Eels Blogs

Our worst start to a season since 2018, what happened in 2018? We lost our first 6 and 11 of our first 13, finishing last. This wont be a repeat, purely due to the fact our club is better ran than it was then and we have a better squad overall. Though i am mixed on my assumption of the club at this stage. For me it is between two ideas, something is going on at the club behind the scenes i cannot put my finger on or BA is timing his run on how coaches this team. Now on the latter, of course BA and the squad aren't going out there with the intention to lose or play awful, but i believe coaches hold their best coaching weeks for later in the year for a run, we had that sort of last year and BA might be using that approach again. He mentioned it in the presser that we used to start strong now we are in unfamiliar territory and wants to see how we go with it. So BA is challenging them, i think that is a good approach to go with.

Overall, frustration seems to be the catalyst of our issues at the moment, we always look good enough to get the result but not quite there. If Hynes played would it of been this close? Doubt it. If Lane and Matto were in would we have won it? Honestly i think so. I do not think it is as doom and gloom as people are making it out to be, i am pissed we lost but it is not season over. A few teams have won a comp after losing their first two games. North Queensland in 2015 lost their first three, two of them at home. The concerning thing for me is there are spots in this roster i feel we would've filled in the market had the CBA been done. Taupau for example, another Centre also. At this stage i wouldn't be surprised we are still looking for at least two more players from outside the club. Our biggest need is a Centre, a middle forward being the other one. Centre more so as they are starting, Waqa is a liability and we have nobody behind him. Makes you think the money that Opacic would have asked for would have been just slightly over half of what Waqa is on, yet is more effective. Anyway a loss next week is bad, though for some reason i feel Penrith is a game we will be up for anyway, that will be a win, Matto back for that too so that helps our rotation. Also, as for BA sack calls, i mean it is round 2, let's lose 5 maybe 6 in a row then start calling for it. Has he had a questionable start to the year? Maybe, but let's be fair he is here til 2024 as he made a GF last year, he has earned the right to see out his current deal. Only thing i will say is that we must hold off re-signing BA until end of this season, no rush as i doubt he would ever leave Parramatta unless we said we do not want him.

Stats overall were quite even, Possession was 50% split, Cronulla only had 45 more run metres, though we had 5 more runs (Becoming a glaring issue). 6 line-breaks to 5 for us, Cronulla had more tackle breaks with 32 to our 24. Play the ball speed we were actually faster, 3.33 secs to their 3.46 secs. Cronulla had errors with 73% completions but we were worse with 66%. We made less tackles yet had more missed tackles 32/24. We had more offloads 10/6. 3/2 6 again's from us, while penalities were split at 4 a piece. Interchanges we used 9/10 Cronulla used only 8 and they had Connor Treacy not seeing the field as we had Wiremu Greig absent. Finally 14/12 errors us leading.

Most Impressive: 

J'Maine Hopgood: As proclaimed for Scott Boland at the G, "Build the man a statue". For only 11 NRL games, Hopgood looks like he has played closer to 100. Was he perfect? No, he had a miss on Moylan with Kennedy's second try, had a drop ball though it was also a bad pass from Hodgson. But his offload created so much for us, leading to Sivo's first try, the breaks for RCG and Moses's 2nd, the hard runs late in the second half creating momentum, he is going to get better and he needs to be locked up quickly. He is a future captain this bloke. 145 metres, 44 tackles, 4 offloads, 4 tackle breaks, 2 try assists, 1 line-break and 1 line-break assit. For a Lock forward, playing 11 NRL games.

Will Penisini: Created some momentum in our 20 late in the second half, he kept going. He is getting better with experience and age. 97 metres, 20 tackles and a line-break assist doesn't look amazing but Will had some hard runs when we badly needed them and he was really the only back-line player who didn't do anything wrong really.

RCG and Paulo: The bash bros. Again wonderful game putting in big minutes, 180 and 175 metres respectfully. Made some good runs late in the second when we needed the momentum.

Most Disappointing: 

Bailey Simonsson: He has a club option for 2024, can do the fans a favour and just not activate it. Let him sit in Cup and have Dunster come in, yes Dunster is more likely not match fit but hell it would be better than Simonsson. I am not sure why but it seems he is hesitant in doing the hard yards, constantly second guessing every decision he makes. The high ball for the Mulitalo try was a poor effort, yeah it is hard running backwards but make the decision to at least attack the player coming down with the ball or try to knock it away. Out the back when Gutho was off he was bad around the ball, the drop ball he let bobble and bounce, decided to go for it when if he left it would have just went out and our play the ball, again second guessing himself. 3 tackles and 3 missed tackles, 4 errors. I understand he is coming back from injury and has had no football since the GF, but my word he was dreadful for someone who has played 66 NRL games to this point. Dunster should be in the 5 jersey for the season now Russell is unavailable. I am being harsh but let's be fair, other than the Canberra game and NQ prelim, how many games has Simonsson been good for us? Maybe move him to Centre might be better? But even then his defence tonight was bad. Someone like Dunster who just takes the hard runs, uses his legs for PCM, doesn't do this skipping and jumping while taking it up like Simonsson who looks like Bambi on ice. 57% tackle effeciency too. Hell Lumelume would be better.

Waqa Blake: I rapped him last week, he has lost my trust once again. He was poor tonight, even in attack he looks slower and just cannot make inroads. Maybe moving him back to wing might be the way to go, though even then under the high ball he will be targeted, who do you put at Centre then also? He had 3 errors and 66% tackle effeciency, just putrid, after him the next worse was Gutho with 80% and he isn't in the front line of defence. We need a Centre badly, not many options, only option i like that i have mentioned before is Brian Kelly, he is a left Centre, needs a change in scenary and is decent in defence. Waqa is like Fergo, rocks and diamonds. The difference though was Fergo won us games sometimes too.

Josh Hodgson: Some of his poor performance was on BA leaving him out there and not having any cover for him. His defence was poor, 8 missed tackles, two passes led to drop balls at first receiver and making an error himself. 

Jirah Momoisea: Where is our Regina George at the club to say to BA "Stop trying to make Jirah happen, it is not gonna happen" Jirah is our fetch that BA is trying to force. He has done nothing to show me that he warrants selection, a dumb run that led to a shepherd, he couldn't even blame that on fatigue. Surely Mataele is better than Momoisea?

Bryce Cartwright: He wasn't awful but not as good as last week, his defence with Brown was poor on the first two Cronulla tries. The first one he stayed in the middle then rushed over quick when Brown took his man on a decoy but it left a gap for Nikora. With Kennedy try Hodgson took the decoy but he did not make his way over again. Lane is missed on that left side, but Cartwright i think is fine for a bench spot when Lane is back but maybe Murchie is better suited to the edge til Lane is back.

Dyland Brown: He had 195 metres running, but it is just not taking a grasp of the game, he tried but again he looked like he didn't know where to go or what to do. His connection with Cartwright is not there, he is missing Lane badly but good players can still be effective without players they work well with. Like saying Johns was poor when Budearus was out, Johns still played well regardless. Brown is still young but for those thinking he could eventually take over from Moses are honestly dreaming at this stage. Hopefully Barrett can improve his way to get involved in games.

Bench rotation: It is a broken record, but why are our starting middles playing mins they shouldn't have to play? RCG playing 65mins is too much, his explanation i understand but you do not want them burning out. All well and good saying they are good players and need them out there, but they are no good to us if they are out hurt and/or battered and bruised from the big minutes they play. If Greig and Makatoa are not good enough do not name them, simple as that. Name Ogden who has 45 NRL games experience and have him play 10-15mins or so. I like how he used Hopgood, giving him a spell, but Hodgson needs someone to cover him. Rein, JA, Asi (If fit). Once Matterson is back we will have more flexibility, i reckon you will see Murchie start on an edge once Matterson is back on the bench as a middle. It shows why BA wanted a middle forward but why are the club signing Makatoa, Rodwell, Ogden and Greig to deals for this year and next if they are not good enough?

Discipline: We are still a very undisciplined team in defence, that is from fatigue but also coaching. It puts us in poor positions and makes us work harder than we need to, adding to that it changes momentum when we are a team realiant on momentum.

Overall, am i concerned? A little, but i want to see how Matterson and Lane change this team. Changes for next week, well i think BA will keep the status quo, 10 years and he has always been a coach that gives his players a chance to redeem themselves. If there are changes, maybe JA or Rein on the bench for Greig or Makatoa. Other than that i do not believe there are any changes at all.

Manly next week, game plan is simple. Take out Turbo's hammies.

Enjoy your weekend.