Forty20
First Grade
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Harold Matthews Trial – Parramatta Eels (12 Tries) DEF Western Suburb Magpies (2 Tries)
The Eels produced a clinical performance in their final pre-season fixture to rout the Magpies on a scorching Saturday afternoon. Cambell Byrd got top billing on the scoreboard with three tries while Jandamurra Stewart and Justin Dalby nabbed two apiece. Braith Aspin, Tyler Field, Jed Edwards, Casey Sioli and I believe Nicholas Fonua rounded out the try-scorers.
David Hollis was extremely impressive in the front row, building on the solid game he played last week against the Panthers. The Magpies had little answer for his bullish charges from kick-offs (and bizarrely, kept kicking it to his side) while he showed some nice ball skills before the line for the second week running. With Sam Hughes out of action with a fractured finger, Henry Hall made a timely return for the Blue & Gold. A product of Scone, Hall seems to fit the workhorse profile after turning in a busy game in both offence and defence.
While Hollis and Hall thumped the Magpies in the ruck, Trey Mooney emerged as a potent weapon for Parramatta on the right-edge. The dynamic backrower was a handful for Wests all day and set the tone for the Eels’ dominance from the early exchanges. His combination with his outside men in Penioni (Ben) Tohi and Braith Aspin shredded the left-edge of the Magpies and it will be exciting to see how they perform together in regular season.
Caleb Tohi (cousin of Ben), Justin Dalby and Callum Scott rounded out the stand out performers in the forward pack, with the trio of backrowers getting constantly involved throughout the game with and without the ball.
Cambell Byrd played a textbook game in the custodial position, earning his hat-trick with stellar supporting play. He was equally impressive in his kick positioning and was busy organising the defensive line throughout the game.
Jandamurra Stewart was the other outside back that jumped out. Stewart is far from slightly built but he definitely plays bigger than his billed size, bringing some fiery passion onto the field. He showed plenty of class to finish off the second try for the Eels, diving and contorting his body over the left sideline in an effort that would make any first-grade winger proud. He would later go on to truck a defender while rucking the ball out of his own red zone and converting the tackle break into a 50m bust.
With the likes of bookends Christian Wahongi and Albert Etuai-faavae and backrower Jayden Skinner scheduled to return in Round 1 the Eels look set to make a strong start to the Harold Matthews campaign. Beyond that there is still plenty of class sitting in the injury ward with Sam Hughes and halfback Charlie Murray due back later in the season.
SG Ball Trial – Parramatta Eels (22) DEF. BY Western Suburb Magpies (30)
With temperatures soaring close to 40 degrees Celsius, the Eels and Magpies played a high-scoring affair in decidedly testing conditions. Parramatta started off strongly, racing out to a 22-point lead before the Magpies over-ran the Eels in the second half to finish 30-22 victors. While a loss is obviously an undesirable result, the Eels opted to expose their core players to the elements in an effort to get some important mileage into the team before Round 1. Vallance Harris, Dennis Maitaia, Dylan Brown and Harry Duggan were the try-scorers in the loss with Brown converting three of the four tries.
While his playing stint may have only been brief, it was incredibly encouraging to see Ethan Parry push through his 20-odd minutes in his return from a long-term leg injury. Usually a common sight at wing or centre, Parry lined up at fullback for the Eels in the first quarter of play. There were no particularly flashy plays to speak of but was moving fluidly throughout the hit out.
Vea Tapa’atoutai, henceforth Vea Tapa, was lively in the first half. Tapa showed off a marked improvement in his ruck vision, spying out a poorly defended short-side and springing loose to put Dennis Mataia over. He would later add a line-break to his name after splitting the defensive line wide open from a scrum win in mid-field.
Prop forwards Mark Tepu-Smith and former-backrower Vallance Harris were stout in the middle, with Harris scoring from close range. They were deputised by Harry Duggan and Bruce Wakeling, who both toiled hard for extended periods in the grueling heat. Backrowers Jesse Cronin and Matt Doorey had their moments with the former laying on a couple of stiff shots in defence while the latter made a big break down the left-edge.
Like their junior counterparts in the Harold Matthews, the SG Ball are expecting considerable reinforcements for Round 1. Stefano Utoikamanu will add plenty of size and athleticism to the front row while Kyle Schneider will further augment the forward pack with his wily play at hooker. The outside backs will welcome back William Kei and there are also potentially a number of SG Ball eligible players currently training in the Holden Cup that will drop back for the opening fixture against the Bulldogs.
The Eels produced a clinical performance in their final pre-season fixture to rout the Magpies on a scorching Saturday afternoon. Cambell Byrd got top billing on the scoreboard with three tries while Jandamurra Stewart and Justin Dalby nabbed two apiece. Braith Aspin, Tyler Field, Jed Edwards, Casey Sioli and I believe Nicholas Fonua rounded out the try-scorers.
David Hollis was extremely impressive in the front row, building on the solid game he played last week against the Panthers. The Magpies had little answer for his bullish charges from kick-offs (and bizarrely, kept kicking it to his side) while he showed some nice ball skills before the line for the second week running. With Sam Hughes out of action with a fractured finger, Henry Hall made a timely return for the Blue & Gold. A product of Scone, Hall seems to fit the workhorse profile after turning in a busy game in both offence and defence.
While Hollis and Hall thumped the Magpies in the ruck, Trey Mooney emerged as a potent weapon for Parramatta on the right-edge. The dynamic backrower was a handful for Wests all day and set the tone for the Eels’ dominance from the early exchanges. His combination with his outside men in Penioni (Ben) Tohi and Braith Aspin shredded the left-edge of the Magpies and it will be exciting to see how they perform together in regular season.
Caleb Tohi (cousin of Ben), Justin Dalby and Callum Scott rounded out the stand out performers in the forward pack, with the trio of backrowers getting constantly involved throughout the game with and without the ball.
Cambell Byrd played a textbook game in the custodial position, earning his hat-trick with stellar supporting play. He was equally impressive in his kick positioning and was busy organising the defensive line throughout the game.
Jandamurra Stewart was the other outside back that jumped out. Stewart is far from slightly built but he definitely plays bigger than his billed size, bringing some fiery passion onto the field. He showed plenty of class to finish off the second try for the Eels, diving and contorting his body over the left sideline in an effort that would make any first-grade winger proud. He would later go on to truck a defender while rucking the ball out of his own red zone and converting the tackle break into a 50m bust.
With the likes of bookends Christian Wahongi and Albert Etuai-faavae and backrower Jayden Skinner scheduled to return in Round 1 the Eels look set to make a strong start to the Harold Matthews campaign. Beyond that there is still plenty of class sitting in the injury ward with Sam Hughes and halfback Charlie Murray due back later in the season.
SG Ball Trial – Parramatta Eels (22) DEF. BY Western Suburb Magpies (30)
With temperatures soaring close to 40 degrees Celsius, the Eels and Magpies played a high-scoring affair in decidedly testing conditions. Parramatta started off strongly, racing out to a 22-point lead before the Magpies over-ran the Eels in the second half to finish 30-22 victors. While a loss is obviously an undesirable result, the Eels opted to expose their core players to the elements in an effort to get some important mileage into the team before Round 1. Vallance Harris, Dennis Maitaia, Dylan Brown and Harry Duggan were the try-scorers in the loss with Brown converting three of the four tries.
While his playing stint may have only been brief, it was incredibly encouraging to see Ethan Parry push through his 20-odd minutes in his return from a long-term leg injury. Usually a common sight at wing or centre, Parry lined up at fullback for the Eels in the first quarter of play. There were no particularly flashy plays to speak of but was moving fluidly throughout the hit out.
Vea Tapa’atoutai, henceforth Vea Tapa, was lively in the first half. Tapa showed off a marked improvement in his ruck vision, spying out a poorly defended short-side and springing loose to put Dennis Mataia over. He would later add a line-break to his name after splitting the defensive line wide open from a scrum win in mid-field.
Prop forwards Mark Tepu-Smith and former-backrower Vallance Harris were stout in the middle, with Harris scoring from close range. They were deputised by Harry Duggan and Bruce Wakeling, who both toiled hard for extended periods in the grueling heat. Backrowers Jesse Cronin and Matt Doorey had their moments with the former laying on a couple of stiff shots in defence while the latter made a big break down the left-edge.
Like their junior counterparts in the Harold Matthews, the SG Ball are expecting considerable reinforcements for Round 1. Stefano Utoikamanu will add plenty of size and athleticism to the front row while Kyle Schneider will further augment the forward pack with his wily play at hooker. The outside backs will welcome back William Kei and there are also potentially a number of SG Ball eligible players currently training in the Holden Cup that will drop back for the opening fixture against the Bulldogs.
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