The Cumberland Throw

Post Game Grades – Round 13 at Cronulla

Parramatta_Eels_logo.svg  Parramatta Eels 22

Cronulla Sharks 44

The Good:
Well, I guess we didn’t completely capitulate.

I know half of you are going to absolutely flip your nut over this next comment but *braces for impact* outside of our 5th tackle options and a horrific 15 minute period early in the second half, I didn’t actually think we were that bad. Yes, we were definitely bad (see below), but Nathan Brown was excellent and his brother Dylan is going to make a big difference to the aforementioned last tackle plays. I think we’re ok, and I dare say prefer to be us going forward than at least half the NRL. But tonight, my friends, tonight we sucked.

I guess my good is although we definitely aren’t good (yet), but we’re maybe not the natural disaster it felt like at 38-6. Depending which part of the game you remember most clearly, I feel like this is going to be a tough night at the Grades office.

The Bad:
How do you solve a problem like Parramatta? Consistently inconsistent – now a feature inside the 80 minute ball game.

Losing our fullback and captain in the opening minutes certainly didn’t help but oh my word, those 5th tackle options. They were like watching that bear maul scene in The Revenant on repeat.

Additionally, our right edge was a deadset defensive bushfire tonight with Moses (8), Hoffman (7), Manu (3) and Fergo (3) all contributing a slew of missed tackles. To be fair to Moses, 5 of those misses were on Andrew Fifita, when getting his body in the way and bouncing off is probably the most effective course of action. Still, those are terrifically bad numbers.

We are certainly capable, but more certainly inconsistent.

Finally, for those complaining about the clearly incorrect ref decision that led to the Sharks’ buzzer beating first half try, consider how many missed opportunities the Sharks had tonight; considering just how bad the scoreline could have been. The ref miss is Rugby League; you need to take the good and the bad.

Tonight, we were more bad than the refs; move on.

The X-Factor:
When the Eels win, we win by an average of 18.

When the Eels lose, we lose by an average of 19.

We are the statistical definition of Rugby League inconsistency.

The MVP:

 

Fergo actually played pretty well, and Manu Ma’u continued his purple patch of form; but the return of Nathan Brown gives me hope for the future, and his showing tonight was first class in a well beaten side.

 

1- Clint Gutherson (c)

Fullback, Parramatta Eels

Just to show you how early he left the game, Gutho literally had no stats tonight.

Feel better soon, mate.

2- Maika Sivo

Left Wing, Parramatta Eels

Maika, of House Sivo, the First of His Name, King of the Wingers and the First Men, Stolen from Penrith, Protector of Fijian Kingdoms, Equal Highest Try Scorer in the NRL, Father of Calf Muscles, Scorer of Many Freakish Four Pointers.

3- Michael Jennings

Left Centre, Parramatta Eels

Seemed to give it a real crack out there, getting across the stripe for the 144th time in his career. The 9 runs for 90 metres and 3 tackle breaks also have a nice feel to it.

4- Josh Hoffman

Right Centre, Parramatta Eels

Mixed bag for your boy Josh Hoffman tonight, with a raft of ankle related injuries seemingly stymieing his effectiveness throughout the game. Nonetheless, 9 runs for 82 metres is ok, but 17 tackles and 7 missed almost prompted the present Scott Morrison to issue a national emergency.

5- Blake Ferguson

Right Wing, Parramatta Eels

As if Andrew Fifita were an enchanted Frog and Fergo the unwitting princess, getting body kissed in the first tackle of the games seemed to wake Miss Ferguson from his month long Rugby League slumber. Irrespective of the fairytale butchery in my analogy, Blake’s 19 runs for 224 metres and 6 tackle break game is undeniably more like the first-month-Fergo that Eels fans fell madly in love with.

6- Will Smith

Five Eighth, Parramatta Eels

A Gutho HIA admittedly forced Will Smith into fullback inside the first 5 minutes, but said shift doesn’t excuse his frequently awful last tackle kick options. His fullback positioning on what should have been a Townsend try was also straight up dreadful, as was his complete inaction on the Junior Paulo dropped ball. In the interest of fairness, we’ll call it just 1 error due to the aforementioned half time error from the refs; but at the same time I can’t really excuse the 3 missed tackles from his 8 attempts.

7- Mitchell Moses

Halfback, Parramatta Eels

News came this afternoon that Moses has extended with the Eels for another 3 years. In complete contrast to the Gutho contract saga, Mitchell’s negotiations were so top secret that the Australian Federal Police just raided his house. After Moses failed to find touch after a relieving penalty, I suspect a number of Eels fans will be hoping they make an arrest soon. Nonetheless, Moses has the second highest try assist total in the NRL, and his grubber for Sivo’s first half ‘try of hope’ was pin perfect; one of his two try assists tonight, also adding a couple more linebreak assists to his tally. Some of his fifth tackle kick options (one in particular late in the first half which led to a 7 tackle set) were often less than ideal, however. Feel free to debate the merits of Moses and BA’s respective extensions in the comments below, but I’m pretty sure I’m over the discussion already.

8- Kane Evans

Prop, Parramatta Eels

Kane was strangely absent for large parts of the game’s belly, playing a team low 33 minutes tonight (other than Gutho, of course). Yet when he was on the park he played pretty well, carving out 103 metres from his 11 hit ups, and adding 2 tackle breaks, 2 offloads and 18 tackles.

9- Reed Mahoney

Hooker, Parramatta Eels

The NRL is a long, tough grind and Reed Mahoney is starting to look Ivan Cleary tired. His service (115 touches) was again much better than the Round 11 Apocalypse against the Panthers, and his 46 tackle rate (with 4 misses) is inching back towards improvement. The 4 scurries from 20 metres are a nice addition, too. Keep on keeping on, Cash.

10- Junior Paulo

Prop, Parramatta Eels

Despite having the sort of bulk they stock at Costco, Junior’s minutes have been sky high this year. In a reduced 58 minute stint tonight, Junior’s 128 from 15 carries isn’t all that shabby, assuming you ignore his stone cold drop which directly lead to a Sharks’ try. He also had a team high 4 offloads, which were the catalyst for a lot of the Eels successful attacking raids sans Gutho.

11- Shaun Lane

Second Row, Parramatta Eels

A pretty-good-but-not-brilliant game from the Lane Train, with 11 runs, 95 metres, a try assist and 25 tackles without a miss. He wasn’t the problem out there tonight.

12- Manu Ma’u

Second Row, Parramatta Eels

Until the moment Nathan Brown made his way onto PointsBet Stadium tonight, Manu Ma’u was the only good news for Blue & Gold fans. His relentless surging at the Sharks defence led to 84 metres for the good guys (from 9), and 30 tackles of the bad. He also had one of the Eels’ 13 offloads.

There’s an increasing consensus in scientific communities that Manu Ma’u is actually responsible for killing off the dinosaurs.

13- Tepai Moeroa

Lock, Parramatta Eels

14- Peni Terepo

Interchange, Parramatta Eels

Peni Terepo has been the pin up boy for the Eels’ aforementioned inconsistency, but tonight he was alright. His 12 runs, 92 metres, 3 tackle breaks and 21 tackles is passable; but like a bitter ex-girlfriend, I still haven’t forgiven him for his past indiscretions.

 

16- David Gower

Interchange, Parramatta Eels

Not much of a game from our number one half option tonight, with zero kicks, zero try assists and not a single chip and chase.

I can’t imagine BA will be handing him the 6 or 7 jersey again anytime soon.

Before you reply, please read the above comment as it should be, dripping with sarcasm.

17- Marata Niukore

Interchange, Parramatta Eels

Didn’t hate his game again tonight, so that’s a plus.

21- Nathan Brown

Interchange, Parramatta Eels

It feels so good to see his little, round baby face again. An outstanding return from a bloke who hasn’t played since singlet and thong weather; churning out 13 runs, 121 metres, 2 tackle breaks an offload and 23 tackles. Cyborg is more than just a cog in the Eels machine, he is the machine. Welcome back, champ.

A great way to improve your Post Game Grades experience is to simply lower your expectations.

It’s back to Bankwest Stadium next week as we take on the similarly inconsistent Brisbane Broncos.

We’ll see you then, sports fans.

Go you Eels,

Mitch.

http://www.starrpartners.com.au/office/starr-partners-auburn

Photos courtesy of the Parramatta Eels. Stats courtesy of the legends over at Champion Data.

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86 thoughts on “Post Game Grades – Round 13 at Cronulla

  1. Luke

    BA’s loyalty to select players does my head in following this team. W Smith is not a 1st grader let alone a 5/8. Please bring back Salmon & give him some time in 1st grade. Kane went OK but will be dropped this week & Peni & Tepai will still get picked every week. That H1 penalty Tepai gave away attacking the kicker, he was suspended against the Dragons for that garbage & goes & does it again – Seriously dumb. I really wish I could believe that BA has the answers to the inconsistency but its pretty clear he does not. Just another 2 years to go….

  2. The rev aka Snedden

    Really after this rubbish that’s been dished out to us fans we deserve better. No more signing News until they start putting wins back to back. How can Brad only play marata for only 28 minutes. What’s the point in playing someone that is only getting 14 minutes each half. Please I looked at the NRL stat sheet n we should have been alot closer. Instead we got our pants pulled down. Brad Arthur full on your sword your coaching methods are out of date. Lucky for south being understrength otherwise it would have been 5 straight loses. Sorry but brads gotto go no ifs or buts about it. How for the life of me a coach gets his players winning one then losing win one lose one n so on it’s absolutely disgraceful.

      1. The rev aka Snedden

        Even still that’s bad minutes for a backrower that can play 80 minutes. Look we understand your trying to stay positive for Brad but his Times up. Think about this Mitch you think bronco’s sign Bennett if his coaching success rate was 45% you think storm re-sign belly if his was 45% success rate no so for the life of me why do we.

      2. The rev aka Snedden

        Sorry I must of been attending to my 11 day old granddaughter in the time missing

  3. Michael Formosa

    I missed the game and no nothing other than the end score but these grading seems very high for that score line.

      1. Anonymous 1

        What’s unusual about that comment? The team was dogshit, your grades are ridiculous.

        1. mitch Post author

          Ha, no one’s forcing you to read them mate. I just thought it funny that Michael made a call on the validity of the grades without watching the game. Take a breath, Anon.

          1. Michael Formosa

            Ha I got no problem with the grades I’m away for the long weekend and when I checked the score I just expected most of players play shit.

          2. mitch

            All good mate. No worries, just a moment that made me smile after a dreadful performance.

          3. Poppa

            sorry Mitch, but they left you off to easily, your grades were much too high….if the Sharks were serious it would have been a 50 plus scoreline…..on another note I do not think BA can come back from here. He has lost this team, which may not be his fault, but there is no future from hereon. I believe he should resign and save face and we appoint an interim coach and call for noms for next season. The reality is that no decent players are going to want to come here while this basket case of a club keeps presenting in this fashion. I would even advocate someone like Brad Fitler purely on the basis that he may be able to bring some decent players. We are carrying so much deadwood we need to start again!

          4. Rowdy

            Poppa, poppa, poopaa, what a lot of fake news that is mate? If the sharks were serious eh? Playing at home, their favourite son Wade Graham in his comeback match, Matt Moylan comeback in his second game. Charlie Bronson Cherry having a blinder against an injured Josh Hoffman, Josh Dugan having his best game this year without dropping the ball 4 times each half and they have Shaun Johnston coming back to boot. Dugans try before halftime when we had been holding them after a blatant knockon. Taking nothing away from the Sharks but…
            What about if Parra got serious and a little bit of the rub o green? Losing our inspirational Capt Gutho first minute. We would’ve ground out a hard fought win against all the odds. As for no decent players wanting to play under BA. Whadabout Junior, Lane, Ferguson and BA plucks Sivo out of panfers reggies to turn him into an NRL top try scorer. Oh and btw it was no accident that we have all these deadwood coming off contract either. I read yesterday that Waqa Blake was offered a contract by someone else but asked his agent to sees if Parra were interested in him coming over. this season. He wants to play for BA.
            When you dribble your hatred for our coach Poppa? At least do a bit of research first.

          5. Poppa

            Rowdy, sorry old mate, there is no dribbling hate, I have stood by BA for too long and I am afraid he has to go.
            Your comments were at best optimistic at worst delusional……it is soul destroying but needs to be said, getting into debate over it will only stir up more argument and cause more dissention.
            Just for the record and to say it again, there is no hatred for coach, never has been, never will be….just realism to the extent he has come as far as he can on this journey.

  4. Seth hardie

    Where was the team from last week Mitch .Once again no intensity, no mongrel. Our best was a bloke who has been out for 3 months. I don’t know about you but I have had a gut full of 40 odd plus points put on our team. “Z” score for the lot of them and the coaching staff.

    1. mitch Post author

      Dem fighting words, Seth; but I can’t really blame you. Such a weird game, but we’re back to needing some wins, no excuses.

      1. Anonymous 1

        So weird to get pasted week in, week out. Gutless, inept or pathetic would be reasonable alternative descriptors.

  5. Anonymou

    Poor options 5th tackle, missed tackles, ….and we resign our number 7 who is supposed to control the game and lead the team around the park? And for 3 years? Im not sure what the urgency was. And Are there other options after the half first grade team in Wenty got beaten 2 weeks in a row…..doesn’t look encouraging.

  6. The rev aka Snedden

    Sorry TCT family but for the life of me how can Brad see this wlwlwlwl bullshit as standard practice. It’s substanded rubbish. I just looked at some of the stats n NRL leader n our defence is that bad we are coming last with our defence. On smith if I see him in 1st grade anymore or even wear a Eels jumper I’m going to lose my 💩 really. Parra should be telling him his free to look around for a club that will take him. Bring salmon back until brown Jr is back.

    My list of player’s that should stay n list of player’s told to go.

    Stay list.
    Moses =3yrs
    Gutherson =3 yrs
    Nathan brown =3 yrs
    Michael Jennings =2yrs
    Mannah=1 more yr
    Kaufusi stays
    Stone stays
    Salmon stays.

    Go list
    Peni
    Tepia
    Evans
    Brad Arthur
    Smith
    Takarangi
    Hoffman.
    French

    We need to find consistency with a coach n his player’s. Sick to death of watching my side win one lose one win won lose one n so on it’s frustrating the life out of me.
    Surely that Berni gurr can see that we are not getting anywhere with Brad. Sorry sixties no excuses when you compare Brian Smith’s record n brad Arthur’s after 8yrs n Brian’s side of “01” was the avge age of 21. Brad doesn’t even come close to Smith’s record. I can’t believe brads coaching record is just as bad at 45% success rate. If I’m correct Brian Smith’s record was like 63% success rate. Until our team learn to win then they will be the laughing stock of the NRL.

    1. Anonymous 1

      Don’t forget, we could’ve signed Des Hasler last year. You know, premiership winning coach (and player), but we stuck with Brad, because he’s a Parra guy at heart (?!). This team is shit, we’re as far as we’ve ever been away from a premiership for the last 33 years, but thankfully Brad bleeds blue and gold, so it’s sweet.

      1. The rev aka Snedden

        It’s no so much the team is shit but it’s the coach n his coaching methods.
        There so far out of date it’s beyond a joke. Parramatta Eels need to go after Griffen or Jason Taylor or Toovey or Shane Flanagan we need to bring in a coach before Brad re-signs all the current crop of players.

      2. Rowdy

        Oh, DH for coach eh? You mean the bloke who joins a club, is loved by most of his players, pays overs for short term success while knowing what it is doing to the salary cap, encourages cheating and a very poor attitude to integrity and he and his followers justify all that immoral and fraudulent behaiour for “30 pieces of silver” exchanged for a good season and the occasional premiership. No thanks! Oh yes and then leaves the club in tatters for someone else to fix? No Thanks!

        1. Anonymous

          “Encourages cheating and a very poor attitude to integrity” and “justify all that immoral and fraudulent behaviour”? Skating close to slander there, Rowdy. But very interested to know what particular behaviour of Des’s that you’re talking about?

          1. Rowdy

            Anonymous, if you knew anything about coaching Hasler’s career starting at Manly and the evil Bonzo Bob who got him the gig you would know exactly what I’m talking about because all those characteristics were clearly obvious and part of that clubs footy culture at that time. Not to take anything away from the quality of the footy players they had at that time either. Players play, coaches coach them how to play his way. enough said.

  7. Big Derek

    Can’t defend Will Smith at all, how he is picked in an NRL game defines belief, does bog average sound about right.

    Tepai can be so dumb at times and again it showed that you need 3 NRL starting front rowers , and in honesty we have 1. Manly showed again tonight that by recruiting Tapau, Adned Fonua Blake , Sironen , Thompson and Kirosau and adding The other big units they got over the top of NQ. That recruitment was basically done in the past 3 years, seriously we need to have ahad look at how we add players , and how some we have are over rated.

    With Dylan Brown down , it shows we went into the season with no depth at all in the halves, and the opposition just move up quickly and in number on Moses and we have nothing.

    Coaching, recruitment and loyalty to staff and players have hampered this team, and it gets highlighted far too often.

    When Gower holds his own at 5/8 in comparison to others that says a lot, the first up contact for most of the game was sub standard (park footy level) , and when decisions go against the team, some go to water. Until we get our forwards right and mentally adjust better, more of the same.

    Anything more than C , except for Sivo, Junior , N Brown , Jenko and Mau is overs. Don’t ask me for grading system for the coaching staff, they don’t deserve anything.

    1. Anonymous 1

      Spot on. This is a poor team that is dreadfully coached. I’m so glad we resigned our head coach though, there would’ve been so much competition for him that I’m sure he’s on unders now.

  8. Big John

    I would think that BA has a performance clause in his new contract that gives the club the power to remove him if the team finishes outside the 8. He has made a number of decisions that are hard to fathom. As a result, I don’t believe he will be coaching the team next year. With the removal of Salmon and to a lesser extent Kaufusi he has sapped the team of its youthful energy. Instead of actually coaching Salmon to bring his running game to first grade, he sends him back to Wenty where he played centre today and barely saw the ball. I have been a big supporter of BA but I fear he is hopelessly out of his depth.

    1. Billy Jack

      Big John , Bernie would not be smart enough for a coach clause I could only wish. Arthur gets a free Ride in the media never under pressure because of the events of 2016.
      Bernie should also be sacked total failure at the club.
      Arthur said the players need to figure out if they are full time players or part time players. Inspirational leader we have at the helm.

    2. Anonymous 1

      I for one sure hope there’s such a performance clause, because otherwise Bernie is as much as a imbecile of an administrator as every other one that we’ve had over the last decade or so. Arthur is possibly the worst head coach in the modern NRL era – which other coach, with as little to show as BA, has maintained a first grade gig for as many years as he has? His resigning is another example in a sadly long list of utterly perplexing, unjustifiable decisions made by the people who have been administrators of our club.

      1. Billy Jack

        Bernie can’t even secure us a back of jumper sponsor after AMart ditched after 1 season to sign a massive deal with the bombers in AFL. We have tape covering it up like the joke of a club we are. We should use that tape to patch our crappy defence.
        Bernie said we are a sleeping giant a powerhouse club?
        Oh and we play a team in light blue I know let’s wear shitty dark blue instead of gold. Bernie is fraud.

        1. Poppa

          Looks like a few one eyed eel refugees have infiltrated the site.
          I am as critical as anyone but I am not going to be personal against BA, I believe he is hurting more than any of us.
          The reality is it is not good enough and I believe it is in his best interests to resign and retain as much dignity as possible.
          Bernie becomes a fraud because the back of jersey sponsor and a shade of blue…..not hard to guess the mentality of the poster.
          If it is who I suspect he has had an agenda against Bernie because he dared challenge him and Bernie wiped him like the dirty arse he is!

    3. Big John

      Prediction: If K Flanagan goes to the Roosters as is widely reported. Salmon will be back to the Sharks by June 30 next year to be coached by a coach who sticks with his Rookies in spite of their mistakes. Let’s not forget that the Sharks were behind the Eels on the ladder several weeks ago, but Morris didn’t even think of dropping his Rookies. BA has taken the team backwards in that time – literally.

  9. Shelley

    Sorry but can not agree with Kane Evans. I never ever want to see him in a Parra jumper again, I just knew last week was a fluke. I don’t care if he is on a decent contract. Pay someone to take him to free up the spot in the top 30 which will allow us to get or promote an actual centre, not a makeshift one but a proper one who can tackle. In a game when we had a 3 man bench effectively for the entire game, including a man coming back from a 3 month injury he played just over 30 minutes. Shameful, how he could possibly look Nathan Brown in the eye after his performance tonight is beyond me. Some will blame BA for Evans time on the field but in all honesty he only got back on because BA did not want to risk Brown late in the game. When the game was on early he avoided running and made so many ineffective tackles. About half his metres came in the last 15 minutes running out wide when the Sharks had the tough forwards like Fafita, Gallen and Prior on the bench, the same ones he avoided running at early. I blame him for this game but I will blame BA if Evans is picked over Kaufusi or Mannah next week.

    Mitch had a rampaging Fafita running at him all night because we had no line speed from the inside. He put his body on the line with very little help.

    I have not always been a Moses fan and irrational Parra fans and Greg Alexander will blame Mitch Moses for tonight and to be fair his kicking game was terrible at times but he had Will Smith, a likeable player but so indecisive in both attack and defence at fullback, Gower at 5/8th and Reed who had a forgettable game in attack. We saw tonight how important Gutho is to our attack and defensive organisation and we also saw why BA feels the need to have 4 forwards on the bench but the risk it creates is immense. Replace Tepai with Brown. Evans with either Kaufusi or Mannah and until Dylan is back put Smith/ Salmon at 5/8th and the other on the bench to cover for an outside back or an injury to Reed.

    I am glad Tepai will miss a few games because that was a terrible tackle which could have caused a serious long term injury and to be honest I am over his tendency to give away stupid dumb penalties on the 5th tackle after a good defensive set for us. It is becoming all too regular to be a mistake. It is dumb, ill disciplined play and I don’t want those type of players in my team anymore.

    A lot came from tonight’s game. The players we are or should keep kept going and had a real dig and the ones we need to say goodbye to put another nail in the coffin by making mistakes or simply doing nothing when the game was on. I think they are the ones BA called part time footballers in the post match press conference. It is good to see some honesty and BA not hiding behind referee mistakes. Thank god we have the ability to change our top 30 next year. If people who watched tonight think the result came down to Mitch Moses they don’t know footy very well.

    Biggest bonus, Brown got through the game without injury. He has been missed.

    1. Rowdy

      I can’t argue with a lot of what you’ve said here Shelley, but the bagging you’ve given Evans says you were watching a different game to me or you just don’t like him? Evans took the ball up strong for his first stint first half and made good yards as well as getting our first second phase ball to a support AFTER hitting the line. He was great support for Junior for the first 20 minutes imo. I didn’t see him miss many tackles either at least no more than anyone else.
      When Junior came back on and was followed by Evans in the last 20 minutes they made the middle their own and some of Evans work was better than any other forward on the paddock. Not surprisingly that gave MM some forward momentum to run off the back of and we scored 3 very good tries.
      Finally, I went to Henson Park to watch our reserve grade play like reserve graders, sadly. Mannah and Kaufusi would not get back to first grade on either of their efforts in the last two weeks. Salesi and his monster mate Stephano looked the goods today and will develop into good nrl players as will Oregan I believe.

      1. DDay

        Rowdy I similarly went to Henson and was disappointed to see a modest attempt by Wenty. Fainga’a was good, Kaufusi, Alvaro, Parry & Taipari were solid but no-one stood out and demanded an immediate promotion to NRL. Having said that, surely time to invest in NRL game time for the rookies Oregon, Salmon and maybe Stone

    2. mitch Post author

      Like Rowdy, I can’t understand your Evans hate; thought he was one of the more serviceable players in an otherwise average game.

      1. Poppa

        Actually I support Shelley’s view and statistics do lie, its all about effort and not opportunity when you play in the front row. Evans played where he was comfortable and that made him look ok, but when the grind was on, Kane did not want to know about it. Her observations on Moses was spot on, at one stage he was defending inside the winger because nobody else was there, then he followed through on a kick, made the tackle and looked for a marker and there was not a soul within 10 metres.
        Moses touched the ball in just about every play, literally had no support till Nathan Brown came on and gave him some cover. He was on the line defending against Fifita, where were our forwards. Tep was lying in the ruck after every tackle he completed and never once looked for an offload as he ran it back.
        It was a performance that should leave the coach lamenting, but if he wants to be critical of these part time footballers, drop them now.

    3. Glenn

      I completely sympathise with your comments Shelley but don’t hold your breath waiting for the deadwood to go. The deadwood in our coaching staff also need culling, starting with BA, but again I fear we have 2 plus years of this rubbish to continue. Of the 14(?) players yet to be signed I hope we sign none of them and attempt to start with a fresh slate.

      Oh well, one can only hope. That’s all us Parra supporters have as our dreams have been shattered by years of inept performances.

      1. Rowdy

        Speak for yourself Glenn. I’m glad I support my team, rain hail or shine as my parents would say. I like them have brought my kids and now grand-kids to be team members and therefore team supporters. It’s not good enough to participate in sport as a player or a fan if you can’t accept defeat graciously and victory with humility after the heat and exhilaration of celebration have subsided. I find it interesting that people who continually degrade and abuse their team actually believe they are “fans”? That’s an oxymoron my friend!

  10. BDon

    Fair grades Mitch, and that game sent my head a bit random. The Sharks seemed to control the tackled player, we weren’t as good, The Sharks seemed to have an organised line, with great line speed in red zones at each end, we weren’t as good.
    They had quick wide shifts after midfield surges/quick play the balls, we weren’t as good. To our credit, we counterpunched in the first half off the back of good completions(but poor final plays).
    This is in no way a whinge about losing. When are the refs ever going to crack down on 10 mtr infringement. You hear them still calling ‘hold’ when blokes are already 2 steps gone. The pocket refs never seem to be looking sideways, they watch the defenders retreating then their eyes go to the play the ball. Teams are exploiting the hell out of it and winning games through the pressure it creates. You just push it and challenge the ref, one or two penalties don’t stop it, and they’ll probably get demoted if they blow too much. It’s a case of don’t do it and you’re a loser.

    1. BDon

      Ben Cummins must have read this, he blew more 10 mtr penalties today(Penrith v Roosters) than most teams have had in a month.

        1. Alan Sutton

          The goal line defence penalties are now almost non existent – hardly any defender has one foot on the line and in particular the defenders out wide and as a result the ball has to be turned inwards to the forwards. The really smart attacking teams are making a switch by pretending to go one way and then passing the other way or have a good kicking player thru the line – Maloney showed how to do it on the weekend.

  11. West Coast Eel

    What a disappointment, but honestly I had us no chance of winning tonight. Unfortunately as Parra fans you just know how some games are going to pan out. Sharks at shark park – nope! There was, however some good signs. We got back into the game just before half time. We actually looked quite good for a bit there late in the first half. But, man, our defense…. shocking. We had some shit calls go against us and the side can’t rebound from that. They aren’t mentally strong enough. Moses cops a lot of flack, but he needs a decent 6 next to him. I’m a sucker for punishment, so I’ll be cheering the boys on again next week.

    1. Anonymous 1

      There weren’t good signs. We didn’t totally capitulate to let the opposition put on 60+ (no given this season apparently), but that’s the only way you could say there were any good signs. We are a dreadfully coached, pissweak rabble. I’ve been a supporter 30+ years, and I’m starting to feel like an enabler. It simply isn’t good enough to churn out these sorts of performances, much less as the norm. But here we are, waiting for Arthur’s contract to expire (the one we renewed a month ago), so that we can hopefully have a coach who has a vague clue of how to coach first grade rugby league. I sincerely don’t remember feeling as dejected as a Parra as I have the last few weeks. There is no way forward, and no evidence of progressing things in the short therm. I’m really glad that we resigned Moses though, there’d have been a lot of clubs breaking their necks to sign such a seasoned, trusted, reliable, successful player.

    2. The rev aka Snedden

      I agree west coast Eel Moses needs a solid 5\8 with a good kicking and running game. Everyone knows when it’s the last Moses gets the ball

    3. John Eel Anonymous

      West Coast Eel I do not know if you are interested but I have a ticket for the SOO in Perth.

      I do not want to put my phone number on here but Sixties might be able to give you my Email address

      1. West Coast Eel

        Thanks mate, but I’ve already got tickets. Got them as soon as they went on sale. Can’t wait!

        1. John Eel Anonymous

          All good. Hope you enjoy the game. My son brought me a ticket ($360?) but I am unable to get over there,

  12. Anonymous 1

    I enjoyed this tweet (which the TCT twitter account unironically liked too) – “As usual a pretty good read. TCT has an uncanny knack of finding positivity where there is none and locks me in, a Parramatta Eels fan for one more week, at least.” Of course, the flip side might be that TCT has an uncanny knack of being extremely forgiving of a coach who doesn’t know what he’s doing and gives no sign of ever being up to first grade standard, but who gives access to training and the like, which engenders a ridiculously biased, lenient approach. If TCT has any standards or integrity, they’d probably not find any good in this performance (and, frankly, there wasn’t any). But to each their own.

    1. Jammer

      Mitch and Craig have dinner with Brad Arthur every Wednesday so they can’t be to critical otherwise there steaks will be overcooked.

      1. mitch Post author

        Ha, Sixties did send me a message this morning and asked if I was still good for dinner at BA’s this Wednesday. Both that message and this comment did sincerely make me laugh out loud, so well played.

        1. Jammer

          Enjoy dinner Mitch , if it’s not to much trouble can you give B.A. Some coaching tips.
          Good luck with the steaks.

    2. mitch Post author

      I haven’t attended training in over a year mate, and I haven’t spoken to BA since 2017.

      The truth is, I’m just a supporter who sees it differently to you. Imagine that.

  13. Rowdy

    G’day Mitch, thanks for the stimulating post game grades champ. I can’t disagree with you on any of them really. Well, not with any conviction anyway. What am I doing up at this time anyway? I am a busy man maybe that’s got something to do with it, maybe not?
    Goodnight mate, it’ll all look better tomorrow morning. We were well beaten by a side who were better than us tonight. As you said our last 20 mins of the second half was rewarded with 3 very well constructed tries gives us hope for next week. I thought Gowie played better at 5?8 than Will Smith has in 3 or 4 games. I wonder how he would go there with 2 or 3 training sessions as a stop gap until Brown the younger is ready?

    1. mitch Post author

      Mate, these crap performances hurt; but I’m still keen to be here next week. Re Gower, a meat raffle prize in a jersey would be better than Will Smith at this stage, but imagine the reaction from the fanbase if BA legitimately put Gower in at 6. I’d be ducking for cover.

      1. TolEelts

        Hi Mitch, do you have any news when, if ever, Dylan Brown will be back? Tepai I reckon is mentally and physically fatigue or still having some effects of his multiple concussions. I hope he is rested for several weeks to recover for his own welfare.

      2. Rowdy

        I’d be cheering it on as an inspirational innovation! 😉
        It couldn’t be any worse than BF’s call to recycle Cleary as a game managing half, when cleary. (pun intended) He isn’t! Even at his own club. If he wanted to play one of the incumbents and give Cody Walker a chance to shine as a running 5/8? Then Maloney was and is the man.

  14. One Putt Pete

    Thanks Mitch for an accurate review and Sivo summary.
    I continue to be amazed how some of our team of our team forget to turn up on the day. It is a privilege to play for the Blue and Gold not your right because you have a contract. Please turn up to play for 80 minutes.

  15. The rev aka Snedden

    I just saw the interview after the Game. Was I shocked by his comments yes. Hears why.
    He lables the player’s part-time. After hearing that I stopped n thought 🤔 you signed n re-signed these players n you Wana call them part-time player’s. All this coming from a part-time coach. Some of the players playing with Parramatta Eels have more success then the coach n big game experience. Player’s like Michael Jennings, Blake Ferguson. Brad needs to fix his part-time methods before he can slam the player’s. Not once have I heard Brad take blame for his coaching tactics his always passing the buck.

    Sorry but the rev has had enough of our coach who signs a coach with a success rate of 45% what was the club thinking. I’m not giving up on the boy’s just the coach. Brad don’t think your safe for 1 minute remember the dogs sacked see only 2 months after re signing him.

    1. Jammer

      The presser was strange. B.A. Also said he does not want to drop players because it wrecks combinations. Why would any player be worried about being dropped.
      B.A. Is sounding dumber and dumber every week actually he seems like he is under more pressure since getting a new contract.
      I’d say most players are over Arthur but since they are off contract that’s a good excuse.
      The board need to look for a coach for 2020 and respectfully sack him after this season.
      The team needs a new voice and dare I say a actual game plan worst defence in comp says it all really.

      1. Big Derek

        Somthing that continues to confound me is that with the defence issues being apparent, the defncecoach was extended. How did the 2 assistant coaches get another gig is nowhere near sensible. Potter came in this year, so escapes criticism as his role is not defence or attack .
        Last years recruitment was good, but we are paying for loyalty to staff and players , and previously not targeting hard heads and leaders .
        The same players are making the same mistakes and their first up contact is soft, if they dont train that way and they play differently, goodbye. Decisions need to be aggressive from this point on, it should not be allowed to continue.

        1. MR.Gibson

          From what ive seen of B.A. he loves attacking plays but spends no defence. Ricky Stuart who i aint a fan of said all of the pre season the raiders just defended and defended worked on defence didnt care about anything else.
          6 years in and B.A. still does not worry about defence after all didnt he say in the presser that you just have to tackle hard? Hate to say it but he does sound like a minor league bush coach.

  16. Clive

    What an embarrassing rabble this mob are.
    Iv always liked BA but I am unfortunately coming to the realisation that he’s not up to it. You can’t go into games with four forwards on the bench if none of them have any genuine playmaking ability. Maybe if we had someone like Ryan Matterson(another that got away😢) on the bench but not the current rotation.
    Now that the club have put all their eggs in the Moses basket they need to bite the bullet and spend big on forwards. He’s been perfectly described here as a flat track bully so we need a pack that can bully the opposition. Plodders like Moroea, Alvaro and Terepo wont cut it anymore. They need guys like Lodge, Taupua etc who can help Junior.

    I also think they need to bring in a General manager of Football who can actually help the coach. Brian Smith, Sheens or even Toovey would do. We can’t sack BA but we can turn him into an assistant which appears to be his limit.

    Gee I’m glad I didn’t renew my season ticket for the first time in 15 years because they are like watching a car crash.

    1. Poppa

      If you had seen Ryan Matterson play his last two years here, you could not have given him away. A better critique would be to ask him what he found different once he left Parra…..I would love to know!

      1. Rowdy

        He told me that he was glad to get away from that hypocrite old fool Poppa, but he misses the real fans who support the team when going through tough times. Actually it was his Dad that told me when Ryan was out injured just before he left for the Roosters. To be fair, he didn’t specifically use your name but the description he gave sounded just like you and a few of your hateful mates that you’ve brought over here from the other site Poppa.

  17. TolEelts

    Don’t you think the players no longer agrees with what BA is doing- his player selections, game plan, training methods , etc. BA in his presser said they do well in training but is sh_t in actual games. He said If something went bad, they panicked. Are they still playing for him? Also, we only have 1 last tackle kicker option. It makes it easier for the opposition. Further, Moses is not protected when dong his kicks. Sad to say, but we are again sliding down. But still, I still love the Eels.

    1. Anonymous

      Have always been a BA supporter, and think we needed to get off the coach turnover merry go round But coaching by definition implies learning, adjusting, improving ……..just not happening here unfortunately. I’m not even sure what Brad’s philosophy on coaching is, yet if you asked me what other coaches such as Bellamy, Green, Robinson etc thought I could have a fair crack. I am not trying to be rude, but maybe Brad needs some support from someone with real footie smarts (coach whisperer style) in the background helping him.

      My other concern is that I was under the impression that the end of 2018 review of the team and club determined that we would be a “development club” and our focus would be in bringing through and developing our own talent. Was this not what we were told?

  18. Anonymous

    Not sure where you get your stats from.?

    But if you check NRL.COM you will see players missed tackles and ineffective tackles are actually higher than you state.

    For a NRL team this is not acceptable.

    Mosses just resigned on a multi million dollar deal and you are making excuses for him.
    Will smith is absolutely terrible.
    Mahoney week in week out misses way to many tackles for a middle player or ineffective

    Hoffman – 7 missed – 4 ineffective
    Mosses – 9 missed
    Mahoney – 8 missed – 3 ineffective
    Manu – 7 missed
    Smith – 3 missed
    Fergo – 4 missed

    1. mitch Post author

      As written at the bottom of the article: “Photos courtesy of the Parramatta Eels. Stats courtesy of the legends over at Champion Data.”

  19. pete

    Thanks Mitch,
    Another poor Defenceive performance by the team. We had a good game last week against a depleted South’s. This weeks Sharks tip sheet read;
    ” Sharks Big guys run at Eels small guys” and “Sharks players just tackle and compete harder than Eels players on every tackle”. Sharks simple game plan highlights our lack of resilience and soft underbelly.
    Our defence is pathetic and embarrassing! Surely, given the club’s signing of BA for 2 years (instead of 1). Kidwell needs to be given the sack to show some accountability and get BA an assistant that can improve defence…. we have the worst defence in the comp something has to change!
    Further more we keep re-signing people and then lose the game.

    1. !0 Year Member

      Kidwell turned the NZ team into a basket case and we then sign him. Say’s it all really. Put you money on bottom quarter table finish for the rest of BA tenure, unless DB saves him.

  20. Shane

    Good read Mitch and can see the pain in your words. Grading mostly fine though a couple were more generous than they deserve. Just watched the replay and thought the forwards actually held their own except for all the miss tackles. What I believe was the difference was the structure or game plan we had was old school and not NRL level which lies totally on the coaching staff and the organizing of our attack and last kick option which lies at the feet of our dominant half. Unfortunately we re signed both coach and Mosses so can not see any of the problems being fixed for a long time yet.

    1. Rowdy

      G’day Shane, I can easily see your pain coming over the top of the potential of our real forward strength. They did the same against a very strong souffs pack last week.
      In regards, to structure/game plan we could be also glass half full mate because the lack of a real 5/8 and the loss of Gutho both contributed to our lack of cohesion in attack until late in each half. Without using it as an excuse that terribly bad call on the knock-on one ruck prior to their seconds before halftime would have been devastating when followed by a try. Late in the second half when both front rowers returned to give us structure through go forward Moses was brilliant and ignited our backline to score 3 excellent tries.
      Cheer up mate, BA has a plan which includes a lot of new recruits and the elevation of at least 3 or 4 terrific young juniors coming thru too.

  21. Jonboy

    (Un)fortunately I was only able to watch the first half on my phone and then saw the full time score later in the evening. Really disappointing game.

    BA clearly laying down the gauntlet to the many who are off contract with his part time players comments on top of the earlier soft comments. My concern with this is the motivational outcome? In my experience it works for the minority and not the masses.

    While I refuse to join those who are calling for BA’s head, i am starting to question the abilities of those who are meant to be assisting. BA isn’t putting game plans together in isolation? BA obviously has the final say but it’s a collective making team selection decisions also!

    The “development club” statement is for me where the rubber now needs to hit the road. June 30 is approaching rapidly and I’m sure even the most optimistic of us has to admit that a Top 8 finish is possible, but we are not contenders this year. With Dylan Brown’a return imminent we have to demand the young brigade start seeing more NRL game time.

    Salmon to the centres for Hoff who I know has been pretty good of late but isn’t a long term prospect.

    Kafusi to start for Evans who again has been “okay” at times but also but is probably not viewed as much more than a fringe player.

    MJennings…surely an extension for him is only going to be 1, maybe 2 years at best and surely he is Staring down the barrel of a hefty pay cut? Personally, I’m starting to ask if Ethan Parry is ready to build a combination with Salmon?

    Stefano and Salesi…ready?

    I can’t recall the last time I threw up a team list but something like this has me feeling good.

    1- Gutho
    2- Sivo
    3- Salmon
    4- Parry
    5- Fergo
    6- DBrown
    7- Moses
    8- Junior
    9- Reed
    10- Kafusi
    11- Manu Ma’u
    12- Lane
    13- NBrown

    14- Salesi
    15- Niukore
    16- Mannah
    17- Stone

  22. Terry

    Coach BA if it’s true what they say, that your a Parra boy, that you bleed blue and gold, that you want what’s best for Parra….do us all a favour and leave please. Things are only going to get messy, they aren’t responding to your coaching, and you haven’t improved.

  23. Milo

    I’m not going to criticise the ratings as it makes no difference. I just want the team to play for 80, and do those small things well.
    Every team has injuries and the like but we have been poor for half the season.
    I keep coming back to defence. It’s half the game and if we sort this we will be much better.
    If BA sees some young guys at wenty as the future then they need to be given a go at the end of June.
    I’m concerned abt the recruitment for 2020 and beyond and I respect the club keeps it hush – I hope we look at a mix of exp and youth to come in. I want guys who tackle d simple things well.
    Lane, Paulo, Sivo have all been good thus far; but we need to move on several or so from last nights squad.
    I also think our defence needs some attention- maybe it’s technique/ or coaching.
    The people who mentioned Hasler, he did well at Canterbury until the contracts blew up….let’s see manly in 12 months.

    1. Jonboy

      I agree Milo

      Forget the spotlight on BA. The blow torch has to be on Mark O’Neil as the linchpin for recruitment and retention. I’m sure BA has certain “desires “ when it comes to player profiles and positions and it’s up to Mark to find them and bring them. Developing talent takes time and having the right talent at the right time is a lottery so recruitment and retention will be equally as important as any coaching matters.

      1. Jonboy

        Forgot to add, much has been made about the number of players we have off contract this year but there’s actually a few with similar numbers. Having said that, I don’t actually see that there’s much that would be worth chasing too hard.

    2. Poppa

      Young guys get lost in Reserve Grade, unless they are actually reserve grade level. These young guys like Parry, Stephano Utoikamanu and Salisi Fainga need to start in the NRL post 30/6 and we need to back them to see where they stand by the season end.

      Dylan Brown could be playing reserve grade and you may not notice him because the support is not good enough……I think that is what is happening with Moses. No one seems to chase the kicks, every move is telegraphed because we have no options.

      BA’s last chance is with these fella’s and what is happening at training?
      Where’s the discipline coach, the wrestling coach….take them back to a pre season mentality!

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