There were mixed results for the Eels junior rep teams in another round of away matches on Saturday.
The Lisa Fiaola and Tarsha Gale teams continued their winning ways with big wins against the Bears at Kenthurst.
Meanwhile the Harold Matthews team suffered a heavy defeat, and the SG Ball side walked away with a draw, in their clashes with the Roosters at Mascot.
Lisa Fiaola Cup
The Eels made it two wins from two starts when they trounced the Bears in round two action of the Lisa Fiaola Cup at Kenthurst on Saturday.
Parra couldn’t quite get into their groove early on, and they had to withstand a spirited Bears attack that went close to scoring.
A last tackle kick from the Bears inside the Eels quarter looked like paying dividends when an awkward bounce made life difficult for left winger Sienna Bonello. But after controlling the ball she was able to beat the Bears chasers and race the length of the field for the Eels first try.
The Eels forwards then took control from the kick off, and when a run from Leonia Vei advanced play to inside the Bears ten metre line, Bailey Ma-Chong cashed in with a try scoring run out of dummy half.
Parra’s defence was now stinging the home team, and a big hit provided the Eels with possession close to the Bears line. The invitation to score was again accepted by Bailey Ma-Chong who crossed with another dart out of dummy half.
Three conversions from three attempts by Bailey Ma-Chong took the Eels out to an 18 point lead five minutes before the break, but the Eels had yet to finish their scoring for the first half.
It was a case of Rugby League 101 from the kick off, as the Eels forwards drove play through the middle to the Bears quarter. It was then the backs who added the polish to the set with a right side shift going through five-eighth Sharon Latapu to centre Hine Rikiti for a try out wide.
The angled conversion from Ma-Chong stretched the Eels lead to 24 but the team still wasn’t satisfied.
Hot hands by the Eels from the kick off saw play quickly move down the left wing and right back into the Bears quarter. The home team’s defence was now dishevelled and this time the Eels shift extended all the way to right winger Freedom Crichton Ropati who added her name to the try scorers list.
A 28 point half time lead was always going to be tough for the Bears to overcome, but it became near impossible when the Eels were first to score after the break.
Rylee Cash was off the interchange and into dummy half, and when her pass found Olivia Saba in front of the posts, the prop was able to beat the defenders for a try that took the Eels to a 34 to nil scoreline.
The Bears never stopped trying, and after an Eels error provided the Bears with possession inside Parra’s half, they finally grabbed their first try of the match.
That joy was short lived as the Eels struck back soon afterwards, but not before a near try from Temieke Withers.
The Eels half twice toed ahead after a loose pass from Norths hit the ground, and she seemed to win the race to ground the ball. Unfortunately for Parra, the ref saw it differently and correctly penalised Withers for pushing a Norths chaser.
Disappointment then turned to delight when an attacking raid down the left edge provided Leonia Vei with a deserved try.
The Eels were now tearing the defence to shreds, and from the kick off they advanced the ball back into the Norths quarter. Quick hands put Hine Rikiti back on the scorers’ sheet, and the Eels were threatening to go beyond the half century.
Sharon Latapu and Kaizen Morgan-Pritchard then combined to take the Eels to within two points of the fifty point landmark. Latapu did the kicking, whilst Morgan Pritchard did the chasing and the grounding.
A late call of fair try saw the Bears hit double figures as the siren sounded, but the day was all Parra’s.
Next week the Eels play their first home game of the season when they meet the Sea Eagles at Eric Tweedale Stadium.
Eels 48 (Tries: Bailey Ma-Chong 2, Sienna Bonello, Hine Rikiti, Freedom Crichton Ropati, Olivia Saba, Leonia Vei, Kaizen Morgan-Pritchard Goals: Bailey Ma Chong 4, Sharon Latapu, Temieke Withers) defeated Bears 10
Tarsha Gale Cup
It was another high-scoring victory to the Eels in the second round of the Tarsha Gale Cup when they overpowered the Bears at Kenthurst on Saturday.
The Eels forced a line drop out with their first set of the match, and immediately applied pressure on the Bears defence. Quick ball movement on the last tackle put left winger Alleya Scrivens outside her opposite and she crossed in the corner for the first try.
A penalty in the set after points had the Eels back on the attack in Norths quarter, and when Khyliah Gray charged through some passive defence the Eels had posted their second try of the match after just six minutes.
The Bears were struggling to match the Eels physicality, but it was quick hands from the Eels left side which then delivered the second try for Alleya Scrivens.
Parra’s attack was on song and the Bears did well to just prevent a fourth try. The home team was rewarded for this defensive effort as back to back penalties advanced them to the Eels quarter. Their left edge asked questions of the Eels defence, and the visitors had no answer to the footwork of the Bears winger who crossed in the corner.
Unfortunately for the Bears, the Eels were still making big metres in every set, and Alleya Scrivens set the stage for their next raid with a forty metre run through the ruck. Two tackles later Khyliah Gray found Ryvrr-Lee Alo in support for her first try of the match.
A successful conversion took the Eels to a 20 to 4 lead, but it was the Bears who surprised with the next try. Carrying the ball in both hands, their half back split the Eels defence 30 metres out before threading a pass to the right winger who scored out wide.
Despite conceding the last try of the first half, the Eels took a healthy 20 to 8 lead into the break.
The points would soon flow in the second half.
Ryvrr-Lee Alo made it a personal brace of tries when she touched down beside the posts, and Sammy-Lee Gunn-Tauai then extended the lead when she pulled out of a couple of tackles to post Parra’s sixth try of the day.
Four minutes later, Eels second phase play generated an overlap on the right and Nelly Thomas went over in the corner to take the Eels to an unassailable 36 to 8 lead.
Though the match was already decided, the play of the day was still to come.
That moment would arrive in the set after points, when Ryvrr-Lee Alo advanced the ball across the halfway line, and found fullback Dallis Graham-Withell with an offload. The Eels custodian then sprinted 50 metres to plant the ball between the posts.
But there was no shutting up shop for the try hungry Eels.
A cross field dart from Dallis Graham-Withell was stopped a metre short of the line. Khyliah Gray quickly jumped into dummy half, and when she feigned to pass right, a space appeared beside the ruck and she stepped through it to join Ryvrr-Lee Alo and Alleya Scrivens on the try double list.
The Eels will be at home for the first time this season when they face the Sea Eagles next Saturday at Eric Tweedale Stadium.
Eels 48 (Tries: Ryvrr-Lee Alo 2, Khyliah Gray 2, Alleya Scrivens 2, Sammy-Lee Gunn-Tauai, Nelly Thomas, Dallis Graham-Withell Goals: Alleya Scrivens 6) defeated Bears 8.
Harold Matthews Cup
Discipline will be the focus at training for the Eels this week after a heavy loss to the Sydney Roosters in their round two Harold Matthews Cup clash at Mascot.
The Eels were their own worst enemy as errors and penalties punctuated their performance.
Early running was with Parramatta, but they could not convert their territorial advantage into points. In contrast, the Roosters first visit to the Eels red zone yielded success when their left centre crossed out wide.
Parra looked likely to strike back after they forced a line drop out from the kick off and Kordell Pritchard was held up over the line, but the Roosters held strong. The home team then extended their lead after again scoring in the left corner.
The Eels finally found success in their next trip to the Roosters quarter.
Fullback Cyryus Bloomfield joined a left side shift, and drew the attention of the Roosters outside backs. This opened a passage for winger Cobi McCloskey who accepted the pass from Bloomfield to score out wide. The angled conversion from Zain Alameddine was successful and the Roosters lead was cut to four points.
Unfortunately for the Eels, a penalty against them for an incorrect play the ball proved to be the catalyst for the Roosters to score the final try of the half. Working their way to the Eels quarter, the Roosters once more found joy in the left corner, taking an eight point lead into the break.
The second half did not begin well for the Eels when they missed a golden opportunity to score, then committed a string of indiscretions to concede their fourth try of the match.
Further Roosters tries in the 54th and 57th minutes saw them run out convincing 30 to 6 winners.
The Eels will be looking to regroup when they face the Sharks at Cabramatta next Saturday.
Roosters 30 defeated Eels 6 (Try: Cobi McCloskey Goal: Zain Alameddine)
SG Ball Cup
The Eels and the Roosters could not be separated at full time in what was a physical and sometimes heated round two SG Ball match at Mascot on Saturday.
An early error saw the Eels get off to the worst possible start. After being called for a forward pass in the first set of the game, the Eels defence was caught short out wide and immediately conceded a try.
Then in the set after points, a last tackle kick by the Roosters took a deflection from an Eels charge down and fell fortuitously for the home team to regain possession and streak downfield for their second try.
A ten point deficit after just five minutes was not part of the plan for this defence proud Eels outfit, so it was important to strike back as soon as possible.
That opportunity came just five minutes later when a late offload from second rower Christopher Petrus was toed ahead and grounded by five-eighth Lorima Saukuru for the Eels first try.
Lincoln Fletcher’s conversion brought the margin back to four points, and the match settled into an arm wrestle for the next fifteen minutes with neither side able to gain the ascendancy.
A critical Roosters error when they kicked out on the full then provided the Eels with the opportunity they’d been sweating on.
After the Eels worked play into the Roosters quarter, Lincoln Fletcher hoisted a towering bomb towards the right wing and Dominic Farrugia leapt high above his opposite to catch the ball and plant it for the equaliser.
No further points were added in the first half and the teams hit the sheds locked at ten all.
The second half started almost as poorly as the first for the Eels when they coughed up the ball in a tackle near half way. The Roosters then marched fifty metres downfield to score a try via a dummy half run on the last tackle.
Parra’s reply would be all class. After receiving a penalty for a late tackle, the Eels advanced play to the Roosters quarter. A no look ball from Max Popo put his front row partner Tom Summer through the line and the prop found Lincoln Fletcher looming in support for a beautifully constructed try.
Fletcher’s conversion levelled the scores but could the Eels finally take the lead?
The answer to that question seemed to be in the affirmative when Parra unleashed in the set after points. Second phase play through the middle was followed by quick hands to left winger Lorima Rokosuka.
After surging down the sideline Rokosuka hooked an overhead pass back to Lorima Saukuru who was sprinting away for the try, only to have the officials call him back for a forward pass.
Tempers flared soon afterwards when fullback Nathan Howlett was heavily tackled in the air catching a kick. The physicality in the clash continued to rise and when a Roosters player was binned for a late, high shot on Lorima Saukuru, the Eels were positioned inside the Roosters quarter, with a one player advantage and only six minutes left on the clock.
Opting to take the tap rather than a penalty goal, the Eels decision was vindicated when Christopher Petrus plunged over out wide and then Lincoln Fletcher nailed the conversion for a six point lead.
With time ticking away, the Roosters retrieved possession from the short kick off. Their dummy half then stole his second try of the match when he caught the Eels markers on the ground on the last tackle.
The conversion levelled the scores but the drama was not yet over. One set remained and the Eels had to survive a final mad scramble as the siren sounded.
Next up for the Eels will be their first home game of the season when they take on the Sharks in Round 3 at Cabramatta.
Eels 22 ( Tries: Lorima Saukuru, Dominic Farrugia, Lincoln Fletcher, Christopher Petrus Goals: Lincoln Fletcher 3) drew with Roosters 22
