Saturday, April 24, 2004
Golden point downs Eels again
Parramatta's unbeaten run at home has been broken with Cronulla winning in overtime via a try to Nigel Vagana.
The Eels looked to be on the way to a grinding victory after they led 14 to eight for most of the second half.
However, the Sharks scored off a Kimorley kick next to the post to tie it up and send it into overtime before the match winning try came on Cronulla's first set of six.
The Eels got off to a great start when Eric Grothe scored another spectacular, long range try tramping over defenders, brushing off the full back then sprinting away from the cover defence to score.
However, minutes later Grothe went from hero to villain, try to throw a stupid pass off the first tackle inside his own twenty which was dived on by Phil Bailey, who then went over from the ensuing play the ball.
The Eels had opportunity after opportunity to put a four-pointed on the board but just couldn't get across the line and, arguably against the flow of play, Cronulla scored the next try. Adam Dykes made a simple knock on then commited a double error rushing out of the defensive line leaving an overlap that allowed Matthew Rieck to score out wide.
Parramatta went to the break trailing but were dominant for most of the second half. Adam Peek capped off a tremendous game as starting prop crashing over for his first try in four years off a sweet Dykes pass. Then Matt Peterson, who had consistently won the ball in the air against his opposite number Rieck, was again too strong and pluck off a John Morris cross field kick to score and give the Eels a 14 to eight lead.
They Eels held that lead for 25 minutes, however they begun to tire noticeably in the final fifteen minutes.
David Vaeliki went down with a knee injury just before Cronulla scored, leaving the Eels short in defence and had to be carried from the field after the bell.
Wade McKinnon named in the centres played fullback with Luke Burt in the centres. Despite playing most of the game last night, Nathan Hindmarsh again played a full eighty minutes.
The Eels looked to be on the way to a grinding victory after they led 14 to eight for most of the second half.
However, the Sharks scored off a Kimorley kick next to the post to tie it up and send it into overtime before the match winning try came on Cronulla's first set of six.
The Eels got off to a great start when Eric Grothe scored another spectacular, long range try tramping over defenders, brushing off the full back then sprinting away from the cover defence to score.
However, minutes later Grothe went from hero to villain, try to throw a stupid pass off the first tackle inside his own twenty which was dived on by Phil Bailey, who then went over from the ensuing play the ball.
The Eels had opportunity after opportunity to put a four-pointed on the board but just couldn't get across the line and, arguably against the flow of play, Cronulla scored the next try. Adam Dykes made a simple knock on then commited a double error rushing out of the defensive line leaving an overlap that allowed Matthew Rieck to score out wide.
Parramatta went to the break trailing but were dominant for most of the second half. Adam Peek capped off a tremendous game as starting prop crashing over for his first try in four years off a sweet Dykes pass. Then Matt Peterson, who had consistently won the ball in the air against his opposite number Rieck, was again too strong and pluck off a John Morris cross field kick to score and give the Eels a 14 to eight lead.
They Eels held that lead for 25 minutes, however they begun to tire noticeably in the final fifteen minutes.
David Vaeliki went down with a knee injury just before Cronulla scored, leaving the Eels short in defence and had to be carried from the field after the bell.
Wade McKinnon named in the centres played fullback with Luke Burt in the centres. Despite playing most of the game last night, Nathan Hindmarsh again played a full eighty minutes.
