Knock-on Effect NSW Cup - Eels Team

[Forty20]

North Sydney work their way towards the red zone of the Magpies and receive a slice of fortune when their fifth tackle kick gets caught up in the Wenty defensive line and they earn a six again call. They fail to seize the moment from that call though as they drop the ball cold on the very next play in a left edge movement.

Faraimo and Matterson have carries out of our red zone before Gorman scoots out of dummy half.

Alvaro brings up the last after getting turned back on the inside by Henry and Henry's subsequent kick to finish the set is well taken by the Bears.

 

[Forty20]

The Bears are looking to throw some offloads this set but Wenty do well to keep their heads up for it. Their #5, Latrell Schaumkel makes a half bust up the middle late the in set and is pulled down by a cohesive cover effort before they run the ball down our right on the last. They go very close to scoring but the offload from their centre to winger is correctly called forwards.

Oh no, what has happened there? The Bears were fired up in defence off the back of that call and had great line speed but was it Faraimo or Lavaka? They have thrown a mad offload on our 10m line that has squirted out back to the goal line and the aforementioned Schaumkel was the first to respond to it, racing through and scoring just about as easy a try as you will see.

The conversion is good.

The Bears get on the board quickly in the second half and trail 10-18.

 

[Forty20]

More second phase play now for the Bears as they come into our half with tackles to spare. They kick back in from right to left around the ruck and get a very marginal call for a line drop out in their favour! Looked to me as if Millard knocked it on in front of the posts but the ref believes that Butler-Fleming lost is backwards over the deal ball line.

Either way justice (from my view) is served as the Bears cough the ball up midway through the count.

Wenty just need to get to their kick and regain a footy in this half. They sort of do it with a scrappy set that sees Henry take the long range kick down a very narrow right edge short side. Still a complete set it is.

 

[Forty20]

Soft penalty to the Bears now as the ref isn't happy with Wenty holding down. It was a late call though, a few miffed Magpies out there.

And now more 'interesting' calls for the Bears as they lose the ball in the tackle from the first hit up. Looked deadset lost but the ref again hesitates and blows a penalty. The mark is advanced 10m when the Wenty players throw the ball away in disgust.

The Magpies lift and show vigor through the early parts of this defensive set before the Bears look for a big left edge play. A pass goes astray and as you so often see it causes some indecision in the defence. It sits up favourably for the centre, John Olive perhaps, and he outpaces Vai Toutai initially. Toutai comes at him from the side but Faraimo hasn't shown faith in his inside man and comes in for the jam as well, opening the way for an offload to the unmarked winger who gets over in the corner.

Faraimo needed to trust Toutai there, regardless of the initial misstep.

The conversion is waved away.

Bears trail Wenty 14-18.

 

[Forty20]

Oh come on! Now the Bears make a complete meal of the kick off and there is almost certainly a knock on or two in the clean up effort but the ref waves play on. Even the North Sydney supporters near me vocally admitted they got away with that one.

Anyway, the Bears go on to complete that dodgy set by heaving the ball down field and it barely rolls dead gifting Wenty the 7 tackle set.

The Magpies play to their left before coming back to the ruck with Moses Manu. A neat short ball from Henry to Nelson sees Cody make some solid metres before Alvaro had a great carry to set up an attacking kick.

The kick itself is awful. Henry has over cooked it by miles as it sails dead on the full but he was hit illegally so play comes back for a penalty.

Wenty take the tap restart.

Alvaro has a carry before Matterson goes desperately close after stepping off his left foot. Henry goes to the right where we are held up but on the next play Toutai redeems himself as he storms over through three defenders!

Pure power there as Vai had no real space to work in and just overcame the attention of multiple defenders.

Gee Wenty needed that though with the Bears going close to taking the entire flow of the game away from the Magpies.

Nelson is unsuccessful in adding the extras.

Wenty lead 22-14

Ualesi comes on for Alvaro now.

 

[Forty20]

Henry fields the kickoff close to the right sideline and turns to Manu for the initial carry. Wenty then shift to their left where Goodall has a run and is followed by Ualesi. Moses Manu gets a second carry to bring up the last and on the back of that Henry rolls in a long range grubber. Easily cleaned up by the Bears though and Wenty compound the territorial issue by getting done again for breaking the 10m mark.

 

[Forty20]

Better goal line work from our right edge this set as they repel Olive but would you believe it? On the last the Bears kick to the posts and Butler-Fleming puts himself in a great position to field the grubber but drops it and the Bears scoop it up. It looked like we were in a position to make the tackle but somehow he wriggles free of the defenders and scores under the posts.

The conversion is successful.

The Bears trail 20-22.

The game is now balanced on a knife's edge.

 

[I'm a loser baby...]

My battery is gonna die, but well done 40/20.

 

[Forty20]

Phew! The Bears threatened to go back to back there after they come down from their attacking bomb with the ball. The second kick ahead comes but Lavaka cleans it up and then races 35m downfield. Faraimo has a big carry in his wake but Wenty can't produce points from the set as the kick to Faraimo on the last is well taken by the Bears.

Wenty hold out to the last where the Bears lose their composure and ind a second rower at first receiver. Alas Wenty aren't on hand to pressure him and the Bears do get a kick away although a turnover quickly results from it.

The Magpies ruck it out over halfway and have one genuine attempt at an attacking play as Butler-Fleming chimes in down the right and makes a solid run. Henry swings around to the right edge short side on the last and rolls the ball into touch at what looks to be the 20m mark for the Bears.

 

[Forty20]

Massive play now! Faraimo takes a clutch intercept! He wants to go all the way to the house but he hasn't got the legs! The young centre for the Bears, John Olive gets an ankle tap on him and although Faraimo gets up for a second attempt he is stopped JUST short.

He is held down for an age as well and the ref has no option but to use the sin bin. Wenty will play will the 1-man advantage. Joel Reddy the man binned.

They waste little time using that difference in numbers as well as a simple left edge play proves to be enough to breach the goal line. Matterson plays out the back to Butler-Fleming who cuts out to Lavaka who turns the ball quickly back to Goodall who reaches out despite the attention of the defence to score!

The conversion is unsuccessful.

Wenty lead the Bears 26-20.

 

[Forty20]

And would you believe it? The Bears have kicked out on the full now! I am used to us doing these sort of shenanigans.

We find touch ~20m into the Bears' half and will be looking to shut out the game. We work from the middle to the right via Manu before a sneaky dummy half attempt comes from newcomer Stevens.

Henry thinks better of fishing for a 4-pointer, pushing back into the slot and nailing the field goal!

Wenty lead the Bears 27-20.

 

[Forty20]

The Bears stay alive though as the short kick off come up trumps. Nelson got a play at the ball but only knocked it up where it was then cleaned up by a red and black chaser.

North Sydney have a crack at out left edge and are turned back before switching to the other side where again they are repelled and on the last tackle they attempt to crash over with a flat ball from dummy half but lose the pill forwards! Great hustle from the Magpies!

 

[Forty20]

No push in the scrum and Moses Manu gets the first carry. Matterson follows with Goodall up next.

Kassis and Alvaro close out the set and Henry rifles it downfield where John Olive has pushed back from centre to take it on the full.

There is a massive carry from one of the North Sydney forwards, he doesn't break the line but carries defenders for 20m but two tackles later the Bears again turn the ball over. The home team form the scrum looking to get time off trying to save every second now.

Wenty win the scrum and use Nelson and Alvaro. Toutai gets a carry now with Nelson in after him for his second run of the set. A very useful run from Gorman gets Wenty up near halfway on the last and Henry looks to drive the ball into touch but some deft hands from Millard or Olive keep the ball in play with a minute to spare. The Bears have one last crack down our left edge where again they turn it over and Moses Manu, Matterson and Lavaka combine for a counter attacking raid that is brought down ~30m out from the Bears' goal line.

Full Time

Wenty 27 DEF North Sydney 20

 

[Kornstar]

Thank Forty, great result!

 

[Forty20]

Courageous effort from Wenty today. They raced out of the blocks with a superb first half effort but the Bears rallied in the second stanza to mount a real challenge to the Magpies. Wenty rolled up the sleeves and despite spending the majority of the second half camped in their own half, Beau Henry showed enough poise to secure the 7-point lead.

I will give a better run down of the best players when I get back home!

 

[emjaycee]

Thanks 40/20.

Did Henry show enough for a FG start?

 

[Parra47]

Thanks 40, look forward to your player review.

 

[T.S Quint]

Isn't Henry only on a Wenty contract?
Doesn't that mean we can't use him in FG at all unless we sign him to a Parra contract, which may be hard considering our cap dramas?

 

[Barry O'Speedwagon]

Isn't Henry only on a Wenty contract?
Doesn't that mean we can't use him in FG at all unless we sign him to a Parra contract, which may be hard considering our cap dramas?

We signed him to two contracts. We'll just pull the 2nd out of the bottom drawer.

 

[Stagger eel]

Easily one of our best performances of the year and plenty out there shined.. Henry, Alvaro, Nelson, Moses , Gorman and both our centres..