As Klaatu said to the Earthlings in The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) “join us and live in peace, or pursue your present course and face obliteration. We shall be waiting for your answer; the decision rests with you”. As Eels fans are aware, Brad Arthur’s decision was to carry on with “chasing the collision” and “front loading the effort”. Or as Klaatu said in referring to the wrong course, BA made the same choice as the Covid-denying but Covid-positive Sydney dude who toured the Byron Bay region and locked it down: “the freedom to act irresponsibly”. And so here we all are, again, same sh*t as 2020. Our team has went 9-1 W-L in the first ten rounds of the season but 4-6 W-L the second ten rounds, crashing out of the Top 4 and heading for 6th purely because 12 other teams suck this year. To be frank, it’s close to the point of just wanting to let Gort rip. You know, the big silver robot thing that can destroy the planet if we don’t stop being idiotic. Eels fans have been wondering if it is time for the violence BA does to the Eels’ end-of-season, finals, and generally ‘big’ games TO END. Recall Klaatu advised “it is no concern of ours how you run your own planet. But if you threaten to extend your violence, this Earth of yours will be reduced to a burned-out cinder.” Well over on TCT they’re all saying Klaatu Barada Nikto to try to save BA, but I say let Ash from The Army of Darkness (1993) f**k it up and we just move on. Welcome to Round 22.
NOTE: apologies for lateness. Both HOE and I are swamped (for different reasaons). HOE sent the graphics this morning, and lockdown in Melbourne increases my workload (isn’t home schooling fun!).
Teams
Saturday 14 August, Sunshine Coast Stadium, Sunshine Coast 7:35pm (AEDT). Referee: Grant Atkins.
Eels: 1. Clint Hairdo Gutherson, 2. Maika me wake up Sivo, 3. Tom he’s there Opacic, 4. Waqa run boy run Blake, 5. Michael not the other fellas Oldfield, 6. Tackle Bags Brown, 7. Mitchell missed it Moses, 8. Isaiah Papali’i, 9. Joey Lussick, 10. Junior Paulo, 11. Shaun wrong Lane, 12. Ryan where did he go Matterson, 13. Nathan Brown, 14. Will hollywood Smith, 15. Bryce no jab Cartwright, 16. Marata can we clone him Niukore, 17. Makahesi Makatoa.
Head coach: Brad front loader Arthur
Manly: 1. Tom Trbojevic, 2. Tom Trbojevic, 3. Tom Trbojevic, 4. Tom Trbojevic, 5. Tom Trbojevic, 6. Tom Trbojevic, 7. DCE, 8. Tom Trbojevic, 9. Tom Trbojevic, 10. Tom Trbojevic, 11. Tom Trbojevic, 12. Tom Trbojevic, 13. Jake Trbojevic, 14. Tom Trbojevic, 15. Tom Trbojevic, 16. Tom Trbojevic, 17. Tom Trbojevic.
Head coach: Deseeeeeee
Notes: For the Eels, RCG is out injured, and Mahoney is gone for the season. Papali’I shifts to the middle and Lussick gets another chance. Haze Dunster is still writing on the board “I will line up on the outside shoulder of my opposite winger” and so is unavailable, with Oldfield parachuted in with the instruction to make some tackles. Makahesi Makatoa gets his debut. For Manly, both Paseka (injury) and Sipley (suspension) are out, which should help the Eels’ middle but won’t matter when Turbo runs around us again.
Observations from Last Week
Eels (vs Bunnies), 12-40 (L), 46% possession, 89% completion rate, 2 line breaks, 16 tackle breaks, 13 offloads, 29 missed tackles, 17 ineffective tackles, 6 errors, 7 penalties conceded, 1 ruck infringements.
Manly (vs Storm), 18-28 (L), 42% possession, 67% completion rate, 4 line breaks, 22 tackle breaks, 5 offloads, 23 missed tackles, 17 ineffective tackles, 12 errors, 7 penalties conceded, 6 ruck infringements.
Eels/Bunnies extended highlights HERE.
Manly/Melbourne extended highlights HERE.
The Eels played like a team possessed. By a demon. It was like scene from the The Evil Dead (1981) where a random character guesses a few cards right and then a demon overtakes one of them, starts calling each card, and declares it will kill them all. For the Eels this happened at the 17-minute mark when they conceded their first try. It was downhill after then, with the game akin to watching pro skier Ian McIntosh fall 1,600 feet down an Alaskan mountain. Indeed, that is exactly what it was like. Watch HERE.
I was somewhat disappointed that the Eels could not hold Souths to 38 points as the Eels did in each of their past two crash test dummy performances against Souths but conceding 29 tackle breaks and giving away 9 restarts is gonna come back to haunt you.
By contrast Manly gave the Storm a run for their money, though the Storm were off their game. Manly completed at just 67%, had 17 to 4 ineffective tackles, made 12 errors, and conceded 7 penalties, 6 ruck infringements and 1 offside penalty. The Storm should have racked up 40 points but were also guilty of a total of 16 ‘negative plays’. If there was anything to take out of the game, it was that Manly highlighted a vulnerability on the Storm right edge, where if Kaufusi can be ‘held’ on the inside runner, Hughes is left posted and their centre-wing drifts in. Unfortunately, the Eels just bash into people rather than make them make defensive decisions, so there goes that strategy.
Eels, oh, the Eels
There are always two sides to every story, right? One, the one hand, BA has a slight upper hand against Des Hasler.
On the other hand, the game is a team effort and right now it seems like an uphill struggle.
On the one hand, neither team has played at this stadium and it looks quaint and nice.
On the other hand, sometimes you have not yet been somewhere but you know where you're heading regardless.
On the one hand, the Eels’ recent record against Manly has been below average.
But at least it has been a while since Manly put the cleaners through the Eels three times in a row.
On the other hand, sometimes it's all plain sailing until the Captain of the Titanic continually refuses to take necessary safety precautions.
To get a sense of the difference between the Eels and whoever they are playing in any given week, we use nrl.com/stats to compare the statistics for attack and defence/discipline.
Attack: The smaller the number, the better the ranking (you succeed at doing these things better than others … 1st is good, 16th is bad). Also: green, yellow, light red, dark red is better to worse.
Defence & Discipline: The smaller the number, the worse the ranking (you are more guilty of these problems than others … 16th is good, 1st is bad). Also: green, yellow, light red, dark red is better to worse.
What do you see when you look over those stats above? Fortunately for the Eels’ their potent attack is ran by the slick duo of Moses and Brown, who we can trust will dig deep into the line and deliver clear and crisp passes to all those Eels players totally not chasing collisions and instead actually running into gaps.
What do you see when you look over those stats above? Fortunately for the Eels, babies are helpless when confronted by front end loaders. Manly has no chance.
Except of course if the Eagles confront the Eels on their own slippery turf. Bashing, barging, tucking ball close and bashing and barging, more bashing and barging, phew so much effort.
The Bottom Line
I do not write for TCT so I cannot be bothered blowing unicorn fairy dust up everyone’s a**e. Even if the Eels fluke a win against Manly, there are deep problems with the style of play BA wants the team to utilise. Ironically, those same TV commentators who had been criticizing the Eels for playing a one-dimensional power game, now demand the Eels return - after three losses on the trot and barely scoring a point - to “running hard” and “chasing collisions”. One might be forgiven for thinking the impression of being competitive is more important than the reality of being competitive? Is that a metaphor that might tell us something about BA scoffing at talk of his coaching demise when his team is Top 4?
Final words. On the positive side, we all hope the Eels prove us all dead wrong and beat Manly. To do so, the Eels will need to do more than “play with their bodies”. Maybe vary the one-out runs from their own end? Maybe actually hold on to those passes, kick the goals that matter, try sliding in defence occasionally, and run lines that create indecision in the opposition defense rather than just barge into people? Brains would help, but as My Chemical Romance said in ‘Famous Last Words’, “But where’s your heart?”.
On the negative side, without a 180-degree turnaround in the Eels’ habit of falling flat on their face in big games, and especially end of season games, pressure will mount on the Club to go a new coaching direction. Apparently, Nostradmus’ final words were “tomorrow, at sunrise, I shall no longer be here”. Time to put up or shut up, BA.
Replies
Very good blog and extremely informative. However, I can't see what the movie 'The Day the Earth stood still, Brad Arthur, some bloke denying Covid all have in common or have to do with Rugby League. Apart from that great blog.
AppEel ... irresponsible decision making is the common theme: poor coaching (why jam every set? Why run out out all the time?), don't breach public health orders so callously, and Klaatu in the movie clip (click link?) says the freedom to be irresponsible is not a freedom. Makes perfect sense!
yes Great blog Daz .Hope HOE is doing ok Pretty miserable times.We probably will start well and hold our ground for a while. My concern is errors and possession will become a feature of our game. and if if Manly can get a 12 point lead..Mentally I don,t think we will have the spirit to get back into the game playing the style we have been accustomed to if we are behind. Dylan has copped a lot this week.I would like him to simply work on his natural instincts and be conscious of developing his timing and decision-making. Players giving him support and options will make him look so much better.Would be nice to see him and Gutho maybe swap roles a bit to see if he may be a better support runner than playmaker..
Tad, was Dylan playing in the first half? It's 26-6 and I could not find Dylan
The actual phrase should have the first word of Gort in front of it. She actually says " Gort, Klaatu barada nikto". It has been a running gag in our family for decades. Soemone will ring or text one another that line out of blue, sometimes years apart.
Good point, PT. If you have a line to Gort can you tell Gort to obliterate the Eels' coaching staff?
We get smashed tonight
Prescient!
Enjoyed the blog very comprehensive and I understood the metaphors.
I think we have tried vary our game the last couple of weeks with eveyone being a ball player until he opposition score and we loose confidnence and do not no whether to play the power game or put on pass and let next person decide what game we are going to play.
To solve the prob MM and DB start playing footie
MM - when he runs to the line and goes short to a second rower he telegraphs his speed and line indicate he is going to pass short - the line he runs and the speed he is running when he is going out the back is totally different to going short good sides can tell and do not get caught and pick the right option in defense. Some small variations show and go - double pump - half break and pass short or long. Run around and look to get the ball of the second rower. These are footie skills MM has and should employ more
DB - ensure the second rower is backing up on the inside ensure the centre is backing up on the outside when he decides to run and pass the ball especially after a half break. He occassional does take a second rower with but needs two options to pass to and only going out the back to gutho occassionaly
MM & DB pass to each other not a just a passing chain but on the above suggested variations. Take on the line with the other in support
These suggestions are not major changes to the entire teams strategy and tactics - one or two of these variations would be enough to put the defense in two minds and the standard plays become more likely to reap rewards as well.
good post Angel
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