Victory over the Panthers did not come easy, and that’s exactly what was expected. It even required the Eels to overcome the deflating sight of Junior being sin binned followed by Cleary kicking one of the code’s greatest ever field goals to draw the game as the siren sounded.
It would have been easy for heads to drop, but they did not.
So, first and foremost, our Eels players deserve to be praised.
They stuck to their simplified game, playing to their strengths and refusing to hand over cheap possession. Their effort has been there all year, but Parra’s discipline to make the opposition beat them instead of the Parra players beating themselves, was refreshing and a tremendous relief.
Kudos also to the coaching staff. Some timely tweaks were made to the bench personnel and rotations, and the reward was a team which successfully fought to the 83rd minute against the reigning premiers.
The celebrations!
Finally, the 16000 plus fans who braved the conditions on a Thursday night deserve to be applauded. Apart from the years of Covid restrictions, my family has not missed a home game, so not being able to attend this match was very disappointing. We were certainly envious of the Blue and Gold army as we watched the game from home.
As an aside, the television commentary was painful to sit through. We kept switching between 9 and Fox hoping to find something bearable. If you watched either broadcast you’d understand the “difficult choice” between Ennis giving his opinions on the Eels or Gus and Freddy waxing lyrically about the Panthers.
It’s proving to be a very competitive start to the 2023 season. Parra sits just one win out of the top 6 despite losing three of their first four games. Neutral fans would be enjoying the high standard of footy on show.
I have a feeling more games will go to the wire as the season progresses and more upsets can be expected. With that in mind the leaders and the spine in every team will play an even more important role.
There is no doubt that Parra’s senior players stepped up to the challenge against Penrith. The thing that I loved the most was their patience and persistence. As an example, Moses kicking to Turuva could have been perceived as repetitive and predictable. It seemed to be in the coverage. I would have preferred the tactic to be acknowledged as limiting the impact of To’o and Edwards.
Watching games live From The Stands avoids any influential narratives found on the television coverage. The reality was that the simplified game management from Mitch Moses kept the team going toe to toe with the Panthers. It provided the territorial gains that Parra needed at the end of every set, not to mention the platform for Reg and Gutho to deliver their star performances.
Go Reg! (Image credit Eels media)
This week the Eels face another formidable opponent and the task remains the same.
They need to guard against the Roosters getting any early ascendancy. That comes by controlling possession, kicking long and smart and limiting mistakes. The loss of Junior to suspension makes it tougher, but that’s no excuse.
I rate this Roosters team and have the utmost respect for their coach, but over the last few years the Eels have demonstrated that they have the game to threaten them.
That has involved utilising the size of Shaun Lane in attacking Sam Walker in the red zone. How will that differ this week? I’ll back our coach and senior playmakers to come up with a plan.
But if any lesson has been drummed into our team over the first month of the season, it’s this:
Rugby league is a possession game. Holding the ball, with the firepower at Parra’s disposal, is the path to victory; turning it over cheaply is the fast track to defeat no matter who takes the field in Eels colours.
Shelley
Totally agree with you about the commentary..Dan Ginnane, in my opinion, is the worst..
100% correct. I’ve started watching the games with the sound off. I’d pay extra to get just the sound of the crowd and the ground announcer, just like at games.
it was just one of those nights at the footy, where you realise what you miss when you watch at home. Atmosphere! The ‘Loui’s a w….r’ call that went up around the ground everytime he touched the ball, the stunned silence when Cleary evened up the score, the drums,even the Big Bad Brad Arthur description when the team was announced. What a Night!
Yes!
I’ve done this for yrs. It’s much better with no commentary
Many years ago, I knew a bloke who worked in TV who had this device that removed the commentary but left the ground mic sound in the call. We used it to have some fun recording our own call of an origin game. If only it was available for retail purchase.
I find it extremely hard listening to Dan on Fox ,he is definitely the worst commentator on Fox
Totally agree mate he is painful
Tks Shelley. Did I spot an understatement?…’tweaks’ to the rotation. Hold the ball..what a simple truth, but I love reading all TCT contributors about what goes wrong and why we couldn’t hold it. The extremes of Rugby League make it fascinating.
Cheers BDon. I also try to read all of the replies to all of our contributors. It often provides perspectives that I hadn’t at first considered and some replies trigger ideas for future posts.
Thanks Shelley. Spot on as always. The winning Ice.In.His.Veins moment was experienced by all Eels at the ground by such spontaneity, going up as one with both arms in the air while yelling with accompanying high fives and hugging. These moments stay with you, no matter what.
Graz, you have perfectly described the reaction in the TCT seats. It was that moment of standing with both arms raised, yelling, maybe an expletive or three, then hugging – or shaking hands as if we contributed to the win 🤣
I usually don’t mind Ennis commentating but this game he was infuriating to listen to. It was very one-sided favouring the Panthers no matter what happened, even though Eels were leading most of the game and possession. The only blemish on this great match.
Good point Jarrad and here is the thing, Panthers never took the lead. They drew even twice but were never in front.
Further the two teams are together at one win each. I watched the Nine highlights and Slater was as bad as Ennis.
I don’t watch Nine coverage any more
Exactly John.
when That sort of thing happens in commentary – ie a narrative that seems to continue through the game with little relevance to much of what is happening – it makes me think that there has been a pre game discussion about what they intend to discuss through the game or at the very least, the attempted validation of match preview thoughts.