Eels Blogs

A performance where if it was earlier in the BA tenure we would have lost, being down to 12 and holding onto a 6 point lead was an incredible effort. Factor in also that we lost a winger causing a reshuffle of our backline for majority of the game also. Without Waqa we did not have a player to start our sets very well with Gutho taking the brunt of that load, though Simonsson stepped up more so also. Referring is an area i do not like to comment on in terms of winning and losing games, when we lose games i either say it was us or the refs didnt assist us very well. Thankfully the referring did not cause a defeat however i am not going to say they were favouring a side, more so they lost control of the game. The bunker on the Paulo call and Gough with letting the Titans force a self inflicted penalty in order to challenge which contradicts how the rules are forced over challenges but so be it we won that is all that matters.

In terms of stats our play the ball speed was a vast improvement, 3.1 seconds on Saturday night. Missed tackles were compared to prior weeks with only 17, possession was 52% and completion rate was 80%. The stats were pretty even overall, with penalties conceaded being the main difference with a 9-1 penalty count in favour of the Gold Coast. Im sorry but how can a team be that perfect to only give away 1 penalty and 3 ruck infrigments in the game, it is ridiculous.

Most Impressive: 

Reagan Campbell-Gillard: My man of the match and constant flag barrer for underrated player in the NRL. As i quote from the Kennel "Players Parramatta buy go backwards or stay the same as they were as previous club like RCG" RCG is better than he was at Penrith, i will go out on a limb and say he is a top 5 prop in the game today. Big minute player and a hard worker, he is becoming mr.reliable simply based on his consistent performance. The three year extension with only paying 500k per year is that much of a bargain that the authorities need to prosecute O'Neill for theivery. 241 metres and 37 tackles in 65 mins.

Mitchell Moses: A top 3 Halfback and is maturing more and more infront of our eyes. Moses will always be disrespected as an NRL player and that is fine by me as Eels faithful love him. Leading the league in try assists with 10, only Dylan Brown and Tom Dearden behind him with 6 each. Moses was excellent tonight and steered us around the park when he needed to sure up our game plan, his kicking game got us in good field position and his running is the sign for when Moses is on and firing.

Bailey Simonsson: With Waqa Blake ruled out late in the first half, it was on Simonsson to pick-up the load as our set starter and grew to the challange. It was a nice game from Simonsson, he is looking more comfortable and confident in the game BA wants his wingers to play, more of a hardworking, legs moving winger not relying on open space more so strength and leg push. Simonsson still has a few areas to clean up in defence but he is slowly getting there and heading towards like Gutho was in 2016 with us, very average to start then got better and better.

Clint Gutherson: Captain courages, picked up two very handy tries in the first half, couldn't do much on the Fifita try but the fact he nearly got him into to touch was incredible. Gutho had to also pick-up some of the load left by Blake in the backline and racked up 196 metres. A very consistent start to the year for Gutherson and earned the 3 Dally M points which i am not complaining about.

Junior Paulo: A nice game from the co-captain, racking up 225 metres in only 44 mintues, with 10 of those off for a great tackle. Wonderful hit on Brimson in a very fair and legal tackle in my eyes, Paulo started the year slow, not sure if it was the responsibility given to him changed how he played or just simply needed time to get up to speed, but with him RCG and Brown leading our middle we are in very good hands moving forward. It has been brought up that you should not pay Props big money as they are not overly as valued, though i tend to agree it is hard to argue the effect of both Paulo and RCG on this team for both Brown and Moses.

Honourable mentions: Nathan Brown, Papali'i and Kaufusi

Most Disappointing: 

Defence on the Fifita try: It was poor to say the least, starting with Matterson simply being palmed off then Cartwright practically grabbing air as he fell to the ground as Fifita rushed passed him, Gutho did incredibly well considering.

Reed Mahoney: Not sure on everyone else but mainly in defence did Reed look a little off? His defence is not as much up to scratch in prior years. Rewind to the trials and Mahoney was using that shoulder as if it was made of aluminium with such strength and confidence, now he seems cautious and weak at times. His technique seems to be hesitent, Reed does not look himself in some areas. His running game showed glimpses of 2021, his kicking game has not missed a beat thankfully. Were we better on the field when Rein came on? In attack not so much, though in defence i will be honest and say you did not notice it. He needed a break from the look of it and hopefully v Wests we can get a big enough lead mid way through the second half which allows us to rest him even more for roughly 20-25mins. Is he playing hurt? or just cautious of his shoulder? distracted elsewhere? (Bulldogs drama??? LOL i digress). But let's see if Reed bounces back, shows his 650K worth, as in the trials he looked incredible and didn't miss a beat so not sure what has happened along the way.

Junior Paulo sin bin: As Mutt said if you slow it down shoulder did hit the head fair enough. Though was sin bin warranted? added to that if it was a hit to the head that was penalised and if the hit was that bad it warranted a sin bin why did Brimson stay on? It is backwards and made up as they go, that is the frustration of the situation. It was a good tackle at most, i am all for protecting the head, but there are times where you nitpick and leads to overreaction.

Other than that not much else i found wrong with our peformance it was as BA said a good performance. Changes could be a plenty, Niukore is expected to back where Lane should be back with a 9 day turn around, the wing spot is wide open and Paulo is out with suspension. I expect Kaufusi to start and Greig to add size to the bench, i will predict Niukore will go to centre to get back into the speed and fitness of the game, Lane starts if fit if not Matto starts and Carwright on the bench, Rein will keep his spot again i believe for the next 2-3 weeks.