Just had a read of the following on the eels web site http://www.parraeels.com.au/news/2016/01/27/gallery_district_rep.html having read the report previously with only a small selection of photo's to look at it again & go through the 36 photo's there has me really wondering (again) about the size of players & what they do bring to the game.
The report says that Penrith through their best team on in first half but the game ended with 4 tries apiece in Harold Mathews. The SG Ball was a flogging for the eels team 8 tries to 2. Going through the photo's it showed the Panthers had a team comprising as per usual in todays games some big boppa's naturally of Pacfic Islander appearances, we had one big one as well, not sure in which game he played.
The eels though in general looked much smaller basically owing to the Islander players being hard to not notice. Based on this, I am wondering just as I have in many times in the past if the old saying of good big player always beating a big one, but that was in older times when, at least in League circles big men did have the speed they have today.
But looking at the tries scored in both games, the eels did do ok against their bigger opponents, probably the difference in HM was the 2nd half it was more a trial than the first half, the smaller eels were not outplayed & augers well for the future. SG Ball had a very good win also with smaller players, in fact it is hard to distinguish which squad they played for, but we had some very skinny playres there.
There are, or was trials set to be played at Wyong this coming weeked & I will try & go if it still is on.
I actually feel a fair degree of confidence for the eels into the future, & should the top 2 teams do well this year that is also an encouragement to the juniors to see the club is going somewhere & they want to be part of it & winning as well.
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I was down at this game, overall the Penrith players looked heavier than the Eels players although we certainly weren't short of a few big players. The Harold Matthews squad photos go until picture 18 and from 19 onwards that's when the SG Ball squad kicks in. The player that you seen in photo 25 is our prized signing from Newcastle, Jesse Cronin, he isn't the biggest of forwards but he took the fight to the 2 Penrith props and won.
The big player I assume you're referring to is pictured in photo 34? **EDIT** The player in photo 34 is Junior Fainga he was playing in the SG Ball trial. He certainly is a big boy but he was testing his ankle out in front of me but he looked pretty quick and he had some nice passes on the field so he doesn't only use his size to run over the top of players. I think the biggest player from that game in our team was Sean Keppie who is being tackled in photo 22. Not only is he tall but he's also solid.
In the HM the Panthers put their best team on in the first half where they outscored our team 3 (tries)-1 (try) then we put our better team on the field and we won the second half 2-1. In the SG Ball it truly was a massacre, we won the first half 4-0 and then in the second half it was 4-2. Our better team was in the first half but we had some strong players in the second half too.
Just on the SG Ball's defence this squad is mostly made up of the players who were apart of our HM squad last season who only had 102 points scored against them in 11 games last season.
I don't think there's trials this weekend in Wyong, last I heard we are playing the Dogs out at Revesby this weekend and then the first round is the 13th of Feb up at Morry Breen Wyong.
Ham thanks for all that.
I must have the dates mixed up, or had a seniors event when I read the date. I will do my best to attend that game at Wyong, usually nothing on, on Saturdays so hope to be there, its 10 minutes away.
Any idea of the times?
All good, usually out of bed in time to get there, will be interesting to see, might even bring out my old jersey originals replica, or 81 GF one to wear.
Final squads for the 2 rep teams have been released
http://www.parraeels.com.au/team/district-reps.html
http://www.parraeels.com.au/team/district-reps-hmatts.html
Ham, any idea about these players. I notice another Topou & Kafusi in the SG squad, could be related to some good players in NRL Anthony an eels Junior, hope we don't let another one get away.
One for the Moanly fans as well, we have a Matai in the Mathews as well.