Despite both the Eels and Sea Eagles having their regular pivots out for this match, tonights clash at Brookvale Oval gave both sides an idea of where they are at. The Eels may have been able to grind the win 19-12 – but how are both sides travelling overall?
The week off obviously helped the Eels, with the away side really coming out firing and notching up a 12-0 lead quickly – with the benefit of possession.
Luke Burt continues his strong run of form, the winger scoring off a hot Jarryd Hayne pass on the edge. The Manly right side defence is proving a problem for them with Tony Williams again getting caught short, as the Parramatta side worked plenty down this area of the field.
Hayne was highly involved tonight – a good sign for the Eels. With Keating missing, Hayne stepped into halves regularly – setting up the Burt try and then laid off a sweet short ball to put Mateo through a gap to score the second.
The Eels made the most of plenty of ball early – but at times they did look devoid of ideas in attack. They can become predictable. Unlike last year, where you never knew what was coming, the backline movement now looks slighly too regimented.
Workhorse forwards Cayless and Hindmarsh struggle to make linebreaks and are picked off quickly in attack.
But what really helped Parramatta tonight was the kicking game. Long, pinpoint Hayne kicks got them out of trouble so often. When pressured, either Mortimer or Humble would step in – taking the slack.
It was killing Manly.
For a Sea Eagles perspective, they were always playing catch-up footy. Some bad bounces early had them on the back foot, at they struggled to keep motivated in this one.
Matai continues to be the biggest archillies heels for the Eagles. The Kiwi hitman giving away two crucial penalties in this game and once again ‘going down injured’ (see: Matai Watch). The good things Matai can do, are regularly outweighed by the dumb stuff he does soon after.
Penalties, feigning injury – it all hurts his side.
But as usual Manly look most dangerous when Jamie Lyon has the ball. His kicks behind the line, decisions on running or passing are usually spot on.
Tonight the Eels did well to cut down his thinking time, but Lyon was still involved in the most dangerous plays.
His cover tackle to stop Tom Humble scoring in the corner was typical of Lyon.
The loss tonight for Manly shows just how much Kieran Foran means to this side. The young kid has quickly proved an invaluable asset to the team, without him – even Hodkinson looked a little lost.
Robinson was his robust best, strong in defence and tried hard in attack – but the Manly forward pack wasn’t giving their backs enough room. King pulled off some good hits, but Perry was a little quiet and the big boppers need to be more consistent tonight. The Eels pack had them on the back foot for the most part.
Overall, the Eagles are still travelling OK. With Foran missing, they were certainly a different side. Kite remains on the decline and doesn’t offer anything from bench like he used to. But, the Manly side – with possession and the right attitude – attack and dominate well.
The Eels however are still yet to find peak power. Yes, they won – albeit in a grinding fashion, which would please Daniel Anderson – but this side can probably still lift a gear. Their attack as mentioned, remained a little static – and needs more creativity, something that may come when the new halves adjust and the half-come hooker in Robson develops more at dummy half.