The Cumberland Throw

Post Game Grades – Round 5 vs Titans

 

Parramatta Eels 26

Gold Coast Titans 20

Watching the Parramatta Eels forwards run over the Gold Coast Titans in that first 40 gave me flashbacks to playing University Shield school footy against a Granville Boys side whose smallest player had a good foot and 20kg on our biggest. One of their players got cuddles from his kids after the game for crying out loud. It was nice to be on the other side of the question “what would happen if a first grade team played against schoolboys?” and watching the Eels pack rumble was a thing of beauty.

If I got a dollar for every time somebody said post-match “this is a game the Eels would have lost in the past” I could afford a Melbourne Storm TPA, and while I’m not going to be buying a boat to hold my cliches I will say that the kind of adversity the team faced in the second half is character building, and the words and actions of the players post game indicate this side feels 2022 holds a lot of promise.

Oh boy, there is going to be some discourse after this one.

If I keep the bad to areas the Eels can actually control, it was a pretty clean game. Waqa Blake’s injury is the worst thing to come out of this contest, though any potential suspension for Junior Paulo would be a big blow as well as setting Parramatta River boiling in the wake of takes. 

There’ll be plenty of ref and bunker bashing later, but I did want to take a moment to complain about how badly stats are kept for NRL games. This is my favourite:

NRL.com (Eels are on the right):

I suppose this was more of a “show” than a “dummy”:

The three stats providers (NRL, Fox, Champion) have a 60 metre discrepancy between them regarding how far Reagan Campbell-Gillard ran, while something that should be easy to measure, how many metres Makahesi Makatoa ran for on his two carries, results in 12 metres on one, 18 on another. In short? Be wary of anybody throwing numbers at you to prove a point.

Okay people, this is what you are here for: the ref bashing! 

Graham Annesley’s warning to teams that they won’t be allowed to give away penalties to use a captain’s challenge appears to only have informed many teams that they have the ability to give away penalties to use a captain’s challenge. Which, according to the rule definition, they do not, making what happened last night even more baffling. 

Andrew Voss in commentary said it wasn’t a good look for the game, a view which I share. League is a tough game with nowhere to hide, there is no place for loopholes and the quest for “black or white” rule definitions show the game isn’t much fond of technicalities either. Now we’ve got penalties being given away to use challenges, players releasing from a tackle to try and steal the ball, and an endless parade of dives, head grabs and neck massages. It isn’t footy.

I haven’t got much to add on the Junior Paulo sin bin decision. I hope we reach consistency with protecting the head, but right now we can’t even accurately determine when someone has been hit in the head, even with video evidence. I can live with a penalty for that shot, there is head contact in there somewhere, even if it isn’t direct or forceful and just comes about from whiplash. Yet that same bunker got a chance to review another shot earlier in the game and came away unmoved though, and that was a nice clear arm across the chin. You don’t want players taking dives, but players only seem to get results when they stay down. See the problem there?

The hyper-focus on referee performance these days is a bit of a bore. Social media takes a lot of blame here, as does the increased focus on gambling in the sport which means fans are now riding the results of eight matches a weekend rather than just their own team. I never cared if North Queensland were dudded by a call until it meant a try that put the total over the line.

Maybe if the NRL, Peter V’landys and Graham Annesley didn’t knee-jerk when Des Hasler plants a story or when coaches cry “small club” in a press conference, we wouldn’t see confused referees and inconsistent applications of rules. That would also require those people knowing what makes for a good game of rugby league in the first place and sticking to that vision, which I have no faith applies to V’landys. Annesley is more interested in twisting himself into a pretzel in his press conference each week trying to justify referee decisions than he is in admitting mistakes and fixing the game. It creates more precedents and room for interpretation that further confuses referees, players and fans.

It’s a bad situation, but one that ultimately each team has to rise above. The teams that succeed look internally at what they can improve in the areas they control, and the post-match comments of Mitchell Moses, Clint Gutherson and Brad Arthur show this is exactly how they are approaching it.

As much as I wanted to give this to Clint Gutherson to make my preview (hot cross promotional plug!) prediction correct, I can’t go past the rollicking first half Reagan Campbell-Gillard put on, running for anywhere between 150 and 200 metres and generally living out the fantasy every man has (it can’t be just me, surely) of running through a room full of toddlers and sending them flying. Ask me “why” now, you little punks.

The Mo with the Most has started the season in incredible touch, proving difficult to put down and hitting the line with speed that would make Brandon Smith and Cam Munster blush. Here’s hoping he keeps some fuel in the tank for the business end of the season, but right now RCG, you da MVP.

 

 

 

Clint Gutherson

1 – Fullback

The King showed he is a merciful ruler, declining to rub the Titans’ noses in his success despite their mockery of him in round one. Or maybe it was that he got busted on his first try and almost looked ashamed to have scored his scrappy second. 

It was a classic all-round Clint Gutherson game, a try-saver or two, tough running, great return work and good support play. He even got away with letting a kick bounce thanks to post-pads that deserve their own postcode. The patience he showed in shutting down the desperation chip and chase to close the game out was particularly classy and is the kind of understated play that makes Gutho one of the best in the game.


 

Waqa Blake

2 – Left Wing

Assessing the severity of Waqa Blake’s injury gives me high school flashbacks. Having no ice on his knee post game is the equivalent of the girl you like giving a head nod to you in the hall, but Waqa leaving the field despite strapping and testing his knee is seeing her laughing and touching the arm of that jerk Steve in the bus line. Unlike high school, scans are available to determine if Blake really likes us or if we should start planning to leave dog poo in Steve’s glovebox.

Waqa was looking solid before the injury, dangerous with the ball and occasionally bone-headed. His attempt at a quick play-the-ball will be in the instructional video for what not to do when trying to stretch the rules of the ruck, but ultimately it didn’t cost us thanks to some Gutho magic.


 

Will Penisini

3 – Right Centre

How good is this kid in defence? Will Penisini is getting the hard stuff right from an early age, his one-on-one tackling is particularly impressive. We might not be able to get him much space to do his thing with the ball, but he’s looking every bit an elite first grader in the making without it.

Not that his attacking output was poor today, he made good metres, took hard runs and played his part, he just hasn’t been much of a focus yet this season. He won’t be the last player Greg Marzhew muscles over for a try, but it was a reminder he’s still got a bit of growing to do, too.


 

Tom Opacic

4 – Left Centre

Tom “Tom” Opacic showed his versatility this week, shifting to the wing to cover for Waqa Blake where he wasn’t overly tested by the Titans attack. Their young halves might have just missed the chance, but I’d have been running some shape at Bryce Cartwright and Tom Opacic if I were them. 

Opacic’s early involvement was strong, but he disappeared once moved to the flank. Not noticing the winger is usually a good sign for the Eels and considering Brad Arthur is the next man up on the winger depth chart, Opacic may have done enough to earn an extended stay on the cursed Parramatta left wing.


 

Bailey Simonsson

5 – Right Wing

We loved/barely accepted him at his worst, so Bailey Simonsson decided we are deserving of his best. Saying this was his best game in Blue & Gold is barely a compliment, but this was a great wing performance regardless of name or jersey. His yardage work was excellent, he made some strong defensive reads and rushed well to shut down edge plays. He also dacked Greg Marzhew, an act which assures at least a B in grades.

He may have mistaken the Cbus Stadium sidelines for wooden floorboards when trying to give it a polish with his forehead after scoring his debut Eels try, but Simonsson left a carpet burn on my heart as well as his face with his efforts tonight.


 

Dylan Brown

6 – Five Eighth

When the forwards are going this well you just keep feeding them, so Dylan Brown put away the running game and played a more subtle role in the Eels side this week. His defence was again outstanding, both his one-on-one and his scrambling efforts, and he was the key man on the spot for the meat pie that proved the difference between satisfied and full. Now that we know those explosions are there, it’s fine if we don’t see them each and every week.


 

Mitch Moses

7 – Halfback

As soon as Voss and Ennis banged on excessively about the goalkicking streak you knew Mitchell Moses was as good as cooked on his first attempt. Then they talked up his sideline streak and that had no hope either. Not that it is fair to first talk about goalkicking when discussing the Prince of Egypt’s efforts against the Titans, where his cursed boot accounted for two try assists and a sweet pass put the King in for the opener. 

It was a game of great control by Moses, who picked his moments and knew when to just let his big men plough through. I wish he could have finished off the break he made, but the man is so quick he outruns his support players. That in-goal escape was crucial, too. Just another great game for the incumbent New South Wales halfback.


 

RCG

8 – Front Row

Nothing but the best for and from RCG today, who rained 66 minutes of pain and destruction on the Titans forward pack. His running game will get the headlines, hundreds of metres and dragging defenders with him on every carry, but he quietly racked up a huge number of tackles too. If Reg was my dad, I’d be equally awed, proud and terrified, as well as being the only kid in year 3 with a better moustache than the principal.


 

Reed Mahoney

9 – Hooker

“Will he get the” Cash Mahoney got his first rest of the season this week, and it didn’t coincide with a great period for the Eels. Reed took a couple of darts and likely deserves some credit for how the forwards performed in the early stages, but it was a workmanlike effort for the rake this week.


 

Junior Paulo

10 – Front Row

This was Junior Paulo’s best game of the season by the length of the straight, so let’s hope the stewards don’t sit him for a few weeks for some shoulder to shoulder contact. I have as much faith in the judiciary as I did in Blake Ferguson’s edge defence, so Junez can start planning a romantic Easter getaway now.


 

Ryan Matterson

15 – Second Row

The Adonis was another who had his best game of the year, crossing the stripe off a dummy Brett Kenny would be proud of while making Titans defenders look like they were trying to tackle a stone statue in his likeness. The Eels are blessed with back row talent right now and finding minutes for Lane, Papali’i and Matterson is the kind of mathematical challenge that makes me wish I hadn’t spent year 12 maths class attempting to create the world’s most powerful rubber band slingshot.


 

Isaiah Papali’i

12 – Second Row

The “crackdown on the wrestle four weeks into the season” (bad decisions) had a ripping game, showing some of that fire in his running that I’d thought had gone missing this year. Isaiah Papali’i bounced off defenders and looked solid in the defensive line himself, racking up the stats and the miles. Brad Arthur continues to treat him like a company car with drive-away insurance, getting every cent of value from his contract before he departs.


 

Nathan Brown

13 – Lock

I love Nathan Brown’s footwork at the line, and how often it turns a big collision and minimal gain into a good run and a quick play-the-ball. It’s underappreciated, and was on full display against the Gold Coast. He played a full 80 for the first time this year I believe, and while he looked a touch fatigued in the late stages it is good to see him back at full performance after missing most of the pre-season.


 

Maka Makatoa

14 – Interchange

Nine lousy minutes for Makahesi Makatoa, who becomes the latest chapter in “How to Mismanage a Bench, by Brad Arthur” which is shooting up the best-sellers charts. There are some excuses this week: injuries, suspect HIAs and Brad Arthur being terrified of what RCG would do to him if ordered from the field, but whatever the plan is, it should include more than 9 minutes for a middle forward in a tough contest like this.


 

Bryce Cartwright

18 – Interchange

The Carty Party only missed one tackle out there, but what a miss it was. David Fifita burst free for his eventual try because Bryce Cartwright decided that he only needed to grab the shoulder of the most dangerous ball runner in the NRL. Bryce vastly overestimated his ability and provided about as much resistance to Fifita as a moderately sticky spiderweb. 

Other than that, Cartwright was solid filling in at centre following the Waqa reshuffle. It was good he was on the bench this week, and a timely reminder to BA that the four forward bench has gone the way of the dodo in this modern HIA world.


 

Mitch Rein

17 – Interchange

Welcome to the Eels Mitch, here’s 20 minutes of almost pure defensive grind for you to play through. It was like a hazing ritual except instead of being done at the first bonding session it was held back for his first grade debut in Blue and Gold. 

Mitch Rein was solid defensively and decent with his service, but most are going to remember him making a half break and promptly having the ball knocked free in a tackle. He played 20 minutes and touched the ball 16 times, or about three full sets, which says it all about the time he got to show his wares. 


 

Oregon Kaufusi

16 – Interchange

Big Country got onto the field for a tough stretch, but still cranked out decent metres and good tackle efficiency, and not once did I take his name in vain. For a bench forward that’s a good result, though I can’t help but notice the Titans period of dominance began once the bench rotation took the field. That’s not Kaufusi’s fault, but RCG and Junior is a hard act to follow.


Brad Arthur encouraged the team to enjoy that win a bit more than they were showing, and I would say the same to Parramatta fans. It wasn’t a perfect performance, but just about everything went against the Eels in the second half and they buckled down and held back one of the best momentum teams in the competition. 

The defence needs to improve, but I didn’t think things were too bad tonight. The Gold Coast scored off two pieces of individual brilliance late in the game against tired defenders, and a couple of tries off kicks, one scrappy as anything. The Eels defended all the Titans’ shape strongly, and even started to shut down backline movements early. If the second half was a normal game instead of a procession of Titans possession, there’s a good chance we win this one by 30+.

Try not get too worked up about challenges, sin bins and referees, this was a win after all. To quote a uniquely rugby league take on Hanlon’s Razor: “never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by incompetence”. Nobody is out to get the Eels, we’re just seeing the results of endless tinkering with rules and interpretations. You need to be better than bad luck and poor decisions, and this week we were.

Until next time, stay slippery Eels fans.

Gol

Images and stats courtesy of NRL

If you liked this article, you might consider supporting The Cumberland Throw.

18 thoughts on “Post Game Grades – Round 5 vs Titans

  1. Prometheus

    I like the quote about incompetence. That cost us dearly last year. This team can win the title, let’s hope that incompetence doesn’t cost us again. The King was outstanding.

  2. MickB

    Good stuff, enjoyed the write up and last nights tip sheet.

    Enough has been said about the game refs. But overall I think Annesley needs to be moved on. There’s no excuse for the bunker to have clangers, and it just keeps happening. To me that’s on Annesley.

    RCG was immense and continues to out do Paulo, who I’m sure is going to walk into a Blues jersey (whereas RCG won’t even get a look in …. I just don’t get it). Nathan Brown I think is leading our line speed, and along with RCG is creating all our momentum.

    I like between last week and this week we had 2 totally different ways of winning. Last week it was the backs, this week it was the forwards. Great stuff from the team, hopefully they continue this improvement through the season.

    One last point – Guthos first try – good hard run and line. But why aren’t they creating that for Ice to do?

  3. BDon

    Tks Gol. Who is Nathan Brown’s surgeon? His scalpel work seems to have delivered the goods, but agree with RCG’s ranking.Penisini got caught flat footed by Marzhew’s pívot and went for the ball smother to hinder a grounding or prevent a pass as he had no momentum to knock him over with the shoulder. Probably a right decision but Marzhew’s strength won out as the other troops arrived too late. Other than this he had a no fuss, high competency game.

  4. !0 Year Member

    I would like to elaborate on ‘bonehead’ Moses making a break on the second tackle. Gets to 3 metres from the opposition try line and inexplicably decides to pass than take the tackle. D Brown pulling on a jersey when the player was no where near the ball …. In fact…. The player with the ball lost it. I would also refer to Carty as turnstile

  5. Prometheus

    Surprise, surprise Junior charged by MRC. We have to fight this because it’s just wrong. We can beat any team in the comp but we can’t beat these officials. Let’s start now.

  6. Anonymous

    So Matterson didn’t miss Fifita first and N Brown was also not at fault only Carty missed him I must have watched something else

    1. !0 Year Member

      Anon. Your correct. Unconcious bias? Perhaps. I just see him wrong footed so often in defence.

  7. Gol Post author

    I’ve updated Ryan Matterson’s grade, it was incorrectly a B before, now he’s been given the A- I’d originally assigned him. I’m going to blame the mistake on the bunker, and absolutely not user error.

  8. Chris K

    Feeling all the frustrations as other fans re: the officiating and ‘Paulogate’ – but to focus on a positive, really happy to see Simonsen have such a great game. Felt he was copping some unfair flack about being solely responsible for some poor wing structure defence early on (which for mine is not one, and the last man’s, sole responsibility).

    1. Gol Post author

      He is making better decisions absolutely, shooting out and shutting down the play at the halfback or link man. If we get this out of him every week I’ll be very happy.

  9. Glenn

    All Parra have to do is call AJ to back Paulo at the judiciary as he said ‘shoulder’ to Paulo as he was sent off.

    1. Gol Post author

      I wouldn’t trust a judiciary to listen to him. I’m keen to just take the week and move on, put it all behind us. Fighting any charge is a lottery we don’t need a ticket in.

  10. Paul taylor

    Another great blog GOL. I think we were stuffed all day in the penalties and six agains and momentum swings due to the timing of the infringements .

    We are definitely just behind Penrith as the form side . Moses is top 2 and our forward pack is dominating . West tigers should be a bath for us and I know we miss Junior ( what a bloody joke ) but we simply can’t change the mentality and dominance we are playing regardless . Start fast and get the field position game and the crowd and our kicking game will get us home .

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

%d bloggers like this: