Jess, The Eels are also brutal. The great thing about the Eels is they have already perfected an intense style of game that operates at great speed for 80 minutes under sudden death conditions. THIS IS A FACT. No other team has practised this skill with great success bar the Eels.
We have a great bunch of full-on 80 minute perpetual motion freaks who cover up both sides of the ruck, up the middle & out wide. No other team in the comp has this.
And then there is this unpredictable 2nd/3rd/4th/5th phase play which involves most of the Eels players and then there is Jarryd Hayne, Mateo & Inu (he is peaking at the right time), three absolute freaks who cause nightmares for any defence. And if Cayless plays, we have him + Hindmarsh, Lowrie, Fui, Galuvao, Grothe (as an extra forward) & sometimes Mannah & a few other Eels, instigating 2nd/3rd/4th/5th phase plays as well.
Don't be surprised that Craig Bellamy & Co will be having kittens every night they go to bed thinking about how to stop this relentless Eels Juggernaut. As long as the Eels maintain the standard of pressure (or increase it) as they have done so over the last 10 weeks (bar round 26 against Dragons), DA will be able to concentrate on tinkering with the Eels attack & defence, a luxury that Bellamy & co WILL NOT HAVE.
The perfect foundations have already been laid, the perfect base ingredients of a great meal/salad are in place. DA only now has to gently tinker with this Eels Juggernaut and he will do this by targeting/isolating various Storm players and send in his brutal attackers and defenders like Fui, Inu, Hayne, Grothe (yes, use him as a hitman in this game) etc WHILE THE JUGGERNAUT ROLLS ON IN DEFENSE AND ATTACK.
If I was DA and while most of the Eels will be absorbing everything the Storm throw at them for the first 20 minutes, I would both in attack and defence be targeting and isolating Chambers, Nielsen, Finch, Smith and Slater. In attack I would be sending in Fui on Smith and Inu/Grothe/Mateo on Chambers and Nielsen.
Yes, but not as important unless they can be isolated, I would also test out Tolman, Tandy, Anderson & Hinchcliffe up the middle of the ruck or just either side of the ruck with some of our big fast brutal boppers as well.
These 4 players (Chambers, Nielsen, Finch, Smith) can have brain explosions if put under the pump. In defence other Storm players will come in to assist leaving gaps/broken staggered lines in their defence and I will have coached Ben Smith, Reddy, Hayne, Burt, Lowrie, etc, to look for these gaps and begin to run lines at them (as the game unfolds) to set off 2nd phase plays with inside or outside balls.
If other Storm defenders come rushing in to plug these holes then quickly send the ball out wide (out back) via Robson to either Hayne or Mortimer (both operating either side of the ruck) to begin attacking these other holes which will lead to tries or 2nd/3rd phase plays.
If Slater has come in to assist a small kick over or through the line will do or have three players running at the hole and pass the ball to either or, depending on how the desperate defence comes in to tackle.
As DA, I would want the Storm to become desperate about their defence so that they gradually lose their speed in attack, particularly to slow Smith down in the ruck.
Also, I would have Hayne, Burt, Reddy and Mortimer keeping an eye on Inglis roaming as he did against the Broncos the other night. There is a very good chance if the ball turns over quickly that he can be tied up holding up the frontline leaving Nielsen, Chambers, Finch & Slater isolated, and if so, send in Hayne, Inu, Mateo etc on them.
This is how the Eels will wear down this Storm team who are truly under-done if put under the pump in a full-on 80 minute game of immense intensity.
If the Eels break the Storm within the first 35 minutes they will run away with this game. The Storm are not the same team that won the GF back in 2007 or even back in 1999.
With an engine running perfectly, serviced regularly that all you have to do is drive the car and enjoy the journey (not having to worry about the engine), DA has opened up an enormous array of other options to attack the Storm with, options not available if the engine was out of tune or wonky.
If the Eels became nervous and lose confidence then the Eels engine is out of tune and Bellamy and co are given the opportunity on a plate to overtake this Eel machine with a better performing squad. This can only happen if the present Eels squad let it happen, and I just can't see how Hindmarsh, Cayless, Burt, Hayne, Galuvao & others will invite in such a scenario. There are no out of control EGO'S in this squad and Robson is a most fantastic calming influence over the whole team as well.
Robson to win the Churchill Medal. Eels to win 25+
