http://www.zerotackle.com/season-review-parramatta-eels-2-24505/
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - JULY 30: Eels players show their dejection during the round 21 NRL match between the Parramatta Eels and the Wests Tigers at ANZ Stadium on July 30, 2016 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)Season Review: Parramatta Eels
Pre-season prediction: 12th
Actual finish: 14th
Parramatta Eels 2017 Player Movements
The Eels scored seven tries, including a hattrick to French, and a double to De Gois, after dominating every facet of the game. They made almost 300 more metres and more than double the amount of metres off the boot.
Season 2016 ended on a bright note and could usher in an exciting era for the blue and golds.
Best signing: Josh Hoffman
The Eels have signed some solid talent without signing a genuine match-breaker. This has been dictated by their salary cap position, but it may also be a smart decision going forward.
Josh Hoffman has always had the talent so be something special but is yet to fully realise just what he can do. A spot in the centres at the Eels beckons and could see the former Kiwi international finally reach his potential.
A potential backline of French, Radradra, Jennings, Hoffman and either Takairangi or Gutherson is going to score plenty of tries and provide a mountain of highlights.
Hoffman scored seven tries, laid on two more and made seven line breaks in a decent season on the Gold Coast. I get the feeling that Hoffman is capable of much more, and could just realise his abilities in the blue and gold.
The positives
Cap scandal finally over: Unfortunately these sorts of issues never really end, with the Watmough legal battle and other factors still affecting the club going forward, but the Eels have served their punishment and can move forward. The point’s deduction hurt the club in terms of it costing them a spot in the finals, but it’s done now. The fines have been paid, the players shed. 2016 is in the past now.
French re-signing: As players were shed left and right, it looked as though the Eels roster for years to come would be compromised, but with the re-signing of their superstar outside back, things suddenly don’t look so dim. French is one of the, if not the, most exciting raw talents in the game. His try-scoring exploits in his debut season were incredible. He may have even topped the likes of Holmes and Radradra had he played more games.
Season Grading: C
On paper, the Eels missed the finals and lost their star player. In reality, it was far brighter than that. The Eels won 13 games, which would have seen them finish eighth. If the off-field issues hadn’t proved such a distraction, who knows how many games they could have won?
The re-signing of Bevan French is huge news for the club. The kid is so full of talent, and speed, that anything is possible. One thing is for sure, the next few years will be exciting for the long-term number one.
There is still a mass of issues to sort through, but the club is headed in the right direction. Corey Norman needs to ensure the only headlines he creates are with his football. Semi Radradra needs time to deal with his legal issues and work out his future, as the club needs their star winger.
The Eels haven’t signed a great deal, they haven’t really needed to, but they’ve added a few quality players to their roster. 2016 was a fairly successful season all considered. Although they finished 14th, we all know the Eels had a far better season than their official finishing position suggests.
Replies
Col i think its a 2016 review and the author is a bit of a dribbler.
I copied the title straight from the Zero Tackle page seems this morning though the same page has removed the year from the title though.
From what I read of it, I thought he was pretty fair overall as he highlights the problems we had without being judgemental. Imagine someone from the DT doing this sort of review.
Does it ever end?
He is just pointing out no more than what has been discussed on this site in regard to the Court situation with Semi. Likewise the Watmough demands. Both are issues that in a sense point to issues, off field choices by the players will also need to be monitored as we don't need another such suspension again to hamper next year or any other year.
Thing is he does say that he does say that we can look forward to a better season in 2017.
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"A spot in the centres at the Eels beckons and could see the former Kiwi international finally reach his potential.
A potential backline of French, Radradra, Jennings, Hoffman and either Takairangi or Gutherson is going to score plenty of tries and provide a mountain of highlights."
I can't see Taka playing on the wing!
Its the one area that I don't really agree with him on, Hoff is a good signing, and he's likely be seen as filling a wing spot than the centers, not the first person either to mention Taka losing a center spot, but is Hoff a better choice there? Certainly he has/is overlooking Gutho playing the year in the 6 shirt.
No! based on the position as shown in the prediction of 12 and ending up in 14th spot C is appropriate.
He does point out that without the points deduction that the eels would have finished in 8th spot, something that I personally hold to in my overall assesment of the season, also adding the points for and against the eels that the kind people in the crystal tower took off the club, had the 8 been where we did sit at comp end then certainly a B was appropriate.
In my humble opinion, I think Taka is more effective in the centres than Jennings notwithstanding reputation & SOO status. I think he generally seems to involve his wingman more.
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