Two Points go a Long Way
Saturday’s game between the Titans and Eels was a classic example of the importance of converting the extra two points for a try, and furthermore, taking a penalty goal when given the opportunity. The Eels and Titans both finished the game with 3 tries each, however it was the Eels who left with a 10 point victory margin, due to the Titans failure to add two points when given multiple opportunities in the game. When Tyrone Roberts missed the conversion of the Titans first try, Ashley Taylor stepped up to the plate, however he too failed to convert the Titans remaining two tries. The Titans also neglected to take a penalty shot early on in the game, which would have extended their lead. Michael Gordon’s strong night with the boot included successfully converting all three tries, as well as kicking 2 out of 3 attempts at penalty goals, which subsequently gave the Eels 10 extra points to claim the win.
Pressure gets to Young Star
Rookie Titans halfback Ashley Taylor has received a heap of praise in the past few weeks following man of the match performances against the Panthers and the Rabbitohs, however the pressure to live up to the hype appeared to get to him against the Eels. The 21 year old playmaker started the match brilliantly with an excellent long ball to set Anthony Don up for the first try of the game, and then it was his pin point chip kick to the corner which lead to Agnatius Paasi scoring. However, Taylor came up with a costly error when he kicked the ball out on the full while attempting a 40/20, with the Eels using the gifted field position to score a try. He then shanked a line drop out and sent the ball over the sideline on the full, allowing the Eels to add an extra two points from the penalty. The way Taylor bounces back from his first poor showing in the NRL will be a true showing his ability to handle the pressure of first grade.
Completions are Key
The Titans display on Saturday proved that it’s very difficult for a team to compete when they are completing just over 50% of their sets. The Titans looked dominant early on, however a number of poor passes and dropped balls gifted the Eels with field possession. They did their best to hold on for several sets, however a dropped ball by Josh Hoffman inside his own half allowed Bevan French to steam away for a long distance try. From then on, the Titans struggled to stay in the game, completing just 64% of all their sets. It’s been proven that a team can’t score points if they don’t have the ball, and the Titans were just another example of this on Saturday.
Eels Building a Strong Darwin Fanbase
The Eels have continued to build a fanbase in Darwin, winning their third game at TIO stadium against an in-form Titans side. A healthy crowd of 7,772 turned out to support the Eels and the game of rugby league in general, enjoying their first NRL game of the year. The fans witnessed a game that was full of errors, however they seemed more than happy to support the spectacle of first grade rugby league.
