Eels Blogs

The spirit of Jon Mannah filled Parramatta Stadium through not only the presence of his family but also the wondrous round of applause that was heard all around just before kick-off. It was truly a beautiful moment. 

Ricky Stuart had made a number of late changes including starting both Fuifui and Kelepi Tanginoa as well as replacing the sick Jacob Loko with Cheyse Blair. Fuifui was sporting a hairdo more common to that of a male lion but it was Mannah's first charge that set the tone.

The match started fairly even but there was a noticeable difference in the enigmatic Jarryd Hayne. From Hayne's first kick return it was evident he was here to play. But Hayne wasn't looking to direct the team around, that was left to Chris Sandow and Luke Kelly who both did so with great application.

After establishing some forward dominance the Eels went wide through the hands. Pomeroy didn't trust his young 5/8 to close down Reni Maitua and made it pretty easy for Maitua to slip the final pass to Ryan Morgan. Morgan showed blinding acceleration to slide through the gap and went over in the left corner for first points. Unfortunately Sandow pushed the conversion just wide. 4-0 Parramatta.

However, the Sharks gained some field position and after a flukey kick that bounced off the cross-bar and evaded Chris Sandow, landing in the hands of Michael Gordon it was 6-4 to the Sharks. But the Eels began to push home their physical dominance. All 4 of the Eels' forwards stood up and constantly hit the line hard with the main leader being Fuifui Moimoi.

Once again the Eels went to their left edge and this time the Sharks simply failed to number up. Morgan found himself on the outside of his man once again and touched down for his second of the evening. Morgan now owns a strike rate of nearly 1 try every 2 matches having scored 17 tries in 38 games. This time Sandow didn't miss, guiding the ball neatly between the sticks. 10-6, Eels over the Sharks.

Hayne was playing perhaps one of his best games from fullback. He wasn't involved in every play but was running the ball hard and supporting his forwards, occasionally chiming in on the fringes and causing havoc when he did.

The second half started with some pressure from the Sharks but it was the scrambling defence of the Eels that held them at bay. As the game progressed the early defensive work from the Sharks was beginning to take its toll. With the injection of Fuifui and Mannah for their second stints the Eels were rolling over the top of their opponents.

Paul Gallen, in a bid of frustration, pushed Fuifui when he was playing the ball in front of the Sharks' try-line. Fuifui responded by throwing the ball at Gallen. Ben Roberts was the brave man who stepped between the two to calm the situation. Surely you'd have to be crazy to step in front of Fuifui when he's angry, especially when he could easily be mistaken for a lion.

From the ensuing penalty Sandow stepped up and added the extra two points. 12-6 Eels lead. Peter Sterling says it in a way only he can. Take the field goal when given the opportunity because when you need it you won't have the chance. Chris Sandow must have had a similar thought because he attempted one only a few minutes after the penalty goal. Unfortunately it drifted wide.

Roberts was the next to attempt one but it was deflected by Chris Heighington and led to a goal-line drop-out. Luke Kelly showed his professionalism when, on the second tackle and in great field position he calmly slotted the field goal to push the margin to seven points. Eels up 13-6. And that's the way it stayed with the Eels running out triumphant and in doing so securing the inaugural Jon Mannah Cup.

A great sign for the Eels was the performance of young second-rower Kelepi Tanginoa. The young forward ran hard and straight all night on the fringes. He is the missing link on the edge of the ruck and the scary thing is he'll only get bigger and faster.

Keating had an improved performance with quick service a couple of dummy-half runs. Roberts had a performance he should get used to. It wasn't brilliant but he didn't make any mistakes. He just did what he was told to do without trying to over-play his hand. 

The impressive part of the game was the way the forwards gave their small men time and room. Lussick, Mannah, Allgood and Moimoi dominated the match. They were dedicated in their work and showed how good they really are. One thing I was very impressed with was an effort made by Lussick that would more be attributed to blue and gold legend Nathan Hindmarsh.

In the 78th minute the Sharks had an attacking raid down the Eels' left edge but lost the ball. With Toutai cleaning up, Lussick took the ball from dummy-half and ran 15m putting his team on-side and preventing them from being trapped at their end of the field.

Hayne had a performance that we should expect more often. It was a busy performance but the play-making was left to the halves. Hayne only chimed in when needed and cause mayhem when he did. If Hayne performs this way more often he will become the player we all know he can be.

And last but not least, Tim Mannah had one of his best games since probably 2009. His stats were more than impressive for a player in his position. 17 hit-ups, 151m, 30 tackles. A great performance from an inspiring player and truly a captain's knock.