We’re one step closer to knowing who will win the Provan Summons Trophy. Canberra, Melbourne, Souths and Penrith are the last four.
That’s after the Roosters and Parramatta fell out of the final in straight sets over the weekend.
With their season ended foxsports.com.au puts a magnifying glass over the roosters and eels to see how they fared.
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THE SYDNEY ROOSTERS – Posted by George Clarke
Season record: 4th, P22 W14 L8 – Elimination finals
What went right: The Roosters had an incredible run behind them after losing two games before the COVID-19 shutdown, losing just two games out of their next eleven.
Both losses were to the Raiders and Storm and by less than four points.
Even as the season progressed, they still destroyed teams on the attack and defended vigorously as they scored big victories against the Broncos, Sharks, Knights, Cowboys and Tigers on their way home.
Angus Crichton has improved every week and looks like the player they signed for the first time. James Tedesco and Luke Keary continued their excellent combination and, as usual, great efforts have been made by the likes of Joey Manu and Boyd Cordner. Even Matt Ikuvalu, Sitili Tupouniua and Lindsay Collins played some of their best stuff as the Morris twins roll back the years.
What went wrong: You can probably point out a couple of things. Losing Victor Radley and Sam Verrills in the same game with Parramatta proved costly. Radley gives the roosters so much direction when attacking because his ball game is so good in the middle. His injury and that of Verrills left them with little opportunity to support Jake Friend.
“We weren’t good enough”
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So if Friend inevitably goes down at some point in the season, they’re to the bone. They get rookie Freddy Lussick and spin him with Lachlan Lam and Mitchell Aubusson. That then puts a lot of pressure on Luke Keary and Kyle Flanagan, who are still trying to tweak their combo. Failure to add another seasoned hooker could be something they will regret. They got the chance to do so but added Sonny Bill Williams instead.
How effective was this signing and did they pound for their money? Sure, it must have had an electroplating effect, but was that what they really needed? Did you actually see him at the Toronto Wolfpack or just that it was a second coming of the SBW 2013?
Cordner’s concussion concerns will surely have influenced her, and you must also wonder if her continued success has taken its toll.
Many representative players who play long seasons year after year will catch up with you sooner or later. We may have seen the beginning of it when a weary page was torn apart by the Rabbitohs and then stumbled to defeat against the Panthers and Raiders.
The star: James Tedesco. Couldn’t be someone else, right? He generates so much progress for his pack, getting 11 tries and putting up 15 more.
Must lift: It’s easy to blame Kyle Flanagan for not being Cooper Cronk. The fact is, they probably all do, they are all likely to be exhausted trying to maintain their excellence. There are many tired bodies on this site who when it came down to it, probably just ran out of gas. With an off-season, no trip to England, and fewer test matches, the Roosters should be ready to go again.
CNK stops Morris twins TWICE
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How are you improving?: You will have Verrills, Billy Smith and Radley back and be fit. That should bring some youthfulness to a site that has a few older minds. You could add extra support to strengthen their center and take the strain off Sio Siua Taukeiaho and Jared Waerea-Hargreaves.
2021 wins: None.
2021 losses: Mitchell Aubusson (retired), Ryan Hall (Toronto Wolfpack).
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PARRAMATTA EEL – By Darcie McDonald
Season record: 3rd, P22 W15 L7 – Elimination finals
What went right: The first half of their season. The Eels won eight of their first ten games – including five straight wins earlier this year. On lap 7 they were on top of the ladder and soared. Star halfback Mitchell Moses was in glowing shape and everything seemed to be working like a well-oiled machine. They finished third – their highest result of the 2007 regular season – and they were the only team to beat minor premieres, the Panthers. New signing Reagan Campbell-Gillard found his mojo in a blue and gold jersey and Clint Gutherson was a shining light again. Campbell-Gillard and Gutherson, and Nathan Brown and Junior Paulo, were selected for their efforts in Brad Fittler’s extended NSW roster in 2020.
What went wrong: Mitchell Moses’ slump in shape. As noted above, he was in spectacular form in the first half of the season, the kind of form that would have picked him on the Blues extended roster if he had kept it up all season. Then Moses lost his boast at the far end. It would be unfair to blame him, and the eels’ exit from the final was not his fault. But the club showed great confidence in him when Corey Norman moved on in late 2018 to help Moses thrive. The 26-year-old dropped out at the end of the season and that was definitely something coach Brad Arthur didn’t expect or need after such a fantastic start to 2020.
“Forget your natural game”
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The star: Captain Clint Gutherson shows his courage year after year and this is also the case for 2020. The 26-year-old leads his team by example. His head is in play from kick-off to the full-time siren. He’s always there to make sure and never gives up. The perfect example of Gutherson’s tireless efforts is his performance in losing last week’s semi-finals. He scored a double, set up two more, ran 172 meters, made five duel busts and had three broken lines. In the 78th minute, when the game and their season were over, Gutherson tried to run Damien Cook down to keep him from scoring a late try. Undoubtedly Parramatta’s MVP in 2020.
Must lift: Blake Ferguson. What a strange year for the Starwinger. The reigning NSW winger was a huge hit for the Eels last year, but this season was far from his best. His game was flawed and has only scored four tries – the smallest sum in a season since his debut season in 2009. It’s not uncommon for a player to suffer an off-season, but it usually comes in season two or three if you discover still the key to consistent performance, or near the end of a player’s career – nearing retirement. However, Ferguson is 30 years old, has played 231 games, and has still had a good three seasons in itself. Regardless of how 2020 went for Ferguson, he has to leave it behind and have a much bigger season in 2021.
Terrible minute ruins Aal’s hopes
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How do you improve: You need to rediscover your mojo and confidence. But how they do it is a question for trainer Brad Arthur. You have all the nuts and bolts: an excellent full-back, two talented halves; A very capable hooker and forward backpack that absolutely pulls her weight. It’s the finishing touch they lack and the ability to freeze the big moments. People like Moses and Ferguson are there and have to lift to meet expectations. There is no doubt that this roster is improving year on year and as painful as it was last week’s loss that experience of big games is vital to their development. Now they have to keep what they learned from that loss, e.g. B. When to play free-flow footy and when to play it safe and apply it to every game in 2021.
2021 wins: None.
2021 losses: David Gower, Peni Terepo, Kane Evans, Jai Field, Stefano Utiokamanu, Andrew Davey, Rhys Davies, Jaeman Salmon, Brad Takairangi, Watson Heleta and Kyle Schneider.
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