Eels Blogs

Team Review: (7.5/10)

1. Clinton Gutherson (7.5)
   1. Great kick to set up Opacic.
   2. One of his worse games defensively. Dropped a bomb which eventually led to a try. Slipped over which led to Douheli running over the top and scoring.
2. Maika Sivo (7)
   1. Very quiet today. No attack down his side. Not many carries, however his carries were quality as he regularly bent the defensive line
   2. Tigers attacked down the other edge so relatively quiet night defensively. No bombs to defuse. Made a couple of good tackles on James Roberts.
3. Tom Opacic (8.5)
   1. Scored both his tries through the lines he runs. Split the two defenders for his crash over try and ran up for Gutho’s kick which was a smart play considering the tigers players came up and in quickly.
   2. Like Sivo not much defense required today
4. Marata Niukore (8.5)
   1. Did his job with some good carries. Nice line for his try.
   2. Great defensively tonight. Could of mayb stopped the offload in the last tigers try. He hits and sticks whenever he runs out of the line which is very good for a centre.
5. Blake Ferguson (7.5)
   1. Mixed game. His first try he did a very good job and did plenty of tough runs.
   2. Dropped a bomb which directly caused a try and slipped over on the kick off. Made a couple of poor defensive decisions but eels covered well and tigers never exploited it well.
6. Dylan Brown (7)
   1. Usual from him. Ran the ball well and squares up the defense well in attacking shapes.
   2. Defended well. Leilua provided a bit of a challenge due to his big frame. Couldn’t prevent the offload for Liddle’s try.
7. Mitchell Moses (8.5)
   1. Great set up for Niukore’s try. Ran the ball well tonight. Even though he never had a line break from his runs, he created momentum and tired the forwards of the tigers.
   2. Missed a couple of tackles. I really question his tackling technique 1 on 1. Whenever a larger player runs at him, he tries ‘hugging’ or grappling their upper body. It’s a big no no if you’re tackling someone bigger than you as they can easily shrug you off. Got to try cut them in half around the waste. Just watch Brown do it.
8. Regan Campbell – Gillard (8.5)
   1. I thought he was the best forward in the first stint. He really set a platform and great attitude. Very strong runs and great line speed as well as brute shots
   2. I really come to see the value of RCG. Not only does he run hard, but he is one of the better defensive props in the game.
9. Reed Mahoney (9)
   2. Great forty twenty. Great pass to Opacic and Papali’I for their tries. Provides great service from dummy half. Last week I thought he overplayed his hand but this week he injected himself well like in round 1 and 2.
   3. Great defensively as usual
10. Junior Paulo (8)
    1. Dropped the ball of the kick off which caused early pressure (I know Fergo should of done better but still no excuse and very catchable for Paulo). Great runs and offloads as usual
    2. Great defensively as usual
11. Shaun Lane (7.5)
    1. Some good runs. Unlucky drop ball. Got kicked out by Utoikamanu accidentally.
    2. Occasionally becomes lazy and missed some tackle. I think his starting spot is in real danger
12. Isaiah Papali’i (8.5)
    1. What a buy. Some real damaging runs such as his try. Arguable should hold his starting spot
    2. Great defensively.
13. Nathan Brown (8)
    1. Great first stint. Ran hard.
    2. Good defensively
14. Oregon Kaufusi (7)
    1. Less minutes. Not many carries or tackles in comparison to previous weeks
    2. I thought his kick pressure in the second half was very good.
15. Ray Stone (6.5)
    1. Ran alright for a small fella
    2. Good as usual
16. Keegan Hipgrave (5)
    1. No real effect. I don’t think he will be in the NRL side for a while now unless injuries occur. Matterson and Cartwright returns will push him out of the side
17. Will Smith (1)
    1. No time to have any effect

Coach: Brad Arthur

He is getting better with his use of the interchange. I personally would like to see Lane move into the middle when Stone comes on (Stone to the edge). Also would of liked Smith to get more minutes. But hey, he got the job done. Just my suggestion and opinion. I could be wrong.

Attack:

As us know I have suggested the use of decoys in attack. I will not harp on about this but rather appreciate the positives in our current attacking game plan this week. Like all elite teams in the competition, we know pose great danger from dummy half due to the rapid improvement of Mahoney’s kicking and running game. Mahoney is learning to inject himself at the right moments and also how to use his forward well in attack, especially for the crash play.

Another thing we need to appreciate about our attack is our forwards. I believe that our forward give eels a point of difference in attack that no other team has. Not only do they gain plenty of meters, but the offloading skills of Paulo is elite and the short passing game and combination of RCG, N Brown and Paulo is no where to be matched in the NRL. They create opportunities for us plenty of times. This is why I believe we have the best forward pack in the NRL.

Defense:

1^st try

Off a kick. Fergo could of maybe done better in contesting the ball. Niukore could of possible escorted the tigers players better. No players marking the wing incase tigers got the ball in which they did in this case.

2^nd try

Fergo drops the ball. Not much others could of done. Maybe people should be there in support but that’s a bit harsh cause you expect your players to catch them or at least pick up their fumble.

3^rd try

Gutho slipped over otherwise Douheli wouldn’t of scored.

 4^th try

Niukore probaby should of done better wraping the ball up since he was the second man in on tackling Leiluai. Players on the inside should have been pushing across to tackle Brooks once Leiluai offloaded the ball

Selection Dilema

Centre

Based on how BA has talked, I don’t think he has any intention of playing Niukore long term in the centres and that Blake will take that spot once he returns from injury. Personally, I would like to see Blake in reserve grade for a week or so unless Niukore is injured or we are suddenly found out defensively.

Backrow

With the emergence of Papali’i there is a strong case that he should have a permanent spot in our starting line up. I personally would love for Matterson and Papali’I to be our starting backrowers with Lane used on the bench. Lane can come on as a middle or edge player depended on what is needed. I don’t think Lane’s form has been very bad that warrants him to be demoted, but rather that Papali’is form is too hard to resist. I love Papali’I hard running mentality and is also a better defender than Lane. Based on how Dylan Brown runs and plays short, I think he would really benefit with a hard running backrower such as Papali’I beside him.

Bench

If Matterson is fit to return next week, BA will have to make a touch choice on the bench spots given that Cartwright’s return to rugby league was pretty good. People also have to consider that it is hard for a backrower to set reserve grade on fire without good players around him. I notice Cartwright moved into a lock role at the end of the game which obviously is good for versatility.

My Team list next week

1. Gutho
2. Sivo
3. Opacic
4. Niukore
5. Fergo
6. D Brown
7. Moses
8. RCG
9. Mahoney
10. Paulo
11. Papali’i
12. Matterson
13. N Brown
14. Kafusi
15. Lane
16. Smith
17. Cartwright
18. Stone
19. Greig (let him experience being in the 21. Not needed yet obviously for NRL)
20. Rankin
21. Dunster