Game 2 on the docket today sees the Tarsha Gale Cup tackling the Roosters Indigenous Academy with a berth in the Grand Final on the line. The Eels handled business when these two sides met recently but it is a whole different ball game in the finals and the Chooks will be keen for revenge.

11:30AM is the kick off time for this big game – also at Leichardt Oval. Follow the live updates right here!

Tarsha Gale Team List

 

1	Irae Savea
2	Zyon Ligaliga
3	Billie Va’a
4	Jessamine Aloalii
5	Freedom Crichton Ropati
6	Sammy-Lee Gunn-Tauai
7	Aaliya Soufan
8	Taylah Falaniko
9	Ava Jones
10	Alana O’Loughlin
11	Tia Matthews
12	Fontayne Tufuga
13	Khyliah Gray
Interchange
14	Bailey Ma-Chong
16	Leonia Vei
17	Mitszy Ciarns
18	Olivia Saba
20	Sualo Lafoga

 

Late Mail

 

Eels are per the program.

Match Updates

 

First Half

 

Parramatta to kick off.

Good opening defensive set! Strong contact from Falaniko and O’Loughlin induces a sloppy play-the-ball attempt and the referee is right on it. Scrum to the Eels.

Va’a and Tufuga get early work before Gray attacks through the middle. Nice metres after contact from the lock there! Jones scoots out of dummy half as the Eels line up both sides. Left we go as Tia Matthews attacks the seam. Jones uses Falaniko on the last but the Roosters are squared up to bring her down and the ball is turned over on tackles.

Roosters work it over halfway and clear the possession with a kick to Savea. Sharp kick return work from the Eels’ custodian though as she pinches useful metres. Crichton Ropati and Ligaliga shoulder some workload now as Savea joins in late in the set.

Soufan completes the set with a bomb and is taken strongly in a legal hit as the Roosters come away with the ball.

Set-for-set stuff now as both teams work into the grind. Crichton Ropati claims a kick on the bounce and gets to the task as Va’a jumps in after her before a penalty for a strip on Ligaliga gives the Eels the chance to work deep into the Roosters’ half. Tap and go as Falaniko and Jones make good ground. Right to bulldozing O’Loughlin before the Eels spread to the left with Aloalii.

She earns a penalty. Tap and go with Matthews. Now Soufan slots into first receiver and brings a barnstorming Falaniko back underneath to attack down the left. Taylah is fully wound up here and she is too quick and too powerful! She plows through the defence and slams the ball down!

 

Try scored by Taylah Falaniko. Conversion unsuccessful by Ava Jones.

Eels lead 4-0

8min gone

 

The Eels navigate a tricky kick off as Freedom manages to reel in a nasty bouncing ball. Tufuga and O’Loughlin rip in before the big shift left sees Aloalii make good gains. Immediate reload to the right as Sammy-Lee combines with Savea – this is champagne stuff – to release Freedom Crichton Ropati. She is too good not to capitalise on this much time and space as she races down the sideline and scorches past the fullback to centre the ball and build the lead for the Blue & Gold. Gorgeous try.

 

Try scored by Freedom Crichton Ropati. Conversion successful by Ava Jones.

Eels lead 10-0

11min gone

 

O’Loughlin fields the bouncing kick off this time around. Gray uses footwork on tackle two. Left to Falaniko for a good charge. Left again as Soufan turns Matthews underneath for a nice gain before time is blown off for an injured Rooster. Concussion looks to be the issue here.

Savea gets us back underway with a nice weaving run to bring up the last as Soufan goes high. Great kick pressure! An error! The Eels have a fresh set as Ligaliga is dragged down metres short of the line. Falaniko has a crack before Savea nearly dances over wide right! Tufuga centres the ball as Jones rips a long pass to Soufan who then uses Aloalii back to the posts. Great set up run and Jones is all over it! She immediately calls the shot as she scoots out of dummy half and unleashes a flying Falaniko! The powerful prop knows her principles of physics too! The low player wins! She smashes her way over for her second try of the day!

 

Try scored by Taylah Falaniko. Conversion successful by Ava Jones.

Eels lead 16-0

15min gone

 

Tufuga provides another good charge. Ditto for Falaniko as she continues a big first half. Wide left to Aloalii for a run that ventures into the Roosters’ half. Matthews centre the ball before Soufan looks to clear the ball. Again she is under big pressure and it forces a hurried kick that sails into touch on the full. Good pressure from the Roosters’ half McPhail rewarded there.

Trouble for Gunn-Tauai in the next set. She has stayed down in a tackle attempt and this looks to be a likely head injury assessment. Trainer is out there attending her and she has been given the thumbs up after a lengthy check.

Roosters on the attack from the resumption of play but the Tri-colours concede a penalty in possession! They have taken out a marker there. Gee that is a good result.

Fontayne attacks from the touch finder. Nothing too fancy in this set as Ligaliga provides a strong run up the middle. Jones jumps out of dummy half that starts a sequence that ends up with Tufuga taking a run down the right edge but the ball is squeezed from her grip as she hits the deck. Scrum to the Roosters.

A big chance for the Tri-colours from the end of that possession. A very good grubber kick puts Ligaliga under immense pressure as the kick chase swarm her and she loses the ball.

The Chooks attack the right edge short side from the scrum win as Ligaliga is quickly called into action in defence and she makes the important tackle. However, the Eels are penalised a play later for pushing down in the ruck. Tap and go.  Some committed defence from the left edge! The Roosters have thrown the kitchen sink at them and then some. Parramatta should have earned a penalty for burrowing through the ruck but the referee misses it and instead the Roosters get the whistle for an escort on the last tackle after Freedom defuses their attacking kick. Massive call/no-call swing.

More defence for the Eels. They are standing tall thus far. What a goal line stand we are seeing here. And the Roosters blink first! They get frustrated by the courageous defence and force a shift left where they bullet a cutout pass into touch!

Brilliant run from Crichton Ropati! She takes the Eels well and truly out of danger. Savea tries to pounce on the momentum surge but the play leads to a forward pass in the connecting effort to Tia Matthews down the left edge.

Better set from the Roosters now as they ask some challenging questions around the periphery of the ruck. Thankfully some big effort tackles prevent the likes of McPhail from taking advantage and on the last the Eels are able to shepherd the ball over the dead-ball line for a 20m restart.

Savea toils hard around the ruck once again and is joined by Vei off the bench. Matthews carts the ball towards the Roosters’ 20m line before Ma-Chong and Gray work together to bring up the last. The Eels send up a bomb to Ligaliga and she goes high to compete for the ball but tips it forwards for a 20m restart.

A penalty is blown for the Roosters late in the following. Too much work in the ruck from Bailey there. Finally the Tri-colours are able to take advantage from the possession advantage that has swung in the favour in the last 10-minutes as their backrower Moore is able to split the defensive line of the lines and step past Savea to put the Roosters on the board just before half time.

 

Try scored by the Roosters Indigenous Academy. Conversion successful.

Roosters trail 6-16

 

Half Time

Parramatta Eels 16 lead the Roosters Indigenous Academy 6

 

Second Half

 

Roosters to kick off.

Good first charge from Cairns. Vei pumps the legs on the next tackle before Tufuga takes the Eels over halfway. Terrific energy out of the sheds. Deft little dab from Soufan to complete the set and trap the Roosters near their own line.

Wow, what a take from Savea on the clearing kick! That tailed away from her at the last moments and she stays with it! A penalty comes to the Eels later that set as they get to work with Vei before Savea nearly slices through down the left! Cairns helps centre the ball before Soufan attacks down the left. It leads to Ligaliga getting stopped centimetres short! Damn. Soufan laces a nice grubber kick on the last but a cracking effort from the Roosters gets them back in the field of play.

Another tough kick for Savea to defuse and this one bests her but it lost backwards at least. Enter Crichton Ropati to reclaim all the lost field position with another outstanding run. Savea goes next and schemes her way through the ruck before finding Ma-Chong. Bailey stays alive and links up with Va’a who cuts back infield as is held up over the line. That was nearly an amazing try! Still the last tackle for the Eels though and they hoist it left to Ligaliga. She was maybe taken without the ball there but the ref says it is a knock on against Zyon first.

A penalty is then blown but for the Roosters for ruck interference.

Good defence from Aloalii there. Tremendous ball and all bear hug of a tackle. Now some cerebral play from Ma-Chong! The clever strip turns it over! Love that kind of defensive work. Ligaliga and Va’a help the forwards now with tough runs. O’Loughlin steams in behind the ruck as the Eels go left on the last. Gray to Soufan to Savea to Aloalii but she is dispossessed in a good wrapping cover tackle and the knock on is escalated to a penalty as an offside Eel picks up the loose ball.

A freebie from the Roosters! Gee that is a real concentration drop and it puts Parramatta on the attack from 30m out. Scrum is set left field and the Eels play right as Tufuga and Va’a ball play at the line. Ma-Chong scoots out of dummy half for a dangerous dart before the big swing left sees Ligaliga barely stopped in the corner. Matthews brings us back infield before Gray slots into first receiver. The talented lock is the fulcrum for the big switch to the right as she finds Gunn-Tauai. The five-eighth attacks on the angle and puts Savea into the gap as Irae does the rest with ease to score first points in the second half!

 

Try scored by Irae Savea. Conversion unsuccessful by Bailey Ma-Chong.

Eels lead 20-6

42min gone

 

Falaniko is back on for her second stint and the Roosters feel her wrath immediately via a thunderous charge! Sammy-Lee has a run to bring up the last as Soufan goes Ligaliga via the boot. Zyon claims the ball and offloads to support but eventually Savea is wrapped up. Still an excellent set after points as the Roosters are forced to work it out from their defensive quarter.

Honestly, a good reply set from the Roosters. They fight hard for traction in the ruck but it awfully wrong on the last when Savea is very clearly taken in the air in the battle for high ball. Easy call for the referee and there might even be a report coming here. Wow, not just a report but a sin-bin! It was a fairly reckless kick challenge but that might be on the slightly severe scale of outcomes.

Aloalii gets us back underway. Downhill shift to the right as Va’a uncorks a good run and offload to Savea for even more metres. Gray digs in now with a big switch to the left that then sees Ligaliga attack back to the posts. Va’a is held up over the line after nice lead up work from Gunn-Tauai. That brings up the last and two pass shift to Soufan. She plugs it along the carpet but it is a pretty tame grubber and is dived on by the defence. Another punishing set though as the Eels start to apply the constricting lock on the Roosters.

A big kick return from the dynamic Crichton Ropati has the Eels immediately on the attack. Va’a rips in from there before O’Loughlin is used to settle the set. Left to Gray who finds Soufan. The half attacks the line and uses Aloalii as the centre engages her opposite and offloads to Savea who uses quick hands to put Ligaliga over in the corner! Again, just pure footy from the Eels!

 

Try scored by Zyon Ligaliga. Conversion unsuccessful by Ava Jones.

Eels lead 24-6

49min gone

 

Finally the Tri-colours earn a reprieve with a rare error from the Eels in their kick off set.

Good energy from the Roosters now. They know they need to score and quick. Parramatta’s defence remains impressive though and the Roosters are struggling for options with the lateral shifts. Just outstanding patience and communication now. The right edge calmly navigate a kick and play-on situation as Va’a and Crichton Ropati work brilliantly in tandem to make the turnover tackle.

No frills set now. Parramatta muster it to their own 40m mark and let Soufan drive it downfield. Good clearing kick. Good chase too.

Another bear hug of a tackle from Aloalii! She makes a perfect read and jam to execute it as well. Cracking defensive work! Savea comfortably defuses the midfield bomb from there and there is time off for an injured Eel – although it looks to be a cramp. We are quickly back underway as Tufuga rips through the ruck. It allows Jones to dash out of dummy half for more metres and that brings up the last. Soufan plumps for the bomb to Ligaliga once again and hello! Flying take and offload from Zyon! Unreal footy! She takes the bomb and the flicks it to Jessamine Aloalii on the loop around for another outstanding try!

 

Try scored by Jessamine Aloalii. Conversion unsuccessful by Ava Jones.

Eels lead 28-6

56min gone

 

Fearless stuff from Va’a as she attacks the short kick off! Love to see that. Vei has a nice ruck run before a tough forward pass call from Gray to Savea prevents a line break from developing. Thought that pass was flat but marginal enough for the whistle I guess.

The Roosters get away with an old-fashioned shepherd but it comes out in the wash immediately with a contested tackle from Aloalii that sees the ball squirrel out. It is ruled lost but I have seen plenty of those get the extended whistle for a penalty.

A minute to go now as the Eels work into the Roosters’ half with Kyliah Gray. Soufan sends it up high and the Roosters just let it bounce! A hot pursuit for the loose ball from Zyon sees the Roosters get there first for the drop out. That will just about do us here with time enough for the restart to Va’a as she dances through a stack of tackle attempts and is finally brought down as the siren rings out.

The Parramatta Eels will be defending their title in the big dance next week! What a game!

 

Full Time

Parramatta Eels 28 defeat the Roosters Indigenous Academy 6