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The clock finally strikes midnight for the Parramatta Eels in 2023 as the Brisbane Broncos played them off the park in Round 24. The 54-10 loss put the Blue & Gold into the realms of mathematical possibilities to make the Top 8 and even that is generous for their current form.
Sixties and Forty20 work through a sombre instalment of The Tip Sheet as they rue mistakes made on and off the field this year. It all came home to roost against the Broncos and it threatens to not only alter the trajectory of the club in 2023 but for 2024 and beyond.
Hold on, its Brad’s roster, its Brad’s team. He built this team and now people are complaining that we don’t have enough backs. Its Brad’s team people. He brings in forward purchases like Davey, Murchie, Momoisea, Ogden, Doorey, and more , They are rubber stamped by himself because he prefers a forward dominant side as to support his bash and barge style.
Anyone that says is not Brad’s team sorry but it really doesn’t make much sense.
You are completely right. It’s BAs team but now he has to adapt. A forward bash and barge approach just won’t go very far now and we just have to find some speed in our backline. We have some real triers in our backline. Russell, Simonsson and Penisini are all honest effort players but tonight they were just burnt by players with express speed and that player is becoming the norm. I think AMS is probably the fastest player coming through and of all our juniors, whilst some may be decent players, none possess that extreme pace that is a pre requisite in todays wingers/ centre game.
Unfortunately when you look at some of the players that BA tried to recruit this year, they were all similar bash and barge players in the Ben Smith mold. That sort of player just won’t cut it in the backline now.
Backs wouldn’t have solved anything today. We get beaten through the middle before any team runs around us. In fact it’s usually the quicker players who beat us through the middle, including quick forwards like Haas and Carrigan.
Pou, we looked laborious. How much of that was physical and how much became some phoning it in, I’m not sure. There was minimal desperation. You could see that a player hadn’t anticipated what we could all see was about to happen. Or they just waiting for someone else to do it. But it’s head in the hands stuff if the lack of backs in the roster is not addressed.
Disagree. It was the sweep play with Walsh out the back combining with Farnworth and Staggs that killed us. They went wide every play and we just had no answer. By the time we got the ball back, we were just gassed trying to adjust. Teams with express backs have a habit of destroying us – Manly , sharks and the Titans case in point. The game has moved on from the lumbering slower centres and players like Sivo, Penisini etc are a dying breed.
We change with the times or we die.
Not sure that’s a fair comment on Penisini. Sivo just doesn’t put in enough and bulldoze people. If we got more out of his strengths you could forgive his weaknesses.
If I could diagnose the problem I’d probably be an NRL coach, but there is an imbalance in capability in the squad (speed being one of them), and our defence just sucks. But I couldn’t pin point the answer(s).
Penisini is class, and I might add that the Panthers outside backs aren’t exactly express either.
Penisini is a very good young player, imagine how well he would look with a Katoa or Saab or that young kid from the Titans outside of him ?
The panthers have Turuva who is very quick and nimble but they have excellence across the board.
It’s not apples with apples.
You can’t compare Penrith backs to ours because they actually work from the inside out instead of leaving their edges exposed to pace. Even howling is getting by fine as they get so much help from inside. Our players don’t keep feet moving on inside and leave their edges short or exposed to pace on edges
I am on the same page there Spark
I didn’t get a 3. 2 or 1. First turned off at 35 mins, switched back on. Then binned it at 55 mins.
Before I launch into Parra, I can’t stand Brisbane. They are specials for playing in Qld, 7 day turn arounds, soft draws etc. On top of that half their tackles are high but never get picked up, Gee was happy to march them up the field, and almost every bounce of the ball seemed to go their way. So they can go get stuffed.
On Parra, you lads were spot on. Zero resilience. Zero. As soon as things start to go against them, they implode with errors, lazy tackles, dumb plays etc. This has been a feature all season, and its most pronounced in defence and poor strategy, execution and attitude. The games where we’ve been ‘resilient’ and come home strong, have been rocks and diamonds anyway. There have been few, if any, 80 minute performances.
On another more productive note, does anyone know a good TV repair man?
No 3,2,1 for that Mick. Good luck with the TV. There are probably some decent documentaries you can watch over the next few weeks. I’ll be looking at those options too.
Always helps me with the loss listening to your reactions lads. Cheers! We move forward from here
Thanks Jack.
After near 20 minutes of competing well without points I just knew a mini- turning point would feed into the Broncs strengths. The 6 again call on our 40 against Davey and Matterson just seemed to change the game. Gee called Davey off and he released immediately which gave Carrigan the ability to push into Matterson whose release was prompt but Carrigans push forward tangled him…bang, 6 again. Can’t a ref see when the tackled player is contributing? Even Cameron Smith called the milking. OK, one moment which we have to defend and subsequently didn’t, but given what gets let go in a game, that one was crucial.But hard to argue 54-10!
The lack of resilience was stunning. As you know, we referenced that sequence of pathetic calls, but we just threw nothing in response.
When are you going to name the elephant in the room as to why this consistently happens to us? Prior to the game the message was that we need to be ruthless. Why weren’t we?
They can’t mension the coach’s name on here as if there’s criticism of the coaching staff, they’ll be kicked out of training and having access to the players at training, which in turn will get them thrown out of hosting interviews at the kellyville offices and will probably not also allow them to host after game spots at stereos bar. So how can they be critical of the coaches?
TCT has been plenty critical of coaches and the club. Hell, 60s is writing a multi part blog on it….. They are just mature about it and don’t say silly petulant stuff like a number of “supporters”.
What a load of bullshit. It’s obvious that they are loyal to the coach. And I get it but just don’t try and pretend they let it all out. BA is stale and needs to be shown the door.
They like BA and without trying to speak on their behalf, the position seems to be he’s the best man for the job – at least of who able to be considered. The problem with comments like yours is you offer no credible alternative. It’s just change for changes sake.
Bellamy probably the only coach in the NRL with a track record that you’d have high confidence that he’d get more out of our squad. Everyone else including Cleary, Robinson and Bennett would be an unknown:
– Cleary – great system at Penrith, has been blessed with strong juniors, limited injuries, and a core group that has played a lot of successful footy together.
– Robinson – how are the chooks going this year with what should be the best roster in the comp
– Bennett – he’s almost 100
So what’s your bright idea?
I already suggested 3 coaches currently available and please stop it with comparing BA with Robinson and Cleary. You sound like you have Stockholm syndrome.
If I felt that there was a better option than BA I’d say so. I’ve been an Eels supporter for nearly 60 years. He’s made mistakes this season. I haven’t agreed with his clean ruck strategy. That was a massive error this season. I haven’t agreed with his selections. And I strongly opposed him letting Jake leave despite it being best for Jake and BA. But hey Avenger, as I said, you are perfectly entitled to believe what you want about me.
There are already two experienced coaches better than BA and available now. Maguire and Holbrook. I’d take either of them immediately and show BA the door. Holbrook would be my preference. I’d even consider someone like John Morris on a 2 year deal. What are your thoughts about them? By the way telling people how long you have supported the Eels demonstrates that you are clutching at straws. Stop making this into a pissing contest. You’re better than that 60’s.
Maguire – has been moved on by two clubs due to issues with team performance and losing the playing group. Holbrook – let go by Titans because of failing performances. Morris – got a rough deal by the Sharks but tough to assess because he didn’t get the time he should have. If this is the best you can do Avenger and you were in charge there’d be big problems. Why did you take issue with me saying how long I’ve supported the team? There’s no pissing contest. I know you are of a vintage too. I only referenced it because my support of the Eels is not linked to any coach. All I care about is having the best person in charge of the club that I’m passionate about. When another coach takes over as ultimately someone will, they’ll begin with my support too, but if they deserve criticism I’ll do so. Anyway, if the best that you can do in your replies is to be critical of me then that’s your prerogative. I’m only informing readers about what the roster looks like for next season.
That’s your opinion about these coaches. Even the greats have been sacked. Let me ask you this. If we are struggling mid season next year would you sack him and look for a new coach in 2025? Wayne Bennett and Craig Bellamy could be available. Money talks.
If the roster looks like this I wouldn’t sack any coach. That’s the problem with all of the clubs that continue to struggle at the bottom of the ladder. They see the easy answer is the coach until they finally promise the world of players and resources to a sought after coach (see Dogs with Ciraldo). I wonder how Dean Pay feels about what he had at his disposal by comparison. But most of the time it doesn’t solve the wider issues.
You have completely different opinions to me Avenger. That’s fine. But you don’t accept that I have a different opinion to you and you believe that TCT is an apologist site for BA. If BA resigned tomorrow I wouldn’t be happy because I rate him as a coach, but I wouldn’t stop pointing out the issues with the roster. It isn’t a roster that will win a title, not without the addition of a couple of significant players, and that should be glaringly obvious. So you can point the finger at him. That’s fine. But if you are happy with the slowness of Eels negotiating, the fact that we haven’t gone to market to recruit a gun player who can change our fortunes for years (and with respect RCG is a top notch signing but we got him at reduced price because he was being shopped), or if you think we have a terrific and balanced roster for next year, then that is your call. I’m very comfortable with dealing with facts and doing so now whilst there is time to do something about 2024.
I rate him too but he has become stale and yes I do think you have a bit of Stockholm syndrome with him. There are better options out there and the team needs a new voice.
No, I simply hold a different opinion to yours Avenger. Anyway, the club has to make decisions around what to do about next season and do so now.
That we can agree with. I’d be thinking about trying to save some cap space and letting Paulo go. If what is reported is true or even close $900k is obscene.
Thanks Mick. I’d like to think that we have been critical. It’s important to be balanced in the criticism.
This isn’t even worth my reply Chief, but I’ll do so. Anybody can attend training. I get zero access to players you can front there any time and see for yourself. I’ve barely even said gday to BA in recent memory. He is no conversationalist and couldn’t give a damn about what is written on TCT or any site. Our interviews at Kellyville are 95% junior rep staff – Joey Grima and Nathan Brown and we work damn hard covering games – something that isn’t done by any other fan site. Your observations are ludicrous. You’re suggesting that pointing a finger at our roster and recruitment will win me favours with the club! You know you’re not welcome here and yet you have a sick obsession with TCT. Keep wasting your time. We’ll keep deleting you.
Sixties, I hadn’t listened to the podcast when I posted my comments…interesting that it stood out as a turning point, and I was not offering it as an excuse, I just felt it in my bones…zilch on the scoreboard, game about to change.The reality is that Broncs probably didn’t need the leg up.
They didnt, but how bad was our resilience
Was on a flight to Abu Dhabi so was happy I was going to get to skip this as was by no way confident; then I found LiveTV Sports24 showing both Fri night games on the inflight entertainment – so even at 40,000 feet I could not escape the pain of being an Eels supporter 😞
I feel for you mate. I was watching with the sound off and trying to talk myself into fulfilling the podcast responsibilities.
We are the biggest disappointments of Season 2023. We are constantly not up for games that matter which tells me that the players need a new voice. I vote, Yes for that new voice.
Avenger the circumstances of 2023 are pretty well set out and established. I think your having your “every dog” day and losing any credibility you look to attain.
Focus on the uncontrollable and you may understand what BA was left with. 2 months ago we were in a renaissance and BA can have the job forever, come that period and think Brown.Rcg, Sivo and Lane and the straws were getting very heavy on the camel’s back.
I think 60’s is very patient with you, you made 4 posts and didn’t say anything different in any of them.
Hey Poppa. Firstly Let’s not judge credibility mate. Let others judge.
Now what I’m trying to say is that we are the biggest disappointments of 2023. If we are in a similar position next year BA should be sacked and a new coach should come in for 2025.
The reality is he will not be here forever and this will be his last hurrah whether it’s next year or the year after. A good coach can turn things around quickly. Look what’s happened at the Warriors with hardly any new personnel. A new voice is needed and is the common denominator to every one of our failures. Tactically he is at best inconsistent, one dimensional and predictable to the opponents which is why we have been exposed as pretenders for season 2023.
Non est semper proximo anno.
Why did you take the player grades article down? Cowardly.
If last night was the team showing fight then heaven help them against the riff or even easts. Capitulation yes, fight no.They don’t win the tackle, lack speed and depth and all of that was exposed by a team who were the complete opposite. They were embarrassing, particularly in the Herbie try. Watch that again and look at the “effort” by one of the better outside backs in trying to assist Moses in the context of a season defining game. No interest at all and said heaps about their head space and attitude to me. As you said 60’s that game might be necessary wake-up call which is the only positive I can take from it.
Go Parra!
Hahahah. Wake up call? They are in a coma.
With Mitch Moses’ season over, the club needs to direct BA to shut down our veterans. Gutho, RCG, Junior, maybe Matto as well. Our season is cooked, we need to see what our younger guys have got in them.
If it means we get an extended look at the likes Moretti, Mataele, Brazel, then it’s worth it.
Things are never as bad or as good as they seem. Sustained success is difficult as performance naturally ebbs and flows and personnel change. Case in point the Broncos – they’ve been one of the worst clubs since 2020 until now. Heck, just look at Souths and Roosters this year. Obvious exceptions are Penrith and Storm – one is an era defining team and the other a ruthless performance machine helmed by a GOAT coach; not easily replicated.
Sixties has identified the key issues in R&R – fortunately things can change quickly in sport. One or two strike signings plus a bolt from the blue from within our squad and we’re back. All can happen over the off season and into next season.
The sun always rises.
Anon, I might need to consult you as we head into the preseason.
It’s hard not to be emotional about such a terrible , gutless performance
This club will not change until the culture is built on accountability. Our culture is not accountable 10 years without a premiership and Arthur has his roster he wants. The players aren’t accountable because our roster is so poor.
Head of football isn’t accountable and the CEO is the invisible man.
Doesn’t matter what roster we have. If there is no accountability nothing changes.
The grubs from Melbourne have built a culture of pure accountability. That’s why they have been consistently successful.
BA has been a great coach for us but you have to wonder if there is a point where the lemon has been sucked dry. When do players reach a point where they have seen and heard it all before. Have we now hit a point in our evolution that we need a new voice ?
It’s only natural that a coach can just be at a place too long.
Maybe the club just has to pull the big boy pants on and make some big decisions regarding BA and find a new voice?
There is no shame in this for BA.
He has been wonderful for the club.
Parramatta is a club with a huge supporter base, and by and large we are taken for granted. We need someone to step up and say Im responsible for this sxxt show, here is my resignation. Someone mentioned elsewhere that its a cultural thing, supporters have also been accepting of unprofessional or below par performances. This has to start with supporters calling out this unacceptable season. you can bang on all you like about who left and who came, but someone approved this, so ………………..
Season over, now for the autopsy. There will be plenty of analysis but here is my Top reasons while we have under achieved (yet again). Not in any particular order
1. Recruitment and retention – we lost 6-7 players with first grade experience and apart from Hopgood filled their places with players who failed to make an impression.
2. Too many run of the mill reserve grade forwards signed. This suits BA’s bash and barge style but our game plan and tactics are just so predictable
4. Failure to sign quality outside backs and things don’t look much better for 2024 as I don’t think there are many players on the market
5. Signing Josh Hodgson …. 90% of Parramatta supporters questioned his signing Including me and that has proven to be correct. Too old, too slow, too injury prone. Let’s forget all this BS about him being a great role model and mentor. Should have signed him to the coaching staff. Should never have been on the field
6. Ryan Matterson missing the first 3 rounds over a dispute with the club about who should pay a lousy $3000 fine. Who the f*Ck allowed that to happen!
7. Injuries to Shaun Lane. Toward the end of 2022 he was probably the form backrower in the competition. DB looks far more dangerous when Lane is running off him as the defence is trapped in two minds as to who to cover
8. Suspensions to DB, RCG and Sivo at a critical time of the season
9. An inability by the players to sustain an 80 min effort. Even in games we have won we seldom switched on for more than 20 mins at a time.
9. Poor game plan and execution. We are one of the worst teams in terms of play the ball speed, marker defence, line speed, decoy runners
10 BA’s team selections and use of reserves. He persevered with players like WB, JA and AD for far too long. WB has lost all confidence and is a total liability but it took BA several matches to realise this. JA,and AD are honest toilers but not players who can come on and change the direction of a game. BA would rarely use his full bench – this is improving but still needs attention
11. Poor club culture when it comes to milestone games. I know you can’t win every time a player players his 100th , 150th game etc but it seems these are of no importance at all to players
12. The annual trip to Darwin needs to be reviewed. I know it’s part of our sponsorship deal with the NT Govt but we always seem to play this game fairly early in the season in 30 degree heat and 90% humidity. Players are wrecked in the weeks after. To make matters worse the NRL has us playing the Cowboys or Btoncos. From memory our players got booed by the crowd when they ran on to play the Broncos this year.
13. The Eels need to shove a rocket up the arse of the NRL re our draw. Playing teams coming off a bye, a difficult draw, short turn around.
14 end of whinge ….. for now
I would add a lack of willingness to put up a fight. Outside possibly Gutho. Other teams get away with murder in the ruck and we don’t respond in kind. We don’t get down and get dirty and teams like the Storm have made a fine art of it. You can dislike Ricky Stuart but at least he knows how to put heat on the ref. We never do this
One thing that I have said that BA got wrong this year was the clean ruck. Mind you, look at what happens when we are the same as other teams? See Adam Gees calls.
Hopefully 60’s during his next topic will question the obvious. Call me pessimistic but I don’t think he will.
The frustration of watching similar plays against the edges wreak havoc time and again builds. Last night we were exposed to cut outs to a flying winger more than once from a scrum play. That was a play from the late 80s that Kevin Wise used frequently when winning junior rep titles, so how the f@*#k hasn’t there been work to combat such an obvious play.
There needs to be a deep dive in R&R as signing mid level or worse players for the coaching staff to improve doesn’t work consistently, and if they were serious about getting X factor players, do they understand you have to actually pay what is demanded.
As the late and great Jack Gibson used to say, success starts at the front office, so Sarentinos and ONeil’s role in the club has to be under review and questioned. The coach can’t escape the review as it would be strange indeed if he didn’t recognise the failings of the construction of the roster and demand what we haven’t recruited.
We need to get behind the boys for the rest of the season but if there is no move to improve the front office, recruitment staff and coaching structures by th board, the. More pain is to be expected, Big clubs , which we undoubtedly are, do big things and don’t accept mediocrity.
The very first thing we have to do starting from next week is to move Gutho into the centres.
This will toughen up our backline.
With Sivo coming back keep Simonsson on the wing with Russell dropping out.
I would then make the brave move and pick AMS at fullback.
A young fast fullback with a bit of room to move. AMS is also proficient under the high ball.
We have nothing to lose now but it’s all band aids.
An experienced blue chip centre is needed more than any other player NOT a reject like Aaron Schoupp – we may as well throw Cartwright into the role but the attempted recruitment of Schoupp just shows the thinking of the club !
We have to get away from these types of players !
As for the club, notwithstanding the dubious dealings of the Roosters and co but if BA was coaching there, he would have a lot more scrutiny on him than he has at the Eels.
Big successful clubs just wouldn’t tolerate our free fall and I guess that’s what makes them successful.
I don’t know where it has fallen down, maybe it’s the R &R or the club or the coaching but when the same issues are repeated time and time and time again, it’s not rude to ask why and have someone accountable.
The Roosters have had a bad year but make no mistake, even Trent Robinson is under scrutiny. If they fail again next year, you can bet Robinson will be on the way out.
The game plan against the Eels is well
known and every team follows it.
– hold them in the forwards and strip them with big shifts to fast centres and wingers.
It’s successful and works time and time again AND has worked for years.
Yep and it started more as a red zone play but gradually crept back up field on tackle 4 but it just gets trotted out all over the park on any tackle. Since Michael Jennings we have seen Opacic, Penisini and to some degree Simonnsen, improve our red zone defence (not fix it) but the upfield stuff generally buys good ground for opponents, and usually creates space and momentum for the next ruck as well. Our wingers haven’t been great in combatting it, Dunster looked OK,but you’d have to say we just haven’t dealt with it. Did it cost Kidwell his job? The boy time we looked good was when we completed high/low errors and starved opposition..about 20% of games if that. And there’s another issue.
’boy’ = only
Unfortunately Dunster is gone and he knows it.
We have too many park footballers just making up the numbers.
Rubbish end to the week for me.
I also think the season ending can be good in terms of the club and I mean whole club including retention being looked at.
If the coaches don’t sort key positions and our defence we will be worse off next yr.
Injuries occur but the match review committee got us big time, but the coaching needs to address defensive errors and key acquisitions but I can’t see us having much cap room to add much.
We need hard nosed tough players…fix the discipline and defence and we improve.
Also, pls add RCG or Hopgood as a capt. Junior for me isn’t an on field leader….