Parramatta Eels Holden Cup & Junior Reps Thread Part III

[Poupou Escobar]

Tepai on the left edge it looks like.

Dargan left, Izzard right?

 

[Forty20]

Long time to get this scrum happening. Melbourne try to push against the feed and go close to winning it before the ref calls it up.

Miski is the recipient from the base and takes a run. Raeli and Aloiai follow. The Eels then take it down their left but French is picked off out the back. A poor kick down the middle results in an easy possession get for the Storm.

 

[Forty20]

Dargan left, Izzard right?

Yes sir.

 

[Forty20]

Oh dear. Error in the play the ball from Miski on our goal line. Tonne of pressure on us now.

Scrum is set centre field.

Storm go down their left first before trying to crash over under the posts. Melbourne throw it around a bit before trying to kick in behind Miski. The kick is too shallow and Miski leaps up and plucks it before setting off downfield. He links up with Fuimaono who then finds Izzard who is eventually taken. The Eels spin it to the left, Moeroa passes to Davis who flicks out the back to Gafa but incredibly the ref has ruled forward pass. Terrible call.

 

[Forty20]

Excellent tackle from Gafa there. 3-on-2 but he shoot well to kill the over lap. The Storm run out of options this set and ultimately try to bomb Gafa who has an age to take the kick just in the field of play.

Another involvement for Fuimaono who makes another healthy gain and in the next ruck the Eels earn a penalty.

 

[Forty20]

Amone absolutely streams in for the restart. Melbourne take him well after a decent gain.

Bush runs from dummy half but is taken by a questionable marker before Izzard throws a loooooopy pass to Dargan with a gusty breeze that Troy can't pull in and knocks on.

 

[Forty20]

Linespeed lacking this set as Melbourne rumble it up the middle. Melbourne eventually kick in behind down their left and some how come away with the ball and a fresh set of six. Fuimaono must have lost it in the contest on the ground.

Unfortunately the call comes results in another try as Melbourne line up down their right. We misread the sweep badly and although their fullback nearly butchers the movement they recover and their winger scores with some last-ditch quick hands. Based on the Davis pass, there was certainly a forward pass there from centre to winger but that is enough salt from me.

Conversion is unsuccessful.

Storm lead Parra 14-8

35min gone.

 

[Forty20]

Some great offloads from the Storm now but it leads to an injury for one of their players. Useful break for the Eels it must be said as our line was reeling from the second phase play.

 

[Forty20]

Lovely work from French there! This wind is making kicks terrible to deal with but he flies across the goal line and takes it cleanly before making a 30m gain.

Alas we come up with another error as Dargan (or maybe Izzard) drops it cold from an offload.

Dargan then makes a good tackle as the Storm sortie down our left edge. They work it to the posts but we hold out until the last where Atini Gafa does superbly to get out of the in goals. Went like a missile into the chasers there to force his way out.

 

[Forty20]

Izzard kicks early but gets underneath it too much, making it easy fodder for the Melbourne winger to get it.

The Storm expose our fragile ruck again right on half time with second phase ball as two offloads in the one play prove to be enough to see them score next to the posts. Soft defence there. We are failing to lock up the ball and Melbourne are punishing us for it.

Conversion is successful.

Half Time

Melbourne lead Parramatta 20-8

 

[Forty20]

Aloiai is playing on the right with Tepai on the left. We might need to seriously consider moving either into the middle the way we are defending.

 

[hindy111]

Looks like ive blown my money....dam parra

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Should whack another five grand on the comeback, hindyeleven. You won't get odds this good again all game.

 

[hindy111]

Should whack another five grand on the comeback, hindyeleven. You won't get odds this good again all game.

Drained my account..had $120 left. Thought we good things with Alioia and tepai

 

[Forty20]

Drained my account..had $120 left. Thought we good things with Alioia and tepai

We are losing the game up the middle and compounding the matter with soft turn over. Even though both are guns (especially Tep) there is only so much they can do.

 

[Forty20]

Tepu-Smith has the first carry of the half. Kaufusi and Muna to follow before Moeroa creates something from nothing down the left. Great run and offload to Davis! Davis races down the left before passing to Gafa but Atini hasn't got the legs and is run down.

Parra quickly spin it right with French throwing the cut out to Miski, Abbas can either gun it for the corner or step back in and opts for the latter. He looks to have made it either way but the ref rules knock on over the line! Damn it. Hang on, he has stayed down and looks to be in a bad way. They are treating his head it looks like.

No video ref so there is no review or challenge to check what happened but he is in a bad way. He has been opened up and it getting helped off.

 

[Forty20]

Again no penalty for the Eels as there is no video ref.

Mick Doolan has come onto the wing in Miski's place.

Capable defence this set and it nets a somewhat foruitous 20m restart as the Storm kick hits the corner post with a chaser in hot pursuit.

 

[Forty20]

Spiff ball from Dargan to Davis there, nearly gets Davis away. Nathan throws a speculator offload that Gafa cleans up and that brings up the last.

We bomb it to our right but the breeze has switched again and the ball sails too deep.

 

[Forty20]

Melbourne make good metres from the 20m restart but much like us their bomb ts too deep on the last and Gafa defuses it for another 20m restart.

Moeroa threatening again but Melbourne just bring him down and then we just fall apart this set. No one has an idea what is happening. Moeroa ends up with the ball again and heads in field but loses it in contact.

That was awful from the entire team.

 

[Forty20]

Six again for the Storm as Raeli charges down their kick. Will have to hold out here to stay in the game me thinks and as I type that it looks like we have been found out down our right. Fuimaono gave up too much space to his opposite and even though he might have made it in time to make the cover tackle, Doolan doesn't trust him and jams in. The Storm just pass to the winger but the last ball has been ruled forwards.

Slice of luck there.