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Raper Confident, Taylor Wary
Thursday, August 10, 2006 - 12:04 PM
It will be a tight contest at Toyota Park on Saturday night as the desperate Sharks take on the high flying Eels. The Eels could make an improbable leap into the top four with a win, while a loss will all but end the Sharks season.
While the Eels are flying and playing electrifying Rugby league, the Sharks have been struggling, registering six straight losses and forcing coach Stuart Raper to drop Darren Albert and Matt Hilder while firing a stern warning to Nigel Vagana by naming him on the bench.
Six weeks ago the Sharks were sitting comfortably in third spot and playing some very entertaining and efficient football. In short they were winning and proving themselves to be the surprise packets of the NRL.
Parramatta were just starting to find some form under new coach Jason Taylor and had strung together two straight victories. Those two victories have now become eight and the Eels are firing, but according to coach Jason Taylor they are very wary of a Sharks team that is not only desperate to get back into the top eight but has been under the media spotlight all week.
They will be desperate and I am expecting them to play some of their best football. They have been under the spotlight all week, and that usually fires teams up a bit more.
His counterpart Raper said We have prepared for the Eels as best we can, and I am very confident. I have a great confidence in this team and though the Eels wingers are playing well, Covell and Simmons are good players and they can match up well.
We just have to make sure that we start scoring points and getting the ball over the line. It is where our problem has been. The rest of our game has been good, and if we can score more points we can win.
The Eels return to form has also coincided with Jason Taylor encouraging a couple of players to do more with the ball, most notably Nathan Hindmarsh and Dean Widders. Hindmarsh has been seen running the ball more often while Widders has begun to develop and use a deft kicking game.
I just changed Nathans role slightly, he is having to play more like a front rower in the middle of the park, which is a bonus for us because he gets more ball.
As for Dean I have been encouraging him to kick and it is a part of his game we have not seen before but it has been very effective.
As the Sharks look to rebound with a win, they will face an Eels team who are not only brimming with confidence but also have a tonne of pace that could damage the Sharks. The Eels boast a team that includes Luke Burt, Eric Grothe, Jarryd Hayne and also Wade McKinnon from the bench.
Wade will probably come on at fullback as Luke Burt can play in any position. They are both great players so I will look to utilise them both at different stages, said Taylor.
The Sharks though have their own players who can make an impact from the bench including Paul Gallen and Beau Scott. These two hard ball runners will no doubt be used as impact players by Raper.
Of importance for the Sharks is to be able to contain the Eels small but mobile forward pack, and to do this they will need to make sure they get up off their line quickly and stop the Eels spreading the ball to their talented wide players if they can do this, then they will be right in the game.
The key to this game will be how well Stosic, Thompson and Ciraldo handle the charges of Cayless, Hindmarsh and Morrison who have all been in superb form and getting the Eels over the advantage line. Sharks markers will also have to be very aware of the likes of Riddell, Marsh and McKinnon darting out from dummy half.
If you fancy a bet back the Eels to score the first try through Eric Grothe. Grothe has been outstanding of late and the Sharks have developed a familiar habit of conceding points early.
Source: NRL
http://www.nrl.com/News/ClubNews/ClubNewsArticle/tabid/78/NewsId/2442/Default.aspx
Thursday, August 10, 2006 - 12:04 PM
It will be a tight contest at Toyota Park on Saturday night as the desperate Sharks take on the high flying Eels. The Eels could make an improbable leap into the top four with a win, while a loss will all but end the Sharks season.
While the Eels are flying and playing electrifying Rugby league, the Sharks have been struggling, registering six straight losses and forcing coach Stuart Raper to drop Darren Albert and Matt Hilder while firing a stern warning to Nigel Vagana by naming him on the bench.
Six weeks ago the Sharks were sitting comfortably in third spot and playing some very entertaining and efficient football. In short they were winning and proving themselves to be the surprise packets of the NRL.
Parramatta were just starting to find some form under new coach Jason Taylor and had strung together two straight victories. Those two victories have now become eight and the Eels are firing, but according to coach Jason Taylor they are very wary of a Sharks team that is not only desperate to get back into the top eight but has been under the media spotlight all week.
They will be desperate and I am expecting them to play some of their best football. They have been under the spotlight all week, and that usually fires teams up a bit more.
His counterpart Raper said We have prepared for the Eels as best we can, and I am very confident. I have a great confidence in this team and though the Eels wingers are playing well, Covell and Simmons are good players and they can match up well.
We just have to make sure that we start scoring points and getting the ball over the line. It is where our problem has been. The rest of our game has been good, and if we can score more points we can win.
The Eels return to form has also coincided with Jason Taylor encouraging a couple of players to do more with the ball, most notably Nathan Hindmarsh and Dean Widders. Hindmarsh has been seen running the ball more often while Widders has begun to develop and use a deft kicking game.
I just changed Nathans role slightly, he is having to play more like a front rower in the middle of the park, which is a bonus for us because he gets more ball.
As for Dean I have been encouraging him to kick and it is a part of his game we have not seen before but it has been very effective.
As the Sharks look to rebound with a win, they will face an Eels team who are not only brimming with confidence but also have a tonne of pace that could damage the Sharks. The Eels boast a team that includes Luke Burt, Eric Grothe, Jarryd Hayne and also Wade McKinnon from the bench.
Wade will probably come on at fullback as Luke Burt can play in any position. They are both great players so I will look to utilise them both at different stages, said Taylor.
The Sharks though have their own players who can make an impact from the bench including Paul Gallen and Beau Scott. These two hard ball runners will no doubt be used as impact players by Raper.
Of importance for the Sharks is to be able to contain the Eels small but mobile forward pack, and to do this they will need to make sure they get up off their line quickly and stop the Eels spreading the ball to their talented wide players if they can do this, then they will be right in the game.
The key to this game will be how well Stosic, Thompson and Ciraldo handle the charges of Cayless, Hindmarsh and Morrison who have all been in superb form and getting the Eels over the advantage line. Sharks markers will also have to be very aware of the likes of Riddell, Marsh and McKinnon darting out from dummy half.
If you fancy a bet back the Eels to score the first try through Eric Grothe. Grothe has been outstanding of late and the Sharks have developed a familiar habit of conceding points early.
Source: NRL
http://www.nrl.com/News/ClubNews/ClubNewsArticle/tabid/78/NewsId/2442/Default.aspx
