Normally I hate bye weeks. I miss the footy and watching other NRL teams run around just doesn’t cut it.

This year is different.

With so many player absences impacting Parra’s 2023 campaign, I’m happy that the players are getting a rest. The two points for the bye are also useful.

I won’t get into the inequity of the draw in this preamble, but you will find me again banging on about it below.

So for now, settle back, enjoy the guaranteed two points, and get those Bumpers Up.

Carty 2023 = Lane 2022

Media identities, and certainly Eels supporters, are in agreement that Bryce Cartwright is close to the best, most consistent form of his career.

Parra’s left edge has long provided many of the team’s tries, hence Maika Sivo’s try scoring success. In fact, even the absence of Lane and Brown has failed to dampen the effectiveness of the Eels left, and for that Gutho and DJ deserve praise.

However, in 2023 the right side is asserting itself as a formidable point of difference and Carty is proving integral to their threat. I’d go so far as to declare that the performances of Cartwright in 2023 are very reminiscent of Shaun Lane in 2022.

Throughout the back half of 2022, Lane’s form built to such an extent that he was named the Ken Thornett Medal winner and was touted as a Kangaroo bolter.

Unfortunately, injuries have drastically impacted Lane’s appearances in 2023, but that’s where Bryce Cartwright has stepped up to the plate.

The context of Carty’s career revival should not be overlooked. When both Isaiah Papali’i and Marata Niukore departed at the end of 2022, the absence of such strike edge and interchange players from this year’s roster was viewed by the pundits to be a key reason for the closure of Parra’s premiership window.

And when Lane broke his jaw during the preseason, there was no shortage of doomsday prophets amongst NRL punters and experts.

What was unexpected, was for Bryce Cartwright to become one of the Eels most reliable contributors. His current stats rival his returns of 2016 when he was one of Penrith’s gun players, partnering Nathan Cleary in the halves.

Cartwright has been in the starting pack for 13 of the Eels 16 matches. Consequently his average running metres (113) compares favourably to that 2016 season (116) with that number being close to double his previous best for the Eels. His 30 offloads places him third in the NRL – team mate J’Maine Hopgood leads the field with 38.

However, it’s the eye test which is the best barometer for Carty’s current form.

Restraint has been a key factor. This means that we see less of the outrageous plays from the talented back-rower, but enough of his skill to pose a genuine threat to opposition defences. And when the game just needs him to tuck the ball under his arm and run, he does just that.

Hopefully we will soon hear about Cartwright signing an extension with the Eels. I had the opportunity to speak with him at Kellyville a couple of weeks ago and he’s not interested in playing anywhere else.

When you have in-form players who love the club, they need to be locked in.

The Asi-man

When the NRL stood Dylan Brown down for an indeterminate period, I had deep concerns about the Eels season.

To be honest, I wasn’t entirely certain how BA planned to fill the five-eighth role. And when Daejarn was named, I didn’t know what to expect. During the preseason, he had played literally every backline position and hadn’t settled in one spot since. Even the official club profile lists him as a centre!

In his appearances for a struggling Eels NSW Cup team, DJ had produced his best at fullback, and outside of previous NRL experience in the halves, there was nothing to indicate that he was about to perform as well as he has.

In his three recent NRL appearances, “The Asi-man” has averaged 94 run metres per game and put on four try assists. He was also required to be the dominant half and primary kicker in the victory over the Sea Eagles.

We don’t know what lies on the horizon for Brown. He has another court appearance this week, and depending on the outcome, the NRL might end his stand down or continue it for a specified or unspecified period.

Whatever the decision, it’s been a revelation that the effectiveness of the “next man up” philosophy isn’t restricted to the Eels forwards.

 

Sivo’s Bumpers

Maika Sivo has avoided suspension after again being charged for his use of the forearm against a defender.

Personally, I thought that he would escape a serious charge as most of the impact came from around his wrist and hand.

However, he is earning the ire of match officials who will now heavily scrutinise how he carries the ball into contact. The danger for the Eels is that he might be more likely to attract penalties, whether he’s guilty or not.

The problem, as I suggested when discussing the Bumpers Up technique last week, is when the arms become horizontal. This presents the forearm and elbow as weapons against the defender. The appropriate Bumpers Up technique requires the arms to be more vertical in front of the chest.

Given that BA conceded that Sivo has an issue with this aspect of his game, I’d expect the coaches to be working with the big winger to rectify it.

Maika’s Unwanted Record?

When was the last time that you saw a player have four consecutive tries disallowed by the bunker? It’s doubtful that records are kept on this unwanted metric, but surely it couldn’t have happened very often if at all.

Starting with the outrageously incorrect bunker call to overturn a try against the Bulldogs, Sivo has since had a further three tries pulled back across the Manly and Dolphins matches.

The no-try against the Dolphins was probably a fair call. It was difficult to determine whether the ball reached the line before his foot went out, but I could find reasons to argue against every other decision.

Punters backing Sivo to score tries in the last two matches wouldn’t be happy. Such is the folly of gambling on footy matches.

More importantly, the calls could cost Maika the leading try scorer gong.

We can only hope that the Bunker calls improve as we get closer to finals footy.

Hodgson Injury

We await more specific news on Josh Hodgson’s neck injury and subsequent operation, but speculation from the NRL Physio about likely time frames when returning from similar operations places the period at around eight weeks.

Should that be the case, the Eels might be unlikely to see him return before finals football.

There will be supporters who suggest that Hodgo’s form in 2023 has been disappointing and that the additional game time for Hands is a blessing in disguise.

Outside of the fact that Hodgson’s form had been improving, the concern is that should injury or suspension strike for Hands, there is no other experienced dummy half at the club.

Mitch Rein has announced his retirement, and those playing in that position for the NSW Cup team (Meni Luke, Jacob Davis and Jayden Yates) are relatively inexperienced, even at NSW Cup level.

It’s likely that some sort of misadventure to Hands would necessitate manufacturing a makeshift number 9. Daejarn Asi might fit that bill, but one has to remember that the dummy half touches the ball more than any other player and is often required to top the tackle count. It would be a huge ask of anyone who isn’t experienced in the role.

Personally, I have my fingers crossed that Hodgson recovers quickly.

Origin To Impact Eels

What should be an absolute cracker of a game in the Eels upcoming clash with the Warriors, will unfortunately be impacted by the Eels losing players to Origin.

I’ve banged on about this numerous times because it’s surprising that nobody in the media has picked up on the inequity in the draw.

To repeat, the Eels are the only club in 2023 who will be forced to stand down players in all three rounds that precede Origin. This is because all of the other clubs get at least one of their byes on those weekends. Five clubs receive two byes across those three rounds. The Eels don’t get one bye on those dates.

We can expect Parra to lose at least Moses and Paulo. It’s selfish and unfair to say so, but we have to hope that other in-form Eels such as Hopgood and Gutherson don’t come in for consideration.

As it stands, the fans are about to be robbed of Johnson vs Moses. And the Eels will need to find another level to continue their winning streak against a Warriors team destined for finals football.

Women’s Origin

Most predicted that it would happen, and the inevitable occurred when the winner of this year’s drawn Women’s Origin series was decided by points differential.

Without question, two games are better than one, but let’s now end the farce.

The games themselves were indicative of where they were placed on the calendar.

Staging the series during the NRLW preseason meant no current form or match condition for any player. Game 1 was always going to produce a rusty match for both teams, and the improved standard in Game 2 should be evidence of a need to change the calendar.

Consider these stats in a match featuring what should be the best players in women’s rugby league performing at their best.

In Game 1, completions for both teams sat just above 60%. That number rose to 77% in Game 2.

There were 30 errors in Game 1 compared to 22 errors in Game 2, this is despite the players taking more chances with total offloads doubling from 8 to 16.

Finally, the combined run metres increased from 2379 in Game 1 to 2971 in Game 2.

Ultimately, the result of the players getting a game under their belts was that Origin 2 was a far better spectacle played in front of a ripper crowd of over 18K.

We can only speculate what a third game would have produced, but it would be reasonable to assume that both the players and the public would have been pumped to have a decider.

Let’s hope that there have been lessons learned in 2023, and that we get a three match series in 2024, with better placement on the calendar and much improved promotion.

Flegg Back In Form

Many would not have witnessed it, but the Eels Jersey Flegg team bounced back to the winners list with an impressive win over the talented Sharks outfit. In a weekend that pitched the Eels club against the Dolphins and the Sharks, it was the Eels who emerged as Kings of the Sea! 

Currently sitting near the top of the table in Jersey Flegg, Cronulla had disposed of the Eels 34 to 14 in a lopsided match earlier this season.

On Saturday, the Eels produced one of their best performances of the season in running out 22 to 12 victors in a high standard clash.

The return of dummy half Matt Arthur (suspension) and half back Ethan Sanders (injury) meant that the S G Ball spine of Arthur, Sanders, Twidle and Lynn was finally reunited in a Flegg match. Arthur celebrated by scoring the opening two tries.

All up, around eleven of the Ball team have now been elevated to get game time in Flegg.

The task of transitioning such a large number of players into an existing squad would have been challenging for coach Craig Brennan. I’m not sure how long he’ll be able to select Sanders, with Nathan Cayless currently having to use a back rower in the halves in NSW Cup. Losing players to higher grades is something that Brennan is already used to.

For now, the Flegg team have a big task in front of them. They still sit in 9th place and that prospect of players being called up by Cayless is ever present.

However, if you’d like to see them in action this week you should head to Ringrose Park on Saturday afternoon.

Their match against the Tigers kicks off at 4pm. If you can’t be there, be sure to follow the live blog on TCT.

Eels forever!

Sixties