Parramatta Eels Holden Cup & Junior Reps Thread Part III

[Casper The Ghost]

The under 18s team is basically whichever 18 year olds are regulars in the Holden Cup. Our only 18 year olds are Tonise, Dargan, Doolan and Layoun, and none of them have been regulars.

See, he's done it again. Was the best investment I've ever made.

 

[Stagger eel]

Wah, wah... Remis Smith :roll:.

Well only a complete dope like yourself would dismiss it as a non issue just like you did with Hayne leaving...

#nfi

 

[Forty20]

Eels as per the program today.

 

[Forty20]

Cowboys will be kicking off today.

 

[Forty20]

Game gets underway as the Cowboys pick out Izzard who then turns to Raeli. Twal is next fora good run, solid metres gained. Markus plays first receiver to Raeli on the third before the Eels come down there left and pick up the opening penalty of the game.

Davis finds touch 20m out.

Morris is given the first run this set with Twal to follow. Eels work it ot the right but Izzard's pass to French is awful and Bevan has to dart 10m back to clean it up.

Markus brings up the last as he centres the ball and an excellent grubber kick from Dargan will earn the Eels a drop out.

 

[Forty20]

Twal with the drop out return. Raeli follows but is well tackled up the middle. Markus is up next before the Eels have a crack down their right but are repelled.

On the left shift Izzard throws ANOTHER wayward pass and this one is scooped up off the ground by the visitors. Terrible stuff.

 

[Forty20]

Good shot by Twal in defence but the Cowboys get in range for an attacking kick on their last.

Suli doesn't attack the bomb on the last and the Cowboys catch it and weave between our right edge defenders to score. French had little chance of making the save there after the Cowboys regained the ball. Very, very ordinary stuff all around.

Conversion is good.

Cowboys repel the early pressure and now lead 6-0

6min gone.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Go Forty!

 

[Forty20]

Good sliding defence by Gafa late in the set there. Cowboys had the 3 on 2 but we shut it down and brought up the last. French is well positioned to field a deep bomb and heads back for a 10m return.

Dargan creates half a chance by holding up an inside ball nicely. Good defence saves the breach though. Dargan then finds the in goals with a deft stab kick and it it a good contest between the kick chase and the return which sees the Cowboys just avoid a second line drop out.

Unfortunately two tackles later the Eels are pinged for a high shot right on the goal line which undoes an otherwise excellent start to that defensive set.

 

[Forty20]

Touch is found 25m out from the Cowboy's goal line.

Another solid start to a defensive set but the Eels allow a late offload that lets the Cowboys pinch a further 10m and get into their half. Fortunately a good jam down our left edge on the 4th tackle forces an error. Not sure if that was Morris or Gafa with the defensive play there.

Good run from the scrum win, might have been Raeli. He is followed by Suli and then Fuimaono who has a strong carry and play-the ball down the right. ZDC darts from the ruck on the back of it but is tackled by the retreating defence.

Alas, the Eels fall apart on the last. They try a short side raid but French is half tackled and looks for support. His pass hits the deck but is cleaned up by Dargan who then bombs the right. Neither team gets a clean play at the kick and it is left to bounce and does so fortuitously for the Cowboys who then race 70m downfield and draw a penalty at the end of the frenetic play.

The swing in territory and possession is too much for the Eels as they again allow an offload late in a tackle which then sees the Cowboys spread the ball to our left where we are short and they cross between Dargan and Morris I believe.

Conversion is good.

Cowboys leading 12-0

14min gone.

 

[Forty20]

Eels will have another set in the Cowboy's red zone as the ref finds a small knock on their second tackle.

Really need to make something happen this set.

The home team are stacked to the left by only end up using Morris on the crash line. On the following tackle they execute a backline move down the right. Izzard finally finds his range on the pass and hits French cleanly who then cuts out to Suli. Not sure how clean his shot at coming back on the inside to score was but it is a moot point as Suli drops the ball...

This team I swear...

 

[Forty20]

Rough penalty now against the Eels. Cowboys look for an outside/inside ruck play but the runner is hammered in a good tackle from an awake defender but he is pinged for a high shot. The Eels players are filthy and question the ref (as politely as you can get in a footy game) about the call.

Luck swings back to the home team as the Cowboys come up with an unforced error midway through their set with an errant pass from their left centre to winger going into touch.

Hang on, there must have been an Eels' hand in there somewhere as the Cowboys get the scrum feed.

And oh dear, they sure do make Parra pay as a sweeping right edge movement leads to an overlap. Miski is left with a 2-on-1 and can't stop the visitors strolling over.

Conversion is good.

Cowboys with the 18point lead now.

And you know what comes next, the old kick out on the full...

 

[hineyrulz]

#academy

 

[Forty20]

Although the Eels hold on this set the Cowboys kick well on their fourth tackle and force French to play at the ball deep in his in goals. He hasn't a chance in hell at getting back into the field of play so we will have a line drop out.

Davis hammers the drop out close to 70m on the bounce, damn good kick.

The visitors still ruck back into our half and go very close to scoring - down our right this time - as Suli is beaten by the pass but some desperate cover defence by Fuimaono and French I think make the save and get the 20m restart.

And huzzah! The Eels finally crack the Cowboys goal line open! It takes a bit of a rusty inside ball from Dargan to Gafa who steams into the line and then offloads to French. Bevan gets the ball near the uprights throws a big dummy to his right and steps between two defenders to score under the posts.

Gee that was needed.

Davis adds the extras.

Eels trail 6-18

25min gone.

 

[Forty20]

Mid range kick off from the Cowboys. French races up to take it and ends up running it as well.

Morris gets it down our left and draws a ruck penalty. Bit of momentum for the home team now.

Gaga restarts to Dargan who then uses Morris.

There is something on down our right but Izzard's pass it as French's ankles who does amazingly well to hold the ball.

f**k me...

Our halves are struggling to combine at the moment, Izzard throws a loopy cut out to Dargan who scrambles forwards to catch it, getting caught by the defence. Dargan then throws a panic pass which is intercepted and the Cowboys steal 50m down field and then pick up a penalty at the end of the run for holding down - no sin bin though.

So little structure. I honestly don't think it is a personnel issue (well Izzard is an issue today) but more so a coaching thing.

Anyway we dodge a bullet as we force an error but unbelievably we throw ANOTHER interception as Fuimaono looks to push a quick pass to Davis. The execution is well off and it loops up and this time we can't bring the runner down, despite French's best effort.

We are killing ourselves very quickly here.

Conversion is nailed from in front.

Cowboys secure the 18 point lead again, 24-6

31min gone.

 

[Forty20]

Geez, falling apart this set. Strong ruck work sees a half break made and French has to commit to a tackle. Does well to stop the bleeding. First time this game the Cowboys have really gotten on top in the ruck.

Cowboys get to an attacking kick and bomb Suli again but this time he leaps up for the clean take.

Solid set for the Eels. Looks like ZDC has moved into the halves and Nifo Seve is on for his maiden cap in the NYC. Clay completes the set with a poor bomb that puts the Cowboy's fullback under zero pressure.

Bit of panic for the Cowboys in their reply set. They get to the last and make a late call to run it down their left. They end up kicking midfield via their winger where Miski cleans it up and nets a solid gain as well.

 

[Forty20]

Terrific run from Seve! Gets the ball from a loopy pass from Miski and steps and weaves his way through defenders for a 20m gain and is barely stopped at the goal line! Deserved a try there.

Unfortunately we have zero idea what to do on the next tackle, the last tackle as it were, and sort of run it down the right. Fuimaono gets a crash ball and rolls through the tackle to pass to Davis who hit possibly early and is ruled to knock on.

Eels compound the matter by conceding consecutive penalties...

 

[Forty20]

Decent set of defence on the goal line now. Hold the Cowboys out for the full set and make the tackle on the last for a turnover. Need more of that.

Time off for a bloody Cowboy.

 

[Barry O'Speedwagon]

D.

Time off for a bloody Cowboy.

Is that a new cocktail? ;-)

 

[Forty20]

2min to go in the half.

Excellent dummy half dart from Fuimaono down the right. We then look for a raid down our left but we are held out and then Clay's flat kick in behind is taken in the defensive line. Need a better result than that.

Solid set from the visitors in return. They just ruck it out and then find touch 10m off the Eels' goal line.

Eels set the scrum with 30sec to play but we are long odds at producing something worthwhile based on the first 39min.

Izzard runs the ball on the first but is taken easily. We continue to work down the right with another good run to Tyrell's name. The left edge switch comes but although we nearly poke our noses through with Aaron Pene if I am not mistaken then defence barely do enough to bring him down and closeo ut the first half.

Half Time

Cowboys 24 lead Eels 6