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Post by Electric Eel on Jul 10, 2020 20:07:47 GMT 10
FRIDAY 15th August: Parramatta Eels v Canterbury Bulldogs at ANZ Stadium, 7.45pm
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Post by Electric Eel on Jul 10, 2020 20:08:26 GMT 10
NRL.com
Eels
1 Jarryd Hayne (c)
2 Semi Radradra
3 Will Hopoate
4 Ryan Morgan
5 Vai Toutai
6 Corey Norman
7 Chris Sandow
8 Tim Mannah (c)
9 Issac De Gois
10 Fuifui Moimoi
11 Kenny Edwards
12 Tepai Moeroa
13 Joseph Paulo
Interchange
14 Pauli Pauli
15 David Gower
16 Darcy Lussick
17 Ben Smith
Coach: Brad Arthur
Bulldogs
1 Sam Perrett
2 Corey Thompson
3 Josh Morris
4 Tim Lafai
5 Mitch Brown
6 Moses Mbye
7 Trent Hodkinson
8 Aiden Tolman
9 Michael Ennis (c)
10 James Graham
11 Josh Jackson
12 Tony Williams
13 Greg Eastwood
Interchange
14 Reni Maitua
15 Dale Finucane
16 David Klemmer
17 Lloyd Perrett
22 Pat O'Hanlon
Coach: Des Hasler
Vai Toutai replaces Bureta Faraimo on the wing, Fuifui Moimoi starts at prop with Junior Paulo out (suspension). Tepai Moeroa returns to the starting side, and Pauli Pauli replaces Peni Terepo. Latest odds at Sportsbet.com.au.
Moses Mbye starts at five-eighth for the suspended Josh Reynolds. Sam Kasiano (ankle) is out, replaced by Reni Maitua with Aiden Tolman starting. Latest odds at Sportsbet.com.au.
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Post by Electric Eel on Jul 10, 2020 20:09:24 GMT 10
NRL.com
Eels v Bulldogs
ANZ Stadium
Friday, 7.40pm
What a difference a month makes. Cast your eyes back to the start of Round 20 – just three short weeks before this Friday's Eels/Bulldogs crunch game – and Dessie's Doggies were flying high in equal second (after being equal first a week earlier). The battling Eels, after a bright start to the year, had plummeted over the course of the representative period minus superstar fullback Jarryd Hayne to 13th, and were seemingly out of the finals hunt.
Fast forward three games and it's the Bulldogs, winless over that period to make it four losses on the trot, who are looking desperate. Meanwhile it is the Eels – level with the eighth-placed Dogs on 26 points but ninth on differential – who have the spring in their step after three-straight wins, all of them away from the backyard fortress.
As we wrote earlier this week, there is an excellent chance that the winner of this clash will go on to finish eighth and play finals footy, while the loser will end up in ninth and celebrate Mad Monday in early September.
With the Eels having not gone close to tasting finals footy since their amazing 2009 run, there is therefore a strong case to suggest this is their most important game since the 2009 decider.
They weren't entirely convincing in coming from behind to edge out the lowly Raiders 18-10 in steamy Darwin last week, but a win's a win. They'll need to step it up this week against a desperate Canterbury-Bankstown outfit.
They have a couple of changes; with Junior Paulo suspended Fuifui Moimoi returns at prop, Pauli Pauli returns on the bench in place of Peni Terepo, while Vai Tautai is in on the wing with Bureta Faraimo out.
The Bulldogs' stocks have plummeted in Lehman Brothers proportions. Four-straight losses over the past month has them clinging narrowly to eighth place – ahead of the ninth-placed Eels – on for and against. A loss here will certainly see them finish the weekend outside the eight, and fairly long odds to get back in there at all.
Last week's 41-10 loss to Brisbane was arguably the worst of the lot, although the 42-18 against Wests Tigers to kick if off wasn't pretty either.
Enough has been said and written about last week's brain snap from their five-eighth Josh Reynolds but the main thing as far as this game is concerned is he'll be watching from the sidelines serving the first week of a three-week suspension. His place is taken by promising youngster Moses Mbye.
Big bopper Sam Kasiano is out until the finals with a syndesmosis injury. Aiden Tolman moves to prop, Greg Eastwood starts at lock, Reni Maitua joins the bench and Pat O'Hanlon has been added as 18th man.
Watch Out Eels: Tony 'T-Rex' Williams has shown some promising signs over the past fortnight, someone just needs to work out how to make him angrier. In his past two games the Big Dog has tallied around 270 metres at just over 10 metres per run, 10 tackle breaks, six offloads, two line break assists and a try assist. This week, against his former club – the one he debuted for as a winger back in 2008 – with his current club's season on the line, he shouldn't be short on motivation.
If he winds up like we know he can the young Parramatta forwards will have a job containing him.
Watch Out Bulldogs: You know what we're going to say, don't you? Well, we're going to say it anyway. He's in sublime – possibly career-best – form. He could be the most dangerous rugby league player on the planet right now. He has the most tries of any player in the NRL this year, with 17 (six of those in just his past three games). He has the most line breaks, with 21. The second most tackle breaks, with 108, the second most run metres, with 3,163 at an astonishing 186 per game, as well as 11 try assists, 13 line break assists, not to mention the 10 try saves (equal second best). Whether it's a plane, or a train, his name is Jarryd Hayne and right now he's the reason the Eels are still contemplating finals footy. He generally doesn't mind having a big game against the Doggies either. He was heavily marked last week and still won the game for his side. If the Eels are to win, it comes down to this man.
Plays To Watch: The Bulldogs have been criticised for being a bit too lateral and for their halves not getting involved enough. One of their ball-playing forwards in Sam Kasiano is out, but so is one of their halves, replaced by a promising youngster. Moses Mbye has looked good in his limited minutes this year but he's played mostly in the centres. His one run in the halves came with both senior halves off on Origin duty. Will he provide the spark and/or direction the side has been lacking lately? His combination with Trent Hodkinson will be both interesting and crucial to the outcome.
For the Eels, part of the strength of their recent run and in particular Hayne's form has been the ability of their halves to do their jobs. Corey Norman has been a great foil for Hayne and Sandow and provided a steadying influence. Sandow himself remains very much an instinctive player but his kicking game has been far more 'on' than 'off' in recent weeks, which has been critical. Let's see if he can use that boot to keep the Bulldogs down their end as he mostly managed with Canberra last week.
Where It Will Be Won: The kicking games of the respective halves will be vital. Toutai has had the odd struggle with his handling this year and is where the Bulldogs will need to aim their bombs. Hayne has had no struggles of any kind and the Dogs desperately need to keep the ball away from him as much as possible. For the Eels, Sandow is capable of producing some very ordinary kicks but has mostly kept those to a minimum – the Eels need him to continue to find pinpoint kicks in attack to maintain pressure and stop the big Bulldogs pack getting a roll on.
History: Played 135; Eels 72; Bulldogs 58; drawn 5. Parramatta’s win over the Dogs back in Round 14 – with both sides depleted through Origin representation – was the blue-and-golds' first over the blue-and-whites since 2010, snapping a six-game losing run (not to mention a 14-game losing run at ANZ Stadium), although they did win the four games prior to that.
What Are The Odds: Sportsbet are struggling to split the sides, with both the Eels and Bulldogs at $1.90. Parramatta started as $2.40 outsiders, but their winning form coupled with the Bulldogs’ heavy loss in Round 22 has evened things up in almost every market. Latest odds at Sportsbet.com.au.
Match Officials: Referees – Ben Cummins & Chris James; Touch Judges – Jason Walsh & Brett Suttor; Video Referees – Bernard Sutton & Luke Phillips.
The Way We See It: Recent form certainly favours the Eels, but it's rarely that simple. With the season just about on the line for both sides it could come down to who handles the pressure better. The fact the Eels seem to finally be starting to re-learn how to win away from Parramatta also counts in their favour, as does the fact they have a slightly more settled line up. And then there's the Hayne factor. On that basis, and we may as well be throwing darts blindfolded here, we'll go with the Eels by four points to continue the Dogs' downward slide.
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Post by Electric Eel on Jul 10, 2020 20:09:44 GMT 10
NRL.com
Canterbury have righted a very shaky 2014 campaign with a narrow and hard-fought win over bitter rivals Parramatta, triumphing 18-16 in a top quality match that had a strong semi-finals feel about it.
Ball boy ruling has Eels seeing red
Arthur: 'We were the better team'
Bulldogs rediscover their composure
A crowd of 30,394 were at ANZ Stadium to see the Bulldogs run up a decent lead, a strong Eels fightback before a scoreless but deeply enthralling final 35 minutes of the game allowed Canterbury to hold on to a two-point lead and reassert their position in the top eight on 28 points and fifth place, while the Eels' season is now in grave danger, on 26 points and in ninth with chances running out.
The match had some obligatory Jarryd Hayne magic, but a strong all-round performance from the Bulldogs pack – headed by blond props James Graham and Aiden Tolman and a return to form of Origin back-rower Tony Williams – helped them graft out the exhausting win.
A see-sawing first half saw the Eels absorb a ton of pressure relatively unscarred before conceding a couple of soft tries only to claw one back on the stroke of half time to be down by just eight points at the turn despite seeming to have lost the half by a wide margin.
It started from the first of Canterbury's four straight penalties when Tepai Moeroa was pinged for offside, handing the Bulldogs the first real opportunity of the match, which they dutifully accepted.
A quick play the ball and some slick leadup from centre Tim Lafai handed Greg Eastwood a chance at a gap close to the line and he charged across with Hodkinson's conversion making it a six point lead after as many minutes.
An offside penalty from the first set after points handed the Dogs yet more field position but this time, despite several repeat sets, the Eels defence held firm – but some brutal Canterbury defence repeatedly forced them to take their kicks from as little as 20 metres out – when they weren't drop kicking it from their own goal line.
Despite all that the Eels were the next to score, and they did it from their very first foray into Bulldogs territory – and in a result that would have surprised precisely no-one, it was in-form fullback Jarryd Hayne doing the damage.
Showing great vision to get himself into position, Hayne outjumped several Bulldogs at the line to mark a precision Chris Sandow cross-field kick and come down with the prize.
The fact the Eels were level after 20 minutes was remarkable given the Bulldogs' dominance in the ruck but they then set about undoing all their good work.
The Bulldogs, minus the services of second-rower Josh Jackson who left the field concussed after coming off second best when attempting to tackle David Gower, were again marched upfield by a penalty.
Again Lafai was involved, stepping a rushing Ryan Morgan before handing the ball back to Mitch Brown who easily wrong-footed opposite winger Semi Radradra to score almost untouched, Hodkinson icing the touch sideline conversion.
The Dogs earned more territory on the back of a huge Tony Williams charge – one of several from the reinvigorated back-rower and former Eel – before earning one of the softest tries of the season.
Having shown a fair bit of determination at their own line, the blue and gold defence looked to be re-enacting the Red Sea to Aiden Tolman's Moses, the prop hardly able to believe his luck as he ran on to an Ennis double-pump at the line to find no-one in front of him as the defence parted in a most accommodating fashion.
When diminutive Eels hooker Isaac De Gois was penalised for a high tackle in the next set it was four penalties to nil but an earlier blow-up from Hayne, questioning why only one side was getting penalised in the ruck, may have triggered something with the officials. Eels fans cheered ironically shortly after as Graham handed them their first penalty of the night for a slow tackle.
The next five minutes saw an avalanche of Parramatta possession and field position with several repeat sets, and it finally paid dividends right before the break – and it was a sublime touch from Hayne that did the damage.
With Ryan Morgan running the decoy play out the left, and ball to Hayne was batted on to Radradra so quickly it almost seemed to have floated straight past him – in fact even Channel Nine commentator Phil Gould remarked "that was so quick I doubt his fingerprints would be on it".
It gave Radradra an easy put down and although Sandow shanked the tough conversion chance the Eels would have been somewhat relieved to trail by only eight at the interval.
Radradra's first try kept him one behind his captain on the season try-scoring tally but he caught up to Hayne just three minutes after the resumption, his 18th try of 2014 coming from a brilliant Norman cut-out after the Dogs conceded a penalty in their own territory to hand the Eels a golden opportunity. This time Sandow made no mistake with the sideline conversion chance to get his side back within two points.
It's not clear what Eels coach Brad Arthur said to his troops at half time but it seemed to work, with Parramatta absolutely full of running, launching a series of searing dummy half runs, bending back the line with almost every charge and spending much of the opening exchanges of the second half camped in Bulldogs territory.
Every time the Dogs got the ball in the next 10 minutes they were getting it at their own line and taking their kicks from inside their own half. The trend was finally broken around the midpoint of the half when Pauli Pauli was dragged into touch despite a suggestion the tackle had already been completed.
With the game suddenly being played in the middle part of the field Canterbury began to regain ascendency in the armwrestle – that fact in itself a tribute to the low error and penalty count from both sides in a high quality passage of play.
Hodkinson earned his side a repeat set via a goal line drop out and a short quick restart did not pay off for Parramatta but their defence held firm – but shot themselves in the foot with a lost ball right after regaining possession.
In a play reminiscent of his Origin series-winning try, Hodkinson dummied and went at the line and it was only an immensely strong tug at the back of the jersey from towering young Eels back-rower Pauli Pauli that saved the try and earned his side a 20-metre restart in the process.
The set finished with a possible try to Radradra but the blockbusting Fijian was pushed into touch as he looked to barge over from dummy half.
When the same winger overran a last-play run from Hayne to hand the Bulldogs a set from halfway with five minutes remaining, the clock began to count against the Eels, and with virtually no points, penalties or errors in the half the relentless and non-stop stanza was also showing on the exhausted players.
But a miracle 40/20 from Sandow with virtually no angle to work with threatened to turn the game on its head – however his quick tap and try was called back because the ball boy didn't place the ball on the line, but rather tossed it to the player.
The Eels players and fans were irate but the rule has been in place all year, and when that set broke down when Will Hopoate and Vai Toutai flirted too close to the touch line, the Bulldogs were able to close it out from there.
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Post by Electric Eel on Jul 10, 2020 20:10:03 GMT 10
Canterbury Bulldogs 18 (Eastwood, Brown, Tolman tries; Hodkinson 3 goals) defeated Parramatta Eels 16 (Radradra 2, Hayne tries; Sandow 2 goals) at ANZ Stadium. Crowd: 30,394.
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Post by Electric Eel on Jul 10, 2020 20:10:59 GMT 10
 Jarryd Hayne celebrates a try. |
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Post by Electric Eel on Jul 10, 2020 20:12:00 GMT 10
 David Gower is tackled. |
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Post by Electric Eel on Jul 10, 2020 20:12:54 GMT 10
 Semi Radradra scores a try. |
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Post by Electric Eel on Jul 10, 2020 20:13:39 GMT 10
 Celebrations after the Hayne try. |
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Post by Electric Eel on Jul 10, 2020 20:14:30 GMT 10
 Will Hopoate with the ball. |
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Post by Electric Eel on Jul 10, 2020 20:15:19 GMT 10
 David Gower leaves the field injured. |
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Post by Electric Eel on Sept 8, 2021 12:55:45 GMT 10
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1981 1982 1983 1986 