Warriors 35 Parramatta 6
Click for more photos
Warriors add to Eels' miserable run
Feleti Mateo of the Eels is hit hard by James Maloney and Joel Moon of the Warriors during the match between the Warriors and the Parramatta Eels. Photo: Getty Images
HAVING been savaged all week for some rather mild criticism of Jarryd Hayne, you could hardly expect Daniel Anderson to offer another full, frank and free appraisal - even after such a comprehensive flogging.
Anderson did not want for targets after the Eels faded from 12-6 behind on the hour to leak 23 points in the final quarter. There was his halfback, Daniel Mortimer, hooked with 12 minutes to go after an entirely ineffective effort. There was Krisnan Inu, whose limp defensive effort wouldn't have impressed his future employers. There were even such unusual candidates like Nathan Hindmarsh, who coughed up the ball three times in the first quarter, and afterwards declared: "That was a night I would rather forget.''
Instead, the true analysis was left to skipper Nathan Cayless, who had already identified himself as an ardent supporter of free speech after his sturdy midweek defence of Anderson.
Confronted by television cameras immediately after the end of his entirely forgettable 250th first-grade game, an upset Cayless said: "There were too many sloppy errors: that's not first grade. I am not too sure we turned up mentally. We're letting our fans down and we are letting ourselves down at the moment.''
Later, last man out of the Parramatta rooms, and given time to reflect, he was gentler on his dejected teammates, blaming errors but not effort: "We have got to stick together and dig ourselves out of this hole … it's getting a bit desperate and we've got to throw some caution to the wind.''
But Hindmarsh seemed to reckon his old mate had it right first time round. "He's got every right to be upset,'' he said. "This is Nathan Cayless's last season.''
The inference was that at this stage, it will be ending a month earlier than planned. This was the Eels' fifth defeat in six games. "We are running out of games, you're dead right, but that's the pressure we've placed upon ourselves,'' said Anderson. "We've got to come up with a performance next Monday night [against the Cowboys], it's as simple as that.''
The Mt Smart floodlights were switched on at 2pm - two hours before kick-off - and it didn't stop raining from then on. By half-time, the Eels had already made twice as many errors as the Warriors. And after half-time, that began to tell. Ukuma Ta'ai barged over in the 61st minute and began a deluge to match the rainfall, with Manu Vatuvei, James Maloney and Lewis Brown all following. Isaac John's scuffed field goal in the final minute would not have helped the Eels' mood.
By then Mortimer was wrapped in a towel on the Parramatta bench, Anderson saying he was a "bit tired'' after making over 40 tackles a week ago and another mountain of work last night, later adding that his halfback seemed "jaded'' and "rattled''.
Asked if the disruptions of the week had affected the performance, he offered a firm "I don't think so'' and when the inevitable Hayne question came, his answer was careful. "He's probably our best attacking player,'' he said, in response to an enquiry about how much the Eels had missed their custodian.
NZ WARRIORS 35 (L Brown 2 J Maloney B Matulino U Ta’ai M Vatuvei tries J Maloney 5 goals I John field goal) bt PARRAMATTA 6 (T Humble try L Burt goal) at Mt Smart Stadium. Referee: Gavin Badger, Ashley Klein. Crowd: 9,912.
3%
9%
