Ugly. Gutsy. Jason Ryles called it “special.”
The Eels’ 26-22 victory over the Warriors in Round 26 at Go Media was anything but pretty. For me, it was sublime.
"The way the players fought and hung in. They had 11 of the last 15 sets, and it felt like they were coming...playing for a top four spot," Ryles told us post-game.
Resilience
Statistically, the heavily favored Warriors owned the contest. Foxsport shows they had 55% possession, almost 70% territory, and a massive 27-4 advantage in red-zone tackles. They won penalties and restarts 12-5, made more line breaks (5-4), and missed fewer tackles (24 to the Eels’ 44). It meant the Warriors’ were building steamroller-like momentum.
Overcoming Achilles' Heels
Under relentless pressure, the Eels who made almost 400 tackles dug in and found a way a win. They scrambled, hustled, and refused to break. The Eels (14th) even beat the Warriors (4th) at their own game. The Eels made less errors (6-8) and had better completions (31/35 at 91% vs 36/44 at 81%), beating the Warriors (best completions, least errors per game in the NRL) at their own game (nrl.com). Errors and poor completions (fourth-worst for both, nrl.com) have been the Eels' Achilles' heel all year. Plus, they iced many of their chances often against the run of play. It kept them in the game. It's also symbolic. The improvement theme.
Kaizen
The turnaround has been stunning. To start the season, the Eels won one of six conceding 34 points per game. They’ve now won four of their last six conceding only 17.7 per game. That's comparable to the NRL’s best defences (Dogs and Raiders concede 17.6-17.7). Until late July, the Eels were 0 / 8 against current top-8 teams. Since then we're 3 / 4. We're not meant to. Coming into last night we were 2/10 outside Commbank. No Gutherson, RCG, Dylan Brown, Sivo, Matto, Lane, Simonsson, Hands, Lussick. $4-5m worth of cap.
Individually, there were standout efforts everywhere last night. There wasn't a poor player on the field.
J’maine Hopgood was colossal. Playing the full 80 minutes for 61 tackles and just one miss (nrl.com). Jack Williams, Junior Paulo, and Kelma Tuilagi (above) produced big moments and magic (Getty Images).
Iongi scores a scorcher (Getty Images). The back three, Foxxy, Lomax, and Iongi, combined for a mammoth 612m (nrl.com).
It could not have been scripted better: Foxxy marked his 200th NRL game with a runaway length-of-the-field try (Getty Images).
Drama
The contest also delivered late drama. With minutes on the clock, Adam Pompey looked to have scored a match-winning try. But the Bunker ruled that Warriors prop Demitric Vaimauga had knocked on.
Foxsport's Greg Alexander blasted the call: "I don’t think his hand went anywhere near the ball."
Despite Cooper Cronk and James Graham agreeing with the bunker's call, Foxsport doubled down with an article soon after entitled ‘Disgraceful’: Bunker Controversy Shakes up Finals Race as Eels Strike Hammer Blow".
“I don’t know if there’s enough evidence to overturn it that he touched it,” Warriors' coach Andrew Webster said.
The Warriors Owned the Field. They owned the Stats. They won the Territorial Battle. But the Eels Owned the Scoreboard and Won the War. Confidence and belief growing. Can we dare to dream? Next week is another test to end the season. To win when expected.
Highlights, Go Media, Auckland
Warriors' fans turned out in force as they have in recent seasons (Getty Images).
The nabbed Warriors' streaker felt the pain.
The Two Fullbacks Fighting Fire with Fire (Getty Images).
Replies
Krams! Mate, where have you been hiding? Great to see your post buddy. Hope all's well in your world and with loved ones. I'm a Foxxy lover too. And thanks for the kind words.
Great review HOE. Was another nice win in closing out the season. I have to say I've been pleasantly surprised with Guymer. I think he's also developing nicely.
Thanks, Meelk. Great point on Guymer. He's really showing up. I was a bit worried last year and earlier this year.
He's be perfect in the kitchen to help out Fifi with her secret herbal recipes.
Great review here, HOE. Awesome work.
That was a pretty unbelievable win.
The Eels look comfortable in uncomfortable situations for the first time in a long time. Their goal line defence is a testament to the mindset improvement of this team under Ryles.
We should have lost, that was a good Warriors team with a lot to play for coming at them with the advantage of 12-18 tackle sets over & over in one of the most blatant attempts to keep a team in the game I have ever seen.
Moses & Ryles putting the journo's in their place in the media was almost as good as the win itself. Classic.
NOS, buddy, Where have thou been? You've been missed on here.
Absolutely. Loved the presser. The "barking up the wrong tree" was a classic. The Ryles and Mitch show was a good one. I like how they switch chairs too.
Just for the road. Here's a transcript of the last minute of the presser from around the 6' mark.
“Ahh (laughing). You want me to respond to that, don't you?” Ryles asks rhetorically, unable to resist the humously poke at the situation.
"I think the the referee and the bunker had a lot of decisions to make, and and for me that's a knock on every day of the week. But who am I to say (that)."
“Sometimes, you get the calls and sometimes you don't, and we've had a lot of times where we haven't got the calls (Moses starts laughing)”
“That’s the reality. They're human in the middle, and they're human in the bunker.”
"If you're asking my pure opinion, yeah, that went forward every day of the week. I don't even know why you're asking the question.”
“They had a 12 – 4 penalty count. So, we not going off the one play Cuz," Moses interjects.
“One play?”
Ryles continued while Moses kept laughing: “I know you you need to ask the questions and that, but at the end of the day, the referees are out there to do a job and it is not easy,” Ryles told reporters.
“(You’re looking) in the wrong area,” Moses added smiling.
Ryles added: “There's a whole heap of other things that I'm sure the warriors would look at and go, ‘Geez, if we did that different or that better, might have been different result."
“But if it's going to come down to one finger touch which went forward, then yeah, you're barking up the wrong tree.”
HOE, haha doubt that, but always love to come here & read your write-ups my friend, still the best on site.
Brilliant, how good from Moses & Ryles, never lost their sh*t, just laughed & politely offered a nice big foot for the journo's mouth.
Probably an even better win than the Roosters & Broncos this one? So much working against us, those stats you showed, the penalty / 6-again counts, the home crowd, the fact the Warriors playing for top 4, and yet, as you said, the Eels found a way. In seasons past, including 2022 imo, the Eels would have found so many ways & excuses to lose that one.
Mindset HOE, we've been asking for it for years.
Great summary NOS, hope your well.
NFL season kicking off soon, I've landed on the Eagles for the team I'll be supporting - they are underdogs for the superbowl.
Agree such a great win v the Warriors, I'll be watching the replay sometime today- the presser was gold.
Hey Mick,
How are you man?
So pumped Mick, so, so, pumped. 4 days to season launch.
Your boys will be very hard to beat again, have lost no-one substantial. As a Ravens fan, im feeling good about this season also. See you in the playoffs, Micky.
Poor ravens fans, enter every season expecting to be in the superbowl or there abouts and then Lamar goes into meltdown in the play offs. Until Lamar gets it together in the play offs I can't take them as serious contenders.
Very difficult season to pick this year, I usually get both superbowl teams and the winner correct, give me after round 6 and I'll give my tips.
Edit. Go 9ERS, can't see them winning it this year but should be a play off team.
On top of the world NOS haha
I'm looking forward to superbowl 60
We are destined to meet, it would make an amazing game- i can visualise it already
Dont be a stranger NOS, your input on this site is valued.
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