Parramatta Eels 13
Newcastle Knights 12
Hey it’s me, the post games grade guy. How is everyone doing? No, don’t look at the author tag for this post dang it – I told you I am totally the post games grade guy. Anyway. How about the NRLW? Seriously – how about it? After 70 pulsating minutes I have filled a void in my life that I never knew I had. Parramatta’s spectacular last-gasp 13-12 win over the Newcastle Knights was perhaps not the healthiest exercise for a heart already long strained by decades of Blue & Gold fandom but it was a spectacular way to launch a serious charge for the premiership.
These ladies can ball out. No doubt about that. If they can apply polish at both individual and team levels and build their match fitness up they will be damn hard to stop.
Dean Widders will absolutely slap a glaring red circle around the 63% completion rate. Fatigue was a massive factor in the backend of the match but the Eels squanded plenty of crucial chances well before exhaustion set in with as many as four tries gone begging due to simple errors or mental mistakes. Still, rustiness was a given today and Parramatta was able to execute some gorgeous footy at a high level in spite of it. The other truly bad thing to come out of this content was a legendary shiner for Therese Aiton. The Parramatta Eel took a sickening head-to-head blow as Phoebe Desmond crashed over for Newcastle’s second try, leaving her with a wound that might have well as come straight out of an episode of Looney Tunes. Hopefully there is no structural damage under that monstrous swelling but either way we wish Therese a speedy recovery. https://twitter.com/thenrlroast/status/1497816265905557505
"She has KICKED IT!!"
— NRL on Nine (@NRLonNine) February 27, 2022
Maddie Studdon the hero for the Eels in their NRLW debut!#NRLW #NRL pic.twitter.com/SEkl0PZMPN
We all bore witness to a slice of NRLW history when Maddie Studdon nailed the first ever field goal in the competition’s young existence. With the game on the line and the seconds fast eking off the clock, Studdon was straight up the protagonist of a Spaghetti Western in that special moment. An ice cold gun slinger with the quickest draw in the West. The poise it took to pluck an incredibly difficult pass out of the air and not let it disrupt her approach was phenomenal and dialed the difficult of the shot way up regardless of the fact it was in front of the uprights.
What a moment. What a kick.
I don’t know if leaders are born or made but regardless of that exact process itself, all I know is that Simaima Taufa is one hell of a captain. She was labelled a crucial recruit for the Blue & Gold from day one and her importance to the team was made abundantly clear today. Taufa was a beast in the first game of the season. 173m from 19 carries, 4 tackle breaks, 44 tackles (1 missed!) and the game-levelling try provided the groundings for the quintessential captain’s knock.
Bottile Vette-Welsh
1 – Fullback
What a phenom. What an operator. What a player. BVW oozes class the way an ultra high-end European automobile does. Smooth acceleration, killer top-end speed and unrivalled handling and touch. She is the complete package. And while the initials might make you jump to BMW, Vette-Welsh is better compared to Bugatti, Porsche or Ferrari.
The only knock on her out of today was a slight lack of involvement in the second half but even so she led the Eels with a mammoth 181m from 13 carries with 2 line breaks and the opening try assist. The term x-factor gets thrown around so easily these days that it has lost some of its meaning but Vette-Welsh 100% deserves that tag in the truest sense.
Rikeya Horne
2 – Left Wing
A winger was robbed of the opening try of the game today on account of unnecessary wingman wingwoman work from her centre. Rugby league poetic irony at its finest. Tiana Penitani owes Rikeya Horne an ice cold beverage of her choice after that kerfuffle! Horne was otherwise tidy in her first game as an Eels although I would love to see just a wee bit more production around the ruck.
Jocephy Daniels
3 – Right Centre
Sometimes that game doesn’t always come to you and when that happens there ain’t nothing wrong with getting the job done. Jocephy Daniels did just that in Round 1 with a super professional 117m from 8 carries . Looking forward to seeing her get those chances in the future.
Tiana Penitani
4 – Left Centre
I had to bump her down to a straight ‘B’ for that aforementioned kerfuffle but Tiana Penitani shouldered a monstrous load of work for the Eels today. The star centre devoured the metres (14 runs for 143m) and was difficult to bring down (4 tackle breaks) for the Newcastle right-edge. I know she scored today but once our red-zone offence is tidied up I expect her to be cashing in consistently.
Taina Navidi
5 – Right Wing
Outstanding Fijian wingers have become intrinsically linked to the Blue & Gold over the last decade and it is terrific to see such an important moden Eels’ tradition transcend the boundaries of gender. Taina Navidi was electric today and is going to feature on opposition tip sheets moving forwards. She posted a team high 6 tackle breaks and a sizzling line break in the second half in an eye-catching effort.
Sereana Naitokatoka
6 – Five Eighth
And speaking of electric Fijians, boy-howdy might the Eels have something in Sereana Naitokatoka. Her 5 tackle breaks are surely a discredit to how elusive and disruptive she was today. Newcastle were given the fits every time she touched the ball with her turn of pace and scalding hot footwork. A trio of late errors (although not all entirely her fault) drag her mark down slightly but she tormented the Novocastrians all day and set her captain up for a critical try with a beautiful ball.
Maddie Studdon
7 – Halfback
That field goal is going to be watercooler talk for the next week. Or whatever has replaced watercooler talk in the post-COVID era. WhatsApp talk? Discord talk? Whatever. I would like to see her take a bit more control in the red zone in the coming weeks but the fact is that Maddie Studdon came through big time when the team needed her most.
History was made with just a solitary point on the scoreboard today and hopefully that becomes a recurring theme for the Eels this season as they continue to make history happen.
Kennedy Cherrington
8 – Front Row
It was a surprisingly quiet day at the office in attack for the tireless Kennedy Cherrington. Her 8 runs for 61m are well below what we know she is capable of but after starting the game in the middle she was posted to the edges and saw less ball than may have been expected. That didn’t stop her racking up the numbers in defence though as he punched through 33 tackles with no misses and just the solitary ineffective attempt. Her off-the-ball work was top notch too with plenty of pressure put on Newcastle playmakers throughout the entire game. Yep, that’s right. Kennedy played the full 70 minutes today. What a beast.
Nita Maynard
9 – Hooker
I tipped Nita Maynard to be one of Parramatta’s players to watch in my preview and she repaid the faith in spades. The Newcastle pack put up a fierce fight against the Eels’ fearsome middle forwards but Maynard added the guile and touch needed to keep them off-balance on Sunday. Her numbers don’t pop off the page but I get the feeling she will blow a game wide open in the coming weeks with the threat she poses around the ruck.
Tommaya Kelly-Sines
10 – Front Row
She came agonisingly close to fulfilling my tip as the Eels’ first try scorer but it wasn’t to be for Tommaya Kelly-Sines today. Like Kennedy above, Kelly-Sines didn’t crank out the offensive production we may have expected coming into Round 1 due to the flow of the game. Again, like Kennedy she more than made up for it on defence where she made 25 tackles for just the 1 miss.
Jade Etherden
11 – Second Row
Jade Etherden had some nice touches today across the full 70-minutes that hinted at the ability to split defenders with savy line-running or poke her nose through the line with a bit of power. Like Jocephy Daniels before, the opportunities weren’t exactly freely flowing for her but I look forward to seeing what she can do when they do come.
Ellie Johnstone
20 – Second Row
Part of the role swap with Kennedy Cherrington I believe, Ellie Johnstone proved quite effective rumbling it up the middle of the ruck. A tradeswoman performance really if you allow me to pinch a popular NRL turn of phrase.
Simaima Taufa
13 – Lock
Well we didn’t have to wait long for the first ‘A+’ of the season. Easiest grade of my life. I said what I needed to say about Simaima Taufa when I dubbed her the MVP of the game at the start of this article but it should also be mentioned that she also played the entire game. The talismanic heart of the team without a shred of doubt.
Shirley Mailangi
14 – Interchange
Excellent all-round contribution from the bench for Shirley Mailangi. Productive with the ball (8 runs for 74m) and efficient in defence (24 tackles, 1 missed). The sort of numbers and impact that helps a team roll on and dominate games – which I believe the Eels go on to do today if certain errors were tidied up.
Abbi Church
15 – Interchange
Abbi Church was thrown late into the mix in a dead-locked game as a potential catalyst to spark the Eels to victory. She didn’t manage to get her hands on the ball but that is how the cookie crumbles sometimes and her name will be called again in the future where I am certain she will shine.
Therese Aiton
16 – Interchange
Denied any real opportunity to help push the Eels towards victory today, Therese Aiton nonetheless wore the worst of it by far in a game that was a physically punishing contest for all. I know the picture is at the start of this blog but I still wince just thinking about it. Hopefully there is no serious damage there so she can be back for Round 2.
Filomina Hanisi
17 – Interchange
Filomina Hanisi was excellent off the bench for Parramatta today. She added fire and brimstone to the middle for the Blue & Gold with 7 carries for 91m and was stout in defence to boot. She was also unlucky not to have a successful Captain’s Challenge to her name but the less said about officiating today the better I feel because it was real, real bad. Hanisi on the other hand – real, real good.
1-0 on the season. A gutsy win over a Newcastle team that showed plenty of fire and finesse. Heck, we may never know defeat. On a serious note, Round 2 brings the Dragons of St Illawarra and a trip to the Gong. The Red V were successful in knocking over an expansion team in the Gold Coast Titans and win for either team next week sets them up for a major push into the finals. Catch you there for all of that action!
I missed the game but thank you for the grades. Gotta say I loved the vid doing the rounds of the team song. Hopefully it is heard for the rest of the season.
The girls are passionate about playing. All of their videos in the lead up to the season have been brilliant
And thanks to the TCT crew (including commenters) for supporting the NRLW without the casual sexism I’ve seen elsewhere. It is important and welcome.
Cheers Shaun. The women’s game has the potential to be the best women’s team sport in the world. Pathways are developing. It can’t be rushed. It has to be nurtured.
I’m a 50-something woman who grew up as an Eels fan with football playing brothers and was desperate to play as well. Seeing these Parra women run out today was surreal, emotional and exciting all at once. Can’t wait to watch them go from strength to strength and continue to cheer them on for years to come.
Thank you for sharing that Susan. The club included young girls from local clubs in the season launch. They spoke then presented the jerseys to the players. Listening to the youngsters talk about their passion for footy was one of the highlights of the night.
How exciting for everyone involved in today. I’m sure that excitement along with nerves, not playing trial matches and missing over 12 months of elite footy were factors in the poor completion rates, once they settle in it appears we’re in for some electric attacking footy. Unfortunately there isn’t much time to settle into the season, so a first up win was much needed.
p.s NRL need to look at expanding the competition to a double round robin and have professional pay.
Ham, I reckon that the next step will be two more teams, then double rounds. I think that 8 teams would be a good short term number. The Eels have provided the template for being self sustaining with the securing of sponsorships separate from the NRL deals. The salary cap is around 600K for all teams, so that would need to grow exponentially for the code to go full professional. A longer season means a bigger salary cap for length of commitment alone. If we jumped to double rounds now each club would have to find double funding. This is where media deals start to become critical. It’s important that the NRL get growth and professionalism correct.
First of all if Parra are serious about the NRLW they need to have a tab on their website showing the women’s team the same way they do the mens. The NRL needs to package the NRLW separately to the media to secure a broadcasting deal and slowly expand the teams to duplicate the number of NRL clubs over the next 10 years, maybe even have their own governing body separate from the NRL. Anyway was a very enjoyable game to watch which should bring viewing numbers up. Good luck to the NRLW.
Excellent result, entertaining game, wonderful skills and edge of the seat stuff.
Can we do an investigation into what Dean Widders must of done to upset Steve Chitty and Casey Badger. Man we copped all the dud calls, there were two definite tries not given a complete shemozzle of a captains challenge. And numerous onfield calls go the Knights way
There were some puzzling calls, most concerning was the bunker. That final call was either a try or a lost possession. It was clear that the ball was on the turf, however it happened.
The lost possession in the tackles were bad misses. You can understand when a ref misses something in the moment, but the sideline officials and video ref didn’t seem to help.
How the bunker, with I think 3 officials, and all the technology can still get the simple things wrong is beyond comprehension. Even Andrew Johns agreed the ball was on the ground and his take on the game was all about the Knights. Btw hate media outlets that put biased commentators on, there should be neutral commentators only to call the games.
We can but dream Glenn
Agree Bunker and ref but all in all a great start.
Not sure about the funding situation as Fox and nine gave great coverage and my guess is that it rated well. Hence the fees by the broadcaster alone should cover further expansion.
That said the problem is how do you fit the game into a programme of TV that is pretty well flooded.
Maybe the girls should be playing a curtain raiser to the mens NRL, crowds will be better and the TV coverage does not change that much from a cost perspective. How that works for friday nights is also difficult, unless the girls games are replayed after the NRL games.
Whilst I would like to see NSW Cup pplayed as a preliminary, there seems issues with players given the fact that we have to allow more for first grade in a timing sense. i.e you don’t want players hanging around waiting not playing a game anywhere…..unless of course that a reserve bench is allocated from the Cup game and that is not in their thinking I believe.
All in all maybe a good problem to have?
Great game of footy, hasn’t the womens game come in in leaps and bounds over the last couple of years?
The skill on show in all 3 games yesterday and the all stars game a couple of weeks back shows that with the access to the right coaching, training and professional staff the womens game can be up there for entertainment with the mens in no time.
Well done NRL and the clubs envolved.