2018 Review: Parramatta Eels
Eelementary | October 15 2018 3:56PM
"Where the bloody hell are ya?"
Riding high, fresh off a Top 4 finish in 2017, the Parramatta club expected big things from season 2018.
Despite the loss of one
Fijian superstar in
Semi Radradra, the Eels managed to bring home one of their favourite sons in
Jarryd Hayne, and the line-up remained mostly unchanged.
Thus, the stage was set for a strong performance - or so it was thought.
Season 2018 began with a dominant first-half display, having Penrith on the ropes 14-4 by half-time, demonstrating crisp attacking play, energetic and aggressive defence, and composure.
After half-time, Penrith turned up the pressure - and the Eels crumbled. Penrith rallied to win 24-14, and the Eels did not physically, or mentally recover, until round 7, going on to lose the first 6 consecutive rounds (including a 54-nil thumping at the hands of Manly in round 2), before snapping their losing streak by exacting revenge on Manly, defeating them 44-10.
From this point forward, Parramatta only won a further 5 games for the remainder of the season, for a grand total of 6 wins out of 24 games, to finish dead last on the ladder.
A mini-revival threated between rounds 7 and 8, when the Eels defeated the Sea Eagles, and the Tigers, in consecutive weeks - but it was not to be.
A procession of losses throughout the season by 10 points or less (most of them due to goal-kicking; in many of those losses, the Eels scored the same number of tries as their opposition, but either missed some conversions, or gifted their opponents penalty kicks at goal, which, in season 2018, turned out to be a sure-fire way to lose a game) broke the camel's back, and the Eels limped into the end of regular season footy by conceding 40 points in the last two rounds.
Turning points
The good
In such a lopsided, negative season, there were not really any good turning points.
The closest thing to a good turning point in season 2018 for the Eels would probably be the round 15 loss to the Rabbitohs, where the Eels lost 42-24 - after that defeat, they: lost to the Dragons 20-18 right on the full-time siren, lost 18-16 to the Knights, defeated the Bulldogs 14-8, lost to the Bunnies 26-20, and defeated the Titans 28-12. It seemed to signal a resurgence of competitive form, of sorts.
The bad
Half-time in round 1.
The first half against Penrith saw the Eels pick up where they left off, using aggressive, mobile forwards to wear out their opponents in blistering conditions. The Eels' attack was smooth, and composed (despite the loss of halfback
Mitchell Moses early on to concussion).
But after half-time, the tide inexplicably shifted, and the Eels were not able to recover - and it set the tone for the rest of 2018.
What worked
Playing captain
Clinton Gutherson in the centres, and
Jarryd Hayne at fullback, reaped some benefits. Gutherson's defence, enthusiasm, and energy were big boosts out wide, and once Hayne was completely recovered from his early season malaise, he showed glimpses of his best form.
What didn't
Simply put, in this reviewer's opinion, the biggest issues in 2018 came from the Eels' 6 and 7.
For reasons only the players themselves, and their coaches and teammates, will ever know, they were unable to gel, and their consistency was well below par.
The Eels' forward pack and hooking options bore the brunt of a lot of criticism in 2018, yet the Eels lost 11 games in season 2018 by 10 points or less, and were continually able to make enough of their attacking opportunities to set raids in opposition 20 metre zones.
Unfortunately,
Mitchell Moses and
Corey Norman seemed devoid of ideas, and were seemingly unable to create any opportunities, aside from forcing goal-line dropouts.
Best players
Daniel Alvaro, before injury ruined his season, was a phenomenal performer - he finished the season as the Eels' top tackler, with 748 tackles (despite having his season cut short through injury).
He also regularly punched out 100m a game, and played big minutes.
Disappointing players
Mitchell Moses. For whatever the reason, Moses' play in 2018 regressed - opting more for highlight reel plays than taking the more composed play on offer, missing simple kicks at goal, and generally, not directing the team around like he did in 2017.
Rookies
Marata Niukore,
Jaeman Salmon, and
Reed Mahoney all made their debuts in 2018, and all three kids were solid, but unspectacular.
Of the lot, Mahoney showed the most promise, showing strong, aggressive defence at hooker, and a crisp passing game to his halves.
Niukore and Salmon proved to be serviceable NRL players, but having played in more challenging positions, will likely take longer to develop at this level.
Feeder club round-up
Parramatta's Intrust Super Premiership side, the
Wentworthville Magpies, finished in 10th position. Their inconsistency was their downfall - the side was being changed around constantly, and the results showed on the field. First grade signing
Kane Evans spent the majority of the season at Wentworthville, struggling for form and fitness in the early season.
In response to a club-wide review, the Eels' agreement with Wentworthville will conclude at the end of next season, with the Parramatta club taking the reins of the ISP side from 2020.
Meanwhile, the Eels' Under 20's Jersey Flegg Cup side finished sixth and were eliminated in the first week of the finals by arch-rivals Canterbury.
Looking ahead
Truthfully, there is nowhere to go from here but up - when you reach rock-bottom, any slight improvement is still an improvement.
The Eels have recruited intelligently for 2019, adding
Blake Ferguson,
Junior Paulo,
Shaun Lane, and Maika Sivo.
Lane should add some line-breaking ability, and attacking threat, to an otherwise uninspiring Eels pack; Paulo will add some brute power; and Ferguson was 2018's leading metre-eater, and was in the top 5 for tackle breaks.
Maika Sivo is an interesting, and exciting prospect - listed at 192cm and 103kg, his highlight reels show a very similar running style to a certain
Fijian now-rugby superstar, and his blistering pace, and raw power, may just be a benefit to the Eels in 2019.
With a host of fresh faces, the disappointment of a disastrous 2018 campaign, and shrewd signings (which targeted some of the Eels' biggest weaknesses in 2018), an improvement should be a no-brainer - a Top 8 finish should be achievable.
2019 potential lineup
1.
Jarryd Hayne
2.
Blake Ferguson
3. Clint Gutherson (C)
4. Michael Jennings
5. George Jennings
6.
Corey Norman
7.
Mitchell Moses
8.
Daniel Alvaro
9. Kaysa Pritchard
10. Joseph Paulo
11.
Manu Ma'u
12.
Shaun Lane
13.
Nathan Brown
14.
Reed Mahoney
15.
Peni Terepo
16.
Tepai Moeroa
17.
Tim Mannah (C)
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