The Eels have returned from Lennox Head, and that week up the coast was perfectly timed for a squad building their unity and combinations in the lead up to round one.
Feedback from the camp has been highly positive, with locals turning up in force every day to watch the squad train, and players and staff enjoying the work and the time away together.
With the Eels training camp extending to last Saturday, the squad was given time off until Wednesday. Both the Wednesday and Thursday sessions this week were on the lighter side, before the intensity picked up on Friday. And Moses would go on to celebrate his captaincy with a try double in the main scrimmage.
As has been characteristic of this preseason, the Wednesday session commenced with passing and catching drills. It was followed by defence line movement and marker play.
After that the spine players split from the squad to work through a variety of first and second receiver plays out of dummy half, whilst everyone else drilled “bumpers up” into contact and play the balls.
The morning concluded with the squad splitting into NRL and Cup sides to face off in various kick returns or sets from scrums. It was very light stuff with plenty of instruction from the coaches about what they were looking for from the play.
With the field work behind them, the squad joined hundreds of kids on the “top oval” who were there for motiv8sports Hills District Eels School Holiday clinic. Plenty of happy faces with the Parra players involved there.
Kings of the Kids – the Eels join in the motiv8sports school holiday event (photo credit motiv8sports Hills District)
Thursday was not too dissimilar to Wednesday, with a heavy emphasis again on skills.
It kicked off with the squad split into three groups.
Working with Scott Wisemantel, the outside backs practised their try scoring in the corner. It involved leaping high to take the footy before grounding the ball. They also worked on taking a catch before the line, then running to the corner and diving for the try (with gym mats on the other side of the corner posts to cushion the landing).
Try time!
Simultaneously the middles drilled their combinations with Sam Moa, Nathan Cayless and Jason Ryles, whilst the halves and edges were working on different shapes with Nathan Brown.
The scrimmage component was relatively light, and remained primarily in the red zone. The focus was on last tackle options, with attacking from a kick, or defending against such kicks, being prominent.
Towards the end of the session, the Moses family arrived, indicating that something special was afoot. As we later discovered, the Eels captaincy announcement was scheduled to occur immediately after training.
In contrast to the previous two days, Friday’s session was both longer in duration, and of a much greater intensity.
After a short period of skills work and grid drills, the coaches’ attention shifted to the red zone, with equal parts attack and defence.
Time for some Malcolms
As the scrimmage became full field, the contact went up multiple levels. Some of the tackles were easily NRL match impact. The squad was also put through sets of “Malcolms” (up/downs) to introduce fatigue before the scrimmage.
Time for a highlights list:
* Zac Lomax streaking away after a right side shift opened up space outside his opponent. Newly appointed captain, Mitch Moses, loomed in support on the inside to take the pass and score.
* Kelma Tuilagi running onto a pearler of a pass, breaking the line and again Moses loomed in support for the inside pass and the try double.
* Lomax dazzling the defence with incredible footwork and racing downfield.
Lomax creates space for Samrani
* Artie Miller-Stephen running down and tackling Lomax on that break after the former Dragon had slowed up to evade a cover defender.
* A massive hit from Wiremu Greig on Zac Lomax.
* Sam Tuivaiti getting time with the NRL and delivering big contact in defence
* Wiremu Greig switching to the NRL team and coming up with a barnstorming, defence breaking run.
* Lomax drilling a massive field goal (over 40 metres!) in the final play of the scrimmage. Cue the excitement from his team mates who seemed to enjoy the kick as much as Zac – almost as if it was a winning golden point field goal.
The morning wrapped up with an extended period working on defence. Once more the squad was asked to do physically draining tasks between their drills, such as leaping and rolling past team mates. It looked quite taxing when followed by players trying to win dominance in the tackles.
Enjoy the fan day at CommBank Stadium tomorrow (Saturday).
Eels forever!
Sixties
Sixties, great report, love reading them. I asked about Tuivaiti not long ago, seems he’s getting more time in NRL squad, do you think now he would more likely start in Cup and push for FG sooner than thought?
Also is JAC on the left or right. Appreciate your work.
LB, there were a couple of middles not in action today, which might have been instrumental in Sam and Woody having a run in NRL. I think Sam would benefit from consolidating in Cup. Remember, he spent last year in Flegg. He is a really big human.
As for Foxx, it’s been mixed because they have to both prepare for round one without him and then his combinations when he’s back.i reckon he’ll play on his usual side – the left.
I feel like the NSW Cup team is harder to predict than the NRL team lol. Feel like they have more competition than the NRL side. I was doing my NSW Cup team today and could not decide who is starting in the backrow and outside backs lol.
From my understanding JAC is the only certainty to miss round 1 while Lane is likely out with injury. Not sure if the likes of Simmo, Dunster and others in rehab are fit for NRL or NSW cup.
As it stands the NRL side is pretty much confirmed for me other than 3 spots:
1) Iongi
2) Russel
3) W ePeninsi
4) Lomax
5) Simmonson (if fit)
6) Brown
7) Moses
8) Paulo
9) Hands
10) Joe
11) Tuilagi
12) Guymer (not sure who will get this spot. I prefer Guymer as a middle but he seems most likely right now)
13) Hopgood
14) Cartwright (not sure who will get this spot. if Papalii is in contention?)
15) Matterson
16) Moretti
17) Williams
NSW Cup:
1) Papalii
2) AMS
3) R Penisni
4) Tago (is he fit?)
5) Martyn
6) Volkman
7) Hawkins
8) Grieg
9) Lussick
10) Parker
11) Doorey
12) Katauga
13) Keir
14) Smith
15) Mataele
16) Latu
17) Samrani (seems like he has been training more at centre? but can play backrow. Hard to find a starting spot given his versatility compared to others in starting team)
Obviously this means Pryke, Lynn, Twiddle and Tuivita will have to start in Flegg.
What happens if Dunster and Lane are fit? Who would have to drop out of this team. So many hard decisions. Arguably more complicated than the NRL side.
Not to mention also when JAC is back and Russel goes back to reggies. Which outside back do you cut with Dunster and Samarani waiting there too
I’m glad I’m not a selector. Will they make it fit with some age eligible players dropping right back to Flegg? I don’t know. It’s an interesting roster in the backline. Stacked with potentially very good players currently at a Cup level, but maybe not yet ready for NRL. So you don’t want NRL injuries but you have the puzzle of fitting the players in at Cup level.
Exactly could make Richie unlucky and go to Flegg
You’re a bit out with some selections, including Samrani who is much higher up the pecking order than Cup bench. According to NRL listings, he’s now top 30. He was train and trial for 25.
Yea I am not sure of the pecking order but I do notice that the team has more outside backs/backrowers than middles.
Also on the eels website, Gideon and Guymer has been added to the team but not Samrani since your post about the eels squad. So its hard to tell who actually is in the top 30
Agree. I think he might get that rnd 1 wing spot.
Is Sam Loizou still with the club?
Had there been any wrestling practice in the ruck? Control the speed of the play the ball etc
Yes.
Great report! Love the observations. How’s the fitness looking? We’ve been pretty unfit the last year and a bit.
Different methodology. Body shapes tell the story. Ultra fit. They look fitter, but I don’t know that the fitness was as much of an issue in 2024 as the error rate was. You make the mistakes that we did, with the roster we were left with due to injuries, and there’s a price to pay.
I dreaded the double error or error/penalty, occasionally the ref took no mercy on gassed players and the double penalty fell like a guillotine. Sixties, I still reckon some players more than others were impacted and we saw them slow to position, flat footed and arm tackling. It’s such a tough game, you can get found out quickly if the physical and mental application even drops for a second or two. All of these blokes are on the park because they can play the game, a lot of things have to be ticked off for each one to contribute strongly to the 80 minutes.
Samrani on the wing is interesting cause all I have heard and seen of him is centre and backrow. Also interesting because it has Lynn and Twiddle in it too who are likely to start in Flegg.
Also for the juniors, any idea why Lorenzo Talataina and Elijiah Shane-Tapau did not make the SG ball side? I assume injury as Lorenzo was their best player last year.
Yes, but anything to do with injury or similar I don’t discuss if it hasn’t been covered by the club.
Has Joash Papalii trained in any position other than fullback to indicate he could get the 14 spot on the NRL bench.
Joash has been developing his fullback skills.
Go the Emu!
He’s looking good!
Great report as always, thank you.
I really hope Woody kicks off this year, there’s more than decent front rower in him somewhere, I hope we see it this season. What a bonus that would be after losing Reg.