Parramatta Eels: Now with added starch!

The Parramatta Eels and the Wests Tigers are traditional Easter Monday rivals.

Going into the clash, the Wests Tigers, led by James Tedesco, had proven that they were an attacking force to be reckoned with in season 2016 – having scored an average of 29 points in the opening three rounds of the NRL competition.

When the final siren finally sounded, seeing the Eels victorious by 8-0, I reflected on one of the great rugby league clichés, being that ‘defence wins games’. I thought about how apt that cliché was in relation to the opening games of Parramatta’s season and especially in the Monday afternoon victory.

Here are some statistics for you.

The last time the Eels won three games in a row was mid-way through the 2015 season in rounds 14, 16 and 17 (with a bye in between), defeating the Melbourne Storm, St. George Illawarra Dragons and Wests Tigers. Prior to that the last three game winning streak was in 2014.

What is more astonishing is that in this decade the Parramatta Eels have only been able to keep one team scoreless, scoring 36 unanswered points against the St George Illawarra Dragons in Round 10 of 2014.

Season 2016 has already seen the Eels win three games in a row and with yesterday’s victory over the Wests Tigers, they have kept a team scoreless.

So what is the difference? What has changed for the Eels in season 2016 and seen them concede only one try in their last 160 minutes of rugby league? What led to them withstanding set after set on their own line, even holding out after four consecutive Wests Tigers sets very late in the match?

There are a couple of things that have changed.

The first is a direct result of some very clever recruitment in 2015. Everyone has been talking about Keiran Foran and the impact he has had, but first I want to talk about Beau Scott.

With an epic 41 tackles against the Tigers (second only to Isaac de Gois and his 45), Beau Scott is beginning to remind me of Nathan Hindmarsh. When Hindmarsh used to play for Parramatta, he had an uncanny ability to always be there in defence, whether it was to make just one more tackle in the dying minutes of a game despite being out on his feet or appearing out of nowhere to be the last line of defence. He personified commitment in defence for the blue and gold.

Beau Scott is becoming this for the Eels. He is the workhorse that Parramatta have so desperately missed since the retirement of Nathan Hindmarsh. Against the Tigers he was so committed in defence, making tackle after tackle after tackle. Not only did Scott accumulate an enormous 41 tackles, many of them were punishing and bruising to the opposition. It is very rare to find a player who defends with the same ferocity in the middle half of the field and opposition half as if he were protecting one metre out from the try line.

This sort of attitude is uncompromising, relentless and something which is beginning to be reflected in the defence of other Parramatta players.

The commitment in defence from the whole team was commendable and a far cry from the team that conceded 580 points for an average of 24.167 a game in 2015.

And then, there is Kieran Foran – the ‘milestone man’ who celebrated his 150th career game against the Tigers.

Since the days of Peter Sterling, Eels fans have been waiting for their next miracle halfback.

While it is certainly too early to declare Foran a miracle, he has also been revolutionary for the Eels so far.

In what was called an unusual move at the beginning of the season Tim Mannah was replaced by Kieran Foran as on-field captain at the beginning of the 2016 season. Having a player that plays 80 minutes as captain cannot be underestimated.

In yesterday’s game against the Tigers, Foran was vocal from the moment the opening whistle blew – barking orders, organising the backline, rallying his troops. The team is now looking to the halves pairing for leadership and unlike Mannah, who spent time on the sidelines, the Eels now have a leader they can look to for the full 80 minutes.

Foran is a competitor in all that he does. While his performance against the Tigers was not perfect, the calmness and maturity he showed radiated through the entire team. He led by example both in defence, making 27 tackles and was smart in his decisions, particularly where he gave the opposition the ball.

Late in the second half, Foran chose to run the ball on the final tackle and was tackled on the Tigers twenty-metre line. Rather than putting in a kick and conceding valuable metres, Foran was content to take the tackle and showed confidence in his teammates defence. Not once did Foran kick a ball dead during the game, limiting the ability of playmaker James Tedesco to take a quick tap and make easy metres.

This article might be the result of an overexcited Parramatta fan getting ahead of herself, but should the Eels continue to improve on what they have shown in the opening rounds of the contribution, they will challenge for a top eight position.

For a team that has for so long been accused of having a soft underbelly, Eels are now playing for 80 minutes and putting in defensive efforts which have seen only six points conceded in their last two games.

The challenge for the Eels has always been consistency and the next couple of weeks will demonstrate whether the Eels really are a changed team or whether they are simply pretenders yet again.