Junior Reps Wrap: Mixed Results at Home for the Eels

The Eels registered their fifth successive win when they accounted for the Panthers at Eric Tweedale Stadium on Saturday.

A Penrith error from the kick off gifted Parra early possession in the red zone and the Eels took full advantage. With the Eels applying early try line pressure, Bailey Ma-Chong skipped out to the left of the ruck then turned Leonia Vei back to the right, and the prop thundered her way through the defence to score.

In the set after scoring, Parra earned a line drop out and their early dominance through the middle was rewarded when Isabella Bell crashed through between the posts.

Soon after, a couple of penalties piggybacked the Eels back into the Panthers half, then a left side shift created the space for Georgia Wansey to cross out wide. The sideline conversion from Bailey Ma-Chong made it 18 nil in better than even time.

More possession in Penrith’s red zone allowed the Eels to further increase the pressure, and Sharon Latapu made the visitors job even harder when her cut out pass found Freedom Crichton-Ropati who finished the job with a diving one-handed grounding in the corner.

Despite being reduced to 12 players via a sin bin, the Eels then had the final say of the first half. After resolutely defending their own line, they quickly advanced play downfield where Irea Savea threaded her way between Panthers defenders to add the Eels fifth try of the day.

Going into the sheds with a 28 point lead, the Eels were in complete control of the match.

The early minutes of the second half were a bit of an arm wrestle until Leonia Vei set Parra’s attack in motion with a clever offload. After pulling in the pass, halfback Temieke Withers quickly found Georgia Wansey in support and the centre dummied her way past the Panthers fullback to score.

Midway through the second half, a couple of sin bins against the Panthers left them two players down and the Eels scored their seventh unanswered try. On the back of surging runs from Bailey Ma-Chong and Isabella Bell, Sharon Latapu added the finish by cutting back off her right foot and beating the retreating defence to the line.

With just a few minutes remaining, it appeared as if the Eels had completed their scoring when Catea Duff linked with Freedom Crichton Ropati for her second try of the day.

However, Freedom Crichton Ropati made it a try treble when she chased a kick by Bailey Ma-Chong and grounded the ball in the corner.

Due to a designated wet weather round, the Eels next match will be in a fortnight when they face the Tigers at Leichhardt Oval.

Eels 46 (Tries: Freedom Crichton Ropati 3, Georgia Wansey 2, Leonia Vei, Isabella Bell, Irae Savea, Sharon Latapu; Goals: Bailey Ma Chong 4, Temieke Withers) defeated Panthers 0.

Tarsha Gale Cup

After losing their undefeated status last week, the Eels Tarsha Gale Cup side were looking to return to the winners list when they faced the Panthers on Saturday at Eric Tweedale Stadium.

The Panthers signalled their intent with an early try in the corner, and  the Eels knew this was going to be a tough contest.

Parra levelled the scores midway through the first half when Ava Jones burrowed over from dummy half, but it would be the Panthers who took the lead into the break when they created an overlap and scored in the right corner.

Penrith extended their lead to ten points early in the second half when they cut through Parra’s right edge close to the line. Parra had to be next to score and the opportunity was presented by a Panthers error in the set after points.

With an extra set in possession following a penalty in front of the posts, the Eels began to stretch the Panthers defence. A delightful short ball from Khyliah Gray then put Armarni-Lea Auvae through a hole on the Panthers right edge and the Eels prop touched down beside the uprights.

The Eels fought hard to level the scores but they struggled with last tackle options. Penrith eventually took their lead back out to ten points with a try eight minutes before full time.

With time ticking away, a draw became a possibility when Fontayne Tufuga linked with Sualo Lafoga for an unconverted try in the left corner.

The Panthers set the stage for a late Eels try when a number of their players were in front of the kicker at the restart. Unfortunately, Parra’s opportunity was lost when the ball came free in contact ten metres out from the Penrith line.

After the coming weekend’s scheduled wet weather round, the Eels next opponent will be the third placed Wests Tigers on Saturday week at Leichhardt Oval.

Panthers 20 defeated Eels 14 (Tries: Ava Jones, Armarni-Lea Auvae, Sualo Lafoga; Goals: Dallis Graham-Withell).

Harold Matthews Cup

The Eels Harold Matthews Cup team dropped to tenth place on the ladder when they fell two points short against a committed Canberra Raiders at Eric Tweedale Stadium on Saturday.

In a tight contest, the lead see-sawed multiple times before a late try to the Raiders secured the highly prized competition points.

Canberra started the match in sizzling fashion, breaking through the Eels left edge on their own side of halfway, and touching down in the opening ninety seconds of the game.

Parra drew level ten minutes later when a perfectly weighted grubber kick from Zain Alameddine was chased and grounded behind the posts by Samuel Polley.

The Raiders regained the lead five minutes later after their second rower crashed over from close range, but their lead was short lived when Samuel Polley added his second try of the day.

An outside/inside play beside the ruck saw Talen Risati put Riley Davis into space. The fullback’s pass to supports was deflected by the Raiders defence, but Samuel Polley played to the whistle and scooped up the ball to score next to the sticks.

Parra took their 12 to 10 lead into break and the stage was set for a nail biting second half.

Canberra regained the lead early in the second half when the Eels were penalised in possession close to their own line for an incorrect play the ball. From the tap, the Raiders chanced their hand with an early grubber kick, and the deflection fell their way for the try.

The second half was as gripping as it promised to be as both sides strived to gain the ascendancy. Once more the lead changed hands when Kasinga Noa crashed through the defence with just on ten minutes remaining. 

Zain Alameddine’s conversion edged the Eels ahead by two points and shortly afterward they missed a golden opportunity to score when the Raiders fullback dropped a bomb. Unfortunately the Eels couldn’t pick up the bouncing ball cleanly, and a Raiders scrum win was quickly followed by a penalty.

With play in the Eels red zone and the clock approaching the 55 minute mark, the Raiders half split the Eels defence to score an unconverted try.

From there, the Eels failed to complete their final two sets and the Raiders held on for the narrowest of victories.

The Eels next face the 13th placed Wests Magpies on Saturday week at Lidcombe Oval.

Raiders 20 defeated Eels 18 (Tries: Samuel Polley 2, Kasinga Noa; Goals: Zain Alameddine 3).

SG Ball Cup

Parra’s SG Ball team produced what was arguably their best performance of the season when they defeated the ladder leading Raiders at Eric Tweedale Stadium on Saturday.

The physical clash was exactly what was expected from two undefeated teams, but the Eels attack had the edge over Canberra in delivering the six tries to three victory. 

Early scoring opportunities were with the Eels, however a couple of incomplete sets inside the Raiders’ quarter let the visitors off the hook.

Third time was a charm for the Eels when the Raiders fumbled an Eels bomb inside their red zone. In the set that followed, Lorenzo Talataina linked with Lincoln Fletcher and the Eels half sliced through the Raiders right edge to score.

The Raiders struck back following a series of penalties inside Parra’s quarter to take a 6 to 4 lead midway through the first half.

Quick hands were the key to Parra’s reply. Lorenzo Talataina and Lincoln Fletcher again combined to take play to the Raiders posts. A right side shift followed and Dom Farrugia added the finish with a dive in the corner.

Parra then made it back to back tries when Anders Johansson beat a pair of Raiders defenders on his way to crossing near the left corner. 

The Eels three unconverted tries had them hitting the sheds with a 12 to 6 lead.

Parra commenced the second half with a number of errors and indiscretions and paid the price when the Raiders scored beside the posts and levelled the scores.

A Raiders mistake in the set after points provided Parra with both the field position and the possession to strike back. After peppering the line through their middle forwards, the Eels turned to Issac Jim for the crash play beside the sticks and the prop could not be stopped.

The Eels were back out to a six point lead and playing with confidence in both attack and defence.

Dom Farrugia went very close to scoring when he planted the ball in the right corner but without a video ref in this grade it could not be awarded.

Despite being reduced to 12 men following the sin binning of Anders Johansson, the Eels were next to score when Lorenzo Talataina light stepped his way through the ruck to touch down between the posts.

The Raiders reduced the margin to six points when they scored off a bomb, leaving supporters to sit through yet another edge of the seat finish.

He might have been denied earlier, but Dom Farrugia put the match beyond doubt when he grounded the ball inside the corner post. Lincoln Fletcher added the extras for a 12 point lead with less than three minutes remaining.

The win leaves the Eels sitting alone at the top of the table. This coming weekend is a scheduled wet round, so the Eels next match will be against the Wests Magpies on Saturday week at Lidcombe Oval.

Eels 30 (Tries: Dom Farrugia 2, Lincoln Fletcher, Andes Johansson, Isaac Jim, Lorenzo Talataina; Goals Lincoln Fletcher 3) defeated Raiders 18.