Welcome to Eric Tweedale Stadium, the former Granville Park.

The ground has enjoyed a massive upgrade since those days and today the Eels are hosting the Central Coast Roosters and Melbourne Storm.

This stadium will be the new home ground of the Eels Junior Reps until Kellyville Park is completed. There’s a terrific stand here with superb viewing of the field and function areas.

The regulation season of the Junior Representatives wraps up this week with the Parramatta Eels in the hunt for the finals in all three grades. The Harold Matthews (3rd) and SG Ball (4th) both sit inside the Top 4 inside their respective competitions and need but one more win each to consolidate their berths to the postseason. A Top 2 finish and thus a ticket to the Grand Final Qualifier is still in play for the Harold Matthews as well given that the 1st and 2nd seeds are facing each other this weekend.

For the Tarsha Gale it is a tad more complicated. Although they enter this week in 5th, they have drawn the undefeated, table-topping Bulldogs as their opponents. Spring the upset victory and they assure themselves a place in the finals. Lose though and you require just one of either the Panthers or Raiders to also drop their match this week. What changes things for our girls this week is that their game has been rescheduled to Sunday so they will be forearmed with the exact parameters required of them to lock in a Top 6 finish.

Today though our Harold Matthews will take on the Central Coast Roosters while the SG Ball face the interstate threat of the Melbourne Storm. With both visiting teams holding just a single win a piece this season the Eels need to take care of business today and set themselves up for the finals next week. The Harold Matthews kick the action off at Eric Tweedale Stadium today at 11:30AM while the SG Ball will follow at 1:30PM.

I’m mixing duties between blogging and some ground announcing and looking forward to the matches.

 

Harold Matthews Team List

 

1	Corey Leigh
2	Dom Farrugia
3	Anthony Abdow
4	Lachlan Vella
5	Aidan Kebourian
6	Junior Fagalele
7	Lorenzo Talataina
8	Ocean Vaivela
9	Lachlan Coinakis
10	Mikayel Tito
11	Jezaiah Funa-Iuta (c)
12	Mark Williams
13	Tyson Sangalang
14	Zaidas Muagututi’a
15	Jordan Uta
16	Brandon Navarro
17	Maison Ong
18	Lewis Saad

 

Match Updates

Roosters open the scoring via their half on the back of a penalty and set restart

Roosters 6 Eels nil Three minutes gone

The Eels attack and work towards the posts. It’s the last and the ball shifts left through Leigh to Kebourian who crosses in the corner. Conversion unsuccessful.

Roosters 6 Eels 4 Nine minutes gone

Sorry we’ve had some connection issues here. After surviving some raids from the Roosters the Eels have forced an error by the Roosters off a scrum inside the quarter. A couple of centrefield forays and the ball shifts wide to the right to Talataina who is positioned in the centres. He steps off his right foot and cuts through the line to score just wide of the posts. Conversion unsuccessful

Eels 8 Roosters 6. Nine minutes remaining in the first half

Eels back on the attack and break down the right wing. Back to the middle inside the quarter now and they are in front of the posts. Muagututia has a crack and he’s over next to the posts.

conversion successful by Farrugia.

Eels 14 Roosters 6

 

Half time

Second Half

The Eels get the first shot via a penalty in their first set and Kebourian gets very close. The Eels turn it over from a poor pass from dummy half. In their next set they earn a penalty but fail to find touch.

Roosters work play into the Eels quarter and Parra field the last tackle kick to earn a seven tackle set. Big metres follow and the Eels get to the red zone. Big shift left and there’s an overlap. Leigh draws the defence and Vella steps back inside to score.

Conversion unsuccessful

Eels 18 Roosters 6 seven minutes gone

The Roosters break down their right. There’s a kick ahead and the Roosters winger has plenty of toe and wins the chase to the ball. Conversion unsuccessful.

Eels 18 Roosters 10

17 minutes to go.

Bit of a delay as a Roosters player is treated for a leg injury.

it’s getting tough here for the Eels as incomplete sets and missed tackles have them under pressure on their line. They survive but it’s a line drop out. Huge kick from Farrugia into the wind gets the kick towards half way. Better early tackles in the set and the Eels force an error.

Now it’s a couple of back to back Parra penalties.

Into the red zone and Muagututia works a reverse pass to Tyson Sangalang who storms over under the posts. Farrugia adds the extras

Eels 24 lead Roosters 10. Four minutes remaining.

The Eels can’t catch the kick off and the Roosters are into the Eels red zone. The Roosters work a narrow blind and their fullback crosses in the right corner.

Conversion unsuccessful.

Full time. Eels 24 defeat Roosters 14

 

SG Ball Team List

 

1	Apa Twidle
2	Devonte Vaivela
3	Richard Penisini
4	Blaize Talagi
5	Tuvaka Palu
6	Ethan Sanders
7	Josh Lynn
8	Lance Fualema
9	Matt Arthur
10	Saxon Pryke
11	Dom De Stradis
12	William Lewis
13	Charlie Guymer (c)
14	Patrick Spence
15	Samuel Squire
16	Raf De Stradis
17	Kobi Hurford
18	Charbel Chehade
19	Declan Murray

 

Match Updates

First Half

Storm kick off and the Eels complete their set but give away an early penalty. Storm attacking in the quarter. The Eels field the last tackle kick.

Parra have worked their way into the Storm quarter. The ball shifts left and Vaivela has space in the corner. He gets the ball down for the first try. Conversion unsuccessful.

Eels 4 lead Storm nil. 12 minutes gone.

Parra fail to complete the kick off set and have now given away a scrum penalty.

The Eels survive but the Ref has been finding plenty of fault with Parra’s play and they’ve been pinged in a sequence of penalties. The Storm work play left and the centre offloads in contact for the winger to have a passage to the corner.

Conversion unsuccessful

Eels 4 Melbourne 4 15 minutes till the break.

Parra on the attack on the Storm quarter and they earn a penalty for a strip. They go close to stripping the Storm for numbers on the right wing. The play comes back immediately to the left edge and Richard Penisini slices through to score close to the corner post. Superb conversion from Sanders.

Eels 10 lead Storm 4 Eleven minutes remaining.

The Eels complete a great set from the kick off and Arthur kicks deep into the right corner. The Storm are trying to ruck it out and lose possession around the quarter. Parra look in a mood now. They get to ten out and Sanders runs deep into the line. The defenders fall off so he gets up and goes again to score near the posts. Josh Lynn takes this conversion and guides it over.

Eels 16 lead Storm 4. About eight minutes remaining.

The Eels knock on from the kick off and survive the Storm attack, forcing an error. A couple of traded sets but Parra get called for a forward pass from dummy half right on the halfway line.

Melbourne force a line drop out but Parra regather the short drop out via a brilliant catch from Penisini. They get a penalty to go deep on the attack then it all comes undone with a dropped pass.

The Storm make an error with a cut out pass that floats over the touch line but there’s no time for Parra to play the ball.

Half time. Eels 16 lead Storm 4

Second Half

It’s the third set of the half and Parra have play right in front of the posts. The Storm defence looks disorganised so Sanders takes the line on. It’s all too easy as he strolls through defenders.
Conversion from Lynn is successful

Eels 22 lead Storm 4  Four minutes gone.

Parra complete a great set with a kick to the left corner and a straight line of chasers. They force an error and Parra have possession 15 metres out. A penalty soon follows and the hit up is stopped a couple of metres out. There’s a chance next to the ruck so Arthur dives over from dummy half for the try.

Conversion from Lynn

Eels 28 lead Storm 4 About seven minutes gone.

Run of possession for the Storm here with a penalty and six again taking them into the Eels red zone. A grubber kick into the Eels in goal is well weighted and their right centre wins the race to the ball.

Conversion unsuccessful.

Eels 28 lead Storm 8. Twenty minutes to go.

Things are firing up here. Consecutive penalties for Parra for Storm tackles gone wrong and Arthur has just been dumped onto his head causing players to rush in from all corners. And unsurprisingly the Storm player is sent the bin.

Parra sweep left on the Storm 30 and Twidle is hit in a big shot that jolts the ball loose. Lost opportunity there. The Eels follow that up with another loose pass next set deep on the attack on an early tackle.

Great football now from Parra. They stretch the Storm defence down the right wing then follow that up with a sequence of select and accurate passes through Arthur, Sanders, and Spence that opens the channel for Vaivela to dive over in the left corner. Conversion unsuccessful

Eels 32 lead Storm 8 with about ten minutes remaining.

Not good from the Eels here as they give away a set restart on the last tackle close to their quarter. The Storm dummy half takes a shot from close to the posts and he’s over.

conversion successful.

Eels 32 lead Storm 14. Five minutes remaining.

The Storm lose possession on attack but then Parra drop the ball cold off the scrum. Storm ten out now. Parra scramble well but then fumble the last tackle kick. The Eels defend the set with the Storm throwing a forward pass to end their last opportunity.

Full time – Eels 32 defeat Storm 14.

That Eels participation in the finals series in both the Matts and the Ball is now confirmed after finishing third and fourth respectively.

Updates From Other Matches

*Lisa Fiaola Cup

Eels 32 defeated Bulldogs 10

*Jersey Flegg Cup

Eels 32 defeated Dragons 16

*NSW Cup

Eels 26 Dragons 26

*Tarsha Gale

To play tomorrow but today’s result guarantee they play finals footy

Eels forever!

Sixties