Round 5 v Parramatta Eels

[Georgeg]

Our ball movement is good & its a solid team across the park but our 5th tackle option
is the same every time & so predictable. The fullback & wingers stand right back knowing whats coming.
Whats wrong with a chip over the top to break up the defence, we would have to have the quickest
hookers in the NRL.
Did anyone see Adam Reynolds chip & chase? A breath of fresh air from a bygone era!
What does the attack coach do?

 

[Wolfgang90]

Our ball movement is good & its a solid team across the park but our 5th tackle option
is the same every time & so predictable. The fullback & wingers stand right back knowing whats coming.
Whats wrong with a chip over the top to break up the defence, we would have to have the quickest
hookers in the NRL.
Did anyone see Adam Reynolds chip & chase? A breath of fresh air from a bygone era!
What does the attack coach do?

Most teams kick for field position. The Bulldogs do it expertly, kick to a corner then chase hard. We're doing the same but without a similar effectiveness. The inability of our halves to maintain composure in the final 20mins & choke under pressure is worrying.

 

[Daptodragon]

I can't for the life of me work out why so many people are getting worked up over the halves. Yes, they probably aren't 1st grade standard, but they weren't the problem yesterday. Yesterday we lost the game in the middle, and the stats tell you that. Our back five all ran for over 130 m, telling you how much work we had to do bringing the ball out of our own end of the field. Our only forwards to crack the 100m mark were Couchman and Su'A. We had very little impact from anyone else. I thought Egan went well, but the rest were ordinary. Klemmer, Luc, and Jack barely broke the 20m mark with their post-contact, a telling statistic that shows you Parramatta's dominance in the middle.

Looking at their stats, you see a massive 190m for Paulo with nearly 80 post-contact, and their two back rowers, Lane and Kautoga, running for 90m and 130m, respectively, and both just shy of 50m post-contact. Hopgood, also just shy of 100 m, and Dylan Walker, 143m. It tells you the story. We lost the middle, plain and simple. And you can rest assured that it won't be the last time that happens this year. Complaining about the halves is like whingeing about a dislocated finger when your whole arm is broken and in a sling. In saying that, I'm not making excuses for them. Flanagan was missing in action for most of the game, and Ilias wasn't much better.

At the end of the day, in the off-season, we needed to recruit middles, and we didn't. And it's not like these players weren't available. I remember when Sitili Tupouniua was mentioned, and we didn't end up chasing him, which I found baffling since every man and their dog knew we looked forward light coming into this year. Does anyone seriously think we couldn't do with a player like Sitili now?

I have a terrible feeling that yesterday's formula will be repeated time and time again this season, and there's nothing we or the players who end up playing in the halves can do about it...

Great post, completely agree with you.

 

[justadragon]

Was I mistaken or wasnt JDB placed on report for a crusher tackle. There was clear evidence it wasnt, and Parra score from that, We simply cannot handle poor decisions against us, yes mentally weak. OT and others have mentioned that kicking a FG when we were 20-8 up would have just about put the game to bed regardless of shit decisions. Until we get a Bonafide game manager in the halves we are ratshit, and the team will continue to wallow about aimlessly, especially under pressure.

 

[Slippery Morris]

I was at the game and do apologise as I am a freaking curse and have not seen them win in a long time live.

What I saw is as soon as Egan and Stewart came on things changed. There was more energy and no surprise Saints looked so much more effective and the halves were able to create more. Blake Lawrie comes on for Couchy around 60 mins. Hamish goes off in the 54th min for JDB. Blake goes off in the 77th min when the damage was done and Parra are equal 22-22. He looks unfit and not NRL standard. I cannot see how Latu or Tonga can be any more of a risk ahead of Blake. Luciano should also be off the bench and not starting. The guy is not a starter and will give more impact off the bench.

Last week Stewart, Egan and Couchy were all on most of the 2nd half, and Saints played the best team in the comp and kept them scoreless in the second half. Our answer is right there. No blaming the Halves as they got Saints to a comfortable lead. Save the Youngsters for the back end of the halves and put the old flops like Klemmer and Lawrie for 10-15 at the beginning of the halves not at the end.

 

[SEAT 1A]

The inability of our halves to maintain composure in the final 20mins & choke under pressure is worrying.

For the life of me, I can't understand how you are leading by 12 and not control the game to stop any pressure.

We may not be able to put on a cricket score yet however, you got to put the pressure on the other teams.

Seems that when we get to that point, we can't nail it and the pressure is on us.

 

[Wolfgang90]

I was at the game and do apologise as I am a freaking curse and have not seen them win in a long time live.

What I saw is as soon as Egan and Stewart came on things changed. There was more energy and no surprise Saints looked so much more effective and the halves were able to create more. Blake Lawrie comes on for Couchy around 60 mins. Hamish goes off in the 54th min for JDB. Blake goes off in the 77th min when the damage was done and Parra are equal 22-22. He looks unfit and not NRL standard. I cannot see how Latu or Tonga can be any more of a risk ahead of Blake. Luciano should also be off the bench and not starting. The guy is not a starter and will give more impact off the bench.

Last week Stewart, Egan and Couchy were all on most of the 2nd half, and Saints played the best team in the comp and kept them scoreless in the second half. Our answer is right there. No blaming the Halves as they got Saints to a comfortable lead. Save the Youngsters for the back end of the halves and put the old flops like Klemmer and Lawrie for 10-15 at the beginning of the halves not at the end.

It's not you mate, it's Blake Lawrie.

 

[wittyfan]

Good to hear that Ilias is blocking out the negativity and unfair comments.

https://wwos.nine.com.au/videos/nrl...s-performance-video/cm96uzyvo00040hkx95owasd1

 

[Blood Shot Eyes]

Exactly what I commented on pre-game last week. In fact there was an article in the lead up which stated they have a squad worth $14.5m while ours is worth just over $10m...and does it show! We are definitely fighting above our weight division which is explains why we try so hard but lose so often.

We have to get more 'creative' in luring players, and if our club is not interested, well aren't we just suckers as fans.

Storm look the goods. Hard to see many holding a candle to them with Bellamy in charge but the year is long.

Yes mate like all teams injuries will play there part

 

[thebigredv]

Good to hear that Ilias is blocking out the negativity and unfair comments.

https://wwos.nine.com.au/videos/nrl...s-performance-video/cm96uzyvo00040hkx95owasd1

The club would rather Ilias go through this again than answer to why they have failed as an organisation to get the right forwards to the club. I don't like it.

Next the coach will become the scapegoat.
Seen it before.

 

[Dragons4me]

Ha ha Damien Cook is one of the worst hookers in the competition. Unbelievable how his signing was talked up as some huge coup. His shitness turned the contest dramatically. Last tackle, we're 40m out from our own line (20-8 up, all momentum in our favour) and this imbecile decides he's going to have a scoot from dummy half himself, which then results in him losing the ball. Eels score that set. That was the turning point. The bloke is so f**king shit. Liddle has to take his jersey.

Flano again must be questioned for his selection of Blake Lawrie. It is clear Flano knows how useless he is from the bench rotation, but that should mean he is NOT an option to play. Even if Loko debuting would've meant three young blokes playing, it had to be done out of necessity due to injury/suspension. Lawrie is not an option to play. To pick someone you can't actually use is just f**king stupidity from Flanagan. Picking someone who could've actually helped in some way is ironically what would have helped the other young boys more. Picking Lawrie meant they had to pick up the slack coming off a bench who basically had no front rower.

Ilias.. another one who gets unfathomable levels of support. He f**ken sucks. Said in the off season wait until he starts kicking it out on the full all the time. Does it at one of the most crucial times in the game.. would be funny if it weren't so painful. There will be plenty more of those from him this year. Bloke is the worst halfback in the NRL.

Kyle Flanagan.. don't get me started, bloke sucks, possibly will be his father's downfall.

Leilua unsighted..

Sloan is deadset scared of contact. I've given up on him, he's done. To not finish that try is deplorable, errors all the time. He just doesn't want it. Tuipolotu equally as shit and I'd drop him first of the two wingers to be honest. Finau is so much better. Hopefully Lawson kicks on and we can be rid of Sloan by mid year. Big mistake letting Tamale leave to now have these two donuts in the team.

Val's collecting a pay check

Hopefully this wakes some more up to how far off we actually are and that we cannot afford to have players like Kyle, for instance, in the side if we want to go anywhere. These players suck, excuses and rationale need to stop being made up for them.

One last criticism, that left side sweeping play we do (which is going to become so predictable) seems like it has to be the be all and end all. Why, even when it's not on, do we continue on with the play anyway? The opposition will have marked up correctly and yet we'll still force the pass into the corner, and our winger either gets trapped and bundled into touch or we throw it over the sideline. Do they understand you don't have to score on that play? Rant over for now, f**k this team.

Gutho and the young boys, hold your head up high, the rest can get f**ked

All that from a one point loss? Would hate to read your review if we had been beaten by 50!

 

[R&WTILLIDIE]

All that from a one point loss? Would hate to read your review if we had been beaten by 50!

A 1 point loss to the un winless team coming dead last when they were up by 12. To then go down by a field goal kicked to the player who ditched the club to go play somewhere else for less money. He makes a lot of sense to me. I say let the bloke vent.

 

[SGMax]

I can see the disappointment in this forum but how about some balance.
* The Eels first try was from a 3 metres forward pass that not one commentator thought to mention.
The camera angle was a bit funny but it was huge.
* JDB's non crusher tackle got the Eels a penalty and they drew level.
* The Hip drop tackle on Luciano was reviewed by the video ref and no action taken. The player was cited by the MRC and a suspension given.
* A couple of other Eels tackles were also cited after the fact. That's fine but where were our penalties?

All I keep hearing is how the Eels deserved to win...a game they never led apart from that initial penalty goal, and were given a leg up by obviously biased refereeing.

Its true we made things hard for ourselves with errors and poor options, but we would never get credit for such a one point win from the media.

Momentum was continually handed to the Eels and all their last play options were attacking kicks forcing us to struggle to get back to the 50m mark.

Our line speed needs to improve so we can stop losing the battle for territory.
Players like Sloan, Suli, Holmes are attacking weapons we don't get to use because we aren't getting close enough.

For a team with the worst halves in the comp, we seem to be able to compete and even dominate opposition for parts of the game into what should be match winning leads.

 

[BrissieDragons]

The Sloan no try was a game changer and spoilt the mood of Dragons after that. Sloan is no winger, he is a fullback but he can't play because Gutho is a better fullback. He need to play in NSW cup. That foot on the line got me like "oh no not again, going to jinx our momentum". The game got closer and Eels climbed back after. It was 20 to 8 at the time, should have either 24 to 8 or 26 to 8, we should have won without pressure.

 

[Parko1310]

All that from a one point loss? Would hate to read your review if we had been beaten by 50!

I review how the game is played by us, not the result. For example, the dogs game was talked up as not being too bad because we only lost by 8 to a potential top 4 team.. I thought our actual performance in that game was poor.

Even if we had won the eels game I would not be satisfied because again.. I thought we were poor. I thought coming into the game I didn't want to see them just scrape past the eels despite a poor performance if they were to win. I knew with about 20 to go we were probably going to lose even with us in the lead. But, despite the lead I was still fuming because I wanted to see us back up a tough performance the week before, and we were again let down. The actual play in 2025 so far has been really bad from us and it is concerning. A couple of one point losses sugar coats it and makes it look like it isn't too bad. The performances have been borderline deplorable.

 

[R&WTILLIDIE]

I can see the disappointment in this forum but how about some balance.
* The Eels first try was from a 3 metres forward pass that not one commentator thought to mention.
The camera angle was a bit funny but it was huge.
* JDB's non crusher tackle got the Eels a penalty and they drew level.
* The Hip drop tackle on Luciano was reviewed by the video ref and no action taken. The player was cited by the MRC and a suspension given.
* A couple of other Eels tackles were also cited after the fact. That's fine but where were our penalties?

All I keep hearing is how the Eels deserved to win...a game they never led apart from that initial penalty goal, and were given a leg up by obviously biased refereeing.

Its true we made things hard for ourselves with errors and poor options, but we would never get credit for such a one point win from the media.

Momentum was continually handed to the Eels and all their last play options were attacking kicks forcing us to struggle to get back to the 50m mark.

Our line speed needs to improve so we can stop losing the battle for territory.
Players like Sloan, Suli, Holmes are attacking weapons we don't get to use because we aren't getting close enough.

For a team with the worst halves in the comp, we seem to be able to compete and even dominate opposition for parts of the game into what should be match winning leads.

Our halves aren’t all that bad from what I can see. They defend very well, and the team is scoring a lot of points. It’s the crucial lost balls from blokes like Tuipolotu, Val Holmes and Kemmwr near the line that farked us. Not to mention cook getting caught on the last trying to milk a penalty. Yeah, Ilias kicked it out on the full which was shithouse. But that last set of 6 was diabolical. The majority of this team needs to man up and stop making these dumb mistakes. The soft underbelly of the dragons that was there before and after Wayne Bennett is well and truly back.

 

[redandwhite4evr]

The Sloan no try was a game changer and spoilt the mood of Dragons after that. Sloan is no winger, he is a fullback but he can't play because Gutho is a better fullback. He need to play in NSW cup. That foot on the line got me like "oh no not again, going to jinx our momentum". The game got closer and Eels climbed back after. It was 20 to 8 at the time, should have either 24 to 8 or 26 to 8, we should have won without pressure.

I've been an unabashed fan of Sloan's but I've come to the painful but inevitable conclusion that contact sport is just not his go. He would make a great 400M or 800M athlete with his physique and stride but he had a shocker on Saturday with his hands and lost the ball in contact as well. If changes are going to be made, Gutho to 5/8 (he just about lives in the front line anyway) and the courageous Ramsey to full-back.

 

[TheRev]

Unfortunately I've watched this movie play out with our fanbase since 2017 when Dufty began... Sloan is 1 maybe 2 tries away from having his fans back onboard again.. but as ive said a million times, if he thinks hes a winger, go back to NSW Cup, and prove it for a solid month.. but he doesnt push thru contact i.e. out of tackle attempts, so its never going to work in any position.. I thought Saab was the same sort of cat, he was scared of contact for the first 6-12mths... and tbf most wingers would look good outside a cracking manly backline.. but he atleast runs it hard...

The dilemma is Ramsey is really going well in NSW Cup.. but who is the fullback backup if Gutho gets injured? Surely its Sloan.. so therefore Sloan should be the NSW Cup fullback in waiting.. thats where I wanted him to start the year.. but Ramsey is braining it, hes the reason the team is travelling so well.. so I dont think removing him from fullback helps the nsw cup team at all.. and he is so light weight, despite his bravery he might struggle on the wing or at ctr.. but anyway.. we shall see.

 

[Wolfgang90]

Unfortunately I've watched this movie play out with our fanbase since 2017 when Dufty began... Sloan is 1 maybe 2 tries away from having his fans back onboard again.. but as ive said a million times, if he thinks hes a winger, go back to NSW Cup, and prove it for a solid month.. but he doesnt push thru contact i.e. out of tackle attempts, so its never going to work in any position.. I thought Saab was the same sort of cat, he was scared of contact for the first 6-12mths... and tbf most wingers would look good outside a cracking manly backline.. but he atleast runs it hard...

The dilemma is Ramsey is really going well in NSW Cup.. but who is the fullback backup if Gutho gets injured? Surely its Sloan.. so therefore Sloan should be the NSW Cup fullback in waiting.. thats where I wanted him to start the year.. but Ramsey is braining it, hes the reason the team is travelling so well.. so I dont think removing him from fullback helps the nsw cup team at all.. and he is so light weight, despite his bravery he might struggle on the wing or at ctr.. but anyway.. we shall see.

I reckon Flanno might move Val to fullback before Sloan. 100% agree that Sloan should've come through NSW cup on the wing before 1st grade. We keep forcing it with Sloan instead of letting him develop like we've done with other younger players in NSW cup.

 

[The Word]

I always find it hard to talk about it when we lose and this one was harder than most because I thought we had it. Sitting right in front of the post surrounded by Parra fans for that first try from Gutho was genuinely one of my favorite sporting moments. The way he got up, meters away from us and celebrated a massive try was so good and it set the tone for the first half. He looked over at me and my son surrounded by green jerseys, locked eyes with us and just screamed. What a moment.

So to go comfortably ahead and still lose was heartbreaking. As many have said our forwards could not make meters for the last 25 minutes or so they were all over us and we were hanging on. That includes the young guys who whilst they do have energy and skill were unable to break the line at all in the last part of the game. We probably need to temper some of this well-meaning insistence to solve the problem by just throwing in more juniors. And yes when the chips were down our halves did not have enough control over the game to play smart and see out the game. However with the way our forwards were under the pump they really didn't have much time to make their decisions.

Towards the end I was getting annoyed with the constant use of our outside backs to run the ball up the middle in the early tackles. None of them made much impact as you'd expect but we kept doing it. That tells you how bad it was getting for our forwards at the end. I think Tui had an early run in 3 consecutive sets and barely made 5 meters in each of them.

I have a lot of time for JDB as a defender but I can't remember the last time he broke a tackle. Need to be cautious if we do offer him a new contract with the length and price.

I guess I'm happy that we've been in all the games we've played so far, no one has blown us away yet. And we've had our moments where we look very good. So that means there's a chance we can turn it around. I hope so. I really want a top 8 finish.