NRL Nines - Eels And A Paasi
Not from the Nines, just a cool fend to the face from Paasi
Another successful NRL Nines weekend is in the books with Parramatta proving too slick for the Warriors in the final, deserved NRL Nines champions. With Corey Norman the tournament's MVP, Semi Radradra on one flank and breakout Nines star Bevan French on the other, the Eels had three of the Team Of The Tournament in their midst and showcased a certain level of intensity, especially on defence that coach Brad Arthur would have loved.
The first thing everyone thinks of when pondering the Nines champions is how this might translate into actual NRL footy. Understandably there is a buzz around the Eels right now as many people recognise what a platform this is for the Eels this season, which when you sprinkle some Kieran Foran, Michael Jennings, Beau Scott and Anthony Watmough all over tastes pretty good. Consider this top-17 for the Eels...
FB: Michael Gordon
Wings: Semi Radradra, Vai Toutai/Bevan French
Centres: Michael Jennings, Brad Takairangi
Halves: Corey Norman, Kieran Foran
Props: Junior Paulo, Tim Mannah
Hooker: Nathan Peats
Back Row: Beau Scott, Anthony Watmough, Manu Ma'u
Bench: Danny Wicks, Tepai Moeroa, David Gower, Kelepi Tanginoa/Peni Terepo
That's a handy outfit if you ask me, most importantly for coach Arthur there's a toughness to this squad that should see them nail that elusive defensive grit. Two blokes really stood out for me though for the Eels in the Nines, besides Mr MVP Norman with Tepai Moeroa and Bevan French making an impression for vastly different reasons. Moeroa is a beast and the more footy he plays, the more comfortable he looks with his size and athleticism which is scary and along with Scott, Watmough and Ma'u he gives the Eels a mighty backrow rotation who ooze aggression.
French scored eight tries in five games, showcasing blistering speed and grace in the process as he swiftly slid across the turf. French is unlikely to be a starter for the Eels this season, not when there are bigger bodies like Vai Toutai, Bureta Faraimo and John Folau in the mix as French is still quite small. Perhaps French is more suited to fullback where his speed is better used with more time and space, not carting the ball up on early tackles.
After being highly sought after with no less than 11 NRL clubs chasing his signature as a teenager, French relished in the Nines - about as close to the footy French would have played in Tingha as possible. French was signed by the Eels when he 17-years-old and it's clear to see why as not many blokes could catch French in open pastures, however French is a prime example of why we shouldn't base our expectations on players and teams from the Nines. French will do well to play an NRL game this season and the safe bet would be on French not actually playing one NRL game this season, the same can be said about a host of other young breakout stars from the Nines .
The Eels simply looked like a slick Nines team and while there's a Diary Of A Warriors Fan to discuss the Warriors' Nines efforts, the Warriors for example just didn't feel naturally slick. Shaun Johnson and Tuimoala Lolohea carried the Warriors thanks to their footwork/razzle dazzle, but the Warriors lacked the efficiency of the Eels and it showed in the final.
Predicting the Nines is now officially the dumbest activity in sport. Trying to decipher who will be good/not good based on the squads named simply doesn't do the tournament justice and this year we saw many 'favourites' bundled out early, which left the door open for more unfancied teams to sneak in, teams like Gold Coast Titans who along with Melbourne, the Warriors and Eels made up the top four. The Titans got all the way to the semi-finals thanks to Agnatius Paasi, who had me smiling from ear to ear all weekend.
Paasi was the best forward in the Nines as he literally did everything and given Paasi's connection to Auckland and the Warriors - with whom he once played a few games - watching him rip in and put on such a show was nothing less than special. Last season Paasi got a lot of game time in the middle and out on an edge for the Titans, you're forgiven for not watching a lot of Titans games last season as they were reasonably average but this subsequently allowed Paasi to stack up the minutes and play consistently which he hand't really done up to that point.
Such a performance in the Nines has me frothing at what Paasi might serve up this season and obviously that stretches to the Titans and their prospects. I can't see the Titans being a top-eight team but I can certainly see them hovering around 9th or 10th which will give them a sniff of the top-eight. Paasi must now feature heavily in coach Neil Henry's plans and I can see Paasi being a middle-forward who has the ball-playing skills that every NRL team seeks. He's big enough to make an impact running and tackling, there's footwork to make defenders miss and get a quickly play-the-ball but it's the ability to pass from first-receiver or run to the line and then pass out the back that should see Paasi suddenly become a key forward for the Titans.
Kudos to Chris McQueen who also made the Team Of The Tournament after enduring a slump for the past few seasons. I've hated on McQueen but he showed the value of his size and mobility and that he's keen to get involved, influencing games.