Eels Blogs

Commbank. Sunday Footy. Indigenous Round. Fox Sports’ Vossy summed it up before kickoff: “You get the feeling there will be lots of points in this one.”

That didn’t happen but there was plenty of drama.

Both sides like adventurous footy. Both are top four for handling errors, and between them they’d made 117 errors in their last four games leading up to this one — around 15 each per match. The Cowboys leak nearly thirty points a game (worst in the comp), and the Eels aren’t immune to lapses either.

But yesterday, something shifted. Conservatism came.

The Cowboys played like they’d landed on the opposite side of Mercury. Their best in some time. The high-speed grind. Good ball control, strong middle work, kick-chase-tackle-repeat. The Eels matched that tone for long stretches.

The Cowboys were hoping to out-grind the Eels, who’ve struggled to close out games they could have won. Play the long game. It almost worked.

Go-forward? Tick. Jason Taumalolo and Coen Hess smashed through almost 500 metres (350 in yardage and about 150 post-contact). For the Eels, Hopgood and Walker led the charge.

Completions? Tick. Cowboys went 40 from 42 (95%). The Eels were decent at 81% after both sides hit just 68% the week before.

Ball control? Tick. Cowboys made only four errors. Their best all year by a country mile. The Eels finished with 11.

Kicking game? Tick. Moses was elite. Long kicks kept the Eels in the hunt, and a deft short one set up Fox’s second try. Clifford was sharp with two try assists off the boot. Dearden’s kicks against the Eels’ left edge missed the mark.

Exploiting vulnerabilities? Tick. The Cowboys scored all their tries on the Eels’ shaky right edge (fifth worst). Clifford peppered it — and rookie Joash Papali’i — all night. The Eels hit back with two of their three tries on the Cowboys’ leaky right edge (worst in the comp).

First-Half: Steady and Stout

Both sides were in an arm-wrestle, but a Fox double via Papali’i and Moses gave the Eels a slim 12–8 halftime lead.

Ryley Smith, the tireless Energizer Bunny was everywhere (Getty Images).

Second-Half: Momentum Swings

A few minutes after the break, Will Penisini bulldozed over for 18–8 lead. The Eels looked set to take control.

Then came the Eels' error-fest. Six mistakes in twenty minutes, plus penalties, to let the Cowboys back in. At times they had 80% possession and levelled the game at 18-all.

The Eels were looking shaky.

With thirteen minutes left, Ryles called for reinforcements. Walker, a lieutenant on the brains trust, came back on, and the arm wrestle resumed.

Seven minute later, one set won the Eels the game.

Turning Point

In the 75th, Papali’i fielded a short kick on his own 10m after a strong Cowboys chase. Then the Eels lit the fuse. Two incisive runs from the much-maligned Dylan Brown, a dart from Talyn Da Silva, and targeted pressure on the Cowboys’ infamous right edge.

They romped downfield. No errors. 

From 35 out, Papali’i fired a sharp pass from dummy half to Moses. Step. Shuffle. Strike. Field goal. 19–18 with four minutes left. But the drama wasn’t done.

Lomax, part-prop, part-tank, part-wrestler gives Moses The Look after icing the winning field goal.

Drama-packed to the Dying Seconds

This game had everything, including the usual officiating mysteries best left to dark forces and gods with big sticks.

TrainerGate 2.0 made an appearance when a Cowboys trainer acted as a second fullback, blocking a loose ball to stop Fox scoring a metre from the line. Not long after, they somehow had two trainers behind the ball.

Moses also sprayed young Da Silva, demanding the ball several times in the closing moments.

Then, in the final minute, a Fox blunder while fielding a kick in the red zone gave the Cowboys their shot. The Eels’ defence was scrambling. Boom. The Cowboys scored with fifteen seconds left and celebrated the win. For a bit.

Jason Ryles froze. “Is this really happening?” he asked Nathan Brown in the box. Fortunately, the bunker intervened, and saw that Nanai had obstructed Moses. No try. Payten later called it a “dive.”

Moses lays down the law (Image from the Club's social media).

Post-Match Takeaways

Coach Ryles’ “small improvements” mantra has lifted the Eels from last to 13th — a season-high. The Kaizen way: slow, steady, gritty.

This win came from resilience and alignment of a still evolving team.

Full-Time: Eels 19 def Cowboys 18.
Possession: 51% Cowboys.
Best for Cowboys: Taumalolo, Hess, Clifford.
Best for Eels: Moses, Fox, Hopgood, Walker, Ryley Smith, Luca Moretti.
Improvement award: Papali’i, Hawkins, and Dylan’s defence in the centres.
Trying hard: Lomax, Williams.

Image taken from the Club's social media site.

Footnote: All stats are sourced from nrl.com and Rugby League Project.