Eels Momentum Slowed in First Home Game

With Eels starting the season with two away games a welcomed home game was upon us but St Albans are always a strong outfit that do the basics well and Brentwood felt they were prepared for the challenge but also had four debutants. Jack and Jamie Cowie who both played at youth level returned to the club along with Broncos Academy prospect Caley Gray. Lastly Young Cameron Chitty on the wing. Tom Wileman was dropped from the squad to a concussion doubt. However both sides had equal squad sizes of seventeen.

The game got started under torrential rain and the weekly first ten minute arm wrestle began with both sides defence solid it was left to who was going force the error in the slippery conditions and it was the visiting side who drew first blood from a dropped high ball. To give Eels their due they defended three sets on the bounce before conceding but none the less the opening points were Centurions. Eels tried to get back into the game again defensively strong both sides was not budging. The referee was also notably struggling with the pace of the game early on to which damaged the Brentwood side whose game is built around quick play the extremely slow play of the ball was leaning in favour to the bigger St Albans pack. Eels didn’t help themselves with a carbon copy of the first try a drop ball and a score of the resulting scrum meant the Eels were 0-12 down with twenty minutes gone and worst of all Eels key man at full back was injured during conceding the try and rushed to hospital.

The Injury caused a reshuffle in the back line, but, it was Simon Wood's replacement Jack Cowie who opened the scoring for Eels with relentless pressure they played the ball wide right and Cowie made the most of a one on one situation. Tom Scarsbrook added the extra’s with the weather still torrential. It was now 6-12. The referee was adamant in killing eels game plan of quick ball now refusing to speak to captain Jamie Impey the game was being played at a snail’s pace, until a Crossfield kick from Tom Scarsbrook led to Caley Gray leaping and snatching the ball out of the safety of the Centurions full backs hands and dotting down under the posts only for the referee to deem dubiously offside. This defiance spurred on the Brentwood outfit and it was not long before a third debutant had attempt at scoring with another Crossfield kick not dealt with by the St Albans fullback and Cameron Chitty’s relentless attitude that got him the score just before the by-line. The score now 10-12 with eels missing out on a try under the posts and a conversion they were still chasing the game with five minutes to go in the half St Albans slowed the game down massively and the referee obliged which left the eels frustrated at the half time whistle.

Eels regathered at half time and looked to start strong but it was not long before the referee was up to his similar antics and frustration kicked in. St Albans obliged the slow play but to be fair with the weather clearing up picked up the pace with a few big carries from the stand out loose forward who seemed to always break the gain line they scored two in the first ten minutes of the second half. Luckily for the eels both conversions were missed and the scores settled for a while at 10-20. Eels found themselves in a real uphill battle with a bulk of decisions not going their way but they never gave in an attack led from a great carry from the returning Cameron Furlong led to quick play from Charles Hammond to slot fellow half back Tom Scarsbrook over only for another conversion to go begging. The Score 14-20. Eels were turning the screw but could not pick the pace of the game up until the 64th Minute when the referee gave the first penalty for slowing the play down. The eels followed up the kick with a strong set and it wasn’t long before debutant and later man of the match Caley Gray defied his earlier disallowed try beating one defender then squeezing past two to go other to the left of the uprights. Another missed conversion stopped eels from the scores being drawn so they were still behind 18-20 with fifteen to go.

The next ten minutes Eels failed to make the possession count with slow play creating no space out wide. They were banging at the door with five minutes to go and had easily a two to three man overlap but the centurions winger gambled and come out of line only to intercept and quick play of the ball caught the eels defence outnumbered on the other side of the field where St Albans tried to play the ball rugged defence from Caley Gray stopped them short of the line, only for the ball to go to their half back on last tackle who kicked through under the posts where the missing Fullback Simon Wood would have been covering to score from his own grubber to seal the game and an easy conversion under the posts. FT score 18-26.

Eels given Bye this following weekend by St Ives Rooster means the 1st grade go through to the East RL Cup semi Finals on the 17th June. Meanwhile Eels ‘A’ second team have a vase game against Eastern Rhinos ‘A’ at home this Saturday 27th May. Which will be the main event before the under 14s and 16s Home matches against Sussex Merlins and Oxford Cavaliers respectively.