Monday, June 14, 2004
Eels win a record
Parramatta's 52 to 12 flogging of the Manly goes down in the record books as the biggest win that the Eels have ever recorded over the Sea Eagles.
AAP's match report said the club was "revitalised", while Sportal said the Eels "finally produced the goods".
ABC Online quoted Brian Smith as saying: "How do you figure football, I couldn't have imagined this.
"It wasn't in my wildest dreams, I can tell you, that we would have put 50 past them today."
In another AAP report, Smith was quoted as saying: "I think today was the first time in a very long time that we've had a number of bounces of the ball go our way and they led to points."
The Eels led 18 to 6 at half time. A highly-involved Luke Burt set up the first try for Chris Muckert, a clever scamper from dummy half by John Morris saw Dean Widders put into a hole to score, and the Brent Anderson tapped back a Daniel Wagon cross field bomb which Junior Langi dived on for the half's final try. The only Sea Eagles try came against the run of play when former Eels Scott Donald picked up the ball and ran 90 metres to score.
The Daily Telegraph described the second half as "what will be one of the long-remembered halves in Parramatta history".
Adam Dykes scored yet another solo try from nothing minutes in the second stanza, and then Wade McKinnon, who backed up all day, took a brilliant Corey Pearson short pass and scored after the video referee ruled against a suspect double movement.
Manly got one back but that only saw the floodgates open with Widders, Luke Burt, Morris and Shane Muspratt all scoring.
Much was made of the "fiery" nature of the game. AAP's report said that the Eels saved their boos this week for Manly bad boy John Hopoate who was the centre of several controversial moments including a fight with Parra prop Craig Stapleton. Kylie Leuluai was also placed on report for a high shot of Michael Vella.
The other talking point was Des Hasler's cry after the game that Manly wuz robbed. The Australian quoted Hasler as saying "I don't believe we are that bad or ill-disciplined to be penalised 13-5" and complaining that Tim Mander was in the video referees booth rather than officiating as the match referree, after the NRL decided to give its leading whistle blowers a week off. Ironically, Hasler also had a whinge about the decision to award Wade McKinnon's try, a judgement made by Mander in the video ref's booth.
Dean Widder was quoted in yet another AAP report as saying that the Eels turnaround was a result of more passion and "showing more enjoyment out there on the field and that would bring an extra effort out on the field".
"It was just getting out on the field and showing everyone that our heart and soul was in it and that's what we have been doing the last few weeks."
AAP's match report said the club was "revitalised", while Sportal said the Eels "finally produced the goods".
ABC Online quoted Brian Smith as saying: "How do you figure football, I couldn't have imagined this.
"It wasn't in my wildest dreams, I can tell you, that we would have put 50 past them today."
In another AAP report, Smith was quoted as saying: "I think today was the first time in a very long time that we've had a number of bounces of the ball go our way and they led to points."
The Eels led 18 to 6 at half time. A highly-involved Luke Burt set up the first try for Chris Muckert, a clever scamper from dummy half by John Morris saw Dean Widders put into a hole to score, and the Brent Anderson tapped back a Daniel Wagon cross field bomb which Junior Langi dived on for the half's final try. The only Sea Eagles try came against the run of play when former Eels Scott Donald picked up the ball and ran 90 metres to score.
The Daily Telegraph described the second half as "what will be one of the long-remembered halves in Parramatta history".
Adam Dykes scored yet another solo try from nothing minutes in the second stanza, and then Wade McKinnon, who backed up all day, took a brilliant Corey Pearson short pass and scored after the video referee ruled against a suspect double movement.
Manly got one back but that only saw the floodgates open with Widders, Luke Burt, Morris and Shane Muspratt all scoring.
Much was made of the "fiery" nature of the game. AAP's report said that the Eels saved their boos this week for Manly bad boy John Hopoate who was the centre of several controversial moments including a fight with Parra prop Craig Stapleton. Kylie Leuluai was also placed on report for a high shot of Michael Vella.
The other talking point was Des Hasler's cry after the game that Manly wuz robbed. The Australian quoted Hasler as saying "I don't believe we are that bad or ill-disciplined to be penalised 13-5" and complaining that Tim Mander was in the video referees booth rather than officiating as the match referree, after the NRL decided to give its leading whistle blowers a week off. Ironically, Hasler also had a whinge about the decision to award Wade McKinnon's try, a judgement made by Mander in the video ref's booth.
Dean Widder was quoted in yet another AAP report as saying that the Eels turnaround was a result of more passion and "showing more enjoyment out there on the field and that would bring an extra effort out on the field".
"It was just getting out on the field and showing everyone that our heart and soul was in it and that's what we have been doing the last few weeks."
