Parramatta coach Jason Ryles admits he does not have the answers after the Eels produced one of their most disappointing performances of the season in a 32-12 loss to South Sydney at CommBank Stadium on Friday night.
Opening Beanies for Brain Cancer Round on home soil, the Eels were outplayed by a Rabbitohs side that capitalised on a barrage of errors and defensive lapses to claim a comfortable victory.
Parramatta looked disjointed and lacking energy throughout the contest, with their performance reflected in the statistics. Despite holding 48 per cent of possession, the Eels completed at just 65 per cent, while making 18 errors and missing 41 tackles.
The frustration was evident from Ryles midway through the first half when television cameras captured the coach smashing his walkie-talkie onto the desk before punching a wall in the coaches' box.
"She's pretty hot up there (in the box) sometimes," Ryles joked when asked about the incident.
However, there was little humour in his assessment of the performance during a press conference that lasted just over two minutes.
“I probably don't have the vocabulary to articulate how I actually feel, so disappointing is probably one way to put it,” Ryles replied after a journalist offered the description of 'disappointing'.
“It was self-inflicted; they didn't have to earn a whole heap of what they did tonight. They made their one-on-one tackles on the trial, and we didn't.
“We completed at 38% in the second half with 40% possession. You won't beat a park football team on that. So that's the reality of where we're at the moment.
“If I had answers, I'd give them to you.”
The Eels' second-half collapse was particularly alarming, completing just eight sets after the break while repeatedly handing South Sydney field position through errors. Three intercept passes only added to the misery as the Rabbitohs punished Parramatta's poor execution.
Halfback Mitchell Moses endured a difficult night in his 250th NRL appearance. The veteran playmaker finished with four errors and five missed tackles, while two defensive misreads directly led to South Sydney tries.
“We didn't make our one-on-ones and just didn't nail our chances when they did,” Moses said.
”We just made too many errors, errors out of the backfield and give a team like that good field position, they'll make you pay.”
The halfback was then asked about his poor record in milestone games.
“I don't have much for you to be honest,” he replied.
The result continues a horror milestone record for Moses, who has now lost each of his 50th, 100th, 150th, 200th and 250th NRL matches.
The performance also comes at an awkward time for Moses, with attention set to turn to the NSW Blues squad ahead of the State of Origin decider. After losing Game 2, all eyes will be on whether coach Laurie Daley sticks with him for Game 3 or recalls Ethan Strange in the halves.
For Parramatta, however, the immediate concern is finding a response. With their coach openly admitting he is searching for answers and the team producing an error-riddled display at home, the Eels have plenty of work to do before their next outing.
The Eels will be awaiting the MRC ruling on Sean Russell, after he gave away a potential eight-point try to Tallis Duncan. The Rabbitohs missed the first conversion, leading them to only secure six points.
