Eels Blogs

I am very pleased to be doing this again, a long off-season of cricket now back to what i love more than anything, well other than my wife, the footy. Now it is very important to preface that this was a trial, you cannot determine the outcome of a teams season from a trial, especially week one trial as the best 17 doesn't play together. I had comments from people i know saying Wests are awful still due to their loss to the Warriors, i reiterrated that it was a trial, it means nothing. For me, even though the result means nothing and doesn't really show too much for the year as a team, i watch it to see how certain players go like tonight. Though i cannot be critical of the result, i can be of performances.

In terms of team stats, meh who cares for a trial.

Most Impressive:

Zac Cini: The clear cut best of the night, could he get a wing spot for round 1 if Dunster and Simonsson aren't ready? He showed deceiving strength and speed, confidence and a wonderful motor. Cini looks to be a player that is must in top 30, he will be super cheap also.

Toni Mataele: One big question brought up for 2023 was "Who will replace Papali'i?". We bought Momoisea and Doorey as players that were outcasts and hoping to get something out of them. Though there was one player that had wraps but was effected by COVID stoppages and would be a future candidate. But now i think Mataele could be that player by the end of 2023 has the no.12 jersey all to himself. He looked strong and knew how to run lines, unlike a certain back-rower i will discuss later. Mataele does look a little bit raw still, technique wise needs some work and in defence he looked committed but needs some tuning. Though seems up to the challenge of what will be the top level soon enough, averaged over 11 metres per run also. He should be upgraded to top 30 by round 1. Doorey and Momoisea seem place holders until Mataele is ready.

Sean Russell: Impressive without being spectacular. Some have to remember that even though Russell is a Fullback by trade, he has not played the position in nearly 2 years. He was busy and not scared of contact, the speed of play brought on by the halves did not help him in attack though he was positioned really well when given the opportunity. He will be on the wing for round 1 so hope he gets some added top grade experience and takes the opportunity.

Isaac Lumelume: Credit where it is due, he was good. Seems like a handy player to have incase of severe injuries. A lot better than Naiduki last year who actually had a top 30 deal. Ran well, never looked suspect.

Wiremu Greig: Looked good, seemed lighter and fitter. Hope BA gives him the opportunity as he offers more impact than majority of our depth Prop options.

Jayden Yates: Considering he had played pretty much a full game in the match before hand to come on and play 60mins without missing a beat shows how tough he is. Tackling machine, he could have a decent career as a 14 or squad member for depth, i would not mind having him as our back-up 9 or third stringer for the year.

Most Disappointing:

Jirah Momoisea: Right so big talk of him grabbing the starting 12 spot, god help us if that is what the option is. He had the opportunity to seal his spot for round 1 and blew it massively. He looked lost, low in confidence and honestly weak in contact. Twice he over ran his line, twice he ran his line inwards when required to go out, constant miscommunication, there was a moment where Penrith made a break through the middle and move to the left and Momoisea is jogging back leaving Cini and JA on an island in defence. I know it was hot and humid but this was his chance and not a great audition. He will have another chance next week and in NSW Cup but at this stage he looked dreadful, on face value. I hope he works out and will as i have in the past admit i was wrong if he does so. But Doorey, who was fine not special, and Mataele looked leaps and bounds better than him. When he came on for his second stint moving to the right side he looked a little better, made some strong hits but seemed to have received a kick in the arse, but do players need that?

Jake Arthur: Rankin also should be here but he wont be playing FG anyway so no point. JA needs NSW cup experience badly, he looked slow, the defence were calling his plays before receiving the ball. He did not lead the team around the park well at all and his kicking game was sub par, his speed has been an issue for a while, he can read the game really well but seems his body cannot keep up and do what his mind wants it to do. We had issues in attack, it stemmed from our halves stifling the play. We looked better when we straightened up and JA took the line on, like the Doorey ball, straightened the attack and draw and pass, it is a play JA is great at, holding the ball then a quick fire short ball to the edge. JA is our back-up half whether we like it or not, but with DaeJarn Asi with us until 2024 hopefully that takes some pressure from naming him in the 17 at all for 2023 unless injuries. Even though i believe BA is keeping his attacking structure out of trials so teams can be surprised, it was still poor from JA who just needed to distribute and couldn't really do that.

Matthew Komolafe: Wasn't an awful game by any means, but was just there. He did nothing to warrant being considered for the top grade, not even close. Lumelume, though has already played 6 NRL games granted, looked better. Again, Komolafe wasn't awful but he didn't do anything to stand out when it was the chance to.

Props: Ogden and Rodwell are fighting for a bench spot for round 1, with missing out on Taupau it means one of them could get a spot permanently in the 17. Both were average at best, Ogden was slow around the ruck in defence, costing us a try from the Penrith hooker. Granted the halves didn't help but defensively it was not great. When it comes to our rotation for first 3 weeks, it seems Jack Murchie will be our first option but other than that i think there will be a drop in quality past him, which is where Taupau would have been crucial. Hope it was just the heat that got to them.

So we move onto starters next week, with all positions bar 12 and the right wing and left centre to work out. Let's hope combinations stick.