Craig Fitzgibbon, the coach of Cronulla, has blasted his team for their “flat” performance against the Eels on Thursday night. Before facing the table-topping Sharks, Parramatta had lost their previous five games, but they easily defeated them 34–22.
The Sharks, who started the season on a high note but have struggled recently, should be concerned about the loss. They lost to Parramatta, which was their third consecutive loss, after being humiliated 42-0 by the Panthers the previous week.
Fitzgibbon called the performance a “uncomfortable watch” after the game. “It was uneasy… In the press conference following the game, Fitzgibbon acknowledged, “We were just doing everything a bit flat.” “The show was unimpressive. We experienced an energy jump.”
Due to Origin obligations, the Sharks were missing their captains, Nicho Hynes and Cameron McInnis, and it was obvious that the team lacked direction without them. Fitzgibbons, however, insisted that effort was what determined the performance and refused to attribute the lack of them to that. “They seemed to put us behind right away,” the author said. And there were numerous careless defensive errors,” he went on.
“Just very basic things. “The players were misfiring, failing to make tackles, and collapsing over one another,” he went on. Something flat was in the air. For the most part, they made an effort to stay in the game, but the Eels controlled the majority of it. We are not at fault for the five-day delay. No justifications exist. That’s just the way things are. We must start over from scratch and prepare for the upcoming week.”
Even though Sione Katoa of the Sharks scored the game’s first try, Parramatta appeared to be in control right away and responded to the opening four-pointer with three consecutive tries. Before Maika Sivo scored two easy tries on the left wing, Will Penisini made a joke of the Sharks’ defence for the Eels’ first try.
The ease with which the Eels were scoring was described by broadcaster Andrew Johns as “a training gallop.” “This Sharks defence is really concerning; they seem to be going through a dry spell.
Mitch Moses stars in NRL return
Mitchell’s comeback Moses revitalised Parramatta’s NRL season by making a determined effort to rejoin the Blues after Game I. With a broken foot that had kept him out of action for the previous ten weeks, the Eels’ talisman halfback appeared as though he had never been gone, setting up two tries.
Clint Gutherson, the captain of the Eels, returned to the pitch after missing the previous month due to a knee injury, which further contributed to the victory. Similar to Moses, he returned to form with ease, covering 245 metres and projecting an even greater offensive threat. Trent Barrett, the Eels’ interim coach, added that the game demonstrated how important the two players are to the group.
“He’s the complete package, Mitchell (Moses), his kicking game is extremely important to us,” Barrett stated. “He’s arguably the competition’s best kicker, if not the best overall. Moses and Gutherson give us confidence, and that’s what they bring. Gutho has put in a lot of work, returning from injury earlier than expected.”
