Eels Blogs

Caveat: Sorry guys for being so late, a few of us have been under the weather and life this week has gotten in the way. Enjoy the read.

Has our 2023 season already been defined as having died, or do our players have what it takes to recharge themselves and come out with an electrifying display.

Just like the great Kurt Russell / Val Kilmer movie Tombstone about the gunfight at the Ok Coral, with Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday in the fight of their life in Dodge City, against the Clanton gang, this weeks game will be full of firepower, with everything on the line, as our Eels attempt to stop our slide down the ladder. Nothing short of this will be acceptable to Eels fans. We find ourselves needing at least 3 more wins from our last 4 games plus the bye points to make the 8. A fail here against a Dragons outfit in contention for the 2023 wooden spoon and there will be no place for players to hide from fans disgust. The call to sack players and coaching staff alike will become deafening. 

Greatest Tombstone Quotes apply to our Eels.

How the Hell did we get ourselves into this:   As Wyatt Earp walks towards the Ok Coral and the gunfight that will define them. Like wise one asks how the hell did the Eels get themsleves into this situation on the ladder. Now sitting in 11th spot with 24 points. We can pinpoint the sagas of Matterson, Brown, Sivo and RCG. The injuries to key players all year, We can point to the hard draw, we can whinge about State of Origin and no byes, or we can argue playing top teams in a row after they had byes. Some can even gripe the run home - but in truth, the players got themselves into this by poor defense and poor attitudes. If not for Gutherson and Moses our season would have been over months ago.

 Guess maybe you better swear me in:    As the Earps ranks are expanded with Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday, when more men were required. So too has Arthur bolstered the ranks of our team, this week sees a lot of changes,  one could suggest this is as close as a clean out we've ever seen from Arthur, with the signing and confidence in starting Joey Lussick this week in preference to Hands,  Joey had a nice little cameo into last weeks game. With some enterprising running. He missed a number of tackles but that should improve this week as his jet lag is put to bed. Joe Offenguae has forced his way in to the starting prop position and the versatile Ryan Matterson takes the field starting on the left edge. Makatoa has been recalled to the bench along side Davey, and the big Emu Wiremu Grieg fights his way back to the bench from injury. Throw in Lumelume on the wing for Waqa and Dylan Brown for Asi and Arthur has sworn in 7 new troops to last weeks team. 

You called down the thunder, well now you got it:    As Wyatt Earp makes his vandetta against the Clanton gang known and wishs to repay his brothers, Dylan Brown must take on the same mantra, its time for him to repay our team, our coach and our fans for his long stint on the sidelines with a 7 game suspension. Its time to bring down the thunder with a smart full of energy, running display at 5/8. Anything less and our season may be over.

 You tell'em, I'm comin, and hell is comin with me, you hear:     As Wyatt embraces the confrontation with the Clantons. Likewise our team needs this type of attitude not just for the St George game but literally for the rest of the season. I hope the boys have their mojo on and really bring the thunder, racking up a score.  With 7 changes to the team Arthur has put his players on notice and is demanding a change in attitude and with it our fortunes. A fail here and fans will be comin, and hell will be comin with them, you hear.

I've allready got a guilty conscience, might as well have the money too. As Wyatt alludes to doing the wrong thing, he might as well take the money now. In a deep what if scenario, the competition points we missed out on during the first few weeks of the season losing 3 games by less then 4 points whilst Ryan Matterson served his self requested suspension has finally come back to bite us. In fairness we might not have won those games with Ryan in the team, but as fans we will never know.

Theres no normal Life Wyatt, just life. Now get on with it. As Doc Holliday encourages  Wyatt to go after what he wants. Eels fans all over the land are fed up and all want the same thing. To our players and coach its time to Just get on with it.

The Teams:

The talking point in the backs is two fold. 1st Waqa Blake, a highly paid centre at the club albeit playing wing, has been dropped after two games. A player of yesteryear that many believed in, is not having his best year. Last weeks game was horrendous with the robust winger, misreading the defence, unable to get into attacking positions to take passes and making some unforced errors. His inability to take the hard hitup and make penetrating ground hampered the begining of sets. Unfortunately he failed to score any fantasy points on the back of missing more tackles then he made. Coach Arthur has decided to go in another direction by handing Lumelume a first grade jersey. Lets wish him luck and he finds himself on the end of some Dylan Brown magic.

Speaking of Dylan Brown he is the second talking point. The young 5/8th has had his fair share of criticism last year and got a deserved public call out at the start of this year by coach Arthur. Since that call out Dylan had been in outstanding form, one can be left in no doubt now, that the team misses Dylan Brown when hes not on the park. Dajearn Asi filled in admirably, however as time went on and teams got a look at him, his limitiations were identified and exposed. He can now go back to NSW cup and work on his game, and push for future oppurtunities. With Dylan Brown now back in the team, he will have to hit the ground running, as Coach Arthur said during the week, He owes his team mates, a fired up Dylan Brown at his best is exactly what the Doctor ordered. His position in the team now provides a further attacking focal point, and will help his halves partner out by taking some heat from him. The Eels left side attack has been found wanting for the last few weeks, that is about to change.

The last time these two teams met at Commbank Stadium "Parradise", we needed Mitch Moses to kick a game winning field goal to seal it. A vast improvement will be needed this time around, if not just for the two competition points but for the competitions for and against tally which will surely play a part as the top 8 gets decided over the next few weeks. 

Joey Lussick has quickly forced his way into the starting side at Hooker after arriving at the club last week fresh from England. I've been a fan of Hands and his promotion, however one feels he has become a little one dimensional with playing 80minutes and fatigue setting in. Hands has been limited in attack, prefering to get the ball into Mitch's  mits more often then not and forgoing any type of running game. Joey Lussick showed last week that he posesses not only a passing game but can keep the defense guessing with a running game to boot. One suspects the difference last week with both Hookers missing tackles in the middle came down to Lussick's running game providing the point of difference.  Its interesting to note that Coach Arthur has decided to go into this game with no back up hooker, is he believing Lussick can go the whole 80 minutes, or will someone else fill in for a stint.  One thing for sure is that Arthur  is looking for more creativity from the dummy half position, moving forward, get it wrong and the Dragons rake Jacob Little will have room to set his forwards up and combine with general Ben Hunt.

 One of St Georges best, Jack Debelin has been named for St George as lock, however late Tuesday evening he attempted to have a dangerous contact charge for a hip drop tackle downgraded. The judiciary found him guilty and he will serve a 4 week suspension. Eels fans can rejoice that the former state of origin player wont suit up come Sunday. His go forward and defence will be missed by the Dragons. One player that will take advantage though is J'Maine Hopgood, What a find he has been, topping the tackle count week in week out with few misses, number one in the league for offloads and always featuring in man of the match discussions at games end. The tough as nails lock has taken to the Parramatta way and its easy to suggest that he is a leader of the future. Watch for Hopgood to once again be in the mix for MOM honours, pushing the Eels towards a crucial win.

Arthur Miller - Stephen. A newcomer to first grade this week has been named as reserve, it would be unusual for Arthur to blood a newcommer in a must win game, however the scuttlebutt is strong that he may be a last minute change for Lumelume on the wing. Its interesting to see coach Arthur looking to the future. Miller-Stephen is a fullback with 7 appearences in NSW cup. One to keep our eyes on, with some very good pundits declaring him the real deal. Time will tell, on that one.

The Stats that matter:

This week I had a chat with Prof Daz and he came up with a brilliant idea for the stats this week, I tended to agree. We all know how our team has been travelling the last few weeks , its been a train wreck in the making, and lets face it. Which team is going to show up. The team with the good stats or the team with the bad stats, we really have a Dr Jeckyll and Mr Hyde team. So below is an interpretation of how our team is travelling at the moment and how the majority of Eels fans are seeing it. To hell with the stats, I say. 

A Train Wreck.

A season on Fire.

Deflating and out of control.

 Collapsing and near death.

The Last Word:

In all seriousness though, as our season stumbles ahead on life support we need our Eels to take a lead from the great Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday, as they faced uncertain death at the Ok Coral in Tombstone. Get Your Guns and Lets Go Hunting. 

Have your say on how you see it play out.