For their courageous supporters, the astounding news has arrived that the two most brilliant Parramatta players have been suspended as a result of a misunderstanding.
Brad Arthur said Parramatta’s new left edge would remain in place next week, so Maika Sivo might have his job cut out for him trying to make it back into first grade.
Arthur was justified in his choice to reorganize his Eels team after they lost two straight games without halfback Mitch Moses when they defeated North Queensland 27-20 on Saturday.
Arthur started rookie Blaize Talagi at five-eighth, moved halfback Dylan Brown to the right edge, and deployed a new formation on the left side, starting Bailey Simonsson on the wing and Morgan Harper in the center.
The strategy mostly worked off, as the halves combination came to life in the second half to set up the final two tries for the Eels and a crucial victory.
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Harper struggled defensively at center when he was exposed before Tom Chester’s try, but he responded with a four-pointer of his own when he dived on Brown’s kick following the half.
The Cowboys spent the entire day going after Simonsson and Harper, but the Eels displayed their newly developed defensive resiliency to limit the NRL’s most successful club to their second-lowest total after six rounds.
When it came to his new left edge, Arthur commented, “I thought they did a really good job.”
The AFL 2024 Game “We had a few teething problems there, but it’s hard work playing against a team that is constantly on the attack and a threat.”
“They have a single second to decide whether to jam or hold? Overall, I felt they did a really decent job considering the amount of footy they threw at us.”
Sivo is probably going to lose out against Simonsson and Harper.
After returning from suspension in round four, the Fijian veteran only played in two first-grade games and looked less than his devastating best in those two defeats.
Sivo scored two tries to help Parramatta defeat North Sydney 30-28 in the NSW Cup on Saturday.
However, Arthur stated that he believed Simonsson and Harper might help the Eels win again against the Dolphins on Friday.
“I’d need to go back and watch it but they did the job for me tonight; why can’t they?” he replied.
