Wow! I'm so, so proud of the boys tonight. We didn't quite get the win, which I don't think anyone expected us to anyway, but we have finished off the year on a good note. I thought it was going to be close to a repeat of last week I must be honest. It was probably the weakest line up all year and so many of our best players were out. However, to the guys that came in and went out there, I say well done. They everyone was pretty good and everyone was putting in a big effort to ensure that we did finish the year off on the right note.
As I was saying, I don't think anyone expected us to get within 18 points, let alone take the Eels right down to the wire! It obviously wasn't perfect as a few errors and missed opportunities in that second half allowed Parra too many chances but it was a massive effort and that's all I wanted.
Cook: Was good in a relatively unfamiliar position. Looked pretty dangerous when he had the ball, I was really hoping he'd go the length of the field when he made that break but oh well. He was also laying on some nice passes for the outside men and was safe at the back. I did think his positioning was off at times and he did just hand the ball off to Graham a few too many times but overall, he did his job.
Jennings: Was really good. Had some poor defence early on for that first Parra try but really stood up after that. Strong runs which really helped out the forwards, he was more involved in this aspect tonight. Saved the day on defence up against his brother with a few brilliant intercepts and his try in the corner was great finishing. He's starting to improve which is good to see heading into next season.
Fuimaono: Imo, one of our best tonight. Like Jennings, a bit of poor defence early on but boy was he good after that! Damaging, barnstorming runs and he was really involved. Just about every run he took was so powerful. Did a good job to keep Michael Jennings quiet for the rest of the game too.
Goodwin: In his final game for us I thought we was solid. As we've come to expect from Bryson, he did a lot of the shit work and a lot of these were very strong with the late footwork he has. It's a shame he was offside for his try and it wasn't awarded but that;s Rugby League. Defensively, he was shaky at times but that's okay. Been an awesome servant to the Red and Green and I'll be a bit sad to see him go tbh.
Graham: Also solid. This kid takes really tough runs. He seems to always be there when we're working it out of our end and he looks confident in his running as it's nice and hard. In the first half he did a really good job on Semi, unfortunately, Semi got the best of hm later but Camy still did a good job and it is a valuable lesson for him.
Cody: Was good. I thought he controlled things nicely tonight, a better kicking game and he was always looking to create something. He looked pretty dangerous and he was creating opportnities.
Kelly: Did a really good job tonight. I thought we'd look awful with him but it was quite the opposite. His kicking game was nice, prehaps better than Reyno's at times and he was creating things in attack. It's a shame Goodwin's try wasn't awarded as it was a great kick from Kelly. Defensively he was good too. Certainly didn't look like a "dud" tonight.
T.Burgess: Was good, in paticular the last 20 or so minutes. He ran really hard and was bending the line on every run which is what we want to see. It was an impressive performance, him and George are building.
Farah: He was actually pretty good tonight. Was able to control the flow of the game from his manipulation of the ruck at times and this really helped with our go forward. Had a few nice soots too and great play to set up Turner's try. But I still think his service is too slow, it's just not quick enough.
G.Burgess: Similar to Tom's comment. Maybe wasn't quite as impactful as his brother but still good.
Sutton: Solid. Didn't o anything special but did his job and that's all you can ask for. Had a hand in some nice set plays.
Turner: Did a really good job tonight, He needed to step up with Crichton gone and to his credit, he did. Ran hard all night and he actually bent the line back a few times. Kept defence tigh in the middle and his try was awesome!
Murray: Boy, this kid is something special. He's not even that big but is so powerful, seems to carry defenders with him every run and that didn't change tonight. His defensive workrate is huge and almost every tackle was quality. He's showed good stuff this year and I can't wait to see him further develop in 2018.
Britt: had limited minutes but wasn't bad. He was full of energy and had some strong runs, got a few offloads away too. I want to see more.
Clark: Actually pretty strong. He did his job which is all we need from players like him. Clark seems to have discovered some leg drive too which is good.
Tyrrell: Not bad. Same as Clark, did his job. Dave has been a great clubman for us but is is time he departed.
Talaki: Didn't get many minutes at all so there's not much to say. Did he come on as a second rower?
All in all, I'm so pround of this performance after last week. A stark contrast. We went toe to toe with a top four team and the boys can hold their heads high. Our season is now done but it's a good note to finish off. I'm actually really happy with that game.
Apart from that Storm game, I'm satisfied with the finish to the year.
And that's my final game review for the year, hope you guys didn't mind them.
I will be doing a 2017 season review in the coming weeks.
