It was the kind of night that, as an Eels fan, you’ll remember forever. As such, it was something of a shame that not much more than 11,000 Eels supporters made it to the ground tonight but those that did, witnessed more than a couple of truly special moments.
There was Burty’s triumph, Carl Webb’s fantastic debut in Blue and Gold against his former club, and then there was *that* tackle from Nathan Hindmarsh. which was arguably the turning point in the match.
Parramatta fans are well-used to seeing Hindmarsh produce super-human efforts, but when he finally packs it up, this one will be front and centre on his highlight reel. Cowboy’s second rower Glenn Hall looked certain to call, when Hindmarsh dragged him down just short of the line and quite remarkably also managed to strip the ball away and win possession back for the Eels. You might say the play was more significant for its symbolism than its literal impact. The Cowboys scored not long after to regain the lead with just 10 minutes to go, but the effort was representative of a thoroughly committed Parramatta outfit that you just sensed was not prepared to let this game get away from them.
It hadn’t looked like it was going to go that way early. Parramatta’s on-going issue with numbering up in the backs got them into trouble early, this down the left-side and former Eel Ashley Graham was on the end of a nicely worked Cowboys backline sweep to bring up the first points. Thurston couldn’t convert but given the Eels had struggled to come from behind in previous matches this wasn’t the start Parra fans were hoping for.
Things got worse when an ordinary Thurston clearing kick deflected off Parramatta and landed back in the hands of Cowboy pivot Ray Thompson who scampered downfield to put North Queensland hard on the attack. Johnathan Thurston doesn’t need too many invitations in those types of positions and he sent a long cut-out pass wide that put Kalifa Faifai-Loa in for the second. Thurston nailed the conversion from touch and at ten to nil, things were looking grim.
However, where in the past two weeks the Eel’s gameplan has fallen apart once they fell behind, with old habits taking hold, tonight it was an altogether different story. You could point to Tim Mannah, who got belted a couple of times by Origin prop Matt Scott, however, the young Eels prop just kept hammering the ball forward regardless.
Eventually, that consistenct effort paid off when Daniel Mortimer delivered a sweet face pass to Joel Reddy, who stood in a tackle and delivered the final pass to an unmarked Luke Burt whose four-pointer made him the equal-top Parramatta try scorer.
The Eels got back to ten all, this time courtesy of a classy Jarryd Hayne pass and a beautiful line run by Ryan Morgan, who got over for his first NRL try. Given the poor start, there was a lot to like about the way the Eels clawed their way back to equal before half-time and the boys would have gone to the sheds feeling cautiously optimistic about their chances.
The only blight for the Eels was an injury to young centre Ryan Morgan who had been outstanding to that point. Ben Smith shifted to the centres and became the target of the Cowboys attack and a movement down that side put the Cowboy’s quality young winger Fai Fai away again, eventually beating Hayne with a dummy and swerve and then showing exceptional athleticism to ge the ball down despite a last ditch tackle attempt from Smith.
However, again the Eels picked themselves up and Hayne again delivered a precision pass to Smith who offloaded for an Etu Uasiele try that Burt again converted from wide to make it 16 all.
Hayne will probably barely rate a mention in most-game wraps, but that has more to do with the benchmarks he has set for himself. He again produced a couple of try assists and without his playmaking skills Parramatta just wouldn’t have gotten into this contest.
So with the scores tied up, both teams settled into a thrilling finale. The Cowboys pummelled the Eels line with Hindmarsh producing that remarkable try-saver and then backing up with another not long after. Eventually the weight of possession told and another former Eel Willie Tonga crashed over to put the Cowboys in front coming down the home stretch.
What Parramatta needed was a final effort and it was our Burty who came up trumps when Daniel Mortimer intelligently decided to switch the direction of the attack kicking him to his outside men. Joel Reddy contested the ball against Ashley Graham and the ball bounced back into the hands of Luke Burt who crossed for what would be a potential match winner. Anxiously, the Eels weight on the video referee who gave the green light, not just to the Parramatta try but also to a new club record for most tries scored.
That left Burt with the opportunity to put a cherry on top of a night to remember. With the scores locked up at twenty a piece, Burt booted home the sideline conversion and the Eel’s season suddenly was looking a lot brighter.
There were a host of outstanding individual performances. Matt Keating and Daniel Mortimer were outstanding in the first half, Carl Webb’s strong carries when he entered the fray were momentum changing, Tim Mannah and Taniela Lasalo racked up exceptional stats and nothing more needs to be said about either Nathan Hindmarsh or Luke Burt.
But this match may end up being remembered for more than any particular moment, because potentially it could mark a turning point for this club. While the Warrior’s match was significant because it showed that this was a side who could win a match without any heroics, that was a game where the Eels got in front and simply controlled their way to victory. Tonight, Parramatta showed true character. They got behind and stuck to the gameplan and truly worked their way back into the match. They earned those two points with guts and commitment. That’s the culture that Stephen Kearney is trying to instill and tonight was the first real indicator that all of the work that has so far been put in place is going to bear fruit.
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Taniela Lasalo lit a fire under our players but unfortunately we didn't finish it up with some points. Still Ryan Morgan got a try!!! So glad :D :D :D
Tim Mannah's really toughing it out - he's suffered through two hits already! Morts is making some good tackles, BURT'S SO GOOD (did anyone else hear the Swarm giving it to the ref and JT?! hahahaha go go go <3) and Jarryd's doing his sidesteps and spins. Carl Webb is doing all right too :) HOPE WE CAN KEEP IT UP <3<3<3
great first half by MK. best half of footy ever from him
That's the best the Eels have played this year, Warriors included. - Great performance fellas!!!
Thankful for a win.....heart in mouth stuff.
I will be the first to admit Etu, had a much better game than his par for the course efforts.
He still made 3 glaring errors, 2 led to tries. His off ball work and position is major heart attack stuff backing up and conceding 30 plus meters is pathetic.
Improved just when he actual went forward in defense and tackled instead of waiting for help..
Hindmarsh saved our arses twice again ! What a champion.
Burt, congratulations you deserve the record just for being solid and consistent.
We can now move onwards and hopefully upwards.
Well done boys...
Now i need a coffee.
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