Sunday 14 May 2006

Bulldogs vs Eels

Grudge matches don't come much bigger than this. The Eels tackle the Bulldogs in what is so far a dismal season. A win here against the odds would bring a lot of relief.

The team is clearly struggling but you can just feel that if they can get one good win under their belts things might just turn around very quickly. The quality across the park is the envy of most teams. But Parrmatta is playing low confidence football at the moment and none more so than last years find of the season Tim Smith.

Tim is suffering badly from second year sydnrome and some of his displays this year have been well below par. His kicking game is struggling, and while he still has the zip and crispness to his passes, he is making a lot of wrong choices. It looks like he is trying to hard at times and would be well served just doing the basics right at the moment and helping get the side over the line where it counts the most.

Another interesting news item that came up during the week was the possible return of Jamie Lyon to Parramatta colours. Such a move would be fantastic. The talent, experience and versatility he has would be an absolute blessing. The possibility of him playing at 5/8th and Tim Smith firing as half-back next season is enough to have Eels supporters feigning amnesia at his past indiscretions. Imagine the pair of them playing together. They would be the envy of every other team in the competition.