The two minutes which summed up why Parramatta’s season is teetering
https://static.ffx.io/images/$width_144%2C$height_144/t_crop_fill/q_86%2Cf_auto/90acd1ac859491090152eb38901f644721609965 2x" alt="Adam Pengilly" width="72" height="72" />By Adam Pengilly
Will Penisini is in the sin bin at half-time. In two minutes, he’s due back. His team is trailing by 14 points, their top four hopes disappearing like one of those golf balls off Broncos-mad Cameron Smith’s putter on the back nine at St Andrews. But still, two minutes. That’s all they need to survive for their full complement.
So what do you think happens?
Waqa Blake and Shaun Lane run into each other off Adam Reynolds’ kick-off, the ball spewing out as two blokes who stand next to each other almost all game seemingly don’t say a word to each other. The next time the ball touches Reynolds’ boot, winger Corey Oates is standing in so much space he catches the kick, puts it down and celebrates like he’s just won the Claret Jug.
And then Penisini wanders back onto the field, coach Brad Arthur barely back in his coaching box.
It is happening again? Really?
Nothing summed up the wobbly Eels better than the crazy start to the second half at CommBank Stadium, and now with top-four hopes fading after a demoralising 36-14 loss to the belligerent Broncos on Thursday night, where to for Arthur? The team which cuts a swath through the competition in the first half of the season is suddenly cold again coming to the business end.
“There’s no excuses,” Arthur said when asked about the speculation over his coaching future during the week.
“It doesn’t matter what’s happened during the week. There were certainly no excuses and that didn’t play a part. Six tries against us, you can’t have six tries put on us. I thought we had good energy in the second half. I thought we had plenty of momentum in the second half and were coming hard, but we just couldn’t ice our opportunities.”
Because at this rate, they might do well just to make the second week of the finals. In the next three weeks, they have to play the Panthers, the in-form Sea Eagles and Latrell Mitchell-inspired Rabbitohs.
And even if they staged a mini-revival in the second half against Brisbane, this was always about Kevin Walters’ impressive Broncos, steered superbly by captain Adam Reynolds and thrust forward by the returning Payne Haas, who missed the State of Origin series decider with a shoulder injury.
It takes Arthur seven minutes to drive to Eels training, and he probably wished he could have just hopped back in his car and driven home at half-time.
For some ridiculous reason, his son Jake’s introduction on the big screen during the pre-game was greeted with a smattering of boos by the home crowd. What possesses anyone to jeer a young kid, as polite as they come, who’s played a handful of NRL games, and is making his way in the trade? His surname?
Jake didn’t see any action in the first half, and his dad probably wished he missed most of it too.
The hosts scored first and last through left-edge pair Maika Sivo and Waqa Blake respectively, the only problem was what happened in between. The Broncos ran amok with four tries, and looked every bit the team which could be a sneaky premiership threat if the Panthers or Cowboys or Sharks or Storm stub their toe.
The best of the lot was the type of try kids might score in the wet at Wynnum, when Brenko Lee twice kicked and Oates followed up with another toe poke before diving on the ball, the first of his double.
To rub salt into widening wounds, the Eels finished the half with 12 men when a desperate Penisini held down Ezra Mam after a Broncos break.
Then there was the Blake-Lane stuff-up. Which just about sums Parramatta up at the moment.
Do they have it in them to turn it around?
Replies
That would definately demoralize them. They had the belief of being a team that is up for big games, this was a big game and didn't respond as expected, considering the week away to start in Wyong.
A week in Wyong would be demoralising for most people. For motivation they should be threatened with a week in Wyong if they don't win.
DP i have worked in Wyong DP, and see your point, but i think the players must have stayed near Magenta or the country club near Wyong racecourse, that is actually beautiful.
In all honesty the players did not compete for 80 mins and need to be accountable like the coaching staff as they will be.
Hey Mitchy I'm sure you are right I was just trying to make a joke when I'm in a bad mood after that performance. I live 10 minutes down the road from Wyong and was just picturing the team staying in the Wyong Hotel.......though if people are referring to Magenta as Wyong they are a little off the mark as it's about a half an hour drive away.....may as well refer to Crows Nest as Parramatta.
I know that they train at Mingara.
Of course he was booed because of the surname
I turned off the TV for the first time ever after that exact incident - didn't know the score until this morning - never thought as an EELS fan I would be that frustrated and just go to bed.... diabolical to say the least - I hate feeling this way about a team I have supported for the last 40 years.
Maybe what's prompting people to boo Arthur is because it's a complete fucking waste of a bench spot? Ever thought about that Mr Pengilly?
It wouldn't be a waste of a bench spot if Moses succumbs to the injury he is carrying. Normally he wouldn't even play, but we don't have the luxury of having Moses sitting in the grandstand when he can still play, albeit at 75%. What we need is someone on the bench who can come in and shake things up a bit, and play big minutes. If Brown has any mongrel left in him, he would be the man to do this. If not him, then I really don't know who. RCG and Junior are clearly feeling the effects of a long season of long minutes every game, so we are desperate for a middle bench forward to put their hand up.
They aren't playing Brown because they are trying to get him to leave as it will free up the cash necessary to try and keep Papalii. Even though it won't probably happen.
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