Player ratings for the Parramatta Eels team for the NRL semi-final against the Melbourne Storm.
1. Clint Gutherson: Tried hard but his night was summed up by a disastrous first-half kick which struck the corner post on the full, giving the Storm a seven-tackle set which they turned into a try. Failed his HIA after a head knock 15 minutes into second half. 5/10
2: Maika Sivo: Got through a lot of work with the ball to top the century mark (114m) but was comprehensively out-pointed by countryman Suli Vunivalu. A nightmare first half saw him reported for a shoulder charge, knock on and allow a tap-back that set up a try. 4
3. Michael Jennings: Repeatedly left Sivo exposed and had minimal impact with the ball tallying just 61m from seven runs. 4
4. Waqa Blake: Defended well, popped an offload and looked Parramatta's most dangerous attacker. 7
5: Blake Ferguson: Caught out of position for the opening try and while he made metres with the ball (88) never given a real opportunity to work his magic. 5.5
Sivo placed on report for shoulder charge
6: Dylan Brown: A couple of nice kicks but struggled to get into the game. Highlight was a brilliant try-saver on Justin Olam in the dying moments. 5
7. Mitchell Moses: Had his moments but starved of quality ball. Made two errors, including throwing an intercept, and missed too many tackles (7). 5
8. Kane Evans: Shoulder charge brain snap early and made little other impact in a paltry 38 minutes on the field. 4
9. Reed Mahoney: Topped the tackle count and never stopped trying. Provoked Cameron Smith into the sin bin but Eels weren't able to take advantage. 7
10: Junior Paolo: Worked hard with the ball to top the Eels in run metres (17 runs, 128 metres) in just 66 minutes. Had three offloads, a tackle bust and two errors. 6
11: Shaun Lane: Limited impact in both attack and defence and was unable to contain Felise Kaufusi. 4
12: Manu Ma'u: Fought valiantly, turning in a whole-hearted 80 minutes to tally 96m from 10 runs and 40 tackles. Had one error. 6
13: Nathan Brown: Tried to inspire Eels with big hits but four missed tackles and one ineffective muted his impact. Taken off nine minutes from the end. 5
Match Highlights: Storm v Eels
Interchange
14. Brad Takairangi: Wasn't called on during the disastrous first half and had a few nice touches when he did get an opportunity during 26 minutes on the field. 4
15: Daniel Alvaro: Ran enthusiastically and tackled hard when on the field. Had 99m and 13 tackles in his 28 minutes on the paddock. 5.5
16: Tepai Moeroa: Also sat for the entire first half. And finished with just 16 minutes action after undergoing a HIA. 3
17: Marata Niukore: Got through as much work as he could in limited time on the field. Copped a knock but passed the HIA. 5
Melbourne Storm semi-final player ratings
The views in this article do not necessarily express the opinions of the NRL, ARLC, NRL clubs or state associations.
