Otumoetai Eels 'fall over' in crucial game

Otumoetai Eels' hopes of a third successive title came crashing down on Saturday, although it's the nature of the loss rather than the result itself that has gutted Tauranga's leading club side.
The Eels - who won a combined Gisborne-Coastline premiership two seasons ago before taking the Bay of Plenty-Coastline title 12 months ago - were thumped 40-8 by reigning Waikato side Hamilton City Tigers in their WaiCoa Bays sudden-death semifinal at Resthills Park on Saturday.
Taniwharau upset second qualifiers Ngaruawahia 14-4 in the other play-off to make it an all-Waikato final.
The Eels, who qualified fourth for the play-offs, were right in the hunt at 14-4 down at halftime against the Tigers but an uncharacteristic lull in the second half saw the Tigers kick clear, scoring six tries within the restart.
Eels coach Brett Rodger, who now switches his attention to the WaiCoa Bays Stallions in the national inter-regional competition, said it wasn't the size of the defeat but rather the way his side gave it away that rankled the most.
"The score was probably a fairly fair reflection of the game but the boys were all gutted in the shed afterwards because we felt the score wasn't a fair reflection of what we are as a football side," he said. "It was our most important game off the the year and, after being competitive in the first half, we fell over."
Centre Josh Moore scored for the Eels in a tight first half, with wing Arepa Ohia dotting down in the second half.
The Tigers capitalised on Eels' errors and their failure to complete their sets and put the result beyond doubt in a 25min scoring burst straight after the break.
Rodger was at a loss to explain why the Eels didn't gain any traction after halftime.
"They [Hamilton] had all the ball and turned it into points, which good sides do, and that shifted the momentum right away from us. [Halve] Josh Weedon put a few good chips in behind their line that didn't go quite to hand and that was the ball game."
The pack, one of the smallest in the competition, also struggled with the heavy conditions underfoot that didn't suit their run-and-gun, fast-paced style of game.
Despite the loss, the Eels achieved their goal of making the top four - no mean feat after the bulk of last season's title-winning side either retired or moved away, leaving the club heavily in rebuilding mode. They will turn their focus to defending the Bay of Plenty championship, starting with a home game against the Pacific Sharks in three weeks. The Sharks started their campaign with a 34-20 win over Tauranga Whalers on Saturday, scoring three tries in the final 10 minutes.