The Eels will look to solidify their place in the top eight at a ground they’ve had little success against St George Illawarra Dragons.
MATCH DETAILS
Parramatta came out of the blocks flying and put themselves in attacking position after their first set. An uncontested bomb by Mikaele Ravalawa-brought in as a late replacement for Zac Lomax-resulted in a Dragons error. The Eels earned a repeat set and from the last tackle, kicked to one wing, then kicked back to the other for Maika Sivo to cross for the first try of the match. But after the Eels coughed up their first error and gave away their first penalty, the Dragons found themselves camped down in their attacking half. They were able to earn a couple of repeat sets but the Eels defensive line held strong to repel the raids that failed to penetrate the Eels line. A great pass from Clinton Gutherson sent Maika Sivo through the scattered kick chase from the Dragons but the Eels discipline in errors were beginning to let them down. They scored their second try through Dylan Brown with a nice backline shift on the halfway line, finding more gaps in the Dragons line to send Shaun Lane through. The second row’s offload found Dylan Brown, who showed a clean pair of heels to sprint around the fullback and make it to the line. The Eels were running harder than the Dragons and continued to threaten in the shadows of halftime but were unable to add to their 10-0 lead.
The Eels started the second half looking just as likely as they did in the first half but off the back of a penalty and an error from a last-tackle kick, gave Mikaele Ravalawa a clear run to the line for the Dragons first try of the match. The Eels kept getting into decent attacking position but found themselves pushing passes and letting the Dragons off the hook. The Dragons had the better of the second half but struggled to get across the line. Michael Jennings scooped up a loose pass but was unable to go the rest of the way. The Eels pushed their advantage out to 8-points with a penalty goal after Paul Vaughan, with a dislocated finger, held Clinton Gutherson down. Both sides continued to struggle in attack with neither side looking likely towards the end. The Eels working their way towards the fulltime siren with a 12-4 victory that solidified their place but did little to increase their premiership credentials.
FOUR POINTERS
EELS LIFTING FOR SEPTEMBER
The Eels opening half stint highlighted the difference in intensity between the two teams. By halftime the Eels had ran for 300m more than the Dragons despite sharing a relative even amount of the ball. Kane Evans contribution was notable with the front rower coming up with 70 metres and 16 tackles in the opening 20. It wasn’t just the volume that impressed but the intent that went into this early aspect certainly has the Eels readying themselves for finals footy.
DYLAN’S BIG MOMENTS
Young five-eighth Dylan Brown came up with two big moments in the match, one with his attack and the other with his defence. He lit up the attack in the first half when he surged through from 30m out and beat all to cross for their second try. The second play came towards the start of the second half, when the Dragons looked to be building, and Brown brought a charging Tyson Frizell down. It will be a positive signs for Eels fans with the rookie set to be tested against the top sides.
DRAGON’S LINE SPEED MISSING
A big factor in the Dragons early matches was the speed of their defensive line. In this match, they abandoned it for a more lethargic defence. The Eels were able to run for plenty of metres before meeting any defence and Mitchell Moses was given too much time to come up with his fifth tackle options.
AN UNINSPIRING 80
The second half was very scrappy but the Dragons were scrappy for the entire match. Their fifth straight loss keeps them on 14 competition points, the same amount as the Bulldogs, a side seen as a rebuilding team. For a side with representative and international players throughout it has to be disappointing season for fans and everyone involved at the club.
THE RESULT
St George Illawarra Dragons 4
Tries: Mikaele Ravalawa
Goals: Gareth Widdop 0/1
Parramatta Eels 12
Tries: Maika Sivo, Dylan Brown
Goals: Mitchell Moses 2/3
SQUADS
St George Illawarra Dragons: 1. Corey Norman 2. Jason Saab 3. Euan Aitken 4. Timoteo Lafai 21. Mikaele Ravalawa 6. Gareth Widdop 7. Ben Hunt 8. Blake Lawrie 9. Cameron McInnes 10. Paul Vaughan 11. Tyson Frizell 12. Tariq Sims 13. James Graham 14. Jeremy Latimore 15. Korbin Sims 16. Patrick Kaufusi 17. Luciano Leilua
Parramatta Eels: 1. Clint Gutherson 2. Maika Sivo 3. Michael Jennings 4. Waqa Blake 5. Brad Takairangi 6. Dylan Brown 7. Mitchell Moses 8. Kane Evans 9. Reed Mahoney 10. Junior Paulo 11. Shaun Lane 12. Manu Ma’u 13. Nathan Brown 14. Marata Niukore 15. Daniel Alvaro 16. David Gower 17. Tepai Moeroa
