The weekend results were much like the weather with a wild spread of form and scoreboards providing whiplash for anyone following the six games that were played under the banner of the Parramatta Eels.
Of course, the singular result that has everyone venting is the listless attacking endeavour that was Parramatta’s 14-point loss to Manly in the NRL. There are strong opinions everywhere on this one – and for good reason. I share my thoughts down below but don’t forget to checkout the Instant Reaction podcast to see the raw responses of myself and Sixties last night.
The NSW Cup stumbled while the Flegg got to sleep in on account of a postponed game. In the Junior Representatives the Eels have 3 teams coming good at the right time of the season but one squad is now left desperately searching for form ahead of the finals.
Yes, the Weekend Wrap is back – even when the first grade results are darker than the stormy skies we are currently plagued by in Sydney. Pack your best brolly and raincoat because we are going into the stormfront.
NRL
Manly Sea Eagles 26 defeat the Parramatta Eels 12
Sixties and myself broke down our thoughts on Parramatta’s fourth straight loss last night but the crux of it centred on the Eels’ woes in attack.Their lethargic and disjointed effort against the Sea Eagles resulted in just 12 total points scored and even then 6 of those came in the 79th minute. It brings Parramatta’s season tally to 44 point scored after a month of footy…or a paltry per game rate of 11.
Yeah, I would say the Eels have an issue or 17 with their offence right now.
Forwards, backs, play-makers and coaches – all have their portion of accountability here. Trying to apportion blame to any singular players, coach or positional group does a disservice to how pedestrian the Parramatta Eels are right now with the ball in hand.
While there are certainly technical aspects to address, fundamentally – and don’t roll your eyes – it feels like the Eels are just losing out in key efforts areas all over the park when in possession.
The intent and aggression from the middles to win collisions around the ruck.
The willingness and perseverance from the pack to push up and support their brethren.
The fortitude and dedication from the halves to rigorously straighten the attack.
The hunger and desperation from our backrowers to find ways to get bring the game to them.
And our backs…well, honestly our backline is the least of our issues in attack – at least when it comes to effort. Certainly their final passes could use a generous dab of polish but to their credit they found ways to challenge Manly yesterday in spite of a poor interior platform.
You might notice a complete lack of emphasised names at this point, a staple of the format for long-time readers of TCT. That isn’t an accident. Fans can point fingers at the coach, the five-eighth or any number of forwards or backs but the brutal reality is that the team is failing in all phases in offence (and more than a few in defence). Until they collectively decide to conform to the basic standards that are beholden by NRL teams they will remain mired in this offensive offence.
There were better signs on the other side of the ball with the Eels stringing together a 43-minute period where they prevented the Sea Eagles from crossing their goal line. Unfortunately, they also allowed 2 tries either side of that window and again fell victim to scoreboard pressure.
What continues to frustrate is Parramatta’s generous contributions to their opponent’s attacking opportunities.
A diabolical misread from the left centre, an inability to account for numbers from our right edge and a general malaise when it came to tackling Manly’s backrowers greatly magnified the offensive capabilities of the Sea Eagles. As much as I do think the effort was better on this side of the ball – these lapses completely undermine the rest of the good work done.
Again, the rookies and young players provided a modicum of solace. Their forthright willingness to throw themselves into the fray and simply try their guts out shines through the mud around them. I said as much in the instant reaction podcast but we are fast approaching the point when the risk of exposing more rookies to our first grade woes is hypothetically outstripped by the sheer value of getting more hungry young players in that will actually try.
I am sure there is more to say but personally I am moving on. I will be ready for Round 5 – will the Eels?
NSW Cup
Manly Sea Eagles 32 defeat the Parramatta Eels 22
The Eels started brightly in Round 4 of the NSW Cup as Joash Papalii fired a brilliant cutout pass to Arthur Miller-Stephen for the opening try at Brookvale. Unfortunately, Parramatta were punished for abysmal play either side of half-time as the Sea Eagles poured on 26-points in a 13-min window either side of oranges. Miller-Stephen would score a second before half-time to keep the Eels thereabouts and Felix Niutili-Scmidt’s quality second half brace gave Parramatta an unlikely outside chance but Manly remained firmly in control throughout.
After two strong efforts against the Magpies and Bulldogs, the Eels came to a screeching halt with a momentum-killing performance that was littered with errors and defensive capitulations. It was a difficult spectating experience given the talent in the squad.
Statistically there were some solid efforts. Jordan Samrani nearly topped 200m from his 20 carries while Bailey Simonsson also churned out 159m from his 16 runs. Miller-Stephen backed up his 2-try effort with 175m from 14 runs with 3 line breaks to his name. Toni Mataele was the pick of the forwards with 12 carries and 129m marked down. Watching the game it felt like Toni was given a mandate to promote the ball as he aggressively sought to offload. He ended up with a team high 3 offloads. Defensively he looked reasonable as well with 17 tackles made to just the single miss.
A shout out to Tyrese Lokeni as well. The young forward was thrust into the starting backrow in his NSW Cup debut and was not lost at sea in the Northern Beaches. 7 carries for 91m is a very good per run rate and equally – he missed just 2 tackles while completing 29. Good gear.
Jersey Flegg
No result
The Eels and Sea Eagles will fight another day after their game on Sunday was postponed in order to preserve the 4 Pines Park surface.
SG Ball
Parramatta Eels 38 defeat the North Sydney Bears 4
A slow, sloppy start in the SG Ball evoked memories of years gone by where the Eels struggled against the Bears in treacherous conditions. Thankfully, they roared to life in the shadow of half-time with tries to Christopher Petrus and Lorenzo Talataina. Mind you, there was a bit of drama around Talataina’s 80m counter-attacking sequence after it was ruled the Bears knocked on in attempting to ground a grubber kick inside Parramatta’s in-goals. It was as close a call as you get and the Bears easily could have been awarded the try. Instead Cameron Bamblett, Lincoln Fletcher and Talataina combined from a rapid 20m restart to deliver a staggering blow heading into the sheds.
Andes Johansson and Lachlan Coinakis tacked onto the lead with straightforward scoring efforts before Fletcher and Nathan Howlett combined beautifully as the kicker and chaser to touch down in the right corner. Both wingers were the beneficiaries of slick backline plays as Lorima Saukuru went in on the back of a sweep from Bamblett while Aidan Kebourian scored from a scrum after Talataina’s electrifying pace created the overlap.
Ultimately it was a good result for the Eels, even when considering their self-inflicted struggles early on. All that is left now is a showdown with Manly next week. A Top 2 finish is now guaranteed for Parramatta but a win ensures they finish the regular season on top of the table and cement an undefeated regular season.
Harold Matthews
Parramatta Eels 10 defeat the Central Coast Roosters 6
Now that the SG Ball are winning games with comfortable margins it seems to have fallen upon the Harold Matthews to inherit the title of Cardiac Kids. Faced with a must-win scenario against the 2nd placed Central Coast Roosters the Eels found the same kind of grim resolve in defence in defence that propelled them to victory the week prior against the Magpies.
It was torrid, it was tense and it was impressive stuff as the Eels and Roosters played out a violent and intense contest in the challenging conditions at Eric Tweedale Stadium. Riley Davis sparked one of the few tries to be scored with a great wrap around play down the right that was finished with a looping cutout pass to Cobi McCloskey. The Blue & Gold flanker did brilliantly to reel in the pass and maintain his footing before diving over in the corner.
A mountain of defensive work fell upon the Eels in the second half and for the most part they did exceptionally. A momentary lapse allowed the Roosters’ halfback Carter Mareko to dart over but the sheer willingness and desperation of the Parramatta defensive line suffocated and stilted the attacking structures of the visitors.
Both teams ended up with a player in the sin-bin in the wake of Mareko’s try after some carry on and pushing and shoving but it didn’t impact the scoreboard in any way.
What did impact the scoreboard and the game was an immense final quarter from Talen Risati. As spirited and whole-hearted as the Eels had been in this match they still needed someone to stand up and Risati was that player. He expertly controlled the territorial battle with a sequence of crucial clearing kicks and delivered the dagger on the stroke of full-time with a short-side raid that released McCloskey. In turn, Cobi found his fullback Davis and despite a heart-in-mouth moment where he lost his balance before the goal line – Parramatta’s fullback got there to seal a magnificent victory.
There is still important work to be done. Parramatta must win next week against Manly in order to finish this chapter of the story. Still, Saturday’s result was seriously impressive and the steely resolve this team has found in defence makes a fan dare to dream of more in 2025.
Tarsha Gale
Illawarra Steelers 16 defeat the Parramatta Eels 10
You never want to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory but that is exactly what it felt like for the Eels on Saturday in the Tarsha Gale. Parramatta built a deserved 10-point lead in the first half with bookends Tess McWilliams and Armani-Lea Auvae punching through the Illawarra goal line defence to bag tries. It fell apart after the break however with the visitors rattling off 16 unanswered points as the laxness of Parramatta’s kick pressure proved to be their undoing with the Steelers peppering the Eels’ right edge with bombs and finding great success as a result.
Parramatta are guaranteed a Top 8 finish regardless of results next week. Well technically that isn’t true. However it would require the Eels (+100) and the Raiders (-78) to combine for one of the most insane points-differential swings across 2 separate games you are likely to ever see. That is the small silver lining though because the Eels face the formidable Canterbury Bulldogs next week face the very real scenario of going into the finals with negative momentum.
Lisa Fiaola
Parramatta Eels 20 defeat the Illawarra Steelers 0
It was a good, honest, tough win for our girls in the Lisa Fiaola in Round 8 as they toiled through the soggy Eric Tweedale conditions to shutout the Steelers. Key moments from the halves proved to be the difference as Sharon Latapu fed Kaizen Morgan-Pritchard on a quality overs line for first points before Temieke Withers laid on the scoring opportunity for Georgia Wansey down the left-edge in the second half and the centre duly obliged.
Latau put a bow on the game with a scything effort in the 58th minute as she weaved and wound her way through the Illawarra defensive line to claim a dazzling individual try.
Irae Savea provided huge impetus for the home team throughout the game with an array of strong kick returns while Parramatta’s middle rotation proved to be a willing group as Mere Sivo, Isabella Bell, Olivia Saba, Evenlyn Kuwendu and Kaveinga O’Callaghan-Ahio persevered on a heavy track to pound out important ruck metres.
The win, Parramatta’s 6th of the season, keeps the Blue & Gold in the hunt for a top seed and sets up a blockbuster clash against the Bulldogs next week. It isn’t quite winner takes all when these two standout teams clash though. Firstly, the Dogs have a postponed game against the Dragons to account for and secondly, even if the Eels prevail there is a strong chance they finish the regular season in second place. That is because the Central Coast Roosters have a vastly superior points-differential as well as the same amount of wins. Coincidentally, they will face the Steelers to close out the season with the Eels now looking to their most recent adversaries to turn allies for a single game.
As far as the NRL goes we need to acknowledge what is now obvious – we don’t have the playing roster to be competitive in this competition. Overwhelmingly we are playing talented kids who are too inexperienced to come up with the necessary consistency of effort over eighty minutes and a few former stars whose best years are behind them. I did think that Joffa had a blinder especially in defence.
We are a long way off the standards of 2021-22.
I am just so absolutely over all things Eels atm.
From MON never facing up to R and R inadequacies which he has overseen, the Dylbro fiasco, zero attack nouse displayed every single game, experienced forwards missing crucial and relatively straight forward tackles leading to tries. Players like Penisini automatically chosen every week and almost 40 years of excuses and generally being dealt shit by the club I’ve supported and remained loyal to…
There’s plenty more
If any other large franchise was run like this club it would have been insolvent decades ago.
Across most businesses hiring people with multiple qualifications and courses attended has never seemed to end well, seems like we have to look at the hiring process. Anyone that thinks Gus, Richardson or even the Raiders recruiter went to Harvard etc to do their job well, have we got a comparison for you all.
Yeah it’s totally disheartening when our season appears over after four games. With the exception of Walker we’ll probably get the same team trotted out next game and frankly ,I don’t give a stuff what happens.
The season was over before round 1. The performance in first half against storm was a symptom of Dylan and other players not being focused on the job at hand. Now they are behind 8 hall and it’s snowballing. Sure there are some small improvements compared to the woeful standard set in storm and tigers game but it’s about avoiding the spoon and that’s disgusting
Thanks as always for the reports gents, can’t be easy given the state of things.
Do we think Toni gets a run anytime soon – especially given his efficient work at prop over the weekend? And Samrani’s efforts seem too good to leave in reserve grade, especially given how well he did in first grade.
Do we know of any discussion at all amongst the club about his likelihood of shifting into 2nd row? He looks all the goods ball in hand and has the frame for it, seems like a natural progression pushing him one slot in field.
would love to see what Toni can bring in FG if he gets a call up
I always wondered how Zac Lomax fits into the team, where is his best fit. Will Penisini is a right centre specialist. The move to left centre hasn’t gone well. I think he should be tried at right centre again (or dropped to reserve grade).
Lomax wing or fullback. I read a comment that he passes like a winger.
Iongi does need to improve his one on one defence and defusing bombs 100% of the time. He will get better with time, I suppose, either in first grade or reserve grade. He is not yet the
cover we need for Gutho.
I hope Ryley is soon ready for 80 min.
Dean Hawkins’ kicking game is longer than Volkman’s, but I’m still not sure which I prefer at 7 (without Moses). Volkman throws more deceiving passes and straightens the attack.
TCT have talked a lot about the Newcastle trial.
Not much is said of who played in the trial.
It’s a shame that Carty is not quite fit or at his best to be included. His skills are awesome, even if sometimes mistakes come (loose pass).
The try he set up in reserve grade against the Magpies was magic stuff.
Ryan Matterson is doing some nice ball playing (half back) work in reserve grade. He has those great skills, but I’m not seeing any hard run ups (RCG style). I don’t know what’s happening there.
Bailey Simonsson can play left centre.
Haze Dunster seems to be a right centre or both wings.
I don’t think either of them are quite ready to come into the first grade team. Of course, it would be nice to see them there.
Lomax has an awful catch and pass. Almost as bad as will in that regard. You’d think ryles’ team would have noticed that both of their centres lack the ability to get winger away through soft hands but for whatever reason they haven’t brushed up that area yet. I suppose they have other problems to address for now
We have 3 great attacking weapons Jac’s speed, Iongi evasive footwork , Lomax’s aerial prowess. To date we have used none of these. Whilst a lot more work to do, our defence (if only slightly) has improved. Its our disjointed attack that’s hurting us, Manly were there to be beaten, yes silly errors are killing us. We have the ammo, Brown, Iongi, Lomax, Jac. We are not preparing a game plan, to utilise them, . Effort is great but continually putting in with no reward is draining us.
I’m prepared to wait out the storm until Moses gets back, he changes so much of the dynamic in attack, defence and kicking.
The more I see of Lorenzo Talataina, the more I hope we wait out the five eight issue and use Dylan Walker next year and don’t get drawn into a million dollars for Galvin. Lorenzo looks to be the best of all our flegg and sg halves. The way he moves and his passing game reminds me of a young Dylan but possibly even more sharp with his footwork and pace.
Have not seen enough of him defensively but hopefully that’s solid.
The only thing that might be an issue for Lorenzo is his size.
But I hope he is good enough regardless of this
How tall is he?
You know the one thing that sets Galvin apart from the others is his willingness to be involved in every play and I mean every play.
He handles every set and the last person I saw play like that was Johnathan Thurston.
Galvin hasn’t got a kick or any offensive or defensive attributes that set him above the rest but if one of your main playmakers is moving across the chess board the defence has to accommodate it which is when opportunities appear.
He does this because he’s super fit.
This is the special attribute that will elevate Glavin into the stratosphere.
If you have to base your game around someone as a halfback, Thurston is a pretty good one.