I know there will be a few members who will focus solely on how close the Eels came to losing the game tonight but what needs to be focused on the most is the players who really stood up tonight and the fact that we won while missing three of our best players. The players who I thought were great tonight were all the ones who have been under the most pressure. Those are;
Matagi; He started the season so well I thought he could be up there with buy of the season and then slowed down substantially. Tonight he really aimed up. While he wasn't outstanding tonight, he was much improved on the last few weeks. Good strong runs with quicker play the balls after being tackled. He should be proud of himself with the way he played tonight.
Hoffman; He was pretty bloody good tonight and I have been really dissapointed with him all season. I think he is playing weight is too light compared to what he use to play at and he has been smashed pretty much every time he has run the ball but credit where credit is due. He was good tonight and that try was a cracker.
Semi; He just about had his best game of the season. He has been a shadow of his former self this season but considering what has been occurring off the field to him that is to be expected. Since the minute all charges were dropped against him he has started to get back to the old Semi we all love and know. I think he is going to go from strength to strength for the rest of this season. I really hope the Eels can re-sign him from next May onwards. He is a special talent.
Alvaro; I can't give this kid a big enough rap. His last two games have been outstanding. He fully deserved the place in the last City Country game. He is still very young but has bucket loads of potential. The Broncos wouldn't have signed him early on if he didn't.
Scott; His last two games off the bench have been pretty good and even though he is getting on a bit, he still has plenty to offer. Can still give away a silly penalty on occasions but they didn't cost us the game and slowed down the play and helped swing the momentum.
Mosses; He was brilliant tonight. Those who think this kid can't play don't know a thing about footy. Is he perfect and never misses a tackle, never kicks it out on the full, comes up with the wrong play. No, he is not perfect but he has some skills and with a good team around him, another year or two in first grade and put on a little weight, he could be a future representative player.
Tepai; I think he has future rep player written all over him but many on here have been super critical of him. He like, Alvaro, French, Mosses, Gutherson and Kaysa and all still very young for elite League players and i think are the future of this club. It is my opinion and my opinion only that he is our future captain.
Kaysa; I have massive wraps him. I know many are going to say I am crazy but its my opinion and I am allowed to have one. As stated above, he is very young. The week in week out grind is what he needs to work on. This is his first season of regular first grade due to injury and others who were in front of him in the pecking order. What I like most about him is his competitive nature. That chase he gave to try to stop that try has him penciled in for that position into the future. I know it takes more than one play to own a spot but he has done some pretty good stuff out of dummy half of late. He has a kicking game which led to a try last game. He will have a go at tackling anyone. Sure him may miss a few, what player doesn't? He will have a run from dummy half if he sees it. That is probably the thing he needs to work on second most to being a week in week out dummy half. If he can get his attack going like that more often than not and be an 80 minute player week in week out. I think he has the potential to be a very good first grade hooker. Im pretty sure he was the NSW U20 captain?
I know a lot of members here will disagree with a lot of what I have written and thats fine. As i said before, its just my opinion and I am allowed to have one. I also know that a lot of members will focus on the fact we almost lost. The last try wasn't a try so it wasn't as close as what the score board says and again, we are missing three of our best players. It's very hard near impossible to win against any team when that much of your best talent is missing yet we did tonight and nearly pulled it off against a top 8 side last week.
I think when we get Normy, Brown and Jennings are back, the Eels will give the comp a real shake up. Proud to be an Eels supporter right now :)
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Good blog, heaps of the guys whove been copping a pasting online stood up tonight, just shows pastings can be productive lol
Productive for us members to get it off our chest, sure. I just hope they don't get on here to often and read what some of us say about them :)
Poor old Bevan isn't really offering very much since his injury. I think on form he'll struggle to hold his spot when Normy and Jennings are back.
We're not a premiership hope this year mate. I wish we were but we are so far off the pace of the really good teams. Hopefully we'll finish the year well and make the 8. That would be a good season for us. Next year we'll be better again.
I think Kenny is trying just a little too hard as he feels he owes the team for missing those earlier games this season. Sure he has given away a penalty or two and lost a ball here and there, that is just part and parcel of being an X factor type player though. Him going sideways across the field is all part of his game, trying to find a kink in their defence for him to squeeze through and have a player backing up and ready for an offload. I wouldn't have Kenny changing too much at all, that is just the way he plays. A little like Mateo with the offloads but a much harder and aggressive player. Unfortunately players like that will cough up the ball once in a while trying to create something but as long as we can defend our line, we need Kenny to help create something. It takes the pressure off of our halves to do it all.
Even allowing for the tired effort by the team in red and green, I thought we deserved the win last nite, courtesy of jumping out of the blocks early.
To see Taka back playing as well as ever, so assured and linking up was terrific.
Kaysa and Tep were terribly impressive and they had plenty of mates.
Head-knocks to KP and Mannah, painful knocks to our half that slowed him down to a walk still could not stop us from getting the win.
A win that should have been by a bigger margin if not for obvious refereeing errors.
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