That was certainly one out of the box. The Eels produced some of their worst and best footy inside the same game as they nearly broke a NRL record in their ill-fated comeback attempt against the Rabbitohs in Indigenous Round. The Tip Sheet breaks it all down from the awful first half to the big fight back and everything in between.
Thoughts are raw but were live
Yes we made a good comeback. But don’t kid yourself, yes the effort is commendable, but the reality is the line break count was 3-10 and they didn’t have a half back for 50 minutes.
1st half:
Who is to blame for this?
Ryles/Moretti: Ryles picked Moretti to start. That’s on him.
I’ve been saying it for years: I know Eels fans want to believe Moretti is an NRL player. But no other club would pick him up if he went on the market, so he isn’t. Never has been. – Just 6 days ago we made close to 20 errors and Moretti decides to try an offload a ball 20 odd metres from his own line on the 4th tackle of the game!!! Seriously. 10 minutes later it’s 0-14. He should never have been picked and he should have been dragged right away.
Kelly: In a vacuum I can’t blame him for getting sin binned. But I wanted to slap the chewing gum out of his mouth. And the stupid, deliberate last tackle, 1m off the line penalty that led to a try in the next set – and again, he looked like he couldn’t care less….
MoN: You make your big name signing JDB – frankly we’re lucky not to be last given we have the worst squad in the NRL.
Attack coach: Do we have one? Seriously 3 weeks in a row. We tried Volkman kicking for Moses. Is there a single other play we have tried 3 times in the last 3 weeks? It’s all we have got and it is embarrassing!!!!
Ryles/R&R:Yep, we had an injury to a backline player. But when every week you use one of your 17 spots to start a 35 year old who gives you 3 hit ups, every week…. You reap what you sow.
Did you know Big Sam started the game?! First (and last) I saw of him was him lying on the ground when Brandon Smith made it 0-14.
2nd half
Volkman. DO NOT TELL ME we are better off with a “couldn’t care less” Luai, than, a “trying my guts out” Volkman. There is nothing to suggest we will be. Nothing. It’s utterly ridiculous. If our youth aren’t ready. THIS guy should be pur insurance! It isn’t like we are going to be able to spend our cap.
We get a penalty. Moretti takes first hit up and gets put on his backside. Next tackle Big Sam picked up and sat on his backside. WE NEED PROPS! – (but not Leota, he was dreadful in NZ, had looked his age all year).
TDS… That he is our leading try scorer as a hooker is embarrassing. Thot he makes bad decisions in the red zone every single week, is more of a problem.
I don’t care that Samrani isn’t the fastest, or most skilled. He wants to win. You just find a place for guys like that .
Ultimately. We stunk royally in the first half and it can’t happen.. People will blame refs and injuries, but the other team have the same gripes. Own the fact, we’re not good enough. Be worried, we’re not getting much better.
BTW: Hayden Watson, who started the year in Flegg, played his 2nd first grade game for the Storm today, at half back. and killed it. We won’t even let Fletcher play NSW Cup!!!
Agree 💯. Let’s not forget about Penisini, wow there isn’t a slower more inept defending centre in the game. AJ walked passed him for a hat trick. Imagine if the club had two game breaking centres that could attack and defend.
A bit tough in my opinion, B.A. Sports. We lost Kelly to a sin bin early with Kelly probably being the binning that would hurt us most, given how South’s is structured and their left winger’s record as a try scorer. They scored three tries while Brian was off, all down his edge and that, essentially, was the game. We scored four tries to three when both sides had 13 on the field.
Which is not to say we played well; we missed 39 tackles; they missed 24. Significant, and the fragility on our left side was alarming.
I agree totally with your comments on our 6; in the win against Tigers Luai had a clear shot as Iongi went in for the winning try and stuck out a couple of hand grabs instead of committing and burying him, as any competent 6 would have done. Last night Volkmann directly created three of our four tries; we would have been a sorry sight without him.
I continue to be surprised and confused at some of our retention decisions.
I thought everyone had a real crack tonight. Not much went right in that first half, going a man down against Souths is poison and that decided the game.
I dunno maybe I’m biased but was that play by Kelly really deserved of a sin binning? I thought a professional foul had to have an intentional element to it. Kelly was early by a microsecond how can you establish that it was an intentional or deliberate act?
Then Souths tackle a player mid air and nothing happens. Simmonson did that to an even less obvious extent against the sharks last season and got 10 in the bin as I recall.
We just don’t seem to get the calls
Definitely not a sin bin. Referees know the rule book, but don’t understand WHY the rules are there in the first place. This is the problem, rules are put in for specific situations but then get applied far too broadly, making the game virtually unplayable. Still, dropping the ball in the first set is just a back breaker.
One hour forty minutes? This post-match vodcast is longer than the actual game!
In the world of hypotheticals
If we don’t drop the ball in the very 1st set …. we probably win the game.
If BK lets Souths score and stays on …. we probably win the game.
If JAC plays fullback for longer … we probably win the game.
You never know, for one change changes everything.
Is our tactic of the winger rushing in and the centre covering known by Mr Wayne Bennett …. and every other coach in the NRL ?
How far backward does a dropped ball need to go backward to be a knock back.?
Kelly put his hand on Duncan’s upper arm one second early but he didn’t in any way impede his momentum, balance or ability to catch the ball. Can’t recall if it was the bunker or TV callers said something about reducing Duncan’s ability to pass to Johnston…what dreamland crap, he had already done that by body positioning. The try was prevented by scramble effort not intentional foul. So nit picking it’s a joke. Junior’s recent penalty for pushing the tackled player down came to mind, I’ve seen it a hundred times since not penalised, we will now see a ‘one second early touch’ a hundred times unpenalised, let alone marched for 10. Kelly deserved more scrutiny for the try line ball strip on Smith.
Once a player catches the ball in the air, we now have his body divided into different sections, anywhere near the arms/shoulders holding the ball is not included provided the ref/bunker is happy that the tacklers intent is aimed at competing for the ball. I can see some concocted logic in that, given the dynamic, split second nature of the kick catch moment, but basically it’s a new rule on the run and a dodgy precedent, open for dodgy tackles in the air. Kelly’s arm touch caused far less disadvantage.
Having said all that, an error in the first set just speaks for itself.
T
It seems Doctor Jekyll and Mr Hyde re-appeared on the football field.
And, I believe Samarani scored in the first half. I blame Kelly for the first half rot. Most fans would have been looking at fifty plus after the first half. To keep Souths scoreless in the second half and nearly pull of a win leaves you wondering what – why? And, again the referee never helps – why is it every other team can lie all over Parra and rarely get pinged but the Eels can never get off quick enough. The referees and the bunker have screwed the game. I cannot watch it anymore, only when Parra play
Kelly didn’t cost us anything that’s just rubbish. The NRL via the officiating system have hammered us since the first game. Our club stood up for itself over the Lomax issue and we’ve copped every dud decision ever since. We’ll show up again next week and have a go.
Well we can always see things differently. Three tries down his side didn’t help especially when he wasn’t there.
Yes. You are correct – the Eels have been and continue to be punished because they defied the administration.
Well zero, what would you have had Kelly do differently in that situation, bearing in mind that at full speed he had no time to think ? What would you expect him to do differently ?
The Kelly sin bin was the result. The issue was Moretti inexplicably trying to offload in the first set of the game. That was the cause. Kelly, doesn’t get sin binned, tries don’t get scored, Walkers confidence doesn’t get a shot in the arm, if Moretti never tries a dumb offload (which is somewhat ironic given Kelly’s biggest flaw in his game is the poor offloads at his own end of the field).
Zero, probably my bias at play, but Cameron Murray seems a protected species, he seems to know exactly what the ref’s tolerance is for slowing the play the ball. He does it according to the situation, if Souths don’t need a few more seconds, he releases quickly but when they’re a little frazzled, he’s up slowly. Smart player no doubt, but we haven’t perfected those tricks.
Parramatta showed their ability if they control the ball
I get that we need to focus on what we can control (handling errors) but we can also at the same time call out bad officiating.
That sin bin was flagrantly risible, the club needs to call more of these bad calls out or we run the risk of getting the blowtorch applied again in ‘27
Guess who doesn’t cop bad calls? Every other coach in the comp, stop trying to cosy up to the NRL with ambitions remarks Parra, it’s getting us nowhere – if Ryles has concerns he needs to find a backbone and be direct, who cares if there’s a fine, he won’t keep his job if we don’t make the 8 next year
We could have taken the NRL to court during the Lomax saga, especially when the blowtorch txt to Abdo was revealed but we dropped sack and stunningly seemed to not have any interest in seeking accountability, great going guys, our one chance to let them know we aren’t pushovers and we don’t take it- the journos didn’t chase it up either because they know how to play ball.
Moses was good last night, please make yourself more available for us next year Mitch.
Tuiviti needs to run it harder, my daughter runs at me harder than that
*ambiguous remarks
I am worried like everyone else about the future. Not just the next 5 games but the next 3 years. WE dont have a team that is capable of playing 27 rounds consistant football, winning the must win games ( home ), dragging a win off a top 4 team and keeping injuries to a few players per season. For whatever reason, we always get the shit sandwich.
I have been critical of Moses all year. I dont think he is a captain in the true sense of the word. He is arguably our BEST player, definately our highest Paid player but this year has been very ordinary. He is mentally in and out of games. Leaders need to be in games 100% even if their form is not. You need to inspire, encourage, marshall but you lead . He doesnt. Jack Williams YES , Jordan SANRINI YES, Riley SMITH Yes. But the issue is you cant take the C off Moses now.
We are desperate for a yardage middle man. KEON was the perfect one I would have thought , plays 80, runs hard, tackles hard, competes. I know you dont overpay but sometimes you just have to. Sam is going OK but I dont see him doing the damage some of the other young middles are doing. The warriors need to be plucked. They have them coming through the grades.
As for what is coming next, I dont think Lorenzo is progressing as well as we all hoped. I always believed his talent would be let down by his lack of communication and introverted personality. Great kid, just very quiet and certainly not a barker that is required in NRL. His size is an issue, similar to Volkman but a year in NSW cup and a full preseason will assist him.
Fletcher is a different beast though. He is confident, he talks well, can motor, usually a great kicker and is growing stronger to handle the big boys. He Attacks the game and despite the usual flaws, he is certainly a NRl player within a few years.
I think our 100 game love affair with Will P is over. He does not cut it with the modern centre. He has tried to compensate his lack of speed by becoming stronger but speed is KING and ability to skip and slide is not his strong point defensively.
Throw the castle at HERBIE and try and grab COATES young brother from up North. PLAITH would be no 1 is he was available. Guy is a GUN.
ATKINS hates Parramatta, having Kelly in the BIN destroyed or chances , South’s had to stay in the eighth,he made sure they did , Parramatta with their full team outplayed south’s easily ,in my opinion the n r l is now corrupt.
ATKINS hates Parramatta, having Kelly in the BIN destroyed or chances , South’s had to stay in the eighth,he made sure they did , Parramatta with their full team outplayed south’s easily ,in my opinion the n r l is now corrupt.A LOAD OF BBB. SSS
For the future I’d throw a fortune at an outstanding right winger in order to be able to shift our current left centre to the right and move Kelly to left centre. Luai covers 6 for a year, no clear answers after that. A minor st,rating prop would be nice were one available; Williams could play second row permanently. Failing those areas of improvement it’s hard to see dramatic improvement.
It was a horror start: dropped ball on the first set; sin binning in the first 2 minutes; try scored from a kick hitting the posts; Walker’s selective passing exposing the missing winger. Then, I could add two horrendous reads in defence from JDB, both significant in the debacle that was the first twenty minutes. JDB should not be in the first 17 based on that effort.
But am I wrong in thinking that the turnaround began when Teancum Brown, Saxon Pryke and Junior came onto the field. I haven’t rewatched the game but I thought all three were outstanding. Brown ran well. So did the others.
Credit must also be paid to the spirit in this team. To come back from such a first half walloping is praiseworthy.
Other notable mentions: Ryley Smith, Samrani, Kelly, Volkman and Williams.
I certainly felt A LOT better after this game than the Tigers debacle.
Was Samrani tackled in the air. Probably. Did Kelly stop the Souths player from getting to the line. No. The try was stopped by other players. Can any team lose a winger against Souths, go a man down and not be exposed? No. Was Penisini at fault for those early tries. No.
We need two or three more excellent players, having lost two in Brown and Lomax. If we can get them and continue in this spirit, we will be very competitive.
I know there are some here that have high praise for Kelly, but he’s mercurial at best.
One step forward, two steps back, one try scored, two let in.
We were at our worst defensively with Blake and Simmonsen together but now the outside backs seem to be covering for the sins of the pack.
If I were Ryles it would be 30 minutes in the ice bath and 1000 pushups for passing after contact in the first 20 minutes.
Imagine how fresh the attack would be if we were 60 percent possession and no errors into the second half.
Souths are where we should be on the table. If we get a year without injuries and smarten up ball handling we can easily be there next year.
I think we are close to good enough but mad Monday is almost upon us and we are still down a centre and a weapon in the pack.
Great to see Ryley Smith back. He’s a better dummy half than DaSilva and a tackling machine.
Saxon Pryke 53 min 123 mtrs and 30 tackles he was so impressive
100% agree! Geez he had a real dig. Same for T. Brown