Parramatta Eels 16
Melbourne Storm 46
No.
There’s a big whiff of reserve grade about this Parramatta team, and unfortunately for us the Eels reserve grade is a raging trash fire and the firsts reflected that. I am guilty of expecting way too much from a team packed with lower grade talents, from Waqa and Bailey to Asi, Ogden, Davey, Hands, Joe O and Moretti. That’s nearly 50% of a first grade side, and sure some of those guys have moments but the bottom line is none would get so much as a sniff of first grade at the best teams in the comp. Some would be lucky to make Penrith’s reserve grade side.
Some of that is injury and suspension (we’re down five of our best 17 from the start of the year), some is bad luck with player development, but a lot is really bad fringe level recruitment. We’ve played with a short squad all year, then when we needed to fill it out a bit, bought two more reserve grade forwards (when we already had Doorey, Murchie and Makatoa to fill those roles) instead of addressing the comic lack of outside backs depth.
Maybe we’ve reached out to every reserve grade back in the country and been turned down by all of them. Still it should never get to that. You get a top 30 for a reason, and surely we could have done better than what we’ve put together.
Harry Grant and Jahrome Hughes showed us all what real X factor looks like. I can’t even be bothered posting the numbers, we were bad, they were good. The end.
Whatever, J’maine Hopgood can take this one. Well done.
Clint Gutherson
1 – Fullback
When an opponent figures out Clint Gutherson’s positioning tendencies, they really figure them out. Here the Storm exploited him when he joined the line over and over again, and while it wasn’t always his fault that the forwards left gaps in the line you could drive Phil Gould’s ego through, sometimes you just have to hang back and play fullback.
Waqa Blake
20 – Left Wing
At least we got an answer to “why didn’t he just run” from last week: he’d have probably been smashed over the sideline.
Will Penisini
3 – Right Centre
He’s the guy most likely in this three quarter line full of plodders and the only player among them that might create something on his own.
Bailey Simonsson
4 – Left Centre
He’s making a lot of metres, but if we’re going to persist with Bailey in the backline (and I don’t see many other choices) he needs to spend the off season learning the art of centre defence next to Will Penisini.
Sean Russell
5 – Right Wing
Nailed one high difficulty putdown, but couldn’t make it a double. He reminds me of a “create a player” in a sports video game that hasn’t had any extra stats put in yet: just a lot of average skills and nothing to make him stand out. That’s not a criticism, he’s only just starting his first grade journey, and frankly “just being average” brings a lot more to the table than most of the Parramatta backline ranks right now.
Daejarn Asi
6 – Five Eighth
His opening month in Blue and Gold did well to make me forget that he’s never been able to tackle. It was easier to forgive that when he was putting some tries on, but I’ll be glad to see the end of his role as leader of “spud alley” down the reserve grade left edge of the Parramatta attack.
Mitchell Moses
7 – Halfback
He’s trying hard and I did enjoy seeing a bit of variety in how he dug into the line, showing he learned from last week, but the platform he got here was only ever going to set him up for frustration and failure.
Ofahiki Ogden
8 – Front Row
Just 24 minutes and some ordinary defence from Ogden, who is making a name for himself not managing to take prime opportunities to establish himself in first grade. You managed it a couple of months ago, where is that effort now?
Brendan Hands
9 – Hooker
I don’t know if Brendan Hands had a full first grade pre season or not, I’d suspect not given he was basically a step above park football to start the year. Regardless, he’s feeling the fatigue of both a full season of grade and opposing teams picking him out of the defensive line like he’s Reed Mahoney. There’s hope, but the days of living on not being Josh Hodgson (or specifically, Josh Hodgson’s ruck defence) are long over.
Junior Paulo
10 – Front Row
Statistically this looks like a solid game from Junior, but give me not dawdling across on breaks and solid defensive performances over a few offloads when the game is already cooked. Right now we need a leader and instead we’re getting the worst football Junior has played in years.
Bryce Cartwright
12 – Second Row
The Storm picked out the only threatening forward in the Parramatta lineup and shut him down, as a good team tends to do. Carty has been a rare bright spot in an otherwise frustrating season, but he didn’t make me feel any better here.
Andrew Davey
11 – Second Row
We sent the recruitment team to market for some outside backs and they came back with Andrew Davey and Joe Ofahengaue. At least Jack came back with magic beans, all we’ve got is missed tackles.
J’maine Hopgood
13 – Lock
Worked himself to the bone and got over for a powerful try, Hopgood continues to do a lot of heavy lifting in an underperforming pack.
Joey Lussick
16 – Interchange
Bit of spark from Joey, who probably got asked to do more than expected here. He showed some of what we’ve been missing around the ruck, even in a well beaten team.
Luca Moretti
14 – Interchange
Good for him getting a try, but he was never going to be the difference maker here.
Joe Ofahengaue
15 – Interchange
While buying off cuts from other clubs mid-contract has worked out very occasionally (RCG) the lesson of Joe O, Waqa Blake and Davey is that usually clubs are willing to let these blokes go for a reason.
Ryan Matterson
17 – Interchange
This isn’t contract year Ryan Matterson, but he’s working tough in a team that isn’t offering a lot. Not a disappointment.
How I feel this week is the punishment for believing the best in my footy team until it is so obviously apparent that they are no good that you can’t pretend anymore. It’s part of the football experience, it’s what drives fans to calculate mathematical possibilities and cheer on hopeless underdogs to pull off the upsets they need to make those equations come true.
Don’t get me wrong, I prefer this optimism (and its eventual bursting) to the bitter grind of hating the club from round one, complaining about coach, staff and players before a ball has even been kicked in anger. We all knew the problems with this squad coming into season 2023; you aren’t special for having pointed out all year we needed backs or that Josh Hodgson was a risky signing, but focusing on the positives and hoping for the best is a lot healthier than lifting a leg on the team before the summer of cricket has even finished.
Those positives right now are limited to the Eels controlling their own fate, and historic evidence that dramatic form swings are only a week away. In round 23 two years ago the Eels turned around three weeks of hidings to beat the Cowboys and the Storm and finish one hooker injury crisis away from a huge upset of Penrith. I’m not getting my hopes up, but it’s not over yet.
Until next time, stay slippery Eels fans.
Gol
Stats and images provided by NRL / Eels media
Can’t disagree with anything written here, that was a hard match to watch. I don’t know if they can lift and get into the finals, the eternal optimist within me certainly hope so however we don’t want to be cannon fodder for the better teams either
Storm too good on the night. Nothing more, nothing less.
Storm will be too good for Parra on any night if we continue to play like that. It was embarrassing. Surely Gutho did more to prepare for the game then get a haircut, but hey maybe Im wrong.
Spot on with everything you have written
The backs are the obvious problem but an understatement problem is the pack. RCG has been injured and suspended most of the year. JR is way way down. Out of a full top 30 we have two dudes constantly having a go in carty and hopgood. Massive dramas.
As bad as they are, still some flattering grades there mate
Harsh but fair Gol. Only one comment..Hopgood made 58 tackles 2 missed, no errors, ceded 1 penalty for crowding when a quick play the ball would have seen the Storm marauding again.Yes, Klein was right on to that one.He was criticised early in the year for missing some tackles when we probably didn’t realise he was gassed picking up the slack of others, but now we know he was. He deserved a B+ for going down with dignity.We need 6 of him and watch him when Slater picks him, he will belong.
Should include grades to the suspended players too
Watching now the NRLW and you wonder how these girls play the ball is much much quicker than the Eels men’s team. Likewise, you very seldom see these girl tacklers lying on the ground, unlike the Eels players who were very slow in getting up. It is fitness or just plain lazyiness.
Our missed tackles, the lack lateral defence from our forwards and the left edge side were our down fall.
Hope R&R can get some speedy backs with strong carries.
For the time being, maybe BA can blood some young talents which is maybe better than having Waqa on the team. Or just field 12 guys without a left winger (lol)
Grades are basically correct, although our right side edge do deserve some compliments for limiting any attack that the Storm threw their way. Left edge, embarrassing and Simmonson was isolated too many times with Asi and Waqa basically not committing to tackles. Guthos worse game in memory, Hopgood, Matto, Moretti and Lussick at least looked like they cared and hammered away, no comments necessary on the rest of the forwards.
Back to the overall issue, recruitment was questionable and lacking any understanding of how poor the backline depth was and would be. For some reason MON and the recruitment gurus thought that having only 26 contracted NRL players for 90% of the season was sensible. Given the clubs almost secretive working with no one prepared to come out stating their objectives and reasons for their actions , guess it leaves us all wondering what do they actually do. CEO, HOF need to answer their critics, or does the coach need to not accept that he coaches what he’s given, serious questions need serious answers
Well put gol.
I still have some (delusional) hope in the team but the reality of poor roster management and persistent defensive system failures in middle and edges has well and truly set it. As you note, it’s a roster with far too many reserve grade quality players being asked to play major first grade minutes. I’d probably like to see a clean out of many of the mid/fringe level players but I doubt the agility of the recruitment and retention the team to make that happen this off season. They will probably tell themselves excuses about injury and suspension and stick to same course that lucked out with a grand final appearance (where we got absolutely trounced).
On a brighter note, Dylan comes back next week (and maybe wiremu). No doubt he will help in attack and defence (but if a whole edge depends so much on dylan/personnel then the defensive system is being temporarily bandaged and is still shoddy)
He won’t, but BA has to take a leaf out of Bellamy’s book by dropping a senior player to send a not too subtle message to the rest of the team, and whilst Junior is the obvious candidate and based on lack of effort alone it would be unjust if it wasn’t him, but if BA really wanted to send a very loud & clear message, then he should drop Gutho all the way down to Sydney Shield to show that nobody is safe, and not recall him till the team shows something. This team desperately needs a jolt right now. Last night was simply unacceptable. Our goal line defence was simply soft as butter. We didn’t even make them work for it.
Brad should drop himself
Drop Gutho. I have heard it all now.
The Storm poured through the middle all night and torched the left edge but you want to drop the fullback😂
I’m not saying he deserves it, but Bellamy dropped Justin Olam after a bad loss to send a message to the rest of his team that no one is safe. Can you think of a better way for BA to do the same ?
Bellamy has decent backups to be able to drop Olam. We have no decent backups anywhere in the squad to be able to do that. Our reserve grade side is getting pumped every week.
Brad needs the message delivered to him. The team is playing like crap because he and O’Neil have totally botched the retention and recruitment.
The team at the moment is made up of reserve graders and that’s how they are playing.
Swapping Mahoney for Hodgson was a disaster.
Letting Opacic go was another. Swapping two of our best backrowers for two fringe first graders was ridiculous.
And to top it off he lets his Son leave who was the only legitimate back up in the halves. You can’t make this crap up.
I thought you would’ve mentioned the bombed try by Carty early on…….why did he pass it to Sean? At that point we were flying and had we jagged that, a possible 10 nil up. Mind you as per usual Ashley’s 6 agains were pathetic and when he ruled on Asi obstruction, when Gutho caught the bomb and was away was kinda harsh. I guess you can’t blame the ref but boy, I was never confident in holding them out after a 6 again or a penalty set. Asi defence probably let us done more than anything yesterday, Bellamy did a job in targeting him. We truly miss, the best defensive half in the world. That really hurt last light, I still had high hopes on them making the top 4 had we won……now it’s going to be tough to even make the eight……Thanks Gol
The ref wasn’t the reason we lost, but geez that obstruction call was a phantom. If that is an escort, basically any time a player braces for impact it should be a penalty. Which means that nearly every single kick that goes up will get you an escort penalty.
Hmmm don’t agree with some of them grades. matto, penisini, carty played good games
You generally don’t see many good grades, even for decent efforts, when we get 40 put on us.
I think 60’s said it best, they went down there expecting to lose.
Davey, Asi, Blake, I expect nothing from as they are fillers. Paulo however needs a massive kick up the arse. He is playing soft this year.
The attitude was disgraceful.
I think we have been found out this season. Too one dimensional, not enough creativity, but also the lack of depth is systematic of the club’s unwillingness to seek TPAs. Yes we know the rules, but we need to play the game here like everyone else. To ignore this is to see more of the same in coming seasons.
For a club our size and relative success in reasons, the fact we haven’t leveraged that for more tpa’s is very poor indeed
Its hard to blame the Recruitment and Retention if they have not got any flexibility in “dollars dept” in 60’s blog this receives a lot of discussion but really, we don’t know. I think O’Neill has a very tight leash on him and his job security is probably not high.
Simple fix is to get review team in for an update and objective understanding of the problems so that the board can form an independent opinion.
Modern management and young boards are so orientated to outside opinions they become impotent in their decision making, this trait is endemic across all sectors of the economy and the types we have on the board would not be driven by our competition’s, style of management which is largely benevolent dictatorship from one or a few key people. Can you imagine Politis and Ponsini hesitating in making a decision.
Where we have come from necessitates the style of management we have and this needs to evolve under leadership…..the review will drive this out. It can be in a couple of weeks, and it will give the board direction.
If they cannot handle direction, they need to step aside.
What we may see could be a revelation as long as the Chairman and Ceo realise their arses are on the line and they could be the problem rather than part of the problem.
After watching much of the game I ended up going over to the Cricket much better entertainment than watching a slop fest in Melbourne or some other joint.
I have also made a resolution that I hope comes off, that is with the likes of Waqa never gracing the game that is RL or that of the eels. He has been over pathetic in the same or similar rankings as other matches have shown for him, a total wasted opportunity for a wasted effort player, he should never have another spot in the eels NRL and I cannot see him in another team, how did the eels sign him up??
While we may well be down regarding players especially backs, for me I believe its time for Dunster to be given a run, he cannot be worse than others, including the likes of Sivo, who runs the same line these days as Waga does, nil effort to try and get to the middles, just the sideline for him. Sadly, Dunster still seems to be working on his injury sustained last year, but at least he doesn’t play the same useless role that is demonstrated with Waga and Sivo.
My final say is in regards to the domed eagle that loves to referee NRL matches that take place under his dominion and no one is allowed to change that while on the field. I vow that I will not watch another game of RL with him in charge.
While the eels were done like an overcooked dinner, at least having the likes of DB returning as well as others there is at least some hope going forward and the best thing is that the team as a whole needs to take a real look at themselves if there is going to be a future for them.
Like you, I watched the cricket for the second half as well. It was a perfect storm of awful: terrible effort and inconsistent refereeing. Fingers crossed we can get it done against the Dragons next week, but it won’t be easy the way we’re playing. Hopefully DB helps shore up some of our defence.
Fair assessment – I would only give a minus next to Cartwright’s C. That offload he tried to push in on the 2nd tackle attacking their line with momentum was some remnant of the old impulsve brain explosion version of him that he otherwise seems to be developing out of.
My apologies: ‘C-‘ is the grade; I was filthy enough for a ‘D’ on that alone.
Poor and poor.
We got our pants pulled down – I could go into so many reasons but here’s a few:
1. Not enough forward depth and we bought a couple of guys who don’t have the impact and consistency
2. Our forwards have not got the mongrel. Junior has been disappointing for me.
3. Hands, Asi, Hopgood are all decent players and have done well, but this is their main season of NRL. It catches up on them.
4. Same defence issues rear again…
5. Inexperienced outside backs…
6. Lastly but most poignant our retention etc has not done well. We needed to fill the roster with a centre and we must buy a quality prop of some sort.
7. Lussick will be good.
8. Looking forward to the cricket season later on…
Hard to find any positives in this whole season
I guess the only positive is we don’t have to be worried about getting our hearts broken in September this year
I think carty was mvp on Friday night. Jr n big 0 can have a stint in Reggie’s
Yeah, blame the recruiting team when it was obviously ba’s choice to recruit Davey, What a joke of a comment ClielessBA is the one who needs to fall on his sword here
Agree with all your comments – harsh but spot on. This is happing up as a train wreck of a season
1 loss of 6-7 players in the off season
2. Signing an over the hill hooker with 2 busted knees was,a huge gamble which backfired
3. Signing to many forwards of marginal value (Offengahue, Davey, Murchie to name a few). The diamond has been Hopgood – he is one of our best signings in years
4. Failing to sign or develop from within outside backs. Russell has been OK but Dunster, lumelume and Blake haven’t been up to first grade standard. Why does BA,persist with ake
5. Matterson copping a 3 week suspension in lieue of a 3 week suspension
6. Brown 7 weeks for groping
7. RCG and Sivo 4 weeks for brain snaps
8. Same stale tired attacking structures
9 jnr Paulo has been a giant soft c*Ck all season
10. Need a back up half and neither Asi or Rankin are the solution
Agree. You are forgetting Jirah Momiisia, Can’t even crack a start in the NSW Cup. Inspired recruiting.
Hard to call ourselves a development club when 1) we let our good young players be cherry picked by other teams and 2) we don’t develop them properly or give them early shots at nrl.
Ashley Klein is not the reason we lost this game but when is the NRL going to wake up to this guy. Finds penalties that aren’t there ignores ones that are. The master of the six again. You get the impression that he just thinks its more exciting to give teams on the attack more chances with the ball. That the NRL think this guy is the number 1 referee is astounding.
I’m the first to scream if ever I see our blokes obviously infringing in the ruck, but Klein calls stuff that is so hair trigger or non- impacting in play that he should be calling stuff just about non stop.Jerome Hughes conned him twice for that one where you falter to your knee if the tackler has a hand on you(once Waqa, once Asi) but neither impeded Hughes anyway, each tackle was 2 seconds or less. Why does one tackler get virtually no time to ensure momentum is halted while 2 or 3 get 4 seconds all night. Both Waqa and Asi released Hughes for an advantage to occur, and the stuff he calls on goal line defence is a joke when you watch goal line defence all night.
Therein lies the problem with the 6 again rule. Each ref has a different interpretation and therefore a different approach when policing infringements particularly near the goal line. No wonder players, fans and coaches are confused. If you are one or two points down very late in a game you would think teams might prefer a shot at goal rather than a roll of the dice with 6 again. It’s actually an incentive for the defensive team to infringe.
Emily Dickinson wrote that “Hope is the thing with feathers/ That perches within the soul”. Fair enough, too, but after that game there is a little dead feathered thing lying still inside of me. Ah, Eels 2023! What a waste. Matterson not paying fines. Lane smashing his jaw pre-season. Brown boozing beyond control and judgment. Junior in ordinary form. Ridiculous draw. Sad and sadder.
Who says TCT has no class? She may have lived in another country and well before league even existed but she knew the what the game does to us.
I wouldn’t be surprised if poor old Gutho is carrying broken ribs after that hit that got put on him against the Cowboys on the tip on. .
He was dry reaching after it, and I believe that is why he missed his next opportunity for the tip on try on half time.
The King will be back with a vengeance!!