The Cumberland Throw

Eels Early Pre-Season Report Card – With Team List Predictions

We’ve now completed the pre-Christmas component of the preseason and things are just beginning to take shape. The return of Michael Jennings and Clint Gutherson to training in the last week or so means that the currently contracted players are all finally back on deck.

This staggered appearance of the squad has been the result of a busy post season representative schedule, something that supporters will have to accept if the club continues to enjoy more successful campaigns.

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

When the players return to training in early January, there’ll still be significant conditioning for the first month, and though it will remain a very important aspect of training into February and then the season proper, I expect to see a greater emphasis on footy. Combinations will be honed, and the full team opposed sessions that were not possible during most of the pre-Christmas period will feature more frequently.

A quick note on my reports is worthwhile before we dig any deeper.

The training reports on TCT will rarely mention players in rehab. This is because most of the players will, at some stage, spend very short periods of time out of the main group for conditioning purposes. Minor niggles are a part of any physical training, and players might need to have kilometres put into them in individual programs – eg on bikes, on rowing machines or on specific running courses under the watchful eyes of trainers and physios.

If players are returning from significant injury or surgery, reporting on this is the domain of the club. If the club or the player has documented a current injury, I might then refer to their return via rehab.

And so to a quick assessment of where some players are at, and after taking the crystal ball out of storage, there’ll be a prediction or two about individuals and likely teams.

 

The Younger Brigade

Hollis with BA.

As can be noted in photos, Dave Hollis and Sam Hughes are massive units. When you see these young blokes training amongst NRL professionals, it’s easy to forget that they were part of the SG Ball team in 2019. As such, this is their first full time preseason, as it is for Johnny Fonua and Harry Duggan, and all have impressed with their capacity to meet the conditioning demands.

Kyle Schneider is in his second NRL preseason, and has physically transformed over the past twelve months. Ten to twelve kilos have been added to his frame, but he’s still pushing into the top five in the more demanding conditioning tasks.

Schneider fires out a pass.

I’m expecting Kyle to start in what should be an incredibly impressive Flegg pack. With a front row of Hollis, Schneider and Hughes, a back row of Tasipale and Clements, and Duggan at lock, coach Dean Feeney has a terrific engine room to work with. Others such as Tepu-Smith, Colovatti, Betham-Misa, Tohi, Mataele and Small might also push their claims (to be fair, I’m probably not giving recognition to everyone who’s earned a shot) but to have full time squad members available will be a huge benefit.

Throw in a back line that’s likely to see Arthur, Murray, Loizou, Nohra, Komolafe, Russell, Naiduki, Tuimavave-Gerrard, Tuipulotu, Penisini, Tuigamala and Chappell all aiming for spots, and Eels supporters will have some future talent to cast the eye over in the four rounds at Bankwest that will be staging three grades of football.

Will any of the younger full time brigade push into Canterbury Cup during 2020?

We are most likely to see this in the back half of the season when the club starts considering those worthy of full time or development contracts for the following season. From a talent and physicality perspective, it’s most likely that the four members of the preseason squad – Hollis, Hughes, Schneider and Duggan will fall into this category.

 

Canterbury Cup Predictions and NRL Debuts

I shan’t be examining the second tier contracted players today. I’ve seen a few of them at Cup training, but for this post I’ll focus on the full time squad.

The Reggie’s team should regularly include Fonua, Dunster, Parry, George Jennings, Smith, Salmon, Lamb, and Davies* in the backs. The pack is likely to feature Kaufusi, Stone*, Utoikamanu, Gower, Davey and Terepo. (* could come under consideration for the dummy half role or for the 14 jersey in NRL).

Smith, Dunster and Parry.

I’ll predict both Davies and Davey to be next to make a top grade debut. Davies is currently on a Development deal, so that would need to be upgraded. Similarly, I would be comfortable listing Utoikamanu, though he also is a Development player and would need an upgrade to debut before June 30.

Were an injury to occur in the NRL outside backs, Parry might get another call up. If the injury occurred in the halves or centres, Salmon is ready to step into the mix. There could also be a reshuffle, with the versatility of Takairangi and Matterson covering those positions.

 

NRL Team List

I don’t think we’ll see too many surprises, so I’m prepared to nominate a starting 13 even at this early stage.

Gutho, Sivo, Jenko, Blake, Fergo, D Brown, Moses, Paulo, Mahoney, RCG, Matto, Lane, N Brown. That seems fairly straight forward. Last season’s regular starters have already looked the goods at training, leaving little doubt that it’s up to others to do something special to force a change.

Matto

Matterson will be a huge addition on the right, and his combination with Moses could even be more lethal than Manu Ma’u. RCG has had no issues settling in and I’ve been impressed with the directness of his runs during opposed sessions.

Most of the bench takes care of itself – Polar, Niukore and Evans. Niukore and Evans both created impact in the middle in 2019 and Alvaro is back to his mobile best.

The 14 jersey becomes the most contentious. Takairangi could land this, or he could even push Evans out. The Cook Islands and Kiwi international can cover for the forwards and backs off the bench and has proven this versatility in the past. He might even start the year in the centres, depending on the date of Blake’s return from injury.

Stone and Davies could also come into calculations. Arthur has demonstrated that he prefers to rest Mahoney if possible during games, and has used Gutherson on either side of half time. However, this is not ideal as it weakens the fullback role.

So at this stage, I’ll nominate a team list Tuesday 21 players

Team: Gutherson, Sivo, M. Jennings, Blake, Ferguson, D Brown, Moses, Paulo, Mahoney, Campbell-Gillard, Matterson, Lane, N Brown.

Interchange: Takairangi, Alvaro, Niukore, Evans, Stone, Kaufusi, Davey, Davies


The Surprise Packets

Davies

Currently, the front runner in this category is Rhys Davies. The former part-timer has rocketed into calculations with fitness levels that have pushed Gutherson to find another gear.

Pitched against Davies in the battle for 14, Ray Stone has also surprised on the training track. The tough as nails forward looks to have found a couple of yards in pace, and his passing game looks far more natural than in previous seasons. But don’t worry, attackers will still feel the sting in his shots.

Next cab off the rank is Andrew Davey. This Queenslander could well be the next David Gower.

Don’t get me wrong, Gowie will have himself in peak condition for when he’s called on – and you just know that will likely happen. But he will also have a mentor role with the young forwards at Cup level, and that could yet be his greatest value in 2020.

Now in his second full time preseason, 28 year old Davey finally looks to be on the verge of an NRL debut. Regarded as one of the better players in the Q Cup to not have played NRL, the 195cm tall back rower has maturity and leadership qualities on his side – unique assets for someone lacking top grade experience. He has the size to also play as a middle forward and may just get the call up ahead of Gower.

Oregon Kaufusi striding out

Finally, I’m going to include Oregon Kaufusi in this category. Oregon possibly weighed in a little heavier than his ideal weight in 2019, but he still impressed in his top grade appearances. This year, the young prop looks somewhat “cut” – and let’s use this image from training to explain that description.

 

Having just extended his contract with the Eels, Oggy seems destined to feature in the NRL this season. I believe he would have jumped Peni Terepo in the pecking order, so he’s potentially next cab off the rank as a middle forward when injury strikes.

 

Preseason training should resume around January 6.

Thanks go to the sponsor of these posts – Starr Partners Real Estate, and to the thousands of Eels supporters who regularly read the reports. I especially appreciate those who take the time to add a reply. Your contributions are a huge part of the respect that TCT has earned over the last four years.

 

Bring on 2020.

 

Eels forever!

 

Sixties

 

 

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70 thoughts on “Eels Early Pre-Season Report Card – With Team List Predictions

  1. Jpe Briffa

    Well that was great i never miss these reports i have to say that i consider this one to be up there with one of your best, look forward to your next one already. great to read about young Kyle you know how long i have been following his progress. Chris sorry to hear about your loss please accept my condolences hope we can catch up soon

  2. BDon

    Looks a strong NRL squad, if we’re lucky enough to avoid a high injury toll and Evans doesn’t play too rough, we might be sniffing around top 4.
    Have a great Xmas and 2020 sixties & co at TCT. Thanks a ton for keeping us informed and entertained all year round.
    In your relax time over the festive season have a look at Ringo – YouTube Ringo Starr Robbie Robertson The Weight. The Eels and The Beatles seem to be your fix, you might enjoy this recent cameo.

    1. sixties Post author

      You’ve nailed me down there BDon. Parra and the Beatles – you can imagine how much I enjoyed see McCartney at Parra Stadium! Worlds colliding in the most amazing way. Throw in 60s rock and Aussie 80s pub bands and I’m in my element.

          1. Parramatta Tragic

            JOK was the entertainment at the 1976 Grand Final and has never been topped for GF entertainment. I thought the crowd was a bit enthusiastic drowning him out with chanting “we want Parra….we want Parra”. What a day. If only Higgs had seen Price coming up on the inside…sigh….

        1. BDon

          George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan all agreed with you on this one PT. They reckoned when Roy sang in Travelling Wilbury sessions, he was the man.

          1. Parramatta Tragic

            Have a Google of the list of Roy’s band during this “Black and White night” concert BDon. It’s a who’s who of the industry and I don’t think we’ve seen the likes of it since. Towards the end of his career, the greats of the industry suddenly realised how good he was, as well as writing all of his own songs. We all like to sing along in our cars with our favourite bands/singers but I can’t keep up with Roy’s octave range. I can sing along with Pavarotti and Lanza but not Roy
            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jjhWpYs1Rs

          2. sixties

            PT, the thing about artists of his era, is that they were pioneers. There music was original, their style. For many who were also songwriters, it was the beginning of songwriters performing their own songs rather than working for publishing companies.

  3. Anonymous

    Very informative update and enjoyed your views on the younger brigade & team selections.
    Enjoy your Xmas sixties & the TCT team

    1. sixties Post author

      Thanks Anon. We place great importance on the younger brigade here -as well as the staff who give up so much of their time in our pathways. There’s plenty of unheralded people there.
      It’s been a full on year for me in many respects – it will be a much appreciated break.

  4. Colin Hussey

    Great Finale’ for the year sixties and I would suggest most are like me and that is impatient for season 2020. I really have enjoyed the training reports, but this one just seems to gell the talent and makes for a season of anticipation with the very strong hope that we will go much better next year as a team, also to go higher in the match stakes as well.

    Looking forward to seeing new faces in the games and hopefully a fair shake from the men with whistles.

    All the best for Christmas to all at TCT and followers and for the great New year ahead.

    1. sixties

      Thanks Colin. I really appreciate all of your detailed replies throughout the year – they’ve generated plenty of discussions on the posts.

  5. Hamsammich

    Interesting you see RCG starting over Evans. I thought in the middle of 2019 right through to the end Evans had done more than enough to be one of the starting props in 2020. RCG won the inaugural “interchange player of the year” at the Dally M awards in 2017.

  6. Mark Camman

    Thanks for the great report as usual Sixties
    I live on the Sunshine Coast in SE Qld and want rh o come down to Sydney next year to watch a couple of games at Bankwest. Can you please give me the details/dates of the 4 games where all 3 grades will be playing at Bsnkwest
    Cheers

  7. Milo

    thanks sixties. I will respectfully debate the Taka one with you one day soon. I cannot put him ahead of others in the pack, but can see him as a centre if needed. Kaufusi for me must be on the bench. He is the future and could push Peni and Evans out.
    Davey would be good to get a spot too and this is where i have an issue with Taka being a second row. I know he is tall etc but for me his defence needs a bit of work and i see other natural forwards in front.
    Interesting about Davies and his training. Good competition. Is there anything around about another hooker to come in?
    Merry Christmas to all….drink responsibly and double demerits….
    This is a Great read and i looks fwd to seeing Flegg play.

    1. sixties

      Cheers Milo. Looking forward to that debate. I believe that Davies and Stone will be the options behind Reed for now.

  8. John Eel

    Sixties another great read with great analysis. You and your family have a great Christmas and enjoy a little break. I see a big season coming up in 2020.

    I see a big season coming up with the great work done by Joey I see our spine rising to the next level.

    I think MM and Matto will build a combination that will prove most fruitful for the Eels. I can see this becoming a great partnership

    I am also hoping to see Ray Stone get a crack in the 14 jersey. He won’t let anyone down. He can fill in for Reed while he is rested and spend some time in the back row to earn his keep

    1. sixties

      Thanks John. My best to you and your family too. I agree with you re Matto and Moses and I’ve always been a big fan of Stone.
      I didn’t touch on the coaching because that’s worthy of a post on its own. But I’m just glad to be able to watch Joey at work.

  9. Paul taylor

    Hi mate

    Enjoyed that update . Thank you as Alwayx for providing the best update on the team possible, I have a few question marks about the team . A 2017-18 version of RCG would be fantastic. But I found after his two jaw breaks . He changed his running style , instead of coming off the back fence running style he began to turn his body and would often back into the defence . We need him charging. He will be enormous for us if he fires.

    Finally ? Are we up to 27 or 28 players now ? Surely Brock lamb is ahead of Davies ? How is Sivo looking ? I know BA said a number of times last season that he felt Sivo would go to another level with a good Pre season ?

    Thoughts mate ?
    Finally thank you for a great year and merry Christmas to your family and I hope 2020 is a great year .,,

    1. Colin Hussey

      Paul, something to consider re RCG and the way he turns his back into the defence is that he is less likely to be tackled at the point of contact by the defence. He’s not the only prop who does it either, Klemmer is very much the same but both do not do it every run either.

      The primary reason is not to do with his jaw though, its more the aspect that by twisting around and going backwards to go forward he is able to use his legs in a much stronger way with gaining more ground with the leg drive than simply running into the opposition defence.

      Mannah was another player who had strong leg drive and often ran the same way with back to the defence, but he had very strong forward running leg drive as well. With the back to the defence the attacking player if his arms are not locked up is also able to get a pass away while having 3 or more defenders trying to stop him, that gives our attack a bit more momentum. I would also suggest that most if not all the other clubs have players that are the same in running styles.

      1. Milo

        Colin i agree in part with PT about RCG style of running when he first came on the scene for Penrith i noticed this back then. I am in two minds and will respectfully see how it pans out. He could be gold for us with new confidence and form. You don’t play origin for nothing.

        1. sixties

          Colin and Milo, as noted in my reply to PT, I’ve observed that more direct style at training, but that’s not to say that he should remove the hit and spin into the offload. I think we’ll see both.

        2. Colin Hussey

          sixties I don’t really remember much on how he ran in his early days, but from what I have seen of him in matches, even last year he seemed to mix his runs with both the backing in and normal runs. For me he’s more than just a battering ram type player and would like to see him running more angles than just straight into the defence, either face or back first.

          Thing I noticed with him and I took more notice of his play at the riff when the rumours were hitting the media as to his possible move to the eels, and from what I saw he definitely made more ground with his leg drives when turning in the tackle, I would think he has very strong leg muscles.

          No matter which way he faces he is a good signing for the eels.

          1. sixties Post author

            Had the chance to speak to him at a recent function and he’s found the change of clubs much easier than he anticipated. He’s fitting in well.

          2. Colin Hussey

            That’s a very very encouraging snippet sixties. I often thought of how he must have been when he wanted out of the riff, his mind may have been very much in turmoil as to the move away from his junior club and team mates. It would not have been an easy move as, he would have thought about the financial aspects as well.

            The big thing though may have been the wondering of how he would be accepted by his new team mates, having other ex Penrith players in the squad would have helped him with the settling in, more likely Waqua, MJ also after his early years thoughts and what he said about the eels.

          3. sixties

            Even the young blokes were very welcoming as most of the senior group hadn’t returned to training when Reg started up.

          4. Colin Hussey

            Sixties, I pondered a bit regarding your post, & in no way in a negative vein but more so it reveals and builds on what I said above.

            With the pondering I have the feeling that there is more to RCG not just the player, but the personage of him. I watched the first interview on the eels web site and thought he was not the best in it, but being his first interview and not really that long after he got to training he was a bit of a stumbler in his answers. I thought and said at the time he still has some settling to do.

            Away from the microphone and amongst the young players, he probably thought of his early days, and with the short list of players going at the time, and being welcomed by them it would have put him very much at ease, instead of being tensed up as to how they eels players no matter their age and experience, and they could have been narky as he takes a spot some were looking at, but appears the opposite is the case. To me that shows the character of him and also the changes in the eels culture and future is well in hand.

          5. sixties

            Colin, he’s really worked hard this preseason. I reckon that his new team mates have recognised this.

    2. sixties

      Hi Paul Taylor and thanks for replying and for your Christmas wishes. Hope it’s a great one for you and yours too.
      I had noted the same with RCG and have been pleased to see that direct charging in evidence in early opposed work.
      I think we are still on 27, though I could be wrong. Both Lamb and Davies were on Development deals but I wouldn’t be surprised for that to change with Davies. No rush yet.
      This is basically Sivo’s first ever NRL preseason. I’m sure it’s a shock for him!!! He was in rehab last preseason. The scary prospect is a fit Sivo who’s been able to do weights in the preseason. Hard to believe, but we didn’t see that last year.

  10. Grunta

    Loving the reports as always.
    The aspect of preseason I most look forward to are the combinations that develop. Both RCG and Matto are renowned for their ability to offload and our second phase play will be a major reason we go deep in the comp come 2020 imo.
    Really looking forward to seeing how Dylan Brown handles the ‘second year ‘. I’d expect he will really benefit from having Matto and RCG in the squad like his combo with Lane last season.
    Plenty to look forward to this season, can’t wait!
    Thanks again and merry Christmas to all.

    1. sixties

      Cheers Grunta. Dylan Brown getting specialist coaching from Joey Johns – I reckon it will be a fun ride for supporters.
      Merry Christmas!

  11. Michael Formosa

    It’s a very strong and complete looking team line up.
    The best thing about our team next year is that 95% of our team positions is just about locked in. We are not calling for young guys to get a run before their ready because we are desperate. Just one or two spots on the bench.

    Great off season reports again guys. Have a great Christmas and looking forward to season 2020!

    1. sixties

      Cheers Michael. Good point about not calling on players before they’re ready. And fortunately blokes like Kaufusi and Stone are ready and part of that bench battle.
      Merry Christmas.

      1. Poppa

        Hi sixties, good to see you are well.
        I have found reading this report as a real refresher on where we are at.
        Am excited to read your comments on Ray Stone, putting a couple of yards of pace on and refining his passing game is just what the doctor ordered. I have a feeling he maybe something special that was never anticipated in the overall summation of the great youngsters we have had coming through in the past two seasons.
        Some people see him as not offering enough which is a fair summation, but I have this feeling he will surprise everyone and not just be a person to relieve Mahoney but one that may command much more limelight than we could have imagined.
        I’m thinking that he could really be the ideal replacement for Nathan Brown if he was forced into playing prop in the course of a game. I like also that he will bring line speed to our defence which could also take some pressure of Brown who can over play that role sometimes.
        I think NBrown will be a great mentor to him and add to the fortress defence we need to aspire to, making that mental difference against the top sides. Defence is the key to next year 60’s, it will be our differentiator if we make the final step.

        1. sixties

          Thanks for this reply Poppa. The thing about Ray Stone is that his defence has always been uncompromising. In lower grades he was renowned for always being around the action. In one memorable NYC match he crossed for four tries. He downplayed it when I spoke to him, but to me it came down to having himself involved in so many plays.
          Ray and the coaches have worked relentlessly on his passing game. He’s always doing passing skills during extras.
          He looks in great shape. If he gets a shot I think he’ll consolidate it.

  12. Parramatta Tragic

    Thanks for yet another great year sixties and Merry Christmas to all TCT crew and readers. It looks like we will have something to cheer about long into season 2020. Mitch, are you going to do a player gradings based on pre season training? That would give a very good insight into individual performances. Best wishes to all for 2020

    1. sixties

      Merry Christmas Tragic. Interesting concept. I wouldn’t grade training like Mitch grades a game, because most of the pre-Christmas stuff is conditioning, and some blokes, despite their effort, just don’t have the same lungs as others. So I look for those who excel for various reasons, and then give them a plug. Ultimately, the GPS tracking means that if they aim for 8km running, they all have to do it. Then, as the opposed work increases, some that aren’t conditioning standouts, can shine in a footy context. Again, I’ll look to mention them. I try to write a post at the end giving MVP and other recognitions. I’ll say this – it’s pretty hard to oust Gutho from MVP – he prides himself on setting the gold standard and if someone challenges him, he somehow finds another gear. And he never shuts up.

  13. Jeronimo

    Very little has been mentioned about Harry Duggan. What kind of player is he? And how does he compare to the other young bulls?

  14. The dead man

    My team list Tuesday for rd 1 will be as is.

    1. Gutherson
    2. Sivo
    3. jenko
    4. Blake
    5. Ferguson
    6. brown
    7. Moses
    8 jr paulo
    9. Reedy
    10. Evans
    11. Lane
    12. Matterson
    13. N . Brown

    bench.
    14. salmon
    15. kaufusi
    16. nikoura
    17. RCG

    18th takarangi

      1. Colin Hussey

        sixties, I’m wondering if RCG would be better off the bench to replace Evans as starting prop. Its a real bind in some ways though with RCG & Jnr we have real power in the prop positions that will give us a real run for the premiership.
        Early days I know, but by having RCG come on to replace Evans it really maintains a very strong front row combination, I would see Jnr staying on the paddock for around 30 minutes in the first half and same in the 2nd half. The other position for prop though is a bit harder and will depend on how Alvaro shapes up, will likely be between in and Oregon I am thinking.

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