Happy New Year!
If there was the perfect time to turn that greeting into reality, then surely 2022 qualifies for that honour.
We don’t have to think too hard to come up with reasons to be negative about what the future may have in store. Unfortunately, the recent past continues to lay the platform for what lies ahead, so it’s not unrealistic to be pessimistic.
However, the beauty of the future is that it hasn’t been written yet, and we have the opportunity to begin forging better days.
Therefore, though this edition of Bumpers Up is a retrospective, I’ll try to focus on the positive and keep an eye on the future with a prediction or two.
Once again, all the best for the year ahead. May it be everything you wish for and more.
Bumpers Up!
My Eels Marker Moments
I’m going to keep this short and sweet as there’s been no shortage of year in review material since the season ended. These are just a couple of what I consider to be memorable performances from 2021.
* Best Team Performance: Round 24 – Eels 22 defeat Storm 10
A 90% completion rate and a dominant kicking game (724 kick metres to 495) laid the platform for a contest which marked the Eels as genuine contenders following a period of less than stellar matches.
Melbourne turned up to play but were simply “outStormed” by a composed and confident Parramatta side. It should be the pro forma for next season.
* Worst Team Performance: Round 20 – Roosters 28 Defeat Eels 0
The eye test was enough to judge it as the worst match of the year, but there were a couple of interesting stats.
Outside of the Roosters 8 line breaks to 2, some of the numbers look as if they fall Parra’s way. But it’s that very fact that solidifies this clash as the worst Eels performance of 2021.
In attack, the Eels produced 275 passes to the Roosters 215, including 18 offloads to 7.
Defensively, the Eels effectiveness of 91.7% smashed the Roosters 84%. The Roosters missed 35 tackles to Parra’s 22, and their 27 ineffective tackles count was over twice as high as Parra’s 11.
These numbers highlight that the Roosters were there to be beaten, but the Eels chose the lateral path, shifting the ball almost without purpose.
The score should have been indicative of one team earning a comprehensive victory. Instead it represented the other team at its lowest.
* Freak Moment Of The Year: Round 18 – Haze Dunster, Eels vs Titans
Haze Dunster
Was this the try that announced Haze Dunster’s arrival as a genuine NRL star? Running at top pace, Dunster effortlessly picked the Gutherson grubber kick up off his toes for a spectacular try against the Titans.
It was a moment that demanded immediate repeat views to confirm the brilliance of the winger’s hands. It’s looked just as amazing every time I’ve watched it.
* Best Try: Round 24 – Joey Lussick, Eels vs Storm
Plenty of contenders here. I’ll give an honourable mention to Shaun Lane’s try against the Raiders, simply for the team support play. But I love a short side try, which is all about heads up footy.
So the contenders are the Gutho try against the Cowboys or the Lussick try against the Storm.
The Gutherson try was more spectacular after the centrefield kick by Dunster, but given the quality of the opposition, the Lussick try against the Storm was the sweetest.
The execution was clinical. The passes, sharp and accurate. Lussick and Cartwright caught the Storm back pedalling on the blind side. Classic rugby league.
* Individual Try of the Year: Mitch Moses – Finals Week 1, Eels vs Knights
In this category, the halves have it to themselves, and that means Moses, Brown and Arthur.
Arthur’s debut try against the Warriors was a ripper, but the ease of his chip chase against the Bunnies demonstrated the type of vision that set him apart from most 18 year old rookies.
Brown had a couple of moments worthy of mention, but I’ll go with his try against the Roosters as his best.
However, Mitch Moses’ pace provided terrific highlights in 2021, and given the importance of the match, I’ve selected his four-pointer against the Knights in week one of the finals as the individual try of the year.
Moses literally created something out of nothing and despite his light frame, demonstrated the power generated by his acceleration.
You can find the Eels best tries of 2021 here.
Early 2022 Predictions
* The Debutant: Luca Moretti
Even in the early stages of the preseason, Moretti has caught the eye. I’m tipping an NRL debut from a player whose fearless playing style could make him a crowd favourite.
* Top Try Scorer: Bailey Simonsson
Maybe even get some coin on him to head the NRL list.
The bloke has quite a bit going for him. Simonsson is fast, elusive, strong, and has a good fend. Parra’s style of play traditionally provides the opportunity for the wingers to get amongst the scoring. He’ll take advantage of that, and then some.
* Break Out Year: Will Penisini
I’m no Nostradamus with this prediction. Penisini arguably bettered every opponent during his five NRL appearances. He’ll be instrumental in the Eels 2022 campaign.
* Return To Best: Dylan Brown and Ryan Matterson
There’s no questioning Dylbags’ importance to the Eels. His defence is in a class of its own, and his capacity to shut down attacking raids or provide critical cover defence has got the Eels home in close matches. A try prevented is just as valuable as a try scored.
Matto
However, the coaches are probably looking for him to be more instrumental in the Eels attack. The 21 year old will bring that in 2022.
Ryan Matterson had an injury and suspension interrupted season in 2021. But his performance as a middle forward off the bench in the Eels finals loss to the Panthers could just be the pointer to his future. He was, in short, outstanding.
Should Nathan Brown miss the early rounds, Matto can be expected to start in the 13 role. If so, he’ll make every post a winner.
Happy Birthday To Us
December 24, 2015 is the official birthdate of The Cumberland Throw, meaning we have just turned six years of age.
Although we had worked for a number of months prior to that date to create content ready for our launch, I can still recall the mix of excitement and nerves when we went live for the first time.
It would be the proverbial understatement to declare that we picked an eventful season as our first. It was expected that 2016 would see the Eels launch a big tilt at the title. Instead, the salary cap dramas unfolded and the rest is history.
Ready to call NSW Cup at the Stadium
Over the years, we’ve looked to expand our content into new areas. In our sixth year, we introduced live podcasts from Parra Leagues on match days. There was plenty of work behind the scenes to make this happen and I’m proud of what we achieved.
Likewise, Forty and I commenced live audio calls of NSW Cup and Jersey Flegg matches during 2021. That innovation was multiple seasons in the making, so to have it come to fruition was a highlight. Unfortunately, COVID put an end to that after just a few rounds but we aim to be back.
We now enter our seventh season of The Cumberland Throw a little older, a little wiser, but exponentially enthused about our plans for 2022.
TCT’s 2021 Highlights
Despite the COVID lockdown, the cessation of lower grade footy, and the relocation of the NRL to Queensland, 2021 became a monumental year for The Cumberland Throw.
Eleven of the twelve months produced record breaking visitor numbers, with only October failing to better previous bests. The October record remains held by the 2020 season due to the late finish of the NRL finals that year.
Consequently, a new 12 month visitor record has been established – and its a whopper.
Over 650,000 visits were made to The Cumberland Throw website during 2021. It surpassed the previous best by nearly 200,000!
Of course, none of this would happen without our TCT authors/content creators, and most importantly, our loyal readers. Our site continues to grow every year, and we appreciate the role that “word of mouth” plays in making fellow supporters aware of our various platforms.
It’s also essential to acknowledge the generous long term support of our sponsor, Starr Partners of Auburn, Narellan and Parramatta. Their sponsorship has assisted multiple site upgrades over the years, in addition to adding much needed equipment for our work on location.
More recently, Parra Leagues has stepped in to support our coverage of the Eels Junior Rep season. They really are a powerhouse in grassroots footy in the district, especially with their annual grants to local junior clubs. Our association with PLC has also led to the previously mentioned live podcasts at the club on Eels match days.
It’s certainly been a year to remember.
On behalf of Forty, Mitch and Chris, thank you to everyone involved with The Cumberland Throw and go you mighty Eels!
Eels forever!
Sixties
Always enjoy the read guys keep up the great work.
Cheers Jeff. Happy New Year
Wow, 6 years feels like a lifetime and a blink at the same time.
Congratulations and thank you.
Hey Trouser. Wish I thought of that line. Very true. Happy New Year!
Happy birthday. The standard of reporting leaves most, if not all media journalists in the shade.
Cheers Daryl. Appreciate the kind words. Happy New Year!
Happy new year all at TCT, Lets look to the NEW this year to give us more than just a happy year.
As per usual sixties turns up with some great reading, given the amount of backline mentions I can see a feast being carried out by the backs. Given the way Dunster has picked his game up and has shown more than what many thought, let alone considered as to his abilities on the wing, this year he has some real competition but expect him, injuries aside, to retain the spot he has taken.
Given his ability and the high potential of Penisini, then there is the new boy on the block in the form of Simonson, there is a lot to like and gives the eels a backline that we have been looking for, for more than a week or few years.
Looking at the backline of last season, we had a centre that was more than reliable but likely needing a fair improvement going forward. In Tom Opacic the eels had such a reliable player that held the backs together in more ways than was appreciated.
There will be VG competition between Tom, Waqa & Peni and a juicy one to watch I believe.
Thanks Col. You’re correct regarding Opacic. If he misses out on a spot at the start of the year it will be a nod to the depth.
Tks sixties, ‘short and sweet’, I thought ‘damn’…bring on long and sweet. You’ve nailed some real moments. The Lussick try was such high quality, it took Lussick a couple of games to warm up. Penisini bested high quality opponents, and I still say Naden collared him a split second early.The Roosters game, we made constant errors for the first 20 minutes when the Roosters we’re doing their best to give us a leg up.That was low quality.
They say show me the boy at 7 and I’ll show you the man, we’ve had a good look at TCT now, we know what to expect…great content and opinion.
Cheers BDon, we could do our version of the Seven Up Documentary but I fear that at my age I might not feature in too many episodes!
I really liked the way that Lussick looked for those short side opportunities. He’s definitely first grade standard.
Great work to all involved here with TCT; i recall where i was when I got the message it was occurring, a little place called Wangi Wangi on Lake Mac. It was a great initiative and continues to be an extremely fair, balanced, accurate and very informative site. Thank you. The first two years were tough in terms of playing and results….but gee we have come on since then.
Yes the Lussick blindside try was for me the best and against the best for me. He showed lots of promise and it was tough to see him go in hindsight, and who knows he may be back one day.
Great to see Sixties highlights Matto and D Brown – to me they need to be consistent and strong, as Brown for me has had the years to get into the grind and Matto has had some injury issues with head knocks and I truly hope he comes on.
Thank you again Sixties and co. And may 2022 be the one…..
Cheers Milo. Wangi Wangi! You know my thoughts about the Central Coast.
It’s a big year ahead for all, especially for you and your family.
I think Lussick was greatly underrated. The dummy half base in the NRL is not as high as past years and I can’t believe his best option was a return to the UK.
People might forget that Dylan Brown is only 21 and has plenty of better footy ahead of him. I also believe that Matto will be better suited to the middle. I look forward to him playing in that role.
Hi 60s
I take exception to your graphical knowledge.Wangi wangi is by no means Central Coast. It is Lake Macquarie which is much more closely aligned with Newcastle than the filthy coast. I’m a Winston hills boy who lived in Rydalmere before I saw the light and moved to sunny Eleebana on the beautiful Lake Macquarie.
go eels.
ps.is craig Brennan still in the eels ranks
Luke, i think in all respect Sixties knows his geography and he can answer for himself.
He was making a point about the central coast as he knows the area well and he and i often talk about it.
He also knows where Lake Mac is, even i assume Eleebana on the other side!
Cheers mate. The coast is still paradise to me.
Yes Luke, you are correct about my geographical inaccuracy. My error was founded in visits to the southern end of Lake Macquarie which as a youth I always regarded as being more Central Coast (not the filthy coast) than Newcastle.
That said, you’re in a great location.
Yes mate. Craig Brennan is a great bloke, as well as a terrific coach and has moved up from SG Ball to Flegg, where he is assistant coach to Simon Woolford.
wEEL done TCT for providing such great content throughout the years, giving us ‘fans’ a sense of joy, excitement and community when it comes to the roller coaster life of being a PARRA supporter!!! All the best for the NEW YEARS…surEELy this years the YEAR!
Thanks. It’s definitely is a roller coaster ride being an Eel. But I can fEEL that this year will be rEELly exciting.
Im with you on Luca Moretti. Has something extra going on,
I’m looking forward to seeing more of the opposed sessions and then the trials. I expect him to make an impression.
Thank you sixties for being the life of this great site . Got to know you a bit over the last few years now. Your footy knowledge is second to none , your a very intelligent and experienced wordsmith , You get the nesssge across to a huge audience.
Congratulations on your success mate and for being a champion bloke and I feel lucky to know … take care my friend
Paul your words are much appreciated. You are far too kind. One of the benefits I’ve had in being an Eels supporter and creating content on TCT has been meeting so many terrific people and fellow supporters, such as yourself mate.
Thank you and looking forward to catching up soon.
Congratulations Sixties on achieving year 6, cannot see why TCT will not become iconic in its achievements by working with the club the way it is.
This coming season for me is the most optimistic I believe we have had in our renaissance period…..I am not going to delve on the meaning of “renaissance” but if people do not recognise same then stop reading now.
The balance heading into 2022 (Richie was a Parra boy don’t forget) is the best we have had between backs and forwards and overall depth.
Yes there are a couple key players, but none greater than Mitchel Moses as being the key to our season, whilst we are far from a one man team, he is the key. A long term injury to him would make it very difficult. Dylan will continue to improve but unfortunately is not a playmaker in a Moses sense. I am not sure about why they have kept Jordan Rankin other than he seems to me to be the perfect backup for Moses, but then again last year they said he was there only to mentor the Reserve Grade…..I hope they are looking at him as a Moses backup this time around, he had a huge influence in Reserve Grade last year and JA would have to take an almighty leap to be ahead of his mentor from last year.
We seem to have cover everywhere else and the addition of Ennis, Mary and Woody can only enhance the backroom.
The players we have lost for 2023 is disappointing but not the end!
I am normally not a huge optimist 60’s as you know, but we can give it a real shake this year, whereas the last couple of years we were not quiet ready, notwithstanding with an ounce of luck we could have played a GF 2021.
Good luck to everyone for 2022, not only in health but also in our quest!
Thanks for such an optimistic response Poppa, not just with Parra but also regarding our site.
TCT has never deviated from what we set out to do as a website, which was to provide coverage of our Eels from juniors to NRL. I’d like to think that our only change has been to do it better. 😃just on a couple of things, Rankin is actually involved in mentoring young pathways players so he has an extended role at the club. When you consider his background of entering the NRL at such a young age and breadth of experience, it’s quite a good decision. As for Jake, he has a massive future. He has overtaken Gutho on the training paddock in terms of fitness and continues to get bigger. Should he keep adding those kilos to his frame he will have a future as a ball playing lock.
I believe that the Eels enter 2022 with that better balance that you mention, and with our combinations adding more experience together.
As for 2023, this coming season will help to write that future, and we will add quality recruits to the roster between now and then.
Nothing to do with anything sixties. I grew up with a bloke who was at age 12 a small pigeon-toed stepper No 7, and also thought to be ‘soft’. At age 20 he was a silky smooth No 8 running around in A Grade early 70’s when Sunday afternoon bloodbaths were the norm. Playing near the ruck helps this transition and this guy had brilliant tackling technique to mix it with the hard heads. I can see some mileage in your thinking.
And I changed my mind about him being soft.
Nice example BDon.
And by the way, Jake is a tough footy player. Seen him cop massive hits, then get straight up off the deck and into the next play.
Great writing, keep up the good work!
Thanks CK. Looking forward to having plenty of positive footy to write about this season
Well done, played strong and continued success for the future. Essential reading for me so thanks for all the articles.
Our pleasure Glenn and thanks for your support.
Happy birthday guy’s been following from the start. I agree with all those predictions except a few. Those in the tries of the yr for 2021.
I thought moses try vs Newcastle was great.
Moses lead up work in the lane try vs Canberra in Canberra was sensational.
I personally think brown should be coming of the bench n matterson playing 13. I think Matterson got better ball playing skill then brown.
Cheers Rev,
I think injury might present Matto with the chance to get the jump on Brown to start the year.