The second leg of today’s action sees the NSW Cup squad tackling the Canberra Raiders. It has been an extremely tough fortnight for the Eels in reggies as errors and poor execution have seen them fall to heavy defeats the Knights and Bulldogs. Can they snap out of that funk with a bounce back victory against the Green Machine? We will find out at 2:00PM when the game kicks off!
NSW Cup Team List
| 7 | Apa Twidle |
| 1 | Brad Avery |
| 3 | Araz Nanva |
| 18 | Siamani Leuluai |
| 5 | Jordan Hill |
| 6 | Lorenzo Talataina |
| 19 | Joseph Nohra |
| 8 | Toni Mataele |
| 9 | Ryley Smith |
| 16 | Zack Visconti |
| 11 | Jezaiah Funa-Iuta |
| 10 | Tyrese Lokeni |
| 12 | Charlie Guymer |
| Interchange | |
| 14 | Kruz Niutili-Scmidt |
| 15 | Max Tupou |
| 21 | Damascus Neemia |
| 17 | Trace Beattie |
| 23 | Callum McMenemy |
Late Mail
A STACK of changes in the team, please refer to the amended team list above.
Match Updates
First Half
Canberra will kick off in the first half.
Mataele opens up with the first carry for the Eels. Parramatta build to their left and Guymer and Funa-Iuta take the home team over halfway before Nohra skies the ball on the last where it is claimed by Chevy Stewart for the visitors. Good possession for the Blue & Gold there.
Oh dear, some flimsy defence follows though as the Raiders just slice through the right edge of the Eels and it is the turf monster that saves the day as the choppy ground unseats the Canberra runner. Wow, huge let off. The Raiders are still in possession though as they shift to their right on the next play but it fizzles out with an error as an awkward pass to their winger is grassed.
Talataina is under immense pressure from the scrum win due to a terrible pass but he manages to secure the ball without an error. It sets the tone for an ordinary set though that results in a completion via a Talataina bomb that produces a penalty for the Raiders as Mataele’s kick chase impedes Stewart’s ability to compete for the bomb.
Better defence from the Eels following the touch finder. Thank goodness. The Raiders resume play on halfway but don’t challenge the home team too much before trying to stab a kick in behind as Jordan Hill tidies it up just inside the field of play.
A tough set follows as the Eels have to grind the ball away from their goal line and they try to heave the ball downfield from the boot but the back three for the Raiders is well positioned to take a firm grip on the territorial battle. Canberra’s set is extended when the referee rules the ball is stripped out illegally and then extended again for a high tackle.
Long possession here for the visitors as they initially play down their left where the Eels are forced to repel multiple short range cracks at the line. They barely do so and hold out to the last as the Raiders centre the ball. Canberra spread it to their right and it takes a huge one-on-one tackle from Nanva on Chevy Stewart to complete the goal line stand. In fact it is a penalty for the Eels with Stewart making a very obvious double movement after he was tackled short of the line.
That is a quality reply set from the Eels. No frills as they punch it through the ruck and it allows Talataina to strike a very neat kick down the right edge that turns the ball over deep in Canberra’s half.
Geez the penalties are piling up against the Eels here as they keep getting it wrong. This one is for a late hit on the kick Coby Black and it costs the home team the better part of 40m as Twidle marks the spot of the penalty with his catch. Again though, the left edge of the Eels delivers a key moment as they drive the Raiders into touch early in the resultant set. Phew!
Now the game gets spicy as the Eels win their first penalty of the day for a dangerous throw. The Eels pour in after Visconti, I believe it was, got violently thrown past the horizontal. The officials confer and deliver warnings for the pile-in but is there any escalation here? Indeed there is! Joe Roddy will spend 10-minutes in the bin for the tackle.
Two passes in from the tap restart to find Visconti. Smith takes play left to Nohra who uses Mataele. Solid run. Guymer wants the ball as he takes the Eels back to the right and uses his five-eighth in Lorenzo as the young dynamo nearly bursts through! The Eels play to the last tackle as Lorenzo digs in deep to the line and laces a late grubber kick but sharp work from Stewart for the Raiders sees him escape the in-goals. However, the Raiders cough the ball up via their big prop Clydesdale and put the home team back in the box seat.
Overload to the right of the scrum for the Eels but the keep it simple as they turn Lokeni back underneath for the first carry. Mataele and Visconti follow and from there the Eels execute a cheeky called shot! Twidle knows Stewart is in the front line early in the set, especially with a man in the bin, and attacks the left edge short side before stabbing a grubber kick in behind. Chevy leads the pursuit but tries to escort the ball over the dead-ball line and it allows Araz Nanva to sneak into the frame and get a hand on the loose ball! First points for the Eels today!
Try scored by Araz Nanva. Conversion successful by Apa Twidle.
Eels lead 6-0
17min gone
Heavy contact from the kick off as Mataele steams in and is then unseated! Big blow from the Raiders there but Toni holds onto the ball and they get back to work. A strong set follows as the Eels climb 10m into the Raiders’ half and send a bomb up via Nohra. Stewart takes it cleanly but an energised kick chase trap him close to the goal line and the visitors turn it over on the next play! Effort rewarded from the Eels there and now they need to pile the pressure on.
Centrefield scrum is set. Eels shading to the right as Lorenzo steers the play to Cup debutante Leuluai. The defence is caught offside and the Eels correctly signal for a repack of the scrum. They break left this time around and use Nanva on the first. Guymer and Visconti combine on the next play as Charlie feeds his prop on an overs line. Terrific footwork through contact for Zack there! He spins through the initial contact and gets outside leverage on the defenders! It lets him plow through the tackle and slam the ball down over the line!
Try scored by Zack Visconti. Conversion successful by Apa Twidle.
Eels lead 12-0
22min gone
Here we go again! Mataele hasn’t been scared off from the heavy contact last kickoff and this time he thunders through the first attempt for a strong gain. To the left for the Eels as Smith runs from dummy half and into the Canberran half. Talataina sends the bomb up on the last and in a fierce contest for the ball it looked momentarily like the Raiders had spilled it forwards before the referee indicates it was a double knock-on with the first infringement against the Eels.
Coby Black tries to bullet a 40/20 now and he strikes it pretty well. Twidle gets on his bike and fields it very close to the sideline to put the Eels back in possession. Hill and Leuluai take carries around the ruck to aid the forwards as Nohra finishes off the set with a midfield bomb. However, the Eels concede a penalty for a high tackle as the Raiders get a much needed assist downfield. Their touchfinder is contested by the Eels as volleyed back into the field of play – alas though, there was a foot on the line and it remains Canberra ball.
Some good line speed from the Eels early in this set. Canberra are flinging the ball around trying to find a seam to attack before Parramatta give away their third penalty for a high tackle in this half.
Damn, after a stack of strong defence that comes too easy. Canberra turn the ball back inside after venturing down their right and find the angle between Guymer and Funa-Iuta it looks like as Chevy Stewart just glides between the two backrowers and then steps past Twidle – who never had a chance there. Costly lapse following a sequence of sloppy high shots.
Try scored by the Canberra Raiders. Conversion successful.
Raiders trail 6-12
29min gone
Canberra are right back in this now. The two sides trade sets before Canberra generate a linebreak from their left edge. The Eels barely contain it as their goal line but give away a set restart before Jordan Hill gets a chance to flip the field as he intercepts a bouncing pass with a toe ahead only to knock it on in the recovery attempt. More ball for the Raiders as a result at the end of it all.
Again the Raiders have an element of helter skelter play to their game and while the Eels are able to force the set to the final tackle, they unravel on the last as they over-commit down their right edge and allow Ethan Alaia to thrown an extravagant dummy and then attack from a left foot step as he punishes an aggressive slide from the Eels. Twidle tries to hold him up over the line but it was a losing proposition for the Eels’ custodian there.
Try scored by the Canberra Raiders. Conversion successful.
Raiders lock the scores up at 12-all
36min gone
So we are back to level pegging now, can either team take ascendancy back in the remaining minutes heading into half time?
Big metres for the Raiders following points as second phase footy disarms the Eels’ defence in the midfield. They manage to hold on though before Twidle takes an excellent catch in his in-goals to defuse a dangerous attacking bomb.
Some nice work from Lorenzo here as he almost opens up a channel for Trace Beattie down the right. A penalty comes on the next play when Nohra is hit heavily off the ball back to the left. Parra find touch with a short range kick and get to work with around a minute on the clock only for Ryley Smith to gamble on an all-or-nothing play just a tackle into the set as he kicks for himself from dummy half and sends it over the dead ball line.
Parramatta concede yet another penalty for a high tackle with 30seconds left and the Raiders get the last rite of reply in the half.
They almost make the Eels pay as well as they seemingly score in the corner after a big shift to their left but the officials correctly caught the final forwards pass of the play. Wowza. Tense end to the set and we head to the break Even Stevens!
Half Time
Parramatta Eels 12 tied with Canberra Raiders 12
Second Half
Eels to kick off.
Oh dear, Avery has made a bit of a meal of the clearing kick from Black here as he gets his bearings with the sideline all mixed up and ends up losing the ball over the sideline. His team mates rally to bail him out though as their committed scramble defence in the following sets sees Nohra intercept an offload.
That then sets the table for redemption for Ryley as he drills a 40/20! Or does he? The officials seem to have conflicting views on it before it is ruled he was over the 40m mark! Going back in the live rewind suggests he was JUST inside the 40m mark so it looks like some tough luck for the Eels there. Damn.
The game settles into something of a set-for-set rhythm. Both sides trade possessions before the Raiders change the tempo as they force a line drop out following a somewhat fortuitous sequence of kicks and a bat back deep in-goals.
The Eels don’t work for the short drop out as the Raiders comfortably claim the ball and perhaps they will regret that as midway through the set Coby Black is able to just push through some fragile defence near the posts to score. Disappointing stuff there from Parra but for the Raiders, they secure their first lead of this contest.
Try scored by the Canberra Raiders. Conversion successful.
Raiders lead 18-12
51min gone
The second half fades that have plagued the Eels for weeks now continue into Round 15 as the Raiders score a few sets later following a poorly defended bomb. The Raiders profit off a pretty mediocre attacking kick, to be blunt, as Twidle and the containment ring of defenders get it all wrong allowing the ball to bounce. Finau has pushed through for the Raiders and scores just about as easy a try as he will ever enjoy.
Try scored by the Canberra Raiders. Conversion unsuccessful.
Raiders lead 22-12
57min gone
Complete break down now. Twidle struggles with a wicked bomb from Black as he spills it backwards. He cleans it up without issue through and then ranges to his right for a pretty good gain all things considering…then he tries to force a backhand offload. It was always an ill-advised proposition and it leads to an immediate turnover as the Raiders get a bonus possession and cash in a tackle later. Diabolical stuff from the Eels.
Try scored by the Canberra Raiders. Conversion unsuccessful.
Raiders lead 26-12
60min gone
The repeated miscues in defence by way of high tackles finally culminates in a sin bin for the Eels after Clydesdale wears an illegal shot that sees him succumb to a HIA. I didn’t catch the number of who got marched for 10-minutes. Hang on, it was Toni Mataele.
The Raiders have had little issues scoring on a level playing field in the second half – how much damage can they do with the one man advantage?
Nothing immediately it turns out as they get it woefully wrong down their right edge and concede a penalty for an obstruction.
We didn’t have to wait too long though as the Raiders smash their way through the fatigued ruck defence of the Eels with young forward Jayze Tuigamala bulldozing through multiple defenders before carrying Twidle over the line. The rotten second half efforts of the Eels in NSW Cup continue on and on sadly.
Try scored by the Canberra Raiders. Conversion successful.
Raiders lead 32-12
70min gone
Here comes the pile on. Coby Black is having himself an excellent day and he tacks on another try with almost satirical over-sell of a dummy that bamboozles the Eels. Hey – if it works, it works. He then knifes through the gap between the two forwards he fooled and beats Twidle to the goal line. Rough viewing this is, rough viewing indeed.
Try scored by the Canberra Raiders. Conversion successful.
Raiders lead 38-12
73min gone
The bleeding thankfully comes to an end as time runs out on the clock amidst errors from both sides in the final exchanges. The dire run of form for the Eels in the NSW Cup continues and the alarm bells are ringing loud and clear for the Blue & Gold as their slide goes deeper and deeper.
Full Time
Canberra Raiders 38 defeat the Parramatta Eels 12
