Roosters crow, Eels slip further into oblivion
May 17th 2008 09:09
Roosters winger Shaun Kenny Dowall was just one of many determined performers against the Eels last night
Brad Fittler has a very determined group of players this season.
After the loss of class forwards Willie Mason, Nate Myles, Anthony Tupou and Craig Fitzgibbon to Origin duty, The Sydney Roosters could have been forgiven for losing to a resurgent Eels outfit last night.
After all, Parramatta were only missing winger Jarryd Hayne and that in turn provided them with the ideal platform to totally dominate the tr-colours yesterday evening.
Unfortunetly for Parramatta, NSW selectors forgot to pick the Roosters most impressive player this season in five-eighth Braith Anasta.
Formally the most over-rated player in league, Anasta has simply had enough.
The former Australian international has been in inspired form this season and really should have been picked for Origin this year.
Last night's victory over the Eels demonstrated a man at the peak of his powers, taking control of a side that displayed passion and determination in the forwards that hasn't been evident since the glory days of 2002-04.
Brad Fittler has to be credited for giving this team the belief and structure it has so sorely lacked in previous seasons. He alone has changed the mentality of a side that looked in complete freefall in 2006.
In the space of six months, Fittler has transformed Anasta's game from one of inconsistency, to one of perfection and structure that has seen his game resemble the great man himself.
Against the Eels last night, Anasta ran the ball five times for 80 metres and scored two solo tries that propelled his side to an unlikely victory over their more fancied counterparts.
Add to this his three try assists for the likes of Setaimata Sa, Iosia Soliola and Brent Grose and you can clearly see a man that is now taking control.
It must be said though that Anasta could not have performed the way he did if it wasn't for a fantastic showing from the Roosters forward pack.
Mark O'Meley was simply superb as he led from the front to produce 20 hitups for 184 metres and amassed 24 tackles to lay the platform for the likes of Pearce and Anasta to weave their magic.
Apart from O'Meley, the young brigade of Cherrington, the Paea brothers and Nuuasala really aimed up well against the power Eels pack that lacked both skill and passion.
The Roosters backline also performed very well with the likes of Roberts, Perrett and Kenny Dowall making terrific metres out of dummy-half to completely keep the Eels under immense pressure in defence.
Perrett in particular continues to make metres no matter where he plays, amassing 154 metres on the wing.
All in all, Fittler would be very pleased with his troops for their enthusiasim in both defence and attack. Despite using a very compressed defence, The Roosters eventually tackled Parramatta out of the game and this alone forced the Eels into stupid errors, all through lack of judgement.
The Eels on the other hand are clearly off the pace in this years competiton.
Despite fielding some of the games premier players, There is something about Parramatta this season that has them looking very disrupted.
Whether it be Tim Smith's retirement from the game or Hayne's close call in a King's Cross nightclub, The Eels just don't look focused enough to compete with the premier teams in this years competition.
Although it is early days yet, Parramatta have to get their heads straight sooner rather than later if they are to seriously challenge for the NRL's premier honour in 2008.
We all know they have the players and the game to compete. It all comes down to their mentality and the way they apply themselves from here on in this season.
Although last night's performance left alot to be desired, i still think the Eels will have plenty to say this year.
They are a side that can click on any day of the week and when they do, they are almost impossible to play against, hence their performances last year.
But it is time now for them to roll up their sleeves and shed the pretty football tag for now.
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