After two consecutive wooden spoons, nothing much was expected of the Parramatta Eels in 2014. But under new coach Brad Arthur, the side showed significant improvement.
They fell just short of the finals in 2014.
While they did improve on the field, the gulf between their best and worst was still exposed. It’s something that they will need to address if they are to climb up the ladder in the years to come.
But for now, let’s look back at what went right and wrong for the Eels this year.
Parramatta Eels
Final ladder position: 10th (12 wins, 12 losses, -103 differential)
What went right?
Having finished last in each of the last two seasons, the Eels enjoyed their best season since reaching the grand final from eighth place in 2009. In doing so they divided their win-loss column and won eight of their twelve home games – with a reverse record in away matches.
After missing parts of last season due to injury, Jarryd Hayne returned to top form this year and he, along with Semi Radradra, topped the tryscoring charts in the NRL with 20 and 19 tries respectively.
His club form also translated into success on the State of Origin arena, where he helped to bring an end to the great Queensland dynasty which dated back to 2006.
In addition, Chris Sandow demonstrated why the Eels signed him from South Sydney, winning the club’s best-and-fairest award after rediscovering the form of old he showed while he was at Redfern before 2012.
What went wrong?
On a few occasions this season, the Eels fell back to the old habit of losing heavily. In the last two matches of the year, with a finals berth at stake, they dropped crucial matches against the Knights and Raiders on the road.
There were also heavy losses away from home against the Roosters at Allianz Stadium, the Cowboys in Townsville and the Warriors in Auckland.
They also lost their most valuable recruit, Nathan Peats, to a season-ending ACL injury in May, however the club were able to compensate for that by luring Isaac De Gois to the club from Cronulla.
The club’s inconsistency is also a key area which Brad Arthur will need to rectify if they are to achieve better results in 2015.
Best win: Defeated the Sydney Roosters 14-12 at Pirtek Stadium in Round 6
Of all the Eels’ victories in 2014, none was more impressive than the one they enjoyed over last year’s premiers at Pirtek Stadium in Round 6.
The win came just a month after the teams’ previous meeting ended in a blowout loss for the blue-and-gold (more recapped below). But since then, the Eels enjoyed wins over the Panthers and Broncos to move into the eight ahead of the rematch.
Jarryd Hayne was the hero for the Eels, tackling Sonny Bill Williams just short of the tryline with two minutes remaining to save the game for the locals and send the crowd of 15,312 into raptures.
While that result would see the Eels move to a 4-2 record and leave the Roosters outside the eight, it would not be indicative of the seasons the two teams would endure in 2014. The Eels again missed the finals while the Chooks recovered from their poor start to the season to finish minor premiers for the second-year running.
Worst loss: Lost to the Sydney Roosters 56-4 at Allianz Stadium in Round 2
But just four weeks earlier, the gulf between the Eels and the Chooks was severely exposed as they suffered a humiliating 56-4 loss at Allianz Stadium on March 15.
The defeat came almost twelve months since the Eels suffered a 50-0 loss in the corresponding fixture in 2013, which marked their then-coach Ricky Stuart’s heaviest defeat in his coaching career.
Brad Arthur’s men did enough to just trail 16-4 at half-time, but from there the defending premiers would display the football that took them to last year’s title (and perhaps a successful defence of it).
The future
Having made a lot of improvement on and off the field in 2014, the Eels must raise the bar higher and set some new standards and goals if they are to return to the finals in 2015.
Barring another disaster, Nathan Peats, whom the Eels sorely missed throughout the second half of the season, should be back for pre-season training and should also feature in the Auckland Nines tournament in January.
The club has also landed another big name in the form of Greg Inglis’ cousin, Beau Champion, while Willie Tonga has left Parramatta for a second time, this time to join the English Super League.
Jarryd Hayne and Chris Sandow will again hold the keys to the Eels climbing further up the ladder in 2015. Whether the side can build on a modest 2014 campaign will remain to be seen.
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