NRL news: Phil Gould says Parramatta Eels misread their final against North Queensland Cowboys
The mental side of the game is so important.
We have all heard the saying, "If it seems to good to be true, it probably is".
Well, the same philosophy can sometimes apply to the flow of a rugby league match. If you are not being realistic about the circumstances at hand, it can come back to bite you.
Such was the case for the Parramatta Eels in their shock loss to the North Queensland Cowboys in Saturday night's sudden death final.
The Eels led 10-6 at the half-time break. Judging by the tone of the interview between Parramatta five-eighth Mitchell Moses and Channel 9 commentator Brad Fittler as the players left the field at half-time, the Eel's playmaker appeared quite content with the situation. It would just be a matter of finishing off their opponents over the next 40 minutes to secure themselves a place in the Preliminary Final against the Roosters the following week.
The body language on the Parramatta players throughout the first half showed a team who thought they were in front, thought they were on top, and believed they were well on track towards victory.
In reality though, the Eels had been gifted two runaway tries against the run of play to secure their false advantage. They may have held a lead on the scoreboard, but they were not winning, and they were far from on top in the match. The major problem is that they were totally misreading the situation and were blissfully unaware of what was about to happen over the course of the second half.
I believe the two long range tries Parramatta had scored, both from Cowboy's attacking kicks at Parramatta's end of the field, gave the Eels a real false sense of security about where they stood in this match.
Granted, both tries were scintillating individual efforts. The first from brilliant winger Semi Radradra who leapt high for a bomb on his own try line, then ran 98 metres untouched to score at the other end.
The second came from a deflected Cowboy's grubber kick that popped up in the hands of Parramatta fullback Will Smith, who took it the distance to give his team a four point lead.
These tries were met with plenty of celebrations from the Parramatta players. There were plenty on "whooo-hooos" and "yee-ha's" as Eels players smiled and pumped their fists to adoring fans in the grandstands.
However, the tries they scored would prove to be nothing more than "fools gold". They softened Parramatta's take on the match.
The Cowboys were always on top. They were playing the better football. The scoreboard may not have said it at the time, but the Cowboys were winning the game.
Just 13 minutes into the second half and the Cowboys had asserted their superiority. Tries to John Asiata and Coen Hess, both converted by the reliable Ethan Lowe, now gave the Cowboys an 8 point lead.
The scoreboard now showed us a true reflection of the action.
For the next 20 minutes the Eels tried to rescue the situation by "bullying" the Cowboys into submission.
Really? Bully the Cowboys?
There may be a few different ways to beat the Cowboys in a game of football, but simply relying on physical intimidation is not one of them. The Cowboys thrive on that stuff.
The North Queensland lads are a gritty bunch indeed. They stood their ground and absorbed everything the Eels tried to throw at them. In the 75th minute they delivered the knock-out blow with a try to brilliant half-back Michael Morgan, who stepped his way through tired and frustrated defenders to confirm victory for his team.
Morgan has been outstanding all season. When the Cowboys lost their champion half-back Jonathan Thurston to injury during the Origin series, most people wrote this team off as finals competitor. After all, no one could ever hope to replace the great Jonathan Thurston.
The best thing about Michael Morgan is that he hasn't tried to replace Thurston. He has simply given the team the best possible version of himself.
Morgan plays with humility. He gives his team control and direction. He personifies calmness and confidence. He is selfless. He gives them leadership.
His experiences playing Origin football have prepared him well for the role he now plays with the Cowboys.
The whole Cowboys team are a credit to themselves. They are honest, hard-working and resilient.
The Eels under-estimated their opponents. They completely misread the match as it unfolded.
The Eels have had a great season. This is undoubtedly a team on the rise. However, they learned a valuable lesson in this painful loss to the Cowboys.
The narrow half-time lead they held, well, it appeared too good to be true. And so it was.
When they got behind on the scoreboard in the second half, they couldn't think straight. They lost composure.
The Cowboys were the better team on the day and thoroughly deserved their win.
https://wwos.nine.com.au/2017/09/18...eserved-shock-finals-win-over-parramatta-eels
