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2014 Parramatta Eels season review

Could The Hayne Plane touch back down in Parramatta? (AAP Image/Action Photographics, Robb Cox)
Roar Guru
9th September, 2014
10

The Parramatta Eels season is over, missing out on the finals despite finishing equal eighth on for and against.

The Eels went down 33-20 against the Canberra Raiders. A second half blitz from Jarryd Hayne wasn’t enough to drag them over the line.

With the curtain now drawn on Parramatta’s season, it’s time to look back over just what happened this season.

Throughout the pre-season there was a lot of talk about whether Brad Arthur had what it takes to coach in the NRL. He’d served apprenticeships under both Craig Bellamy and Geoff Toovey and came to the Eels via Manly.

In March, Parramatta faced an uphill battle early on. Inside the first six rounds they were asked to face defending premiers, the Roosters twice and grand finalists Manly.

After the first six rounds though, the Eels had surprised everyone and had won four from six, their only defeats came in their away match against the Roosters and against Manly at Brookvale.

Parramatta appeared to be turning the corner. New recruits, Manu Ma’u, Nathan Peats, David Gower and Ken Edwards were running amok against more fancied opponents.

Chris Sandow had returned from a stint with Wentworthville and Jarryd Hayne appeared to be playing consistently good football.

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The Eels had also broken their away win drought when they defeated the Broncos in Brisbane.

Parramatta then had their momentum halted by the Tigers in controversial circumstances. Admittedly, it was a match that Parramatta let slip from their fingers.

The Eels however, continued to surprise and remained in the top eight with two crushing wins over Cronulla and St George-Illawarra.

Then, perhaps the biggest impact of Parramatta’s season hit. Nathan Peats went down against Penrith with a knee injury.

It later turned out that the hooker had been carrying a knee injury all season and he now required a full reconstruction, ending his 2014 season.

The Eels quickly recruited Isaac De Gois from Cronulla, who quickly repaid the faith with a fantastic performance against the Bulldogs that saw the Eels win without Jarryd Hayne, who was on Origin duty.

It was in that match though that Parramatta received their second big blow of the season. Manu Ma’u broke his arm and although his return was slated for Round 24, he never came back to the side.

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The injury toll quickly began to mount for Parramatta, and while they always gave themselves a chance, it was beginning to tell.

Will Hopoate went down with a shoulder injury playing for New South Wales with Tim Mannah also ruled out for three weeks after the match against Newcastle.

Injuries to Willie Tonga and Ken Sio quickly saw almost half of Parramatta’s starting 13 sitting on the sideline.

The Eels then lost four matches in a row. The first time in the season that they really looked like collapsing in a heap.

Luckily for Parramatta, their strong start to the season ensured they were never too far away from the top eight.

A run of three consecutive victories coincided with the returns of Mannah and Hopoate with Sio returning later on.

The Eels put in a massive effort against front runners Manly in Round 24 to keep their finals destiny in their own hands.

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However, it appeared that Parramatta had played their grand final against Manly and failed to capitalise on their opportunities against Newcastle and Canberra.

The 2014 season will be seen as one that got away. Parramatta had the chance to make the finals but were unable to do it.

However, at the start of the season, many pundits were tipping a bottom four finish with the team narrowly avoiding the wooden spoon. To finish tenth with the team still alive come Round 26 is a terrific achievement for a young side.

The season saw the rise of a number of impressive players including Peats, Ma’u, Edwards, Gower, Junior Paulo, Tepai Moeroa and Pauli Pauli.

Those players will be better for the experience.

The Eels this season had an in-form Jarryd Hayne. He was the difference in many of the games and he topped the NRL try-scoring tally with 20. He also became the third Eel to pass 100 tries at the club and will hope to surpass Brett Kenny’s tally next year.

There is plenty of potential for Brad Arthur to work with for next season. His challenge will be to have his side playing consistently good football.

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Arthur is still learning his trade and it will definitely be a long wait until the 2015 season.

Supporting Parramatta is like being on the world’s craziest rollercoaster. So strap yourselves in, 2015 is going to be a big year.

We also bid farewell to Ben Smith (retired), Fuifui Moimoi (Super League), Ken Sio (Super League) and Willie Tonga (Super League) who all leave the Eels this season.

For more from SuperEel22 regarding the Parramatta Eels, check out www.bluegoldglory.com.au

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