Parramatta Eels 0
South Sydney Rabbitohs 38
South Sydney Rabbitohs 38
The Good: |
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The Bad: |
Phil Gould’s nauseating commentary and Parramatta’s inability to look even remotely interested in Rugby League tonight.
What an absolutely inept performance from a team many had not only locked into the Top 4, but viewed as ready to cruise towards the Finals. Forget matchups and home finals, for weeks Eels fans had nervously wondered whether this team was on track to challenge for the trophy or destined to eventually book a Balinese end of season trip. Tragically tonight it looked like they had one hand on that boarding pass. Brad Arthur needs to take a long look at the mindset of the team that ran out there tonight; a team looking like they either thought it would be an easy night out or were not ready for a game of NRL football. This pathetic performance wasn’t bounce of the ball stuff, but rather a glaring lack of preparation. Whether that was the result of individual players or a broader systems issue is a question I’m not in a position to answer.
Like some sort of magical machine invented by Willy Wonka, the Parramatta Eels are once again Rugby League’s disappointment machine; churning out equal doses of baseless hope and frustrating disillusionment on the 20 plus round conveyor belt of an NRL Season. Somehow both disappointing and unsurprising, in what will no doubt feel like a familiar tune for Eels fans, it seems we are once again all hype, no substance. In other words: Christmas is cancelled, kids. |
The X-Factor: |
We really shouldn’t take anything away from Souths, they were excellent tonight. With that now said, I don’t care how good our opposition played; I’m here to dissect the now clearly decaying corpse of the Parramatta Eels Premiership credibility.
Tonight was a smorgasbord of Rugby League missteps; missed tackles, misfiring attack and a missed opportunity to silence our many doubters. This team evidently still has a long way to go. Remember when we were good at Bankwest? Tonight’s humiliation now makes it 3 losses at home in Season 2020; it is our fortress no longer. Tonight the Eels had an incredible 57 missed tackles across 80 minutes tonight (for context the Tigers missed 26 at the opening of Bankwest, the Broncos 40 in Week 1 of the Finals). Our frantic opening attack invited Souths to simply crank up the pressure on our defence; a once signature feature of our 2020 Season.
Having made 14 errors last week, and another 9 tonight, the Eels now have 192 errors for the season, the second highest figure in the NRL. The Eels ran for less metres (2891 to 2231), conceded more penalties (5 to 2) and had less ball (43%) than their opposition. Next week will mark 9 weeks since we last played well. |
The MVP: |
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1- Clinton Gutherson (c)Fullback, Parramatta Eels |
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Earlier this afternoon, Clint Gutherson walked into Bankwest as cool as a southerly on a summer’s day. Little did he know the bloodbath that awaited him. Sure, 20 runs for 212 metres and 3 tackle breaks is a really good individual attacking game, but as a leader Gutho is still learning how best to lift his team when we get into a hole; a task he clearly wasn’t able to achieve tonight. Not unlike how halves take the blame for a spluttering attack, Captains (and coaches, for that matter) need to cop some of what a team dishes out, both good and bad. Tonight, there was only the latter. |
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2- Maika SivoLeft Wing, Parramatta Eels |
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| Many of you will not realise but in Fijian, the name “Maika” roughly translates to “frustratingly inconsistent second season”. | ||
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3- Michael JenningsLeft Centre, Parramatta Eels |
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| Michael Jennings tried hard (17 runs, 155 metres, 4 tackle breaks), but didn’t get results (4 missed tackles, we lost 38-0). | ||
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4- Waqa BlakeRight Centre, Parramatta Eels |
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| I’m sick of looking on the bright side of Waqa Blake’s season. Not only did he do nothing in attack (5 runs for 46 metres), Waqa was out there tonight defending like he was midway through a game of Twister; left leg green, right leg blue. Mark the defensive vaccine down for another 4 missed tackles tonight, and hopefully a spell on the sidelines to think about what he’s done. | ||
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5- Blake FergusonRight Wing, Parramatta Eels |
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| Not unlike his nose, Blake Ferguson’s try scoring and defensive compass is all messed up. After shutting out Melbourne last week, our right edge was an absolute nightmare once again tonight.
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6- Dylan BrownFive Eighth, Parramatta Eels |
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| It was admittedly only a couple minutes after his injured his ankle, but Dylan Brown showed uncharacteristically horrific defence on Cody Walker’s first half try. Yes, The Bag made some inspired runs to score one of our numerous disallowed tries (and only missed 1 tackle, making 19), but in the end it’s back to the drawing board for this team and our halves pairing. Hopefully that ankle isn’t too bad (update: it is). | ||
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7- Mitchell MosesHalfback, Parramatta Eels |
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| As touched on above, as our halves pairing you’d think Mitchell Moses and Dylan Brown are supposed to be our attacking leaders. Whether it’s the lack of attacking training, Gus Gould’s mock or simply a form slump, I wouldn’t follow either of these guys in a conga line at the moment with any sort of confidence.
Although he put up a few nice kicks, Mitch was simply too frantic inside the first 20 minutes, single handedly pushing passes that either weren’t on or were poorly executed. He also missed 5 tackles, with a further 3 ineffective. We suck in attack at the moment, and rightly or wrongly it’s the guy in the 7 jersey who will often cop the blame. For what it’s worth in this instance, I think that’s more than fair. |
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8- Reg Campbell GillardProp, Parramatta Eels |
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| Once again rocking the sort of moustache that could topple a government, tonight RCG ran 15 times for 132m, made 38 and missed 5 tackles. In other words, he was just like a bunch of other blokes in Blue & Gold tonight to do some things well whilst remaining relatively fruitless in defence. | ||
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9- Reed MahoneyHooker, Parramatta Eels |
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| Although that error early in the second half was a gut punch, Reed Mahoney was not only one tackle short of leading the Eels in tackles made (50), he was also the only Eel not to record a missed tackle. He was not perfect, but he certainly wasn’t the problem.
If you want to blame Reed for tonight’s loss, well that’s on you. |
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10- Junior PauloProp, Parramatta Eels |
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| Not necessarily one of those Junior Paulo games your grandfather told you about, Junez was nonetheless effective with the ball in hand (12 runs for 111m, 3 tackle breaks and a couple of beautiful passes butchered by his outside men). However like most Eels, Junior’s defence (5 missed tackles, 3 ineffective) left a lot to be desired. | ||
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11- Shaun LaneSecond Row, Parramatta Eels |
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| After a quietly good game last week, Shaun Lane straight up shat the bed tonight; not only ineffective in attack (12 runs for 85 metres, 1 error, 1 try stopping obstruction) but also playing saboteur of our edge defence (5 missed tackles). | ||
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12- Ryan MattersonSecond Row, Parramatta Eels |
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| One of the few shining lights in the starting 13 tonight, the Beautiful Stranger ran 12 times for 119 metres, had 3 tackle breaks and made 41 tackles. Feel free to mark his papers as “not the issue”. | ||
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13- Nathan BrownLock, Parramatta Eels |
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| Likes: 17 runs for 158 metres, a team high 51 tackles, piña coladas, getting caught in the rain.
Dislikes: An error and a team high 6 missed tackles. |
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14- Ray StoneInterchange, Parramatta Eels |
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| On one hand, Ray Stone made several Rabbitohs think twice about running in his direction, chopping them down in the prime of their life as part of his 22 tackles. On the other hand, he also needs to ensure those hits stick, as in his 28 minutes tonight Stoney managed to miss a team high 6 tackles.
Oh, and he also ran for 0 metres. |
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15- Andrew DaveyInterchange, Parramatta Eels |
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| Andrew Davey had never lost at Bankwest Stadium. Now he has, and the music is fading. | ||
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16- Kane EvansInterchange, Parramatta Eels |
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| Kane Evans was neither the problem nor the solution for the Eels tonight. | ||
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17- Oregon KaufusiInterchange, Parramatta Eels |
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| Oregon Kaufusi actually played pretty well in his 31 minutes of game time, with 4 runs for 45m, 1 tackle break and 29 tackles with only 1 miss. Big Country doesn’t deserve to be tarred with the same brush as his comrades. | ||
I don’t want to overreact or anything but …
Don’t you hate well meaning, well intentioned and down to earth opposition fans with perspective?
Looking forward, only Eels fans will be cheering for us as we take on everyone’s second team, the New Zealand Warriors. In truth, this will be the only time this season I won’t be cheering for them. Whatever happens, I bet it will feel better than this.
I guess I’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.
Ahh we are starting to unravel…… The frailties that is our right edge has been bubbling for months now. Not wanting to miss out, Maika has followed suit. I am not sure where to from here…
That hurt. I can’t believe I drove 90 minutes there and back to watch my team put in that performance. It was clear 20 minutes in that their heads weren’t in the game, and we were no chance of a comeback. I could see effort from a few players, but a total lack of composure both with and without the ball. I couldn’t even drink it away, as I had to drive home. My only positive is that I didn’t have to listen to Gus dribble and hate on us; damn but I despise him.
Waqa Blake… there were a LOT of rude words flying out of my mouth in his direction, I suspect I owe an apology to the people sitting near me (but he owes us all a bigger one). I think an F is frankly generous, he mounted a strong case for a new grade to be created just for him. And for Haze Dunster to get a chance for the rest of the year (which might give Fergie one).
Blake’s defensive positioning and decision-making is terrible, his tackling technique is terrible both front on and in cover, and he doesn’t know when to pass in attack. The occasional break because he’s quick isn’t nearly enough to compensate for his deficiencies. What most concerns me is the lack of improvement in his defense. Moses came to our team as a terrible defender. He’s still not great (like a lot of halves), but you can tell he’s put a lot of work in to improve his technique, and that he -wants- to be better. He was actually one of our more effective defenders tonight, which is a sad indictment on a lot of other blokes.
I think you’re a bit harsh on Gutho, though I get where you’re coming from. Leading through effort clearly wasn’t enough. I’m not sure he’s ever going to be the motivational speaker type though. I gave Sivo an E.
Moses has kicked much less effectively since his injury, and that was costing us field position in a game where we were already struggling. After some really effective kicks in previous games, I don’t understand why Mahoney, DBrown and even Gutho aren’t taking a stronger role here. You can’t say the forwards weren’t creating a platform in attack, we just failed to take advantage when they did. Actually, that’s way too generous – we willfully threw it away, got in each other’s way, and generally looked like deer in headlights. The Bunnies simply couldn’t believe their luck.
Besides the atrocity of our performance – I’ve never seen so many players slip over in a game. Ours were more obvious, and contributed to multiple tries, but there were certainly Souths players slipping when they had to change direction too (on the rare occasion we held onto the ball long enough to make them do some work). Hell, even the ref went over. Was it the surface? The ground itself looked quite dry before the game, and like they’re playing soccer on it as well as a heavy NRL schedule? I’m not sure about dew during the game being a factor, and frankly, I’m not willing to watch the replay to find out – that’ll be deleted from the PVR unseen, once was more than enough. Can we forget it happened please? 🙁
you get your entrance money back if not you should that was HORRIBLE. i feel for you having to watch live that trash we dished up
Always slow to jump on the band wagon for the eels. I’m not keen to write them off. Will always love em there’s no way around that.
Will say this; if I turned up to work one day made all sorts of mistakes heart not in it – missed opportunities and in general looked as though I didn’t want to be there. Got a nice chat from the boss at lunch & arguably performed worse after that. I’d be looking for a new job pretty quickly. These guys are pro’s to go from 14-0 for to 0-38 against in 7 days, same team. Is atrocious. Pathetic. Humbling. Shows the attitude was not right
Happy for Dylan’s efforts, Matto too & Gutho tried hard but there was no cohesion as a group we were off with the fairies.
2020 is a bitch of a year. Don’t make it worse thanks Parra …geeze…
Nothing changes my 57-year allegiance to Parra but, boy, they know how to hurt their fans when they have a mind to. Tonight was horrible to say the least and I’m struggling to find the reason(s) they played so poorly. We’re still 3rd and making wholesale changes this close to the finals doesn’t make any sense but making everyone accountable does. I’m not pinning the loss on one guy but Blake needs a rest I think. Our defence out wide is atrocious and every opposition knows it by now.
Out of the 57 missed tackles I think about 20 of them were in the nauseating run when Latrelle made it from the in-goal to the 50.up the night really.
The only positive I can take from the night would be that we still remain in the top 4, and that there were no injuries/charges. Perhaps this is the (yet another) wakeup call the boys needed.
I’ll be tuning in next week for a better performance!
That run was when I just about packed up and went home. We went from a potential line drop out to near defending our line.
RCG got charged
The sky is falling i dong see us recovering from this shit show.
1 positive ill take is Stone looks bettervat dummy half each time but thats it no positives
Very kind grade for Waqa there.
A simple well executed game plan turned our mob into a rabble. Lucky our defence is in order and only gave up SEVEN tries. We are in serious danger of exiting the top four arse first. S. Lane. Z grade.
We must have focused on attack this week
Not as kind as the grade he gave Sivo, he doesn’t even have a poor go.
Is it too late to unpledge?
I can take a loss, heck I’m a lifelong Eels fan born one year after our last premiership – I learnt how to handle a loss many, many years ago.
What I can’t handle is trending downwards and dropping effort when so many things are in your favour. This season has been pretty kind to us:
With ALL of those things going your way, a performance like last night is so devastatingly disappointing. Had we lost by 2, by 4, by 6 I would have copped it and rolled on. But in one fell swoop we have demolished our defensive record (no where near the best defensive team now) and shown all opposition how easy it is to beat us and drop our heads. We’ve now had 3 “losses we needed to have” and a few very near misses.
It’s times like these where I get quite frustrated with BAs pressers. This isn’t just about effort, there is something wrong and it needs to be fixed and it’d be really great for a sense of urgency to come through from Brad on this.
I can’t explain my frustration, it’s actually sad to see such a promising start of a season fade away. I wasn’t expecting a premiership, I was just hoping not to be embarrassed again.
Best response so far…sums it up perfectly. I too was “very surprised” at BA in the presser – love the guy but he wasn’t “owning his effort areas” to well. And it doesn’t seem to be “an easy fix” getting beat by 38-0.
Rival coach and media questioned BA and players integrity just a week ago (and all week in the papers) – this is the response.
It’s not a 5 alarm fire, but there are multiple bells ringing (or should be).
So true Captain. It is almost as if the NRL have set the comp up for the Eels to win. Easier draw. Many home games. Unfortunately, these advantage have made the team complacent.
Brilliant response.
What a dismal performance! I knew we’ve been bad over the last few weeks, but I was confident because our defence was holding up. Not anymore. A lot of work to do between now and the finals. If we keep playing like last night and drop a few more games, we’ll miss out on the top four. PS I hate Thursday night games.
Grades were very difficult in this game, Dylan Brown was the best for the team playing on one leg, daylight second then Gutho and Matterson. When your best performing middles are Kaufusi and Evans, that lines up the team performance with the 3/4 line offering little.
Leaving early for the first time in years, spoke to my son who coaches Div1 in junior footy, his comments were how pedestrian and obvious we were with the ball. Went on to be far more complex about overs and A defenders, but stated that Souffs just read every play Same as he was doing it from his lounge and didn’t have to work hard. Out coached in a big way , and that is certainly an area that needs refreshing and major attention.
Somehow that was more mind numbing that games from the 90s when we didn’t have the cattle but at least gave effort. Didn’t want to hear BA say in the press conference about grind etc, it was more than that and needed to be called out, if all we intend to do is grind then it’s going to be more of the same.
Derek, one for you as you know me being based in Qld I don’t see the juniors….is Dunster up to first grade…. and are we likely to have any quality backs potentially available for next year….. I understand that many have not played for some time if at all.
Dunster for a game or 2 could fill in, my main concern is running the same plays continuously and then not Understanding that experienced coaches actually review games and plan accordingly. We have some capable juniors coming through, but not sure that they are up to the standard we are seeing at Riff.
Conditioning staff changed and we have seen benefits, probably time to reassess the asst coaches. Some closer to the club don’t like that view as they see them as good people, which they are, but change is good ( see Barrett and others )
Is Sivo injured? He doesn’t seem to be running with as much vigour the last few weeks. And Moses needs to find a new dry cleaner – his current one clearly charges too much to clean the dinner suit he doesn’t want to dirty by actually taking on the line and getting tackled. Was watching and wished it had of been Moses go down instead rather than Brown
Sivo is caught up in his own hype
Good write up Mitch. It captures my feeling exactly.
Were have we lost the Bankwest zest we showed at the opening games and the first half of this season. I am sad that the team has lost it’s cohesion and ability to dominate.
We have only 5 rounds to go, before the finals, and need to pick up our game plan and get back to the basics of attack and defence to be a contender.
I put this loss solely down to 60s, they obviously read his preview and believed it. What happened to our
defencesieve, more holes than usual? They went around our edges and thru the centre. And when we attacked their edges that had 2-3 tacklers. BA better look at the video of that match and fix our D pronto. And our popgun attack, don’t get me started.I’m bitterly BA has been given another year. Good coach but not a great one and I have no hope that he’ll even get us to a gf let alone win one. Good coaches don’t have teams that continually get belted in games each year. Not looking forward to Storm, Roosters or Penrith in finals.
I think it’s a bit harsh pointing the finger at one player for our defence the problem goes a lot deeper.Seriously on every occasion Souths threw the ball out wide they managed to get on the outside with ease it was like watching a Division 1 side play a division 2 side.I don’t recall our defensive coach being noted for his defence more his strong carry of the football.We need to get rid of this compressed defensive structure teams are exploiting it with ease and we are void of ideas.DONT GET ME STARTED ON OUR ATTACK.We need changes same old predictable plays.
I’ve read and I’d heard that with this squad we are in the first of a two to three year premiership window. Who’d have thought? The squad on paper should be a top four team and they occupy that table position, but really that’s where it ends.It is looking as though this team’s better performances are their inconsistent form, while their poor to average games are their consistent “form”. Some of last night tries were again scored not through some wonderfully rehearsed slick backline play, or a freakish pass or bounce of the ball, but a simple catch and pass across the opposition’s backline for an instant overlap. Campbell Graham looked world class at times.
I don’t envy BA having to do a presser after that performance but in answering a question he said words to the effect of we have a long turnaround to work on a few things. What else could he say but that comment rates very low on my confidence meter that between rounds 16 and 17 there will be a fix to what has been an ongoing problem.
How that problem is fixed with the same players making the same mistakes and poor reads repeatedly is for better minds than mine. Time perhaps for the rest of a a F and D- rated player?
I just do not understand how a professional team in the position they are in can put in such a poor effort, at home, but then again we saw that only a fortnight ago. Top four sides should be better than that. There should be a steel about them and a self and group motivation to give their best every game. Most just looked they couldn’t have cared less and for we long suffering eels fans it appears that there is more pain ahead
I read a lot about taking a rest and just don’t get it?
These blokes are cooped up in a bubble and should be busting out all over the place when they get a game of football.
Our problem is that in trying to fix our problems on the fringes we have disrupted our whole defensive structure. Every time they overlapped us outwide, the scramble to cover meant we had nothing left in the middle. If Gagai and Johnson were playing on the respective wings we would have had 60 put on us!
Sivo and Waqar have to go, its that simple. Move George Jennings onto one wing and bring Taka back into the centres, Whilst Taka is not your normal defensive answer, he at least is experienced enough to read the plays and maybe create something for Ferguson.
Moses again was slipping and he has to play closer to the ruck.
I have mentioned before this team (our team) is over rated and the hype we have created (media as well) is the worst thing that could have happened.
Pops, no real disagreement from me, but gee after watching more than half of last nights game, that whole backline with perhaps the exception of MJ, Guth & MM, seems that DB is gone for year now also, needs a large rocket in the rear end to get them to another club.
Fergo is coming in too often, & I’m not talking about the way he leaves his wing but how he clutters the team up with coming in to take a pass and try to run, when was the last time he broke the line, and how much time does he spend on his wing and in the middle? compare!
Waqa is not a centre, but not sure what he is really, none of the backs including Sivo are doing their job, Sivo appears to have picked up his ball taking skills without knocking on but where is his bustling and knocking the defence out of the way?
Will be hard to move GJ as he’s at the Warriors now, and will they release him to come back, but will he be any better than what he’s been like in past years?
Colin the reason why Ferguson is coming in it’s because he can’t leave his inside man so there for it’s not Ferguson fault it’s Waqa fault.
Rev, if you read my second paragraph, you will not that I am not referring to Fergy in regards to him coming in to his inside man as he cannot leave him rather its the amount of times that he is playing in the middle, also the aspect that he does not make very much ground from there either.
RE Blake, for me I would rather see him on the wing and Fergy at centre. The other aspect is that that right side has been a monumental problem for some time now and before Fergy and Blake arrived.
hey popa does Franky n rattle snake know your on this great site i thought you need their permission lol
Weather there in a bubble or igloo there still tired how the Panthers are doing it who know’s but our team is tired
Yes, a toss up between Reed and Matto for MVP, but no one wants to look for the coin.
Ive thought all year that we just don’t number up, Souths laid that bare, skinned it without mercy. The ease they created not only 2 on 1 but 3 on 1 was embarrassing.OK, we re going for compression but the problem is that our opponents want to play on the whole field. Even the lower clubs get more numbers in red zone defence than us. Remember when Robert Jennings put 4 or 5 on Michael and George and he ran around us sometimes 20 mtrs in from the sideline? The more things change…Brad, please fix it.
It’s been a while since I have made any comment on the fortunes of this side, but last night’s effort has compelled me as I believe we have witnessed BA’s deficiencies as a coach. This is a good Parra team, but they are flat – very flat and have been for weeks. BA, like Bellamy and Robinson, should have been rotating fresh blood through this squad for weeks: Taka, Field, Salmon, Smith Dunster, and others. The effect is two-fold: Keeps the 17 on their toes, and more importantly, spells the players who need refreshing. The problem is now all the above haven’t played in ages, and to expect them now to get up to speed with less than 5 games to go it unrealistic. I fear it is all too late.
You are spot on Salty.
To be fair most of the rotations made by Storm and Roosters have been forced due to injury. But given the fact that we don’t have a reserve grade competition or any byes this season, it seems like a smart move to keep some rotation going.
I don’t think it’s too late for a few changes. Wholesale changes, yes, too late but not a few here and there. Look at Davey – he’s come in and shown desire and talent.
Sivo and Blake need a spell, they’ve had plenty of time to turn things around and haven’t. It’s no good having attacking weapons when you’re held to 0. Lane needs to be given notice that he’s got 1 week to stand up or he’ll be out too. And the rest of the team need to be put on notice, no one is guaranteed. If we can’t sustain the hunger and desire in a shortened season we have zero hope of ever claiming a premiership in a regular season.
This is more than fair, Salty.
As bad as we were last night through lack of focus, lack of creation, lack of attention to detail, the coach must take a fair chunk of the responsibility. We completely unraveled through Souths attention to detail and focus and creativity. Their technical plays completely bamboozled us and we had no answers. As the commentators said, we must have watched videos of Souths all week yet still looked puzzled with what they did to us. This is just not acceptable, and something the whole team and coaching staff need to address very quickly. If not we will certainly only be making up the numbers in the finals.
Brad Arthur has talked about effort areas in the past, which is well and good, but if you want to beat the best then you need much more than effort. Where are our technical plays that look to exploit weaknesses in defence, or that look to overcome known attacking plays? Where is our ability to adapt to what is thrown at us during games? Where is our creativity that tries a few different things, looking for a way through defence? Where is our patience in attack? I can’t see any of these things, and to be honest it has been a missing component for a very long time. We will not be successful until we learn these vital strategies.
I dont normally comment but I need to vent. The last few weeks have covered up some potential serious issues with our side. When things are going our way, we can look like magic but when the game is on the line we need mitch to step up and grab it by the scruff of the neck..as much as I love him, I am yet to convince he can turn the game like (keary, cleary, walker, munster)…Our right edge defence has been a shambles since waka and fergo have started playing together…there is no quick fix and to be honest, 1 good week, 2 bad weeks is not good enough for first grade.
I think the starting 17 have become complacent. They know there is no one pushing to take their spots. If I was BA I would be tempted to shake things up – drop Waka for a week (TAKA or Salmon), I would be tempted to drop Sivo as well…Lane may also have a spell on the bench for Davey or Taka or Nuikore. Give some of these fringe players a chance to lift energy.
I thought Gutho was hopeless tonight as well. His energy around the ruck was missing. He can change the game with a 15 metre carry from durry half..that was missing tonight.
Couldn’t agree more. There is a lack of energy. I actually think Moses is still injured, and should have been rested more. Big issue is none of the replacement players have match fitness because BA wasn’t smart enough to rotate them into the squad weeks ago just in case they might be needed – like now. I think it’s a massive f..ck up from the coach.
I thin there is a careful balance between consistency with the team and blooding some of these guys during the soft part of the draw….I would ring in some of these changes this week just to keep everyone on their toes.
Our first contact in defence is poor, we are not hit and sticking..Mitch needs to engage the line more (which indicates he may be injured)…we are playing way too impatiently. What happened to blowing teams off the park through the middle, through relentless battering and then waiting for the points to come. Ever since the pressure of our “attack” we are playing too side to side without building a solid building block.
Players need to have an honesty session, shut out the media and not listen to every tom, dick and harry that is talking rubbish about us..Go back to what worked at the beginning of the year and just work on the basics. The rest will come
Sums it up
Lol but so true.
I’ve seen car crashes that look better then the Rubble we dished up last night.
Mitch i read a stat last night b4 the game & it said no team has lost the following week after keeping another side to 0 n the other side who won by 50+ the week b4 had lost the week after playing the team who kept the other side scoreless.
our right side defense is a rubble. ive been saying this for a while bring Takarangi into the centre’s n drop Waqa for a few games.
you should’t have even give them a rating. they were piss poor simple as that. even god couldn’t help them last night.
If browns out next we i think we have a few choices.
(1) Gutherson to 5/8 n field to fullback.
(2) bring salmon in to play 5/8
(3) bring will smith in to 5/8
(4) shift matterson to 5/8 n have Marata play second row.
what i saw last night when south’s kicked to Gutherson was he never passed to Sivo n i don’t blame him.
Sivo should be replaced but no Question his out of form even his attempted tackle on lattrel was well bad , horrible , shocking , a joke , piss poor.
Can anyone clearly tell me what is going on at training ?
is there a attacking coach n defense coach. are they working together what’s going on.
look i’ve seen worse i was at a Eels vs Brisbane bronco’s game in the 90’s n we lead 14/6 at HT by FT it was Brisbane 60 Eels 14. I watched i don’t know why to this day sit n stay n watch Brisbane score 54 second half points
We should go after n bring Shane Flanagan in to help Brad Arthur or even coach our side.
p’s what are the spine doing when joey talks is it in 1 ear n out the other.
my team for next week is.
(1) Field
(2) Ferguson
(3) takarangi
(4) jenko
(5) dunster
(6) Gutherson
(7) Moses
(8) Evans
(9) salmon
(10) Oregon
(11) Marata
(12) matterson
(13) brown.
bench.
(14) mahoney he need’s a rest n looks hurt from last night.
(15) RCG
(16) junior
(17) stone.
to me Waqa runs great lines just like shaun lane but there both out of form.
Next week we have the Warrior’s. if we get done by them then we are only making up the number’s plain n simple.
I have a question! what was the reason for the DB no try?
I have to say that this game was likely the most embarrassing I have seen for a long time, the nil score line showed it all, as was the first UGM try in short time, doubt my stop watch would have picked it up.
While its hard to point the point the finger at one player, rather one needs hands with 9 fingers & point with them both, Inept, in a big way also embarrassing owing to way they played, not as a team but as individuals.
Problem is that its not possible that we have players at this point of time to replace the duds that ran out and showed nothing, only consolation one could think of is that it was not as bad as the walloping of the sea gulls last week.
A couple of the forwards and in the backs have to really visit a heart specialist to see if they have one after that surrender, maybe they turned the pace makers on for the 2nd half as the score was not as bad as the first half. No way that that team can consider themselves worthy of finishing in the top 4 let alone winning the competition this year with a repeat of that tripe.
it was the lead up into the try brown ran into a gap were a eels player was standing there for obstructing the attempted tackle of a south’s player
Thanks Rev. Had an answer, nuther question to ask in relation to it, but makes no point in the end.
I want to do a poll
Semi vs Sivo
who would you Rather
No brainer
The answer does seem Semi but Is this a trick question rev?
No my son its straight forward who would you rather semi or sivo. simple as that .
Rev, I personally think Semi and Eric Grothe Senior are Parra’s two best ever wingers.
We have had some good wingers salty that’s a big call on semi but 100% on Eric grothe senior.
Its not a big call on Semi at all, he is now regarded as the best in the world in Rugby terms.
your right with semi poppa his the best in the world at rugby not league.
yes agreed and by a country mile….I never thought anyone could get close to Eric Snr but Semi was the closest.
Mitch the MVP should go to those of us supporters who sat there and watched the debacle for the entire 80 minutes.
Agree Gustarny. Horrific stuff.
I was given a free ticket last night and for the first time sat in the Brett Kenny Concourse (and I still feel like I’m owed a refund). Maybe im spoiled, usually being in the stands, but I must say im not a fan of the concourse at all. Its a horrible view but to each his or her own I guess. Ill not sit there again even for free.
And while on Bankwest, what the hell is with the surface? Our guys looked like they were on skates last night. That late try by the Souths winger where he cut back in with 4 Eels defenders in the vicinity only for 3 to drop like bowling pins and N. Brown just stand there was terrible. Do we actually train on that ground at all? I also notice that apart from Moses, D. Brown and Gutho, nobody from our Eels warm up pre game on the turf yet the opposition do every week. Thats working well for us. Great plan.
Im also not highly impressed to hear our only issue is our effort. I kinda think its a bit more that effort alone.
Instability was often used as the reason our performances were not what they should be. Im becoming more and more convinced that stability may now well be our Achilles heel.
Go The Eels.
Geez your lucky I pay 4 k to watch this but luckily I am battle hardened from the disappointments of the 90 s and I’m a sucker for punishment anyway so will continue to support my team till I die.We are Parramatta.
Yeah I definitely appreciated the freebie but the view and the performance soured the experience somewhat. Regardless it was probably better than my first game at Cumberland in 1964 seated on the splintering planks.
Onwards and upwards. They say its not how often you get knocked down but how ofter you get back up is the mark of a man. I guess we will see.
So we need to be good in defence to win a comp, we need to be in the top 4 to win a comp, no one whom has lost by 38 to zip during the regular season has won a comp. Looks like another year missed. But I still hold eternal hope.
We look tired and bereft of ideas. I place our problems down to our attack. We are unable to reward our forward for all their hard work and we have not been able to for a few weeks. They are human after all.
The juvenile attacking plan which good coaches eat for breakfast has a lot to do with it. No variation from dummy half but the long pass to Moses see’s us going sideways continually. Dylan was the only back to attack the line directly.
10 Year, How can a team that had no defence or dare I say was ultra poor in their defence have any hope of winning by scoring no tries.
We have been good in defence but sadly at this point of the season, all that has been shafted by last nights performance in defence and non existent attacking plays?
I am not a direct member anymore but have been a following supporter of the eels since the 1950’s. The play last night rated amongst the worst in that time.
BUT! it wont stop me from supporting them, just hope to see another premiership arrive, after being there for the first one.
I agree with you regarding
Reed Mahoney
But next time Parra play watch how many first up contact he makes
Hardly ever unless he goes legs.
Mahoney is always 3rd or 4th in the tackle which makes his tackle count higher than it should be and makes his stats look allot better than they are.
Since Reed resigned he has been ordinary. You can defend him all you like but even his performances have not been up to par.
The team needs a freshener up as all players looked lethargic and tiered.
Yet IV watched training a few times lately and there are no excuses a for there performance.
BA has to take the blame
He has his favourites and whether they are performing or not he persists with them.
You have a squad of 30 for a reason.
Use the players.
Stop playing favourites to underperforming players
Stop being their mate and start being a coach.
The Canberra game was his last good Game
You’ve been watching training lately? Next time you’re there, come over and say gday.
A question. When counting missed tackles do they include tackles that are not attempted and “air swings” that miss their mark completely? If they were counted they would be nearly doubled.
If you dive to make a tackle but do not contact the player I believe that is a missed tackle. If you are simply beaten on the outside and do not attempt a tackle, it does not count.
It’s all over for 2020, they’ve hit the wall and look exhausted, they need new voices new ideas and if they aren’t gonna sack BA they need new assistant coaches…Flanagan would be ideal but BA won’t go for someone more intelligent than himself.
iv’e stated that brad needs Flanagan also but when brads time is up i think we should go after Flanagan
Rev, for me personally if Flanagan ever steps into our club that will be it for me. No morals for me.
Seconded Milo.
Why’s that sixties, will your blogs be put in disarray?
Will my blogs be put into an untidy state? No, I will always attempt to keep them as organised as possible.
Nice smother, why won’t you be happy if Flanagan ever coaches at Parra?
Kaufusi, Stone Utoikamanu
I nearly called Idiot, but on second thoughts perhaps your frustration is well intended criticism toward someone BA who should have addressed the malignant disappointment on the left wing, Sivo. Surely Brad can see that a lot of teams didn’t know last season? Sivo has glaring weaknesses in both D and attack too when the pressure is applied on him. The other issue could be that Waqa is a better winger than a centre. He has not once set up Fergie on his outside. Maybe that’s BA’s problem too? I thought it was common knowledge not to put 2 weak defenders on the same side next to each other. Well Souffs certainly worked that one out.
Rowdy that’s the thing Brad Arthur didn’t see it as 2 weak defender’s he saw 2 great attacking player’s his for site is poor.
We need takarangi in the centre’s.
Or we release Waqa to Storm n get Josh Addo car n shift gutherson to Centre n Addo car to fullback.
The gigs up Franky everyone know it’s you. your hate for brad Arthur is un matched. the only way brad will be sacked is if we don’t score another point in the remaining Games n drop out of the title race.
Some very poignant comments. For me its a few things:
I keep hearing n reading that gutherson to 5\8 to replace Brown. Well it’s all good but I’ve got another idea.
(1) Field
(2) Dunster
(3) Jenko
(4) Gutherson
(5) Ferguson
(6) Salmon
(7) Moses
(8) Evans
(9) Mahoney
(10) RCG
(11) Brown
(12) Stone
(13) Matterson
Bench.
(14) takarangi
(15) Paulo
(16) Lane
(17) kaufusi
Just my thoughts on this weekend’s Game.
Are you off your head where’s Marata.Has only been one of our best consistently all year
Calm down forgot marata
Just to clarify Rev, you would move our in form spine player, and introduce three players who have either played zero or almost no footy this year?
Yep. Sixties is spot on. I don’t think BA can introduce Salmon or Smith even if he wants to. He has painted himself into a corner due to lack of squad rotation. Has to be Field or Taka and leave the rest of the spine and team intact and hope for the best! Bearing in mind whoever he chooses has to last the rest of the season in all likelihood. My personal preference is for Salmon if he had been playing. Not sure that is the right choice though under the current circumstances.
To be honest, our injury situation to this point has been good. Other teams have not had a great run and this is when they have introduced other players. I’m not sure that there has been too much rotation used by any coach apart from injuries or form lapse enforced changes
Possibly Sixties, but we have had form lapses with no consequences for any players. Robinson dropped the comps leading point scorer when he felt the Roosters were a little off even though they were winning. We have been off for weeks with no changes.
So who would you bring in sixties. I’m thinking fresh let’s yes I understand no Match fitness but who would you slot into 6
Rev, I like Salmon as a player but believe BA has already shown his hand when Moses was injured. It will be Field. I think Salmon must be on the outer. Maybe he’s going elsewhere next year? Anyway, it’s a tough ask given the team is already out of form.
Your trying to tell me that Gutherson’s in form if so then sorry his just as much out of Form as the rest. Sorry his play on the 5th is not on all I see his him gutherson running after the ball from sideline to sideline. I Think gutherson needs to touch the ball more n that’s why I Think field shifts to fullback we could use his speed n gutherson talk in the front line.
If as some have said that Field is no good in defence, why would you have him at Fullback?
He wouldn’t
So who does Brad bring in surely not matterson n marata to backrow
He won’t move Matto he told him he wasn’t a five eighth.3 options in my opinion.
1-Field
2-Rankin
3-Taka that would mean no other backline changes
I’ve said for a couple of months, the Eels have a 4th year that is above every other team’s. But some teams (Rooster, Panthers, Storm) have a 5th gear that the Eels can’t match. The Rabbitohs came out in 5th gear & were on cruise control for the whole match.
The question is, where can the Eels find the spark to get to another level? Gutho can’t really do better. Moses & Reed seem to have hit a ceiling. D Brown is out. I reckon it has to be Waqa & Fergo. They have to find some magic.