Parramatta Eels Holden Cup & Junior Reps Thread Part III

[Kornstar]

Tui Olaopu, Zach Dockar-Clay, Aaron Pene and Bevan French the try scorers in the half.

From the limited minutes I saw both Bevan French and Alex Twal were playing very well.

They were definitely that good the whole half Forty

 

[Forty20]

Cheers Korny. Twal I am certain will be a force for us in the front row this year but how French handles the NYC will have a big bearing on our campaign. Glad he is looking to run the ball and the Dogs are struggling each time he does it.

 

[Forty20]

Dogs out first for the second half. Parra will be kicking off.

 

[Kornstar]

Twal looks a beast, looks out of place almost.

French has looked like he is easily up to it, but this is the first half I've seen him this year.

Looks like I picked the right game to miss last week as they have looked a level above the Dogs so far in this game.

 

[Forty20]

Davis gets play started with the kick off. The Dogs quickly work the ball from their right edge to the left before coming back to the centre for the kick. Guy Hamilton fishes for a 40/20 but Davis is well placed to retrieve the ball.

Parra focus on rucking it out in their first set of the half and draw a penalty for some very lazy ruck work. They find touch 25m out from the Canterbury goal line but lose the ball on the first carry. Ordinary stuff it must be said.

 

[Forty20]

Clay is bumped off there but the defence converges to help him out. The Dogs find space down our right edge afterwards and pinch 20 metres before they too come up with an error two tackles later.

 

[Forty20]

Nice ball from French down the left edge but Smith grasses it. Might have been a chance for Miski there is Smith held onto it.

Canterbury scrum 15m off their goal line.

 

[Forty20]

Another error from the Dogs as the ball they turn on back on the inside finds the carpet. Parra will pack in for a scrum feed just inside the opposition half.

Oh dear, they too come up with another error. That was on the first receiver, maybe Smith again?

 

[Forty20]

The Dogs venture down the right edge of the Eels but we mark up well and trap the winger without giving away an advantage. The Dogs swing back to their right for the last and Abbas Miski earns a penalty when he cops a knock going up to contest the ball.

Haha, I think the captain for the Dogs wanted words with there but even up in the concourse I could hear the ref dismiss him.

Good run from Raeli midway through the set but the ref finds an error in the play the ball. Izzard was shaping up for a dangerous dart there as well. Raeli is miffed at the call but we will have a scrum none the less.

 

[Forty20]

The Dogs use their right edge shortside from the scrum win and following tackle before heading cross field. The Eels read the shift well and contain the movement bringing up the last for the Dogs. They bomb to the opposite side of the field and come up with the take but the Eels fly in to kill the play and make the turnover.

Alas there is another error from the Eels as they look to ruck it out. Might have been a hand in there...may have just been a poor carry - hard to tell from up here.

 

[Kornstar]

We have not held the ball for one set this half so far. It's a completely different team.

 

[Forty20]

Haha wow this is hard to follow at times. Canterbury immediately come up with an error themselves and Parra get the ball back.

Parra march down field and Bevan French rolls the ball into the back field on the last. The Canterbury fullback makes a poor initial play at the ball and is forced back in goals to field the pill before Reimis Smith quite literally ropes him in and drags him dead.

 

[Forty20]

Not much doing early in this set and indeed there is another error as Clay's forceful short pass is dropped by Fuimaono (I think) heading into contact. The option out the back was probably the play there.

Parra then concede a penalty but a very poor kick from the Dogs means they don't give up too much ground.

Dreadful second half from both teams so far.

 

[Forty20]

Solid set of defence for the Eels as the Dogs complete a rare set. Pene fields their ineffective kick in our red zone and we begin to ruck it out.

We too complete our set...with an equally poor kick as French goes for the midfield bomb which is taken with ease by the Dogs' custodian.

 

[Forty20]

Tom Amone earns a penalty deep in the count for the Eels. Twal is back on and makes his presence known with a bullish run, drawing in several defends. Izzard shows some wile there, capitalising on the strong run from his bookend to dart over from short range.

Very easy try and first of the half.

The conversion is successful.

Parra lead the Dogs 24-4

60min gone.

*Edit* Stadium announced the try scorer as Craig Field...not sure either way to be honest.

 

[Forty20]

Momentum all with Parra as they come up with a penalty off the kick off return set.

And this time I think it WAS Craig Field as he undoes the territorial gain by playing the ball sideways and gifting the Dogs a penalty.

 

[Forty20]

The Dogs are more adventurous in their raid down our right this time with some second phase play. We scramble well and bring their centre down eventually. They come back to their right for the last, something they seem to favour but we clean up the grubber from dummy half via Davis before picking up another penalty.

 

[Forty20]

Lovely ball from Twal to Kaufusi there! Nearly put him through. The Eels then go to their right and find Fuimaono who steps back the other way twice threatening to open the dogs up. He looks for support but his pass is batted up by a defender and then intercepted on the second attempt. Close call for the Dogs there but a nice play.

 

[Forty20]

Error from the Eels yet again. *sigh*

This comes after the Dogs turned the ball over in our red zone. The Dogs finally make the Eels pay as John Fomai picks up his second try of the night down the right edge. Meanwhile an Eel has been left behind in the ruck. Might be Paula Kaufusi. He is still down after the conversion attempt and is now getting helped off the field.

The conversion is successful.

The Dogs trail Parra 10-24

67min gone.

 

[Forty20]

And now a penalty for the Dogs for a strip. Contentious call but a helpful boost for the home team.

They play down their left edge for most of the set before bringing the ball to the middle near the last. Obvious pattern it looks like.

Parra clean up their kick but it a twist that will truly amaze you...they come up with an error a tackle later.

Scrum to the Dogs, 10m off our goal line.