Illawarra’s Wollongong homecoming proved a rough one on Saturday, with the Steelers leaving Collegians Sports Centre without a win following a triple-header against Parramatta.
The Steelers fell just short of victory in the Tarsha Gale Cup, forced to share the points after the Eels produced a match-levelling converted try with 10 seconds left to snatch a 10-all draw.
Russ Aitken’s SG Ball side paid for a sluggish start that saw them trail 22-4 at the break. An Ethan Cliff hat-trick saw the Steelers take the second half 16-14, but ultimately go down 36-20 in a high-scoring affair.
Aaron McDonald’s Harold Matts side was well in its clash with the Eels, trailing 12-6 at halftime and drawing within two in the second half before the visitors grabbed two tries in the final nine minutes for a 22-10 win.
Injury depleted
Having lost skipper Kade Reed (broken jaw) and key big man prop Letham Manago (dislocated shoulder) in a costly 18-16 win over Central Coast a week earlier, McDonald said his side didn’t show enough respect for the ball.
“We had our opportunities and it was probably there in the second half for us to win,” McDonald said. “We only completed at 55 per cent for the game, you’re not going to win many games doing that. We got the momentum back at one stage but we just weren’t good enough.
“Obviously losing Reedy and Letham last week wasn’t good for us, but we had players there that are good enough to do the job, we just couldn’t get it done unfortunately.
“With 10 minutes to go we were still in the game, it was there to be won, but they were just better. They took their chances and won because of it.”
Heading in the right direction
While Manago’s campaign is over, Reed is an outside chance of being back for the finals, with McDonald confident his side can bounce back against the Roosters this weekend and beyond.
“Letham will be six-to-nine months, Reedy is a possibility for the semis, it’ll just depend on how well he heals,” McDonald said.
“Kade Reed’s not a player who’s easily replaceable, just because of who he is and what he brings to the side, but we do have depth in those positions to be able to manage without him.
“I’m confident the players that came into the side are good enough to do the job, and we were good enough to do the job [on Saturday], we just didn’t hold the ball.
“We’ll do some hard work this week, it’s obviously another week with our new halves competition which will help the fluidity of our attack.
“Defensively we’ve been pretty good, we just need to get our attack in order. Once we do that, I’m still pretty confident with where we’re heading.”
Mitch Jennings article courtesy of the Illawarra Mercury
Picture by Sylvia Liber