Parramatta Eels 34
Manly Sea Eagles 4
It doesn’t often feel like opponents gift wrap a win for the Blue and Golds. Bad teams always like their chances and play us hard, and rarely does a Parramatta opponent throw out a sub-70% completion rate. So I’m really enjoying the 40th anniversary present that Manly gave the Eels last night, putting in an absolutely shocking performance that Parramatta gladly accepted and in return delivered a 30 point hiding. Makeshift halves and forward injuries didn’t matter as the veterans of the last NRL/NSWRL three-peat witnessed a thoroughly dominant performance by the Eels.
Walking through the CommBank Stadium precinct before the game, there was a distinct smell of sewage in the air. Turns out it wasn’t coming from some over fertilised plants, a loose drain cover or an accident in the Kid Zone, but from the away dressing sheds. Manly were absolutely putrid this weekend, dropping passes in yardage time after time, falling off tackles and unable to create any sort of coherent attack. Unlike that stadium stench, it was beautiful.
These numbers look like what happens when you play the Xbox NRL game on easy, Manly just could not compete with the Eels on basically every measure. Rugby league is an easy game when you have a near 2-1 possession advantage, run for nearly twice as many metres and break nearly four times as many tackles. I don’t know if the Eels were trying to impress the veterans of the 80s premierships (or maybe DJ Tigerlily) but they absolutely dominated this game on every level. For the numbers inclined:
Possession: Eels 62%, Sea Eagles 38%
Completions: Eels 38/48 (79%), Sea Eagles 24/36 (66%)
Run metres: Eels 1,927, Sea Eagles 1,115
Post contact metres: Eels 583, Sea Eagles 375
Tackle breaks: Eels 42, Sea Eagles 12
Average set: Eels 40.2m, Sea Eagles 31m
Offloads: Eels 13, Sea Eagles 6
Tackles: Eels 249, Sea Eagles 367
Ineffective tackles: Eels 9, Sea Eagles 25
Errors: Eels 12, Sea Eagles 14
Penalties conceded: Eels 6, Sea Eagles 6
Six agains conceded: Eels 2, Sea Eagles 5
The Eels captain was the last man standing of the starting spine and bent his own in taking the team on his back this weekend. Clint Gutherson was involved in everything, putting on two tries, scoring his own with another classic bargeover (and a very directed spray afterwards), and being his usual safe self in defence and kick defusal. We might not always appreciate the King as much as we should, but in this one he was the clear best on park. You da MVP, King.
Clint Gutherson
1 – Fullback
When you wrap a guy in the MVP section for just about everything he does, it usually doesn’t leave much to say down here in the grades. Not today for the King, who deserves yet more kudos for his kick returning this weekend. He was beating the first man nearly every run on his way to breaking seven tackles and earning some valuable field position for a side that usually relies on the boot of Mitchell Moses to win that battle. He is in fantastic touch.
Maika Sivo
2 – Left Wing
Maika Sivo is credited with six errors in this one, but only one or two came in bad situations and none while the game was a contest. I’m okay with that error count racking up if it comes from attempting to put the ball down or trying to create a Jason Saab sized divot in the CommBank turf. I’m disappointed the running wasn’t quite as hard this week, but that chip kick was a classic “up by 30” play that I enjoyed and also never want to see again.
Will Penisini
3 – Right Centre
Willy P got his offloads away and did a bit of hard running, but the ball didn’t find its way outside of the tram tracks too often this weekend and as a result he didn’t get many opportunities to shine. I can’t remember a time he’s been asked to make less than ten tackles in a game either, a highlight of just how poor the Manly attack was.
Bailey Simonsson
4 – Left Centre
Another ripping performance from Bailey Simonsson, running for 200 metres, scoring two tries and looking the man most likely of the Eels outside backs. If I wasn’t sure that no two men could voluntarily choose that hair style, I’d have serious questions about whether this is the same Bailey Simonsson that was playing on the wing for us last year.
Sean Russell
5 – Right Wing
Sean Russell might have been colder on that wing than I was on the walk back to the car without my jacket, it just wasn’t a day for spreads to the right edge. He did okay with what he was given, and if “times you called frantically for a kick only to see it go the other way” was a statistic then Seanbaby would have taken the gold.
Ryan Matterson
6 – Five Eighth
As a five eighth, Ryan Matterson makes a great running forward. He certainly channelled Dylan Brown in terms of running attempts, making 163 metres from 19 runs. There wasn’t much doing off the back of his passing game and that grubber he put in was last seen bouncing down the Rosehill Gardens straight, but luckily we didn’t need much more than some hard running from him tonight.
Daejarn Asi
7 – Halfback
Halfbacks dream of the platform that Daejarn Asi was provided by the running of his forwards and the mistakes of his opposition, and while he wasn’t a standout Asi did an impressive job directing the team around the park, taking on kicking duties and controlling play. His 61 touches was more than Mitchell Moses has had in any game this season, indicating the pressure that was placed on his young shoulders. We’ve got a keeper here.
RCG
8 – Front Row
In a week where I expected Reg to be digging deep and carrying the side, circumstances dictated that he could continue his gradual return from injury, needing only a short second stint after a tough first run. He wasn’t the busiest worker in his 44 minutes but he didn’t miss a tackle and played out the opening 30 minutes when the game was a contest, ensuring that by the time he left the field that was no longer the case.
Brendan Hands
15 – Hooker
Brendan Hands once again proved he can play a full 80, topping the Eels tackle count with 39 (and only one miss) and getting his running game going a few times. His service is solid (though he got a touch crash-ball happy a few times) and when Josh Hodgson is back there at least has to be a conversation about the starter considering how good the team has looked these last two weeks.
Ofahiki Ogden
10 – Front Row
Ofahiki Ogden played 37 minutes of pure power footy, running for 142 metres and his first try since 2019. While he was a starter today, one of the underappreciated differences between the 2022 and 2023 Parramatta Eels is how much trust Brad Arthur has in his bench middles. The conversation around bench usage has died right down, because rather than the wheels falling off at first changes, now the rage keeps burning thanks to Greig, Ogden and Makatoa.
Bryce Cartwright
11 – Second Row
I thought Bryce Cartwright was going to be used as a second five eighth this weekend, but instead he stuck to a traditional edge game, making only three passes as he fell agonisingly short of 100 running metres. Most happily, he didn’t miss a single tackle in his 60 minute stint.
Andrew Davey
12 – Second Row
Easily the best game from Andrew Davey since his return to Blue and Gold, as he made 127 hard yards, 22 tackles without a miss and most importantly, no errors. With Shaun Lane looking like he’ll return next week, Davey needed to stand up and demand a bench spot and I think he secured his continued place in the side with this effort.
J’maine Hopgood
13 – Lock
Another mammoth effort from the big Queenslander, who crossed for a try, ran for 173 metres, broke tackles, offloaded and even got involved in distribution to the tune of 11 passes. The form he is in, the emergence of Brendan Hands and the explosion of our bench middles has been very healthy for the mass breakups of last season. I’ve even deleted Reed and Papali’i from my contacts and stopped stalking them on Instagram to make sure they’re not as happy as I am.
Luca Moretti
14 – Interchange
A strong, busy and most importantly error free 18 minute stint for Luca Moretti. He’s at long odds to retain his spot once Junior and Lane come back into the side, but I doubt Brad Arthur will have any worries about calling on him again if required.
Makahesi Makatoa
17 – Interchange
Another prop might be getting all the plaudits for finally scoring his first try (and off a kick) this weekend, I’m far happier for the Big Mak breaking his duck off a very unlikely chip from Maika Sivo. Makatoa equalled big Reg in minutes on the park here and chewed up valuable metres while being the fourth member of the Eels pack to not miss a tackle nor have an ineffective tackle to their name. When Junior and Wiremu are back poor old Brad Arthur has one heck of a choice on his hands.
Joe Ofahengaue
15 – Interchange
Joe O was solid in his “proper” Eels debut, contributing to the continued dominance of the Eels pack with some strong runs and tidy defence, without some of the extracurricular offloads and tackle breaking that many of his fellow forwards added. He’ll be better for the run.
Matt Doorey
16 – Interchange
Where Moretti and Ofahengaue made the most of their limited chances, Matt Doorey could have done more in his 21 minutes on the field, running only three times and making five tackles. Nothing wrong with his effort, but everybody else was playing for their position, Doorey was just happy to be out there.
The slow start to the year has seen the Parramatta Eels slipping under the radar as they climb into the upper echelon of teams in 2023. The Eels are the best attacking team in the competition and just put up 34 points without three quarters of their starting spine. Perhaps more importantly, they are now a top six defensive side, and a one point per game improvement would see them top three. Only Penrith has a better points differential, and on the true ladder (where bye points aren’t a thing) the Eels will finish the round in fifth place.
Brad Arthur credited the team for playing boring this week, but I didn’t find anything boring about the beating and bashing his Eels put on Manly. The attacking structures are in place and even losing the starting halves didn’t slow them down too much. The middle is rolling despite injuries, and with the emergence of Will Penisini and the surprise form of Bailey Simonsson, this is turning into a reasonably potent backline. Things are looking pretty good for the Blue and Gold right now.
Next week the Eels travel to the Sunshine Coast for their first clash with The Dolphins. To call the form of Wayne Bennett’s side a slide doesn’t do justice to how quickly they are tumbling down the NRL mountain, but some old fashioned effortball is never far away and on the Dolphins Sunny Coast debut the Eels will need to be on their game. A loss there would undo a lot of hard work, but a win and that top four spot could be secured. I can’t wait.
Until next time, stay slippery Eels fans.
Gol
Stats and images provided by NRL / Eels media
Good post Gol. Always made easier with such a good win. I can’t be critical of your choice of MVP however I probably would have went for Hopgood.
Maybe that is because he has done so well in his first season with the Eels. Sometimes I think I expect too much of Gutho and don’t appreciate a performance like last night.
I am impressed by our Middle rotation. I can’t remember when we had quality Middles to choose from so deep into the roster. There is something about BA’s ability to get the best out of his forwards.
That stink you talked about before the game. I made my grandson lift his feet so I could check that he hadn’t stepped in something. He was most indignant about being blamed.
John, I find it insane that BA still has his critics. He’s not infallible but for the Eels strategy of spending the most coin on retention rather than recruitment, we must have a coach who can develop players from within or who can improve lower to mid roster recruits. That’s BA.
The growth in Woody and Ogden is testimony to our coaching staff. We now have a great Middle rotation when you throw in Matterson and buy of the year Hopgood.
I understand Ryles was offered around $750,000 by the Dragons as an untested NRL coach. BA with a CV few coaches can match must be on $1.5 mil.
It’s great to see the middles each doing their job, and doing that very well. The next man up mentality has been the difference this season, and has produced some consistent performances. We should have the belief that we can go one better. With the fact that this premiership is wide open, it’s anyone’s game, so why not Parra’s?
Yes, I don’t think that premiership window has closed just yet.
Never did Shaun.
Longfin, I’ve maintained all season that we are playing more consistent footy in 2023
No coincidence that our resurgence has coincided with Brendan Hands replacing Hodgson at dummy half.
1. Hodgson is so slow – sorry to say he is past his use by date IMO.
2. Brendan Hands plays a very similar style to Reed Mahoney and as a,result our forwards look a lot better
You guys did a great job a few weeks vack with a statistical analysis of points scored for and against for the Eels when Hodgson was on the field compared with when Hands was on the field. The stats showed pretty convincingly that we are a far better team with Hands on the field. I hope BA takes note!!!!
Mark, I actually disagree about using such stats. Points are team stats and the points can easily be broken down to having nothing to do with the dummy half. Hodgson was performing much better in the matches immediately before his injury and the team has been very consistent this season. Now having two dummy halves performing well isn’t necessarily a one or the other choice, because Hands and Hodgo have different qualities. Hands runs the ball well and is a good defender. Hodgo is more of a schemer and a leader around the group. PS – I am a fan of Hands and gave him two points in my 3,2,1 yesterday
Agree with you 60s , its the complete opposite to what mark said and he answered it for himself , hands played similar to reedy , thats because our structures and forwards make people look good , hows reedy doing now , was always over rated by media but not by his team mates ,
Perhaps the new left centre is wearing a wig?
Simonsson is going very well.
Simonsson’s centre play has been a revelation. He’s filling what was a gaping hole. He runs hard and tackles enthusiastically. All the forwards were excellent but Hopgood was outstanding. That palm-off for his try! Wow. But head and shoulders above them all was the King: safe under the high ball, deceptive and creative with ball in hand and excellent goal kicking. The score could easily have been 50-4.
McFersie, it should have been very close to 50. Four disallowed calls that were at worst 50/50 decisions. What I’m liking about Simonsson is his runs in yardage. His strong carries of the footy are benefiting us greatly.
It is always good to beat Manly – the bigger the margin – the better it feels. Parra certainly has an enthusiastic pack of forwards and are working well together.
Asi is a pleasant surprise – he has some quality and also calmness. Dylbags better return soon.
Parra’s attack is also a pleasant surprise particularly the ease in scoring so many tries. Sean Russell’s try was a try but denied as with Sivo. Why do I get the feeling the bunker does not understand when a ball runs backwards. It does not engender confidence in the system.
Speaking of attack – let’s give credit where credit is due. Our attack has turned around from last year and is starting to remind me of 2001. Why is this? It has to do with Trent Barrett. While he might not quite make it as head coach he certainly makes it as an attacking coach. He is the reason the Panthers were high on the list for attack. Forget the Bulldogs – they could not beat a reserve grade team and Barrett inherited a rabble.
Let’s hope Barrett stays with the Eels.
I won’t argue about what Baz has brought to the club. I have a sneaky feeling that BA enjoys his company too.
Barrett seems like a good bloke and good coach. Mitch credits him for helping him this year and I’m sure other players would. Parra should try lock baz in for at least 2 more years
Very pleasantly surprised by the growth of our inexperienced middle forwards. Hopefully they maintain the rage
Always a good story to see someone who goes through some tough times and then return some success, such as it has been for Barrett. Ditto for Cartwright. Great to see them flourish.
Asi kicking is brilliant, would of been a lot more try assists of the call had gone our way, good to see the young fella taking the opportunity given and making something of it.
Simonson is a great comeback
So…. we are playing Bazzball now as well? It’s worked well for the English
Tks Gol. The 4 A rated players had very strong games, each contributing Rugby League fundamentals with impact.Also liked many of the non-headline efforts, you mentioned Joe O’s composed contribution fitting in nicely and Moretti’s energetic cameo, I think it’s 3 times now for him and there’s definitely something about his attitude and effort.
Observation on Joe O-his pedigree and early development hasn’t quite flourished in NRL. He timed some poor Broncos and Tigers years plus some off field stuff. Maybe maturity/Eels/BA finally give him the right platform to bring out his best consistently.
I really hope Arthur persists with Luca Moretti, this fella is a serious talent. A roosters junior who they were pissed off to lose. Time in the top grade will bring out his quality.
Much better completion rate this week, which will need to be maintained going forward.
BA said he was happy with us playing boring footy. If we continue to win by 30 playing that way then so will the faithful B&G Army.
I’m curious about how long it has been since the Eels capitalised with points during a sin bin. I can’t remember the last time we took away 12 points during 13 v 12. I’m sure I’ve seen us concede points. Anyone with a better memory than mine?