance, and again it’s the same this week – albeit for reasons at the opposite end of the spectrum.
No one saw this coming. With the build up and all the emotion of the coming home, and the Tigers claim to Home stadium status everyone was expecting a tight affair between the two teams..
The opening ten minutes certainly seemed to confirm such predictions. With injuries reeking havoc on both sides, all signs pointed to this being a war of attrition. Would there be any fresh bodies left on the bench?
Then Gutho and Moses combined for that spectacular first try and the flood gates opened – and the rest is history in this very historic game.
Since Monday, the highlights of the game itself have been covered ad infinitum, so I’ll simply let the numbers do the talking.
| Parramatta Eels | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| H | Minute | Name | Event | Score |
| 1 | 13 | M.Moses | TRY | 4 – 0 |
| 1 | 15 | M.Moses | CONVERSION | 6 – 0 |
| 1 | 17 | B.Takairangi | TRY | 10 – 0 |
| 1 | 19 | M.Moses | CONVERSION | 12 – 0 |
| 1 | 22 | M.Jennings | TRY | 16 – 0 |
| 1 | 23 | M.Moses | CONVERSION | 18 – 0 |
| 1 | 25 | M.Jennings | TRY | 22 – 0 |
| 1 | 27 | M.Moses | CONVERSION | 24 – 0 |
| 1 | 29 | J.Salmon | TRY | 28 – 0 |
| 1 | 30 | M.Moses | CONVERSION | 30 – 0 |
| 1 | 35 | B.Matulino | TRY | 30 – 4 |
| 1 | 35 | E.Marsters | CONVERSION | 30 – 6 |
| 2 | 47 | O.Kaufusi | TRY | 34 – 6 |
| 2 | 49 | M.Moses | CONVERSION | 36 – 6 |
| 2 | 50 | R.Mahoney | TRY | 40 – 6 |
| 2 | 51 | M.Moses | CONVERSION | 42 – 6 |
| 2 | 60 | M.Sivo | TRY | 46 – 6 |
| 2 | 62 | M.Moses | CONVERSION MISS | 46 – 6 |
| 2 | 65 | S.Lane | TRY | 50 – 6 |
| 2 | 67 | M.Moses | CONVERSION MISS | 50 – 6 |
| 2 | 79 | M.Moses | FIELD GOAL | 51 – 6 |
Game Stats
 |
Team Stats
Full Time |
 |
|---|---|---|
| 58 | Possession (%) | 42 |
| 31/44 (70) | Complete/Total Sets (%) | 21/25 (84) |
| 48:41 | Time – Opposition Half | 31:27 |
| 23:10 | Time – Opposition 20 | 10:36 |
| 2579 | Metres Gained | 1767 |
| 3 | Scrum Win | 10 |
| 0 | Goal Line Dropout | 1 |
| 2 | Penalty Conceded | 6 |
| 0 | Forty Twenty | 0 |
 |
Team Stats
First Half |
 |
|---|---|---|
| 53 | Possession (%) | 47 |
| 14/22 (64) | Complete/Total Sets (%) | 12/13 (92) |
| 28:44 | Time – Opposition Half | 11:23 |
| 12:02 | Time – Opposition 20 | 6:10 |
| 1333 | Metres Gained | 910 |
| 0 | Scrum Win | 7 |
| 0 | Goal Line Dropout | 1 |
| 1 | Penalty Conceded | 2 |
| 0 | Forty Twenty | 0 |
 |
Team Stats
Second Half |
 |
|---|---|---|
| 63 | Possession (%) | 37 |
| 17/22 (77) | Complete/Total Sets (%) | 9/12 (75) |
| 19:57 | Time – Opposition Half | 20:04 |
| 11:08 | Time – Opposition 20 | 4:26 |
| 1246 | Metres Gained | 857 |
| 3 | Scrum Win | 3 |
| 0 | Goal Line Dropout | 0 |
| 1 | Penalty Conceded | 4 |
| 0 | Forty Twenty | 0 |
What domination!
We could be harsh and criticise the completion rates, especially from the first half. But the most important spaspect of possession is what you do with it. So how can we be critical of nine tries?
Now let’s talk discipline. The total of two penalties was reflective of the Eels control of the game and this would put a smile on the face of BA and his staff. Indeed, the discipline this year is to be commended.
Big scores are great, but playing the game at our pace, and controlling what we can as a team is crucial. The low penalty count and impressive defence is reflective of that.
It was a sensational effort all over the park.
Player Stats
Forward Rotation
| Games | Avg Mins | Last Week | This Week | |
| Daniel Alvaro | 6 | 37 | 48 | 1 |
| Reed Mahoney | 6 | 71 | 70 | 80 |
| Junior Paulo | 5 | 59 | 60 | 67 |
| Shaun Lane | 6 | 77 | 80 | 72 |
| Marata Niukore | 6 | 75 | 80 | 50 |
| Tepai Moeroa | 5 | 43 | 35 | 46 |
| Peni Terepo | 4 | 46 | 55 | 42 |
| Tim Mannah | 6 | 35 | 28 | 46 |
| Oregon Kaufusi | 3 | 24 | 24 | 41 |
| Ray Stone | 1 | 37 | – | 37 |
Increased minutes from Junior, Tepai, Timmy and Oregon were obviously the result of the head injuries to Danny and Marata. Mahoney was back up to 80 minutes – what a way to celebrate his 21st birthday. We were also treated to nearly 40 minutes of Ray Stone. For those who’d only ever seen his brief appearance at dummy half last year, this week provided a better reflection of what this tough as nails forward brings to the table.
Totals
 |
 |
|
| Runs | 174 | 133 |
| Run Metres | 1975 | 1290 |
| Tackles | 262 | 362 |
| Missed Tackles | 21 | 26 |
| Tackle Ineffective | 16 | 10 |
| Effective Tackle Rate | 88% | 91% |
| Errors | 13 | 8 |
Heat Maps
Set Starts
I guess there was no variation in the way the Tigers were kicking off. 😊
Hit Ups
Our runners were just powering through the Tigers defence like a hot knife through butter. The forwards bullied their opponents and were completely dominant in getting metres in the middle, setting up our halves and edges to run riot. It was just beautiful rugby league to watch.
Summary
Put simply, there hasn’t been a dominant display like that in the NRL in a while. It’s certainly been a long time since an Eels side has demolished an opposition like that.
Everyone played a role, especially when injuries struck. Luckily we scored heaps of tries to get a good breather.
We now come up against another bogey side in the Newcastle Knights.
It doesn’t matter how the Knights are playing, they always seem to have the wood over the Eels whether it is in the Hunter or in Sydney.
The number one thing Brad Arthur must install in the boys after a massive win is to keep them grounded and focussed on the next game. It is crucial that we don’t take the Knights lightly – history reminds us that it would be foolish to do so.
We have the team to produce a much better season. We simply require these disciplined efforts week in, week out.
Yours in Blue and Gold
Colmac
Stats courtesy of Champion Data.
All these stats and more can be viewed on our match centre at http://mc.championdata.com/nrl/ including live game stats.
Thanks Colmac, great read once again and thank you.
For me your last two paragraphs are paramount; Parra need to keep the confidence level, but maintain the discipline and attitude on and off the ball. We do this for 80 and we are hard to beat.
We wont get the ref calls and the team has to start again which I’m sure BA will remind them of this. I also hope we can lay the platform in the forwards and come away with a bogey team off our back. Tough one and a game we should win but do not always come away with.
Almost a home game for you mate!
Ha yes it is mate; trying to wrangle my day to get there.
Milo I think the biggest single difference in 2019, apart from the playing confidence, is that our forwards are owning the middle. Add to that the quick play the balls and the Tigers were gassed.
After that as Shelley’s dad said “the Tigers were lost in the jungle “
That heat map of the middle is brilliant!
Yes the pack seems to be playing like a pack. Spot on. They just need to stay focussed.
There’s a lot in those stats that are really pleasing, shows the team as a whole is really responding to plans this year.
The mini numbers in penalties conceded, tackle counts, metres gained, and pretty well every other area are huge.
A report next Sunday will be the icing on the cake. need some cream for the filling though.
That mindset of controlling the game – the pace, the discipline – it’s vital.
Agreed Sixties, and playing for the whole 80 min. Against the Raiders, we had no control, but we hung in there for the whole 80 min, which was very impressive.
That’s the minimum standard for this year – compete for 80 minutes.
The Hit up heat map showing the forwards going through the middle is in complete contrast to the horse shoe shape against Canberra. Surprised Tigers were so good with their handling and tackle rate – I guess highlights how good the Eels execution was.
Good pick up DDay. That horseshoe shape showed that we didn’t win the middle that week. Yes, the Tigers stats also highlights the Eels defence
The 3 scrum wins are interesting, especially when put with the low completion rate. This suggests that the team was looking to attack on each set rather than the usual kick for touch to get a breather. It’s great to see the team playing this way, and it is obviously leading to success.
BA has always encouraged the players to play what’s in front of them, and we saw that in the heads up plays from Gutho to set up fast break tries. The Tigers completed better than the Eels, but the Eels asked more questions in possession