So before you bother to read any further, please be aware that if you're looking for another match report that is going to stick it to the lads, then I might suggest you instead click here where AAP deemed to declare the Eels as a "club in crisis". Or you can click across to the Sydney Morning Herald who led their article by writing "the fairytale team from last season is living a nightmare". Very poetic, Mr Pritchard. Or perhaps I can point you to this match report in The Australian which declared that the Raiders had "embarrassed" the "hapless Eels".
God, we're even copping at The Daily Telegraph. Dean Ritchie wrote we were "on the nose" and asked "just how many Eels fans will believe [Daniel Anderson's assessment that it was an improved performance]"?
Well, if you happen to reading this, Dean, I'm one. Indeed, pretty much anyone who watched the game and knows anything about the Eels saw there was a lot of merit in the performance and that a number of the elements that Parramatta needs to be successful were starting to click back into gear.
So yes, it was frustrating. Yes, execution is lacking. Yes, there were a number of dumb plays and a couple of bits of ordinary defence that in the end sealed defeat, but as Anderson said in the post-match conference, it was a much improved performance, particularly in terms of "effort and attitude", as he put it.
Firstly, our forward pack stood up again tonight. And it wasn't just the Fuifui Moimoi show either. Moimoi, Cayless, Poore, Hindmarsh and Mateo all ran over 100 metres, Mannah with less minutes fell just short. And importantly, the average metres gained was good as well. Poore, Mateo, Mannah and Moimoi all got up around 10 metres per hitup. Meanwhile, we were able to keep the likes of Tilse, Leahroyd-Lars and Shillington down to not much more than seven metres per hit-up. Our forwards finished well on top in terms of metres gained despite the fact we had marginally less ball.
And with Kris Keating shifting into the halves, we looked that little more dynamic while our kicking game was much improved. Keating kicked for 283 metres and contributed a couple of good, pressuring bombs that would have been awfully handy last week. As 1Eyed Eel was first to tip last Thursday, this match saw Robson shift to hooker, with Keating and Mortimer in the halves. Those two alternated between first and second receiver and our outside backs saw better ball. Robson did a solid job in the hooking role and I would suggest that Anderson will stick with those combinations going forward.
If there has been a recurring theme this year, though, and it didn't change again this week it has been early penalties putting us immediately under pressure. The Eels conceded five first half penalties and a number of them came at inopportune times that either released pressure we were applying or saw us under the pump.
With the benefit of some cheap penalties, the Raiders had good territory early in the game and once again that was converted into points. We've now conceded first points in every match of the season, and Sean Fensom's try came in just the 11th minute. That's the fourth game our of five in 2010 where we've conceded points within that time-frame and it was a relatively soft try. Dean Tilse was able to pop up a pass close to the line, when running at Robson and drawing in Moimoi and Ben Smith didn't push up hard enough on the inside enabling the trailing Fensom to drag three Eels across the line.
However, the Eels responded in the 22nd minute, when Timana Tahu produced an in-and-away that will have Eels fans salivating. It was the first real magic that Tahu has shown in his return to League and he simply bamboozled his opposite number and then put Luke Burt away. Unfortunately Burt was unable to convert from near touch but we at least did not like conceding a big early lead.
Burt went from Saint to Sinner just five minutes later though. He decided not to contest a perfectly-placed cross field bomb and when Daniel Vidot came down with the ball, Burt was never a chance of preventing him from grounding the ball. Campese kicked a nice goal and the Raiders advantage was back out to eight.
If Parramatta's first try put a smile on the dial of Eel's supporters, the second did likewise, with Feleti Mateo - horribly out of form coming into this game - busting through a couple of tackles, before breaking clear and then timing a perfect pass to Burt on his outside. This time Burt made no mistake with the goal and we were just two behind.
It's that kind of individual brilliance, displayed from Tahu and Mateo, they should give Eel's fans hope going forward. Both players have been off their games and have started the season slowly but along with Jarryd Hayne, they give this side a trio of genuine match winners who can create something from nothing. We may not have the brilliance in the halves that other teams have, but Daniel Anderson will work around that and concentrate on getting quality ball to the outside while we focus on offloads and support play up the middle.
Unfortunately, tonight we produced defensive lapses that would have reminded Eel's fans of the Penrith loss last year at CUA where an Eel's try resulted in an almost immediate response from the opposition. We allowed the Raiders too many offloads, and one deep in their own territory saw Joel Thompson get on the outside of Feleti Mateo and then the Raider's speedster evaded all cover defenders in a magnificent run to the tryline, which Campese again converted. That made it 18 to ten going into the break and we needed to be first to score in the second stanza.
We were, albeit luckily when a short Kris Keating pass to Ben Smith hit the second rower on the chest and he then ran forward to dive on the loose ball and touched down for the try. It was lucky, but I think it represented the first try scored off a pass from one of our halves all year. Keating is not the most natural ball-player in the world, but his game adds a dimension not found in the Robson and Mortimer combination, and the side were the better for it.
From there, that same old refrain played again. The Raiders were handed an immediate attacking opportunity down the other side of the park and Josh McCrone kicked for himself, re-gathered and scored the try that would be the final one of the match. We threatened throughout as the clock wound down, but we just couldn't make it happen despite going close. Jarryd Hayne wasn't quite on-song, a forward pass late in the game when we were on the attack summed up his game and we took a couple of poor options when points looked to be on offer out wide.
It really was those little things that crueled our chances. Things like a Mortimer touch-finder that didn't. The Joel Reddy elbow that gave away a senseless penalty or a couple of unnecessary loose passes that the usually reliable centre threw when he was brought down in cover defence. Or a penalty on the fifth tackle that turned a great defensive set into a poor one. You get those things when things aren't rolling your way and you come up with a little too much effort when a cooler head would have prevailed.
Anderson will have a lot to work with this week, as the Eels prepare for next week's big clash against Souths when Nathan Hindmarsh breaks the record for appearances in a Blue and Gold jersey. There will be no shortage of motivation. It will just be a matter of closing out more tackles and preventing the Rabbitohs offload, while continuing to improve the attacking fluency around our young halves pairing.
Let the naysayers proclaim doom and desperation. I have a feeling our season is just about to get rolling.
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Replies
Naturally alot of Media publishing outlets through Aus love to kick the eels whilst they are down it sells more papers its just funny how they built the hype over the eels and now they just love putting the slipper in when we are down and out its a win win situation for them all the time!!
I watched the match on TV and I agree i noticed a big improvement we just need time to gel get our confidence back it will come
thankyou for the report
this was match needed
wherevdown in confidence but all it will take is a win and where back on track
Come on the mighty eels on Sunday
it will be tough but let's hope the boyz fire up for Hindmarsh what a legend and role model....
I think our kicking game was lot better than previous games, KK put some good long kicking and almost come up with a 40/20.
How many weeks Reddy will cope for elbowing?
- Burt looked like he may be still carrying an injury, on 2 occasions he barely attempted a tackle and did not compete for the ball when Vidot scored. This is not like Burt, he is generally very competitive and very good under the high ball.
- Tahu looked unfit or injured. We have 2 small guys in Burt and Morts on the left side and he did not help them out at all. He was walking in backplay a few times, which was unusual.
- We all love him but Hayne's positional play and urgency at the back was terrible. He was constantly caught out of position and never looked like he was trying to stop attacking players when they broke the line.
- Mateo is lazy, the guy is gifted but does not apply himself. I assume DA agrees as he was hooked after watching the Raiders run past him late in the 1st half.
- I agree with 1 Eyed Eel that our forwards really stood up tonight, especially Poore and Mannah.
- If Morts is to play 7 DA needs to drum into the players that he calls the shots. It looked like there was some confusion in attack, as Morts and KK were trying build plays on opposite sides of the field, this resulted in our attack lacking any structure. Having said that KK looked at home starting the game and added plenty of spark.
- We need more offloads!
When we put it all together we looked dangerous, unfortunately it was too little too late. Although the wins have not been coming I still think we are in a much better position than this time last year. We just need to stop relying on talent to get us through.
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