Parramatta Eels 26
South Sydney Rabbitohs 14
South Sydney Rabbitohs 14
The Good: |
Well it took a little longer than I was expecting a month ago, but with tonight’s victory over South Sydney, the Eels have now equalled last season’s win total.
It was also pretty great to see score more than 10 points for the first time in a month. All week the players were preaching defence to anyone who would listen, and thankfully tonight the Eels were back to being consistently quick off their line and collectively aggressive in the wrestle. It certainly wasn’t perfect, but unlike recent incarnations of the Blue & Gold, the Eels were actually moving off their try line when the Bunnies were coming at them, for the most part running those rabbits scared. The Eels also threw an incredible 16 offloads tonight, which is 3 more than the Storm threw against us 3 weeks ago, and 10 more than we threw against the Tigers in Round 6. In other words, 16 offloads is a lot. |
The Bad: |
I’ll be honest, I haven’t really enjoyed Rugby League in the past month. It probably makes me a bit of a sook, but in efforts to avoid the cold, truth about Parra’s defensive and attacking ineptitude, I’ve turned off Fox NRL and podcasts, turning my back on all forms of general Rugby League discussion. Heck, I don’t even know why Kevin Walters is refusing to acknowledge that the Blues exist. Then again, does anyone?
Still this week I’ll be switching them all back on and soaking it up as the Eels have finally rejoined the winner’s circle. Sure, we weren’t all that great tonight, and at least two of the Bunnies’ tries were pretty disappointing affairs, reminiscent of recent week’s try line defence. But the two competition points and a sprinkle of confidence will no doubt do the boys a world of good.
Thanks to @jasonNRL for dropping this painful truth bomb during the week. As touched on above, there’s still some work to do on this front, and here’s hoping we look even better again in Round 13. |
The X-Factor: |
Tonight, the Eels and Bankwest Stadium put together an outstanding tribute to a club legend.
Rest in Peace Big D; tonight’s win was for you, mate.
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The MVP:
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I must say I did enjoy Jenko and Sivo’s Round 12 performances and old man David Gower was absolutely outstanding tonight.
But Manu Ma’u’s 19 run, 200 metre, 2 offload, 1 tackle break, 32 tackle performance means he’s tonight’s MVP; otherwise I won’t live to see Sunday. |
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1- Clint Gutherson (c)Fullback, Parramatta Eels |
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| The King of the |
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2- Maika SivoLeft Wing, Parramatta Eels |
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| Even when we sucked, I still really, really liked Maika Sivo. Tonight he once again boasted a solid all around game with an impressive 14 runs for 144 metres, 4 tackle breaks, 1 line break and 2 bulging calf muscles that you could polish a diamond on.
Under international law, Maika isn’t actually a man, he’s considered a weapon. |
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3- Michael JenningsLeft Centre, Parramatta Eels |
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| It might not be a coincidence that the Eels fortunes have returned to black, now there at left centre, Michael Jennings is back. The Jet spluttered his way through 2018 like he downed a packet of Stilnox; but he has catapulted himself back into red hot form in 2019. Tonight’s 14 runs, 136 metres, 4 tackle break game was highlighted by a wonderfully sweet offload for the big Fijian’s four pointer.
Welcome back, Michael; we’ve missed you. |
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4- Josh HoffmanRight Centre, Parramatta Eels |
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| What an outstanding month of football this |
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5- Blake FergusonRight Wing, Parramatta Eels |
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| Although he’s still not that superhero from the first few rounds of the competition, Blake Ferguson nonetheless buried last week a little deeper in our collective memories with a pretty solid Round 12 showing.
With that said, tonight’s 15 runs, 123 metres and 2 tackle break game is good by human standards, but probably below par for one of the best wingers in the game.
It was nice to see him get another four pointer in the Blue & Gold, and to be honest I can’t really imagine him not returning to top form soon. Give us your heart, make it real, or else Fergo about it. |
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He also copped a pretty solid shot in the pills. |
6- Will SmithFive Eighth, Parramatta Eels |
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| Tonight Will Smith played a game of football and didn’t make me angry. | ||
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7- Mitchell MosesHalfback, Parramatta Eels |
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| Mitchell Moses is King of the Flat Track Bullies and looked like he was running down hill once the Rabbits defence started to retreat. Despite a slow start, Mitch’s team high 5 tackle breaks, 3 try assists, 1 linebreak and 1 linebreak assist were the highlights of a pretty well rounded game; at least in the final 70 minutes or so. | ||
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8- Kane EvansProp, Parramatta Eels |
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| Followed up an impressive run in the second half with a dropped ball; but the fact that he did run EXACTLY 10 times for EXACTLY 100 metres, makes me want to call it even. Kane did put together some terrific runs in the early stages, keeping it simple with the head down, no nonsense approach his critics have been collectively crying out for. In short, Evans gave BA every reason to pick him again next week. Here’s hoping he can finally figure how to put it all together consistently in the grind of NRL football.
I must say I was bummed not to see him rip it up from dummy half again, though. |
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9- Reed MahoneyHooker, Parramatta Eels |
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| The little terrier made another 53 tackles tonight, bringing his season tackle total to a touch over 4 million. It also turns out that if we don’t make a stupefying amount of mistakes, Reed looks alright out there for 80 minutes. Who knew? | ||
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10- Junior PauloProp, Parramatta Eels |
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| Like the other 16 blokes in the home jerseys tonight, the big fella stepped up in a big way. Running for 128 metres off 12 runs, Son of Senior bulldozed his way through a decimated Bunnies side, bullocking his way back into my heart. | ||
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11- Shaun LaneSecond Row, Parramatta Eels |
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Laney picked up where he left off last week by making an early error in attack, but certainly righted the ship as the game went on. From his 12 hit ups tonight, Laney ran 99 metres (but a bitch ain’t one). |
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12- Manu Ma’uSecond Row, Parramatta Eels |
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You could tell Manu just loved being back on the edge; characterised by a bad ass running game and a one on one strip in the first half. Scientists have recently come out and admitted that Sydney’s recent cold snap is less climate change and more about Manu absorbing his required energy from the sun. |
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13- Tepai MoeroaLock, Parramatta Eels |
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It was a bit of a short stint to finish and end the game for Tepai but judging by his play tonight, last week’s week off might have been just what the doctor ordered. Mr Moeroa seemed energetic and back to some of his best form, getting through 8 hit ups, 60 metres and 27 tackles with a tackle break. I liked his hustle out there tonight. As an aside, that fully clothed streaker is lucky Moeroa wasn’t on the park at the time, as I’m told Tep takes pitch invasion VERY seriously and apparently would have ripped his head clean off his body. |
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14- Peni TerepoInterchange, Parramatta Eels |
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I still refuse to talk to him, so feel free to tell Peni Terepo that I thought he played a bit better tonight. Also, please tell him to stop calling me – it’s over, I’ve moved on. |
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15- Ray StoneInterchange, Parramatta Eels |
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| Other than his 4 runs for 36 metres, Stoney will probably be remembered tonight for an unfortunate dropped ball as he was getting up to play it. Well, either that or his weird pony tail thing. I do enjoy his aggression, though, and would certainly like to see more of him in first grade as the Season wears on. | ||
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16- David GowerInterchange, Parramatta Eels |
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| What a terrific man David Gower is; playing every I mean, when was the last time you saw an 85 year old run 18 times for 147 metres in an NRL game? … Exactly. |
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17- Marata NiukoreInterchange, Parramatta Eels |
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| A nice return to regular programming for Simba, notching up 100 metres from his 11 runs tonight. Although I loved him on the edge earlier in the year, I can’t imagine he’ll dislodge Manu or Lane from the starting 13 this week. As a result, I suspect it’ll be another bench spot for Hakuna this week, but I guess that’s infinitely better than what’s become of his forward comrade Daniel Alvaro. | ||
If nothing else, it’s just good to get a win.
Next week the Eels face a rising Cronulla side, fresh off the Bye. It would no doubt feel like trouble to some fans, but to me it just feels like an opportunity to put this consistency we keep talking about to the test.
Whatever happens, we’ll see you then, sports fans.
Go you Eels,
Mitch.
Photos courtesy of the Parramatta Eels. Stats courtesy of the legends over at Champion Data.
Gowie the best 85 year old player there ever was
Gem loves a first comment almost as much as she loves David Gower.
I learned everything I know about consistency from David Gower
What an outstanding reply.
Every Club needs ‘blue collar workers’ like David Gower..Plugs away, doing the one-percenters. One of my favourite players over the past few years, What you see, is what you get…
How nice to see a forward run back through the middle and make constant yardage. It was a pleasure to watch every one of his runs, even though I confused him for Fergo on the first run.
How refreshing to see a forward run back through the middle and make yardage. It was a pleasure to watch everyone of his runs, even though I mistaken him for Fergo on this first run.
I think you undersold Kane Evans contributions tonight. That first stint of his was one of his best in parra colours. Continually led the defensive line and made good metres, especially post contact. If it wasn’t for Manu taking 15 metre hitups in the first half I would have had Kane Evans close to our best player
Yeah I think that’s more than fair, have added to the original comment. Thanks for reading mate.
I agree Paul 💯%.
I can’t see how you can give Marata B and Peni only a C? Stoney tried hard but if he’s a C+ then Peni is a B+ for mine. Same with Junior and Kane Evans if they don’t do the hard stuff in the middle with Tep you can forget about Mitch having such a good game as with the rest of the backs who all played well especially in D with some of their covering work the best best I’ve seen all year. Gutho was absolutely inspirational at the back and although Maiko was good he was not nearly as good as Gutho. Mitch, I’m glad you do these post game grades for your own personal fulfillment because sometimes they bare absolutely no resemblance to the game I just watched. Of course this is also only my opinion.
Gees Rowdy, don’t hold back mate.
In my opinion Peni is a prop who only ran 58 metres, it just doesn’t scream B to me. Marata, on the other hand, ran almost double that in 3 more runs.
Regarding Gutho, he was great in attack, but missed 4 tackles, including a key miss for the Rabbitohs last try and had no tackle breaks; whereas Maika had no misses and 4 tackle breaks. I admittedly didn’t measure either player’s inspirational qualities, however.
You have still ignored the platform the two starting front rowers and Tep built which enabled every other player to do their thing. That’s where the game was won. Peni made some of the biggest body checks in the middle and scrambled as if his life depended on it. Stats never got you a start or kept you in any of the great sides of the past or present, look at James Maloney, but other players want to play with him. Then have a look at the men that they overcame. Burgess, Burgess and Burgess with Totala at lock. This is the same 4 that have steamrolled every other pack in the NRL. In order of merit I would then include Manu and Lane who kept their edges as tight as the middle. I take nothing away from the great performances that the rest of the team produced on the back of it.
We will just have to agree to disagree Mitch. One of us is a bad judge this week mate. 😉
Ha sure mate. Still, I don’t know who you think was hard done by, they all got pretty good grades.
One of the reasons for our poor middle defence imo is that, particularly near our tryline, teams run a big bopper at Mahoney and run over him to score. We need to give him more support when in this position and compress our D more near the goal posts.
Haha…Spot on Just read your post after I just wrote almost the same thing about the goal line defence ..Agree 100% Glenn it seems all other teams have noticed this as our main weakness.. Kidwell must pay attention to this detail.
All the best
Peni’s hits in defence were full of venom and strong. Stopped many in their tracks which I thought was great to see. Another who put in some eye opening hits in defence was Tepai.
It’s amazing how the Burgess brothers went quiet (by their standards) after coping some good hits in defence.
Agree somewhat Rowdy with your comments but always appreciate your grades Mitch. However I must confess I didn’t read your last three. Like you I fell out of love with RL for almost a month with the woeful displays from Parra. I seriously thought we’d be bloody awful for the rest of the year and end up around last. Last nite was a pleasant surprise, there was speed (finally) in our A & D. A big contributor in that imo was the enforced rest for Paulo due to HIA. I prefer BA play him in stints of 20-25 mins to keep him relatively fresh for his A & D.
Rowdy, while Peni played ok, I am of the view he is not on the way up anymore he’s lacking in his aggressive runs and being easily contained overall, while he did not let the side down, I am eager to see how the wenty game goes tomorrow, and if those dropped lift their games then Peni should be playing at reggies next week.
Stone had limited time on the paddock and except for the dropped ball and he displayed his own disgust at that, and obvious from the box as it zoomed in on him. He to me deserves more time in the top side, and that is off the bench. I don’t disagree with Mitch’s ratings either on each of the players.
Goodonya Colin, Mitch would probably appreciate your support mate, most people need that and Mitch has quite a bit of support for his grades on here. I might not agree with his grades, but I do appreciate his contributions to TCT.
Unfortunately Colin I was watching a different game than you in respect of Peni and I reckon BA would agree with me too. That’s why you will see him picked in the top 17 next ahead of Stoney whom I rate highly.
Rowdy, I recorded the game so will have another watch of it through the week, probably not likely until Tuesday but will be watching it with and from a different angle this time, with concentration on certain players.
Good to hear Col, at least we are back on track.
I just watched the post game show on channel 9 and all the ex players made mention of the Parra front row, in particular Kane Evans taking it to the Burgess boys when Junior went off HIA. I also recorded that and the game as well as the Fox 502 coverage. All ex players and coaches said our forwards got on top of the big humans in the souffs pack which set the scene for our win.
Its taken Evens, around 1/2 years to finally show something of his worth, with his weight and size. I guess we can wind him up for a few more so he can be auditioning for the future?!!!
Good picture of the game Mitch. Maybe without that ground hog day error Evans was in B+ territory, it’s taken some time, but that was exactly what the team doctor ordered. I can relate to your reluctance for euphoria, the South’s tries, more ground hog day, dejavú, all over again. Also, just got the impression that Souths upped the tempo in the second half and our composure frayed a bit. We had ample opportunity to build pressure and murder them but instead we kept their fans hopeful. I did like our energy, and our scramble, a few times I thought we were about to be done out wide.
Hi Mitch,
Great to see you got the grades out tonight and our team is back in the winners circle. We had a good aggressive team on the field tonight and my standouts were Manu, The Prince and the Old Guy with another great leadership game from Gutherson
Thanks for reading again One Putt; was good to get back on track with a win. Big test next week against the Sharks, however.
It’s amazing what a bit of enthusiasm, aggression and desire can do.
The line speed was good, first contact was solid and it completely transformed our performance.
It would be nice if Jnr could realise what he’s capable of and rip in every week like that. I believe he has the potential to be the best prop in the game if he gets his head right.
And what a game from Gower, he rarely has a bad game and for the life of me I can’t work out why BA keeps picking Terepo in front of him🤷♂️.
Agreed re Gower; can’t believe we’re going to miss him when he retires at year’s end. Probably says a bit about the state of our forward pack, though. Junior is still warming back into best form IMO, too.
Good grades, also have to disagree with Evans grade I thought he deserved better. I couldn’t see past stone’s lost ball and penalty to start his run so will have to agree to disagree on that one. Manu just can’t get any higher in my estimation of him he is my favourite eels player followed closely by Timmy. People saying we didn’t apply enough pressure and could of scored more but I’ll give credit to souths defence. After the last three weeks I couldn’t believe the bile coming out of some people on the Facebook group feed last night cos to coin a BA phrase the effort was definitely there
Well said Dave.
I’d like to think that TCT consistently look to call what is deserved, without any bile or unwarranted abuse. The last three weeks had been atrocious and were called that way. This game was a big step up and warranted praise for the aspects of the game deserving of praise.
Mitch. I’m starting to like the Hoff in the centre’s another good game by him.
Manu what a game was back to his best. Running hard n tackling hard busting tackles great to watch.
Will smith needs to be dropped I only seen him once during the game. Did he even run the ball or attack the line 🤔
Lane has gone quite he looks tired we need to rest him during games.
When Brown comes back next week who do you think drops out of the side. For mine it’s got to be peni his looking soft n not running hard.
Michael jet boots Jennings everytime he ran look like he was going to run the length of the field.
Gower father time brings great experience for a side still trying to win back to back game since Rd 1\2.
On the coach his win % is a shockingly 45% that’s poor when you consider the likes of Bennett n Robinson n belly.
Overall a great win. The record books will show we won n not say we won vs a soo affected rabbits outfit.
PS on Gower being 85 if his that old then how old is Bennett 🤔😂😂
Mitch you weren’t alone, many an Eels fan has been in a malaise after having early season hope crushed by some crap performances. Last night was a shot in the arm for the club. I only saw the 2nd half; pleased to see urgency back in the defence and the Eels bending the line through the ruck. It was a different team, Gower, Sivo, Moses, Jennings and Mau looked good. I do like the look of Ray Stone, two errors but a heap of youthful energy – you know when he’s on the field.
Next game is tough against the Sharks away. With Nathan Brown potentially back and depending on how some individuals go in Wenty, BA will be selecting players based on form rather than sticking blindly loyal – what a difference a week makes!
On junior Paulo that’s what I’ve been crying out for running hard n straight without the offloading. See what he does when he runs straight n hard. N Kane Evans great game maybe that’s what he needs to do is start Games.
I guess you can only play who happens to be on the field on the night, and it was a much better effort, but I think all fans have to face the fact that Parra are at best a 6th-8th placed team. Mitch, I think your grades are pretty accurate as usual, but whilst Moses is the dominant half, no 5/8 will be allowed to do much. As a result, we can’t be too hard on Smith. Furthermore, I believe that due to the mistakes that have always been in Moses’ game, we will remain at best a top 6th-8th team. Of course, I may be wrong…. I have been many times before – just ask my wife. Having said that, I hate writing these negative comments, and I applaud the CT who always try to see the light in extreme darkness. To all the contributors of the CT, thanks for all your insight and time. I will continue to read with interest, but this is probably my last post as I am going to follow the advice of, “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all……” 🙂
Salty, i’m not an insider in TCT, just a life long Eels supporter and I enjoy and appreciate every contribution. There is not a better group of Rugby League commentators (authors and responders). Everything you said before the final 2 lines has a basis in fact, including the role of a spouse, so I reckon you’re hanging up the boots for the wrong reason.
Pete, I reckon all of us will take 6th to 8th this year, but you are quickly forgetting the contribution that Dylan Brown will make moving into the future. We’ve all seen the darkness from the past three rounds. And TCT have not shied away from calling that.
I’ll make a prediction. I suspect that the Blue and Gold flows deeply within you. Good or bad, you’ll stick true and we’ll hear your opinions – be they harsh or kind.
Sixties, I really hope that when Dylan is back, he goes into the 7 spot, or he is put into the primary play maker role, unless there can be a real development understanding between him and MM and work together in that aspect of the game.
I hope when Dylan returns his body is really ready for the rigors of the top grade as he is very much a big key part of our future.
It’s why they are taking their time. I’ve spoken with him a few times lately. When he returns he’ll be ready.
Thanks mate, good news indeed.
Nice write up M, although I would have appreciated the info on Manu earlier this week, I now have to spend the whole weekend helping my Daughter re-write her climate change assignment.
FWIW my thoughts, Manu and Gower outstanding, Moses does have a bit of flat track bully about him but in his defence he has shown he can overcome a poor start to a game and end on a high, a very un-flat track bully trait. Jenko was very good again as was Sivo. I really do hope Stone gets a good run in the big show, he will be very good.
I don’t care what Evans does, he and Will Smith have replaced Ben Roberts and Jeff Robson as trigger points to my anxiety attacks.
I have to agree with Gus, next week will be a real guide, I still see frailties up the middle in defence that need to be corrected. To look at it glass half full, we are 6-6 and have two important players to come back in the brothers Brown, yes, little known fact they are brothers.
Have to agree with the Salt and Gus. Parra are at best 8th – although Gus has us missing out on finals completely. Honestly believe D Brown is a half. I think Moses has had his chance with the Tigers and Parra to lead teams further. It hasn’t happened. If he is re-signed for three more years. D Brown will leave for better pastures, as will probably Salmon. Moses has shown at the tigers with Brooks, and Parra with Norman, that he is incompatible with other talent, and can’t seem to share the stage. Which is fine, if you’re a great half, which he isn’t. As with Salty Pete, I hope I am wrong. I am thrice divorced and live in a van down by the river so I don’t have a wife telling me that anymore!!
I’m just happy we won! Like you, I can start watching/listening to footy shows and podcasts this week. Haven’t done that for a while. And I can wear my Parra gear again. Gower was by far the MVP in my opinion. He was great last night! I’m looking forward to seeing how our forward pack goes once Nathan Brown is back (hoping next week). I think we’ll get better from here….
West Coast, I’m like you and Mitch. I won’t watch NRL shows during weeks of losses. However, if anything, I wear my colours more often during such weeks. Odd eh!
Sixties, I’m not unlike the 3 of you although it’s probably not quite as deliberate. I’m more of an opt-in person than an opt-out one but I certainly get there by default. Just choosing other things to do rather than tuning in to the expected slander and denigration of our players, coaches and administrators from a few specific shows/individuals. I can get that from an alternative Parra fan website.
You can put me in that boat as well, a loss hurts
A good summation Mitch.
There is still improvement to be had, while Smith didn’t do much to capture attention, he filled a hole I guess,, he probably did enough to keep his spot for next week but that I would think will depend on how Salmon goes tomorrow, although I would still like to see French given a run there.
Who provided the better value out of Terepo and Stone? Stoney looked small out on the paddock but he did some big work, Peni though while he did try and played longer minutes, I think the new kid deserves a spot on the bench before Peni, perhaps when Nathan Brown returns. Of course there are some others playing at Ringrose tomorrow who will be playing for a spot in the NRL team
I liked Evans first half especially as he had to lead with Jnr in HIA.
Overall though as I sat through the game on the box, it was good to punch my left hand and say YES, 5 times in the game, the first being when they took a penalty shot, should be done more often, the other 4 when tries were scored by the eels.
Great stuff, and hopefully we continue producing this effort on a weekly basis.
Nice to have a win and begin the weekend on a high. We really improved around the ruck, I only recall two times when we did not have anyone at marker. Cook would have exploited. I was impressed in the first half of our kick chase, nice straight line across the field, not leaving many options to the back three. We still have a lot to learn, we had the game in the bag there at the end, but were playing like we were 40 behind. Was impressed to see Eminem take on the line, but he seemed startled when he got through!
I’m glad you recognised the Hoff – I’m usually not the greatest fan but he has well and truly found his groove at centre. He’s a bloody decent player when you give him ownership of a position and leave him there and I feel centre is the place for him. I thought a few of the lads may have got a real solid kick up the rear end this week as there was massive intent from players like niukore and Tep. Niukore would have been very disappointed to lose the starting position and it really showed in his intent.
On the negative side we still left Reynolds to wonder around to create and that’s a continuous bad habit that we have for giving play makers far too much room.
And we still need to get Salmon back to 5/8 or find a 5/8 somewhere !!! We are putting far too much pressure on Moses and Smith is just not cutting it in such a crucial position !
That will be Dylan soon enough.
I would like to get comments from the members whom were at the game last night and exited through Gate A. Some genius decided to block the exit with two trucks and temporary barricades so so VIP’s could get their cars out quickly. Which results in the unwashed masses having to be funneled through a narrow corridor around the second truck. Whilst this last only about 15 minutes, it is stupid planning and will not really endear crowds coming to the stadium. That whole road should be closed for 30 minutes to any traffic about 10 minutes before the final whistle. It is just dumb planning and does nothing to enhance the game day experience when you are being herded like sheep for, what appeared to me to be about 7 VIPS cars. How they did not build an exit for cars astounds me. It should not be hard for VIPs to sit in the comfort of their aircon rooms for a while after a game, perhaps serve them some tea. I hope this never happens again, I think it was down right dangerous.
I forgot to mention, against the Panthers, the street was not closed at all. The two day games did have the st closed, albeit a bit after the masses had already started to leave. Cars and masses of people are not a safe mix.
I exited and walked South on O’Connell St. The road was blocked in that direction and people were walking up the middle of the road. I did notice that they must have allowed some cars out because they suddenly appeared behind people on the road.
I agree regarding the Stadium parking. Unless it’s an emergency vehicle, the streets should be closed from Grose St to George (?) St for about 30 minutes after the game. If you need to leave immediately, don’t park in that precinct.
I parked in the club vs Penrith. Didn’t try to leave for over an hour. Still took nearly half an hour to exit. But I accepted that as the cost of parking in the precinct.
Exiting The clubs parking was much better organised this week. The pedestrian crossing at the lifts was bypassed which allowed a free flow to the exit gates. When they finally work out too adjust the entry gates to allow exit out of those gates after events it will probably be as effective as it can be. Only 10 mins to get out from level 3 straight after the game. ( last 2 weeks 1 hour 20 mins from level 5 – mostly with the engine off)
I park in the stadium parking and anyone who parks there is advised that you could be “held” in there for 30 minutes after full time. This was the case for the first 2 games.
After the Panthers game it was straight out onto O’connell St. Obviously the crowd numbers were a factor that night.
Friday night they tried something different and instead of letting me out via Gate 2(between the ground and the club) the traffic was directed around the back of the stadium and onto O’Connell St via another gate at the old pool end. The interesting thing being there was no delayed exit enforced. We hung around inside for a little while but certainly not 30 minutes so I was surprised to get out so quickly.
Much better effort. It is amazing what happens when forwards run hard and straight and move up in defence. Manu was simply mean last night. Good to have him back in that mode.
Thanks M for the gradings. My concern is – can the guys keep the same line speed and intensity in the coming games. We need consistency and hope they can do what they did last night week in week out. I hope they can always ran hard and tackle hard and perform well all the way so Gus Gould can choke on his words about the Parra team. Go Parra!
Mitch i cannot add to the grades; and it was a good enthusiastic response which compared to last few wks was a good surprise.
I only hope we can be somewhat consistent and tbh I thought Evans did well, and Hoffman had some good touches.
To me we need to continue to build as a club and only hope the retention committee is continually looking at how we can. I cant help but feel two more big forwards or at least one and another good worker around the 11/12 would be beneficial.
Our 5/8 spot needs some attention as we do not get much there at the moment and i like Smith but he seems to not have the skills needed.
A good win, and backing up next week is what will determine some things.
Great post Mitch, happy with the attitude the guys had this week. Certainly that toughness has been missing. In another post I mentioned Kidwell needing to be accountable, if we didn’t get up this week. Given the team changes it proved to be effective and Iam glad. We just need to improve our goal line defence around the middle as this is very leaky still. If we look at most tries against us this year (except for Storm) are near the posts, with big guys hitting hard at our smaller guys. If we can get lower underneath the big guys and hold the ball. Remembering defence wins games and saved tries inspires resilience in defence.
Looking forward to Shark park if we can bring this intensity in defence, work on our goal line D’ and resilience we can outscore the Sharks.
Wow, what an improved performance. The atmosphere amongst the fans leaving the game was totally different. The long journey home is so much nicer after a win!
The positives:
– I wasn’t a fan of Hoff when he was playing on the wing, but he’s been good in attack and defence at centre. I hope that knee is ok, as he looked pretty lame at the end, I thought he might’ve done his MCL.
– Niukore looked much more involved after a few quiet weeks.
– We finally saw some of what Evans was recruited to bring to the team.
– We put pressure on early, didn’t break through, and didn’t drop our bundle when they got on the board first. Hallelujah.
– I heart Gowie (and glad I wasn’t the only one mixing up the bald head with Fergo at times).
– It’s taken a few games for Manu to look like he’s back. But, he’s baaaack.
– You can say what you like about playing a weakened team, but you can only beat what’s in front of you. And they still had three international forwards in the Burgi, and that’s where the game was won and lost. Yes, we’re (hopefully) still a 6-8 team. That’s a damn sight better than I was expecting at the start of the season.
– We mostly stopped the offloads (one of their tries was due to a late offload, which frustrated the hell out of me).
– There was only once in the first half that I was yelling at the markers for not being in position. And it turned out Mahoney and Paulo butted heads. Still can’t believe Cash won!
Part 2:
Areas for improvement:
– I don’t know if it’s Moses calling it or Mahoney making the choice, but we consistently went right to Mitch on the last on their tryline. There were a few times left looked to be the better option. I’ve said repeatedly the last few weeks we look better when other players are kicking too. Gutho put in a good one for a repeat set, and I feel strongly that we need to be using alternative options at least 30% of the time. If nothing else, the defence can’t just set on Moses’ side of the field and rush him.
– As per the previous point, for those saying Smith and Lane were quiet, well they didn’t get much chance as the ball went the other way. Lane often looks like he’s half through the defence, but he got less opportunity as he was outside Smith.
– The goal line defence was better but clearly still needs work, and some of it is about technique. They handled the barge-over attempts well, but failed to read the burrowing attempt, and had their bodies in the wrong position. I suspect part of the reason Mahoney gets targeted is that his usual tackling style relies partly on momentum to counter the size differential, and you don’t have that standing flat on the line.
– The refereeing standard. Twice Souths knocked the ball forward with their foot in the play the ball and it wasn’t called. Moses ‘playing the ball too fast’ was a shocker, that was a clear penalty for a second effort. But then, we got some penalties that could only be described as square-ups. There’s a real lack of consistency through games, and it’s frustrating to watch – teams know some things are a lot less likely to be penalised in the last 30 minutes. I think both teams’ fans would have walked away from that game feeling hard done by.
Thanks Mitch, I feel your pain & can only imagine how hard it is for the players to crawl out of a slump when us fans can barely bring ourselves to read/think/do anything footy related.
I was very happy for a win of any type but was really surprised at all of the praise for the other Mitch, Moses. He has all the potential in the world & does some exciting things but his lack of game management & (mostly) ordinary kicking drive me insane. Dylan Brown can’t come back soon enough for my liking (& his brother Nathan for that matter).
Mitch, I agree with the majority of the rankings with the exception of Mitch Moses, I genuinely found/find his kicking game inept to say the least. We also had what looked like chances or more scope on the left side close to the try line and he continually called it right side. Is it just me or do we not score enough points for the opportunities we give ourselves.
Why do we persist in being satisfied with 10 – 15 meters from a penalty kick, that goes 30 meters over the side line. Unless the game has changed since I played, field position was everything!
Look we have to be happy with the win I guess!
The line kicks, 100%. Been going on all year. We got the first 2 penalties v Storm. Moses made 10 mtrs on the first and Taka tapped and ran the second and lost possession from a dud offload. Poor start to a nightmare. On Friday night Moses made 40 mtrs with one, so he can do it. Just do it more often.