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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Sport
Jonathan Howcroft

NRL: Cronulla Sharks 12-14 Parramatta Eels – as it happened

Mitchell Moses
Mitchell Moses in action during Parramatta’s victory over Cronulla at a waterlogged Jubilee Stadium Photograph: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

Summary

“We got pretty lucky there” says a frank Clint Gutherson on TV after his Eels survived being outscored three tries to two by the Sharks in monsoonal conditions at Jubilee Stadium. It was the most chaotic game of footy for the season with neither side able to string any passes together or any runners able to hit the line or step with any confidence such was the quagmire underfoot.

There were flashes of brilliance. Halves from both sides kicked superbly and Ronaldo Mulitalo bagged two tries in as many minutes, each with magnificent finishes. But neither was converted by Johnson - his only blemishes in a towering performance - but those missed efforts proved the difference, the Sharks kicking 0/3, the Eels 3/3.

The stats were remarkably even, but highlights include Johnson’s rare 40/20 that befuddled Gutherson, and the penalty count - 7-2 in favour of Parramatta.

Both teams remain where they were on the ladder, third and eighth respectively, but the Eels now look destined for a top-four finish, with the Sharks in a dogfight to make the finals.

That’s all from me for today. Catch you next time, hopefully when it’s a bit drier.

Kane Evans
Kane Evans scores Parramatta’s crucial second try. Photograph: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

Updated

Cronulla Sharks 12-14 Parramatta Eels

Parramatta hold on in a war of attrition. One of the most chaotic games of footy you could imagine, in the worst conditions for many a year.

79 mins: Sharks 12-14 Eels - Crazy. Cronulla try to spread the play on tackle two, but Johnson receives a hospital pass and has to kick the ball out of the air to prevent an interception. In the resulting scramble the Sharks get the scrum feed. 30 seconds left.

79 mins: Sharks 12-14 Eels - One final chance for Cronulla, 95m to go...

78 mins: Sharks 12-14 Eels - Cronulla are getting desperate now, throwing the ball around on tackle four, losing territory every pass, but they’re reprieved with another set of six when the ball is adjudged to have been nudged by an Eels defender. What can they do with a full set in Parramatta territory? They snipe down the right first, then they cut left, but the kick is a rare duff from Johnson, overhit, and the Eels have seven tackles to wind the clock down.

76 mins: Sharks 12-14 Eels - A restart gives the Sharks a set from halfway, but they don’t have any confidence with ball in hand and are forced to keep attacks conservative until Johnson tests Sivo with his kick, but it’s a test the Eel passes. Parramatta return fire and Moses, who has kicked superbly, boots his side deep into Cronulla’s defensive end.

74 mins: Sharks 12-14 Eels - Parramatta drive safely then Moses unloads high into the teeming rain. That is a devilish ball to claim - but Kennedy does it, somehow, seemingly stumbling backwards and diving forwards at the same time. This is wild. Can Cronulla find another score?

72 mins: Sharks 12-14 Eels - Superb defensive set from Cronulla, forcing Moses to kick from deep in his own half. The Sharks then try to expand with ball in hand, but it is near impossible in the conditions with runners tiptoeing around and receivers having to take an extra second to ensure safe possession before looking to offload. Dugan does as well as any, but the Sharks still have to handover 20m from the line.

PENALTY GOAL! Sharks 12-14 Eels (Moses 70)

I’ve seen it all now. Parramatta win the scrum against the feed!

With ball in hand Brown then steps smartly to his left, drawing out the Cronulla line, and he draws them too far, inducing an obstruction on his inside, inviting a penalty 20m out dead in front. Moses makes no mistake and the Eels have their noses in front once more.

68 mins: Sharks 12-12 Eels - Johnson has found his range with his boot today, and another precise kick forces the latest in a game full of line drop-outs.

For the first time in an age the ball is then spun wide but the left edge of Cronulla’s attack can’t pierce a hole in Parramatta’s defence. The kick is innocuous but once in possession the Eels again almost shoot themselves in the foot when a poor pass to Ferguson goes through his hands - but backwards - and Brown can bob and weave his way downfield. Then they escape again! A play-the-ball error looks to be penalised, but the whistle goes Parramatta’s way for encroachment. They don’t escape a third time though when Lane loses the ball in contact.

Updated

64 mins: Sharks 12-12 Eels - It is harum scarum stuff at Jubilee Stadium. The pitch is a lake with the noise of players splashing making every tackle an event. How on earth are players expected to perform in this?

Parramatta drive deep into Cronulla territory, but Moses’ kick is limp - but he makes up for it with a huge tackle, dislodging the ball, and prompting a line drop-out. The kick sails out on the left wing but the Eels can’t capitalise because Ferguson throws a crazy moon ball towards the middle of the field, miles from any teammates. The Sharks pounce, regather for a tackle or two then Johnson kicks deep, Gutherson sliding to take the ball 10m from his line but coming up for air almost over his try-line. Crazy crazy scenes.

Updated

59 mins: Sharks 12-12 Eels - The last kick-off return sparked a try for Cronulla, this one sees Rudolf mess up an early play-the-ball to invite Parramatta to attack 20m out. It’s weak sauce though, ending with a tame knock-on after the Eels over-possess in these treacherous conditions.

TRY! Sharks 12-12 Eels (Mulitalo 56)

I see it, but I don’t believe it. Mulitalo again, another finish of supreme brilliance, stepping in on his left from the right wing then taking Dylan Brown over the line, touching down sliding on his back.

The score was made possible by Johnson ending the drive following the kick-off with a skimming 40-20 that befuddled Gutherson who did not anticipate that Cronulla were kicking behind the 40m line that has all but washed away.

Johnson makes a mess of the conversion, and we’re level! Chaotic scenes in Kogarah.

Updated

TRY! Sharks 8-12 (Mulitalo 52)

Cronulla continue their assault on Parramatta’s line and more than once look to have enough force to puncture the Eels’ defence but to no avail. Eventually they ship the ball out to the right where an overlap somehow materialises and it ends with Mulitalo diving into the corner with acrobatic skill after just about controlling a difficult pass. Superb finish.

Johnson hits the post with a near impossible conversion attempt.

Updated

51 mins: Sharks 4-12 Eels - Cronulla drive with heads down and bums up for five until Johnson kicks to the left corner, at which point chaos ensues with the ball ricocheting off players from both sides until Parramatta are instructed to drop-out.

49 mins: Sharks 4-12 Eels - Parramatta make a rare break down the left but Moylan defends the resulting kick. That sets up a much safer Cronulla drive, one that ends with Johnson launching a spiteful floating bomb that makes a fool of Ferguson and the Sharks will attack from 20m out.

47 mins: Sharks 4-12 Eels - Can Cronulla hit back? They begin promisingly with Hunt dislodging the ball from Kaufusi’s grasp as the Eels return the kick-off. But the Sharks return possession seconds later with another soft handling error. This is not good footy in ghastly conditions.

TRY! Sharks 4-12 Eels (Evans 45)

A rare offload from Brown to Gutherson threatens to create a gap for the Eels, but Cronulla close ranks. Instead they have to make do with another Moses kick that gives the Sharks 95m to work with. They don’t make more than five though before a comical handling error hands possession back to Parramatta.

Dylan Brown makes Cronulla pay for that clanger, on tackle four straightening up, throwing a dummy to the left, creating enough of a gap for Kane Evans to bulldoze his way over from close range.

Moses can’t miss the conversion from next to the posts.

Updated

42 mins: Sharks 4-6 Eels - Parramatta get first use, but they don’t make inroads and Moses kicks long to gift decent field position to Cronulla. The Sharks carry - and slide - it 60m before the kick to the corner is just about dealt with by Sivo. This half is not going to be a tribute to free-flowing rugby league.

40 mins: Sharks 4-6 Eels - The puddles continue to grow and the turf continues to disintegrate as the second half gets underway.

It’s so wet, the groundstaff at Kogarah are repainting the lines during the interval.

The torrential rain has dictated terms so far but both sides have been committed to attacking footy nonetheless. The kicking games from both sides have been exceptional with Johnson and Graham for Cronulla and Moses and Brown for Parramatta forcing a host of line drop-outs. However, the inability to accept a pass safely, and the absence of sure footing means the playmakers and outside backs have barely had any opportunity to show their skills with ball in hand.

Updated

Half-time: Sharks 4-6 Eels

Cronulla don’t escape far though, thanks to a knock-on from Johnson, 30m from his own line. Parramatta have a golden opportunity, and it’s further gilded by a set restart. After three conservative tackles the Eels spread the ball to the right before they’re hauled down. Then they dart left, but the Sharks are alert. Then Moses kicks high into the wet sky to the right corner where a flying Ferguson competes for the mark, but he’s second to it, and Cronulla head to the sheds just two points down.

36 mins: Sharks 4-6 Eels - It’s a terrific set from Parramatta following that scare, and it ends with the latest in a series of magnificent kicks, this one forcing Moylan to kick the ball dead with Niukore stretching out an arm in search of a try. The Eels look set for a long spell in Cronulla territory but they don’t account for Wade Graham. The Sharks skipper read the play beautifully, intercepting the switch pass inside to rescue his side and set them up for a drive on halfway.

That drive concludes with a kick in Ferguson’s direction, and the big number five collects off his laces, busts a couple of tackles and slides on the wet turf almost to halfway. Parramatta are back in dangerous territory, and are gifted a set restart, but Kaufusi spills in contact and Cronulla survive.

34 mins: Sharks 4-6 Eels -Parramatta don’t have the ball for long though. Woods executes a perfect one-one-one strip, setting up Cronulla for another drive down the middle of Jubilee Stadium, and it’s a drive that benefits from a set restart, and then a kick rebounding off an Eels leg back into Sky Blue hands. But that’s the end of their good fortune. On the last tackle Johnson dabs through an inch perfect kick that Mulitalo splashes onto before celebrating with his teammates. But those cheers soon stick in Cronulla throats when the bunker calls a very very marginal offside.

32 mins: Sharks 4-6 Eels - That decent field position is enhanced by a set restart, but the drive ends with Moylan executing a poor kick that gifts possession back to the Eels. Cronulla’s disappointment is compounded by a penalty early in Parramatta’s returning drive and the Eels clear to halfway.

30 mins: Sharks 4-6 Eels - Great restart set and kick from the Sharks, forcing Parramatta to attack from close to their own line. The Eels try a couple of offloads on their way to halfway, but they can’t generate any space, the point rammed home by Graham charging down Moses’ kick, allowing the Sharks to regather the ball with decent field position.

TRY! Sharks 4-6 Eels (Ramien 27)

Parramatta set off for another sledgehammer set towards Cronulla’s line, but this time they come unstuck. Moses again kicks early, but Moylan sharks superbly, intercepting the kick then darting towards halfway before recycling the ball to the right wing. From there the Sharks gain further yardage until Johnson kicks to the puddle in the right corner. That sets up a race between Sivo and Ramien - and it’s a race with a photo finish - both men diving and seemingly touching the ball simultaneously before sliding head first into the hoardings. What does the bunker say? TRY!

Incredible from Cronulla to absorb so much pressure then hit back.

Johnson misses the conversion.

Updated

24 mins: Sharks 0-6 Eels - It’s a terrific drive from Parramatta though, and it ends with Moses dabbing a beautiful kick that Johnson does well to run around and get his hands on before the chasing Eels. That means yet another set for the visitors in dangerous territory. Guess what happens? Safe hands, percentage kick, desperate in-goal defence, line drop-out.

22 mins: Sharks 0-6 Eels - Solid resumption from the Eels, driving and kicking soundly, putting the Sharks on the backfoot, setting up an unconvincing drive. Johnson rescues the set though with a thumping 70m kick that forces Parramatta into their own half for the first time in an age.

Updated

TRY! Sharks 0-6 Eels (D.Brown 19)

Talk about weight of possession; the Eels are gifted a set restart when they get the ball back, and Mahoney almost darts over from dummy-half, but he’s held up like a flailing turtle. Not to worry, Dylan Brown repeats the trick more successfully the following play, sending the most obvious - but successful - dummy to the left then dashing over close to the posts. The try was inevitable, as was Moses’s conversion.

Updated

18 mins: Sharks 0-0 Eels - Fourth set in a row in the Sharks’ half for the Eels and there’s a hint of a linebreak when Brown feeds Paulo but it’s very harshly called a forward pass. Not much in that.

As soon as Cronulla get their hands on the Steeden, Mulitalo drops it. Back to the Eels. Surely the weight of possession will end in a score soon.

Updated

16 mins: Sharks 0-0 Eels - Third set in a row for Parramatta in attacking territory, and this time they send it through hands to the right, then the left. There’s little penetration though until Brown kicks to the left corner, but once again the ball holds up and forces Cronulla to concede another drop-out.

14 mins: Sharks 0-0 Eels - Set restart for the Eels as they establish a series of powerful carries in dangerous territory for the first time today. The Sharks defend without alarm, eventually forcing Moses to kick, but the kick is neat, dinked over the top and skidding under the bar, forcing Cronulla to concede a line drop-out.

12 mins: Sharks 0-0 Eels - Solid drive and kick from Parramatta, nothing flash. The Sharks probe down the left before Johnson kicks to touch 10m from the Eels line.

The conditions are not improving. This match looks like it’s being played in a massive green paddling pool.

10 mins: Sharks 0-0 Eels - Back to basics from Cronulla for five, until Katoa hacks a bomb towards the posts from the left wing about 40m out. Sivo comes around to defuse it, but doesn’t get close, and after the bounce on the skiddy surface there’s chaos until the Eels finally smuggle it over the line for a drop-out. However, the referee identifies an offside against the chasing Sharks, confirmed by the bunker despite Graham’s second captain’s challenge, and Parramatta take possession.

8 mins: Sharks 0-0 Eels - Another superb Graham grubber forces Gutherson to touch down, but play is called back for an earlier infringement on Dugan. The Sharks can’t benefit from it though because Moses sticks out a boot and intercepts an early kick, dashing 60m downfield until Johnson hunts him down and drags him into touch.

6 mins: Sharks 0-0 Eels - Parramatta again waste no time driving forward, once more playing some expansive footy down the left wing, but after a teasing kick to the corner the bunker confirms Sivo doesn’t apply the finishing touch on the dive.

4 mins: Sharks 0-0 Eels - Wade Graham demonstrates how horrendous the conditions are with an overhit kick that just splashes in-goal despite looking destined for the bleachers. Cronulla waste the repeat set after Moylan spills the bar of soap, undermining Graham’s superb captain’s challenge earlier in the set.

Updated

2 mins: Sharks 0-0 Eels - As you’d imagine, nothing flash in the opening set from the Sharks. The Eels keep it safe for five tackles but then burst excitingly down the left wing before Sivo chips and chases only to clothesline his opposite number in the process to giveaway a penalty.

The turf is already chopping up and splashes of water can be seen glinting in the floodlights when tackles are laid. This is not going to be pretty.

Peeeeeeep!

Underway at Jubilee Stadium! Moses kicks off for Parramatta...

The players are observing is a minute’s silence in honour of former Sharks player, coach and administrator Kevin Hogan who passed away earlier this week aged 75.

Out come the Eels, resplendent (for now) in yellow jerseys with thin blue hoops, blue shorts and socks. Jeers from the crowd.

And here come the Sharks, in their sky blue jerseys, black shorts, and sky blue socks. Cheers from the crowd.

Look at those conditions. Anyone for slip-n-slide?

With one contest remaining it’s been a round that’s gone largely according to script so far with the Raiders the only side in the top-eight to drop points, but they did have the considerable handicap of taking on the Panthers.

The ladder is now firmly established with two wins separating Cronulla in eighth and Wests in tenth. It’s now hard to see anybody below ninth-placed Manly sneaking into the finals.

The penultimate match of the round has just ended. Good win for the Titans.

Aside from the two points, today’s clash is for The Johnny Mannah Cup. This is an annual fixture between the two sides that honours former Eels and Sharks player Jon Mannah.

An Eels junior who joined the Sharks in 2009, Mannah returned to Parramatta ahead of the 2012 season. He sadly passed away after losing his battle with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in January of 2013, aged just 23. Since his passing, the two clubs have played for the Johnny Mannah Cup in their first meeting each season. The Eels claimed the cup after a 24-12 victory in Round Four of the 2019 season.

Conditions are grim. It’s unseasonably cool in southern Sydney today with a firm southerly making it feel as low as 4 degrees, while the whole south coast of NSW is shrouded under a blanket of rain.

Jubilee Stadium has been used heavily in recent weeks with the A-League and NRL both operating out of the venue. Today’s conditions are going to put the quality of turf to the test.

Neither of these sides enjoys the trip to Kogarah. The Sharks are 13 wins from 39 visits while the Eels are just 13 from 47.

There’s also some bat-raising going on in the Eels camp with Clint Gutherson leading out his side on his 100th appearance. The fullback played five games for Manly before being picked up by the Eels in 2016.

It’s a day of milestones in the Shire.

Captain Wade Graham becomes just the ninth Shark to reach the 200-game mark for the club, joining Paul Gallen (348 Sharks games), Andrew Ettingshausen (328), Mitch Healey (223), Dane Sorensen (216), Danny Lee (212), Greg Piece (210), David Peachey (207) and Steve Rogers (202).

Meanwhile, Josh Dugan registers his 200th first grade appearance. No mean feat for a career dogged by controversy.

“There have been a few hiccups along the way, but from getting that kick up the bum I don’t think I have done anything as close to that since then and I haven’t made the same mistake twice. You live and you learn, and you get better from it,” Dugan said midweek. “It is chalk and cheese, the person I was to who I am now. I am a big believer that things happen for a reason and learning from those things. Over the years I think I have proved that I have become a lot more mature, more of a role model and leading by example with things that I’ve done. Off the field I’ve found that balance outside of footy. Since I’ve done that, I feel like I’ve played more consistently, and my performances have proven that as well.”

Parramatta XVII

Just the one change for Parramatta with Ray Stone returning from injury in place of Brad Takairangi. Ryan Matterson continues to miss out, following a head knock in Round 11.

EELS: Gutherson, Sivo, M. Jennings, Blake, Ferguson, D. Brown, Moses, Campbell-Gillard, Mahoney, Paulo, Lane, Niukore, N. Brown. Interchange: Davey, Stone, Evans, Kaufusi

In: Stone
Out: Takairangi

Cronulla XVII

The Sharks have been boosted by the returns of Matt Moylan, Jesse Ramien and Josh Dugan from hamstring injuries. They come in for Briton Nikora and Braydon Tindall, who are omitted, and the suspended Jackson Ferris. Scott Sorensen is a last minute inclusion for Jack Williams.

SHARKS: Kennedy, Katoa, Dugan, Ramien, Mulitalo, Moylan, Johnson, Hamlin-Uele, Brailey, Woods, Talakai, Graham, Sorensen. Interchange: Tracey, Rudolf, Wilton, Hunt

In: Ramien, Dugan, Moylan, Sorensen
Out: Trindall, Nikora, Ferris, Williams

Preamble

Hello everybody and welcome to live coverage of the final match of round 13 in the 2020 NRL premiership season. It’s the second all top-eight clash of the weekend and promises to be a close run thing between the in-form Cronulla Sharks and the high flying Parramatta Eels. The action gets underway at Kogarah just after 4pm.

Both sides will be looking to put in more convincing performances this time out after scraping past unfancied opposition last weekend. The Sharks required a blistering late comeback to defeat Brisbane Broncos while the Eels led 18-0 before half-time against Canterbury Bulldogs, only to cling on at the death by two points.

Despite those wobbles, the NSW rivals only need to look at the ladder to regain confidence. The Eels are third, boasting ten wins from their opening 12 matches for just the third time in their history, while the Sharks have won six of their previous seven to embed themselves in the top eight. However, none of those recent Cronulla victories arrived against premiership contenders, while the solitary loss was a heavy one at the hands of the powerful Penrith Panthers.

It’s not hard to identify where John Morris’s side needs to improve. The Sharks are the second-highest scoring team in the NRL and have the highest tries-per-game average, but on the flipside lead the competition for the most missed tackles. By contrast, Brad Arthur’s outfit have conceded just 150 points all season, the best record in the league.

The head-to-head record bodes well for Cronulla with the Sharks winning six of the past seven against the Eels. Should they make it seven from eight, it would confirm their first four-match winning streak since 2018.

That’ll do for now, but remember, if you want to get in touch at any point, you can reach me on Twitter or email.

Cronulla skipper Wade Graham today becomes only the ninth Shark to register 200 appearances, so here’s a tribute.
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