Wednesday, June 30, 2004
Match Analysis: Parra vs Warriors
If the Eels are to make the semi-finals then, quite simply, they must win this weekend.
Parramatta do not have the easiest run home. They face the Roosters twice, a home game against Penrith, a tough away match against Melbourne and have only one bye remaining. To reach the magical 28 number that usually guarantees you a berth in the top eight Parramatta must win one of those games plus every other match (Warriors home and away, Sharks at home, Cowboys away and Tigers at home).
A loss against the bottom placed Warriors would almost put the finals out of reach.
While the Warriors were beaten easily last week, this does shape up as a danger game for the Eels. Parramatta will not only miss the presence of their main playmaker Adam Dykes, but they also go into this game without their strike forward Nathan Hindmarsh.
Once again, an enormous amount of responsibility will fall on the shoulders of young Michael Witt to guide the team around the park, not an easy job when your facing one of the game's most experienced halves, the seasoned Stacey Jones.
As such, John Morris needs to step up again and show leadership skills. This game is not dissimiliar to the Manly game. That day, the Eels were missing Hindmarsh and Dykes started slowly, but Morris was brilliant, constantly troubling the Sea Eagles with his dummy half running and setting up attacking raids. Parramatta does have strike players like Widders and Burt who can create tries if they have space to work in.
If Morris has a big game, the Eels should win. If he doesn't, Parramatta might struggle to score points as they did last week against Penrith. Admittedly, the Warriors defence is nowhere near the level that the Panthers play at, but still, the Eels attack cannot afford to break down as it did so often last week.
Fortunately, the Warriors don't look to have a lot of points in them. The decision to move Tony Martin to pivot looks almost like a move of desperation and Daniel Wagon should have his measure. Similiarly, Junior Langi is a good match up against Clinton Toopi, who can be lethal when on song. Probably even more so than Witt, Jones will be burdened with carrying his team and if the Eels successfully shut down the New Zealand number seven they will be well on their way to winning the match.
That will be even more so the case, if Parramatta's starting pack is able to outplay the Warriors large and often unpredictable forwards, just as they did in the opening stanza against Penrith. Certainly, the Warriors don't look nearly as strong up front as Penrith and they most definitately don't have bench players like Frank Pritchard or Robbie Ross.
But the thing about New Zealand is they can be woeful one week and brilliant the next. If they get their confidence they can still threaten even the best teams so Parramatta needs to ensure they dominate early.
Parramatta do not have the easiest run home. They face the Roosters twice, a home game against Penrith, a tough away match against Melbourne and have only one bye remaining. To reach the magical 28 number that usually guarantees you a berth in the top eight Parramatta must win one of those games plus every other match (Warriors home and away, Sharks at home, Cowboys away and Tigers at home).
A loss against the bottom placed Warriors would almost put the finals out of reach.
While the Warriors were beaten easily last week, this does shape up as a danger game for the Eels. Parramatta will not only miss the presence of their main playmaker Adam Dykes, but they also go into this game without their strike forward Nathan Hindmarsh.
Once again, an enormous amount of responsibility will fall on the shoulders of young Michael Witt to guide the team around the park, not an easy job when your facing one of the game's most experienced halves, the seasoned Stacey Jones.
As such, John Morris needs to step up again and show leadership skills. This game is not dissimiliar to the Manly game. That day, the Eels were missing Hindmarsh and Dykes started slowly, but Morris was brilliant, constantly troubling the Sea Eagles with his dummy half running and setting up attacking raids. Parramatta does have strike players like Widders and Burt who can create tries if they have space to work in.
If Morris has a big game, the Eels should win. If he doesn't, Parramatta might struggle to score points as they did last week against Penrith. Admittedly, the Warriors defence is nowhere near the level that the Panthers play at, but still, the Eels attack cannot afford to break down as it did so often last week.
Fortunately, the Warriors don't look to have a lot of points in them. The decision to move Tony Martin to pivot looks almost like a move of desperation and Daniel Wagon should have his measure. Similiarly, Junior Langi is a good match up against Clinton Toopi, who can be lethal when on song. Probably even more so than Witt, Jones will be burdened with carrying his team and if the Eels successfully shut down the New Zealand number seven they will be well on their way to winning the match.
That will be even more so the case, if Parramatta's starting pack is able to outplay the Warriors large and often unpredictable forwards, just as they did in the opening stanza against Penrith. Certainly, the Warriors don't look nearly as strong up front as Penrith and they most definitately don't have bench players like Frank Pritchard or Robbie Ross.
But the thing about New Zealand is they can be woeful one week and brilliant the next. If they get their confidence they can still threaten even the best teams so Parramatta needs to ensure they dominate early.
