Beating the Eels

[Tragic Eagle]

Radradra is our nemesis. He must be shut down. My fear is that our wingers will be tempted to rush out of the line to shut the movement down before he gets the ball and will be caught out. Taufua and Uati both have a history of doing this. This will be a challenge for TB I hope he has a solution. We need to put a big body in front of him.

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

Radradra is our nemesis. He must be shut down. My fear is that our wingers will be tempted to rush out of the line to shut the movement down before he gets the ball and will be caught out. Taufua and Uati both have a history of doing this. This will be a challenge for TB I hope he has a solution. We need to put a big body in front of him.

Tackle him around the legs FFS, pisses me off that so many players these days go high in a bid to wrap up the ball, but in the case of the big Trailer, if he's 10 metres out " go for his ankles".

 

[TimmyQ]

Radradra is our nemesis. He must be shut down. My fear is that our wingers will be tempted to rush out of the line to shut the movement down before he gets the ball and will be caught out. Taufua and Uati both have a history of doing this. This will be a challenge for TB I hope he has a solution. We need to put a big body in front of him.

Yeah my absolute pet hate is wingers jamming up and in while a lovely face ball lands on the opposition wingers chest to score in the corner lol I'd be wayyy happier seeing tries scored inside our winger - stay on the bloody wing boys!!! ... WE just haven't had faith in our inside guys to make the tackles - faith and trust is just a mindset ffs... If we're gonna have two wingers that can't catch they better be able to defend - the wingers are our Achilles heel I think and how they perform (whoever they are) will play a big role in how we go in 2017

 

[SeaEagleRock8]

Just my opinion but I think we have excellent wingers, and Aku is capable of putting a bit of pressure right back on Semi.

 

[Fluffy]

Completely agree.
If you average out Parra's metres last year they were way down the bottom of the ladder.

- They have no established 9. Suffered a lot after losing Peats.
- The only reason Gutherson looked ok late last year is because he had Kenny Edwards playing alongside him in the halves. When Norman is back he will take a back seat and be wasted in my opinion.
- French isn't a FB. He's a talent. But when he plays a few games at the back and the position begins to take its toll on his performance I reckon they'll shift him to wing (probably when Semi is suspended).
- Norman is talented, it's just whether he can see the season out without causing a headline or getting in trouble with the Strike Force Rhodium investigation.

Semis loss will be devastating to that team.... Round 9 apparently. He's their go to weapon and without him they will suffer .... brings a smiley face to my comment just thinking about it. 🙂

Gordon will be a loss for them. He was safe as houses and defensively very good. Not to mention a classy goal kicker. French is not proven in defence yet.

Wicks is gone but they've replaced him with a few other average forwards, which is strange cause they already seem to have most of those positions tied up.

I'm interested to see what forwards they do line up.... but it's nothing that our lads won't handle.
We'll beat them in the forwards. And our backs are now capable of capitalising.

The last time we played them we had Williame and Brown as our starting centres...
We had Green, Leary, Starling and Vave in that team also. We have recruited well. Should be interesting.

I hope we ambush them and kick off the season with a ripper performance.

Wasn't DCE missing as well that game and Api played halfback?

We were the better team but had no points in us

 

[madmax]

Mark......do you really think they have the wood on us in the backs??
Tom T v B French > Tom T anyday
J Taufua v S Radradra > Radradra just ahead
D Walker v M Jennings > Pretty even
B Kelly v B Takaraingi > I think Kelly would show him up
A Uate v J Hoffman > Again pretty even
B Green v C Gutherson > Green
DCE V C Norman > DCE

Can't see how they have the wood on us..........

 

[smithy]

The thing that has hurt us a bit is the changeover recently in personnel. Looking at both teams, both have new look spines that weren't together last year, that levels the playing field there. In regards head to head, while the game rarely comes down to a head to head battle without rose coloured glasses on I'd give it slightly to parramatta.

Tom T over French although that kid worries me with his ability to change a game.

Both their wingers over ours. Radradra is perhaps the best winger in the game lets hope all the off field stuff is a distraction to him. Hoffman over Uate not by much but Uate has been playing NSW cup for a reason his susceptibility to the high ball and defence are still a worry. Hoffman is far from outstanding but is solid enough.

Walker over Jennings. Jennings is not the player he was walker has shown since the move back to the centres what he can do.

Takarangi over Kelly. Kelly may become a very good player and this is assuming he gets the gig for round 1. As yet he is an untested rookie Takarangi is too experienced at this stage.

Green over Gutherson. A noted 6 over an experiment. Too easy. Green will control the ship well. Gutherson I don't believe can do that.

Norman over DCE. Controversial I know. Although DCE circa 2014/15 would take this one, while DCE from 2016 and our trials doesn't. Norman was leading the Dally M race until he did what most parra players do and went off the rails. We can hope it happens again in the next fortnight although based on last years form I'd give this to Norman.

In the end it will come down to how we defend as a unit and the game plan we bring in attack, perhaps a reason arrest might go with J Wright in round 1 simply for the experience in D. They will no doubt kick high to our wingers and back Radradra and Hoffman over Uate and Taufua. Hopefully we have something devised to help them out.

 

[Bearfax]

No Norman, we'll win by 5-10. Norman plays its a lottery.

 

[BOZO]

The backs are even and it will be up to the forward pack that dominates and gives the advantage to their back line
Its time to pull your finger out Mr Myles and lead by example like a high paid senior player should

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

Mark......do you really think they have the wood on us in the backs??
Tom T v B French > Tom T anyday
J Taufua v S Radradra > Radradra just ahead
D Walker v M Jennings > Pretty even
B Kelly v B Takaraingi > I think Kelly would show him up
A Uate v J Hoffman > Again pretty even
B Green v C Gutherson > Green
DCE V C Norman > DCE

Can't see how they have the wood on us..........

Difference is they have played together ours only in trials.

Eels marginally ahead, especially with the big semi trailer!

Although with Norman maybe out, anything is possible!!

 

[BOZO]

Difference is they have played together ours only in trials.

Eels marginally ahead, especially with the big semi trailer!

I think you forgot just how much bigger Tom T is this year
So that levels the backs out

 

[Fluffy]

Difference is they have played together ours only in trials.

Eels marginally ahead, especially with the big semi trailer!

Don't think their spine has ever played together.

 

[BOZO]

Don't think their spine has ever played together.

That's a very good point that you made Fluffy and I think you are right

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

That's a very good point that you made Fluffy and I think you are right

If true ( and not saying it isn't) then yes we have a good chance AND please if there's a God let it happen.

My best mate ( since we were 5 and the first day of school) is an Eels fan, and no wonder the crap I've copped over the last few years.

 

[BOZO]

If true ( and not saying it isn't) then yes we have a good chance AND please if there's a God let it happen.

My best mate ( since we were 5 and the first day of school) is an Eels fan, and no wonder the crap I've copped over the last few years.

Comparing our success to the eels over the years and the wooden spoons that they have collected I would say that your mate and all the other eels supporters are covered up to their necks with crap

 

[madmax]

T

Just my opinion but I think we have excellent wingers, and Aku is capable of putting a bit of pressure right back on Semi.

Totally agree.........also people seem to forget some of the big hits Taufau has put on players. Apart from his catching, his positional play is not that bad. I think both players attacking prowess & defense outweigh their catching problems, which I think are not as bad as people make them out to be.

 

[Snake]

Yeah my absolute pet hate is wingers jamming up and in while a lovely face ball lands on the opposition wingers chest to score in the corner lol I'd be wayyy happier seeing tries scored inside our winger - stay on the bloody wing boys!!! ... WE just haven't had faith in our inside guys to make the tackles - faith and trust is just a mindset ffs... If we're gonna have two wingers that can't catch they better be able to defend - the wingers are our Achilles heel I think and how they perform (whoever they are) will play a big role in how we go in 2017

There isn't a coach in the land would be happy to see a try scored inside a winger...if the centre goes, the winger goes, it's all about communication. the modern day game with precision like set plays, bigger bodies, and better athleticism, it is impossible to simply number up your opposition. If you leave defenders isolated one on one you will get burned. So the logic is to to push the play as wide of the ruck as possible to keep hurdling the opposition further sideways. If an opportunity happens to open up on a flank, you make them work for it, make them throw that extra pass, make them hit that winger with a long cutout pass because there is a better chance of it going wrong...it's all about he law of averages. If you simply stay out you meekly surrender a try closer to the posts.

 

[Fluffy]

There isn't a coach in the land would be happy to see a try scored inside a winger...if the centre goes, the winger goes, it's all about communication. the modern day game with precision like set plays, bigger bodies, and better athleticism, it is impossible to simply number up your opposition. If you leave defenders isolated one on one you will get burned. So the logic is to to push the play as wide of the ruck as possible to keep hurdling the opposition further sideways. If an opportunity happens to open up on a flank, you make them work for it, make them throw that extra pass, make them hit that winger with a long cutout pass because there is a better chance of it going wrong...it's all about he law of averages. If you simply stay out you meekly surrender a try closer to the posts.

and make the conversion as difficult as possible

Maybe we could try a new innovative defense that works from the wingers in? Leave a 10m hole in the center of the field and have each side compress in and close it up if the opposition runs at the big gaping hole in front of them.

 

[Budgie]

Every year my hopes for Manly are the same.
1. Win the premiership
and if that doesn't happen ...
2. Make the finals
and if that doesn't happen, the very least I will accept is ...
3. Beat Parra every time we play them.
Get it done boys.
I am unaccustomed to feeling like a loser.

 

[SoaringEagle]

If are any chance of winning, myles cannot be named on the bench, let alone starting, he was a huge waste of a player last year, absolutley ****hole. We really need to match there forwards to win