This week, Mary Kaye looks back at the Blue and Gold Round 17 victory over the Wests Tigers at ANZ Stadium. You can catch up on Mary Kaye's blogs at Ladies who League here
Monday night football - it's a challenge.
I am rarely ambitious enough to try and get to games on Monday night, but thought I would make an exception this week (because I also have a soft spot for the Tigers).
Despite getting into work at 6.45 am on Monday morning so that I would be able to leave at 6 pm to get to the football, I only managed to leave at 7 pm (which meant I only arrived just in time for the second half). Better late than never.
It was quite a journey. On my way to the Stadium I called a friend of mine to give me a running commentary on the game so that I knew what was going on. I had some funny looks on the train. I was running so late that I decided the best course of action would be to get off the train and jump into a taxi at Strathfield. The driver saw my Parramatta Eels scarf and mentioned that I might be just a little bit late to the game. I told him that he was right.
As the taxi driver sped like Batman to get me there as quickly as possible I could not help feeling like a jinx. It seemed that the closer that I got to ANZ Stadium, that more and more points were being scored against Parramatta. I must admit as I entered the Stadium just in time for the second half, I was bracing myself for a repeat of Easter Monday.
And then the Eels turned up. And not only did they turn up, but it was a very spirited second half performance which stole the game from the Tigers, 28-16 (and I was delighted).
There were some sensational moments in this game - none more so than seeing our courageous captain score first points. I can't remember the last time Timmy scored a try so this was great to see.
Two words. Semi Radradra. What a player.
He made history this week. With the two tries that Semi scored in the second half, that takes his total to five doubles in five games. This is the first time that this has been done since the Ray Preston from the Newtown Jets did this in 1954. What a talent Semi is!
This was one of those wins where I was just pleased to get the 2 points. It was not our best performance, but we found a way to win and sometimes that is just as important.
It caps off a wonderful week for the Club as we can now confidently say that Kieran Foran will be joining us next year. How lucky are we to have a player with such tremendous talent joining the Parramatta family. I look forward to giving him a warm welcome when he arrives.
The bye could not have come at a better time - our boys are on a roll! It presents a perfect opportunity for some rest and reflection as we look ahead to our next challenge. Our arch rivals - The Canterbury Bulldogs. Brace yourselves
