Trent Barrett

Trent Barrett slams Sivo, Tuilagi for “dumb” mistakes

“We don’t charge the ball down inside 10m.”

Published by
Ethan Lee Chalk

Parramatta Eels coach Trent Barrett has named and shamed Maika Sivo and Kelma Tuilagi for their "dumb" mistakes on Friday evening that led to the Broncos defeating them 30-24.

Leading 16-0 at one stage during the match, the Eels have moved one step closer to taking home the wooden spoon after a plethora of poor and costly mistakes led to them losing.

After making the 2022 NRL Grand Final, the club is on the verge of suffering their fourth wooden spoon in 13 seasons as the likes of Mitchell Moses, J'maine Hopgood and Junior Paulo remain sidelined with injury.

Unimpressed with the team's performance, Barrett has named and shamed duo Sivo and Tuilagi for their "dumb" mistakes that allowed their opposition to come back into the match.

“I would have taken that lead if you'd said that to me before the game...the back end of the first half and the errors we made in the second half were poor,” Barrett said after the match.

“Maika's drop and the intercept for Reno (Adam Reynolds) - we missed the short side there when we should have scored and put them away.

“Kelma's charge down. We don't charge the ball down inside 10m. So there's dumb things there that put us in a position to lose.

“And until we learn that and I can go in there and pat them on the back for their effort and attitude but that's not enough to win an NRL game and they have to learn. We have to learn.

“We've got two weeks to go and we want to win those two games - it's important for us to finish well.”

Published by
Ethan Lee Chalk