By David Nagel
The Pakenham Eels continue to be stuck in a logjam in the middle reaches of the NRL Victoria Second Grade Men’s competition after a 32-12 defeat at the hands of Eastern Raptors.
The Eels were comprehensively outplayed through the middle stages of the round-six engagement, but a late surge – including a try to Troy Pulupaki – brought an element of respectability to the scoreboard.
Pakenham has a tough task to bounce back this week, travelling to Melton to take on the fourth-placed Broncos at Macpherson Park.
The news was much better for the Eels Under-16 Boys, who put their best foot forward in a 34-20 defeat of Casey Warriors in the local ‘Derby’.
The teams traded blows on the scoreboard early, before the hungry Eels regrouped at half time and piled on the points in the second half.
Atticus Buchanan stood-out in a great team performance from the Eels, scoring a hat-trick of tries and slotting five of his six conversion attempts.
The Eels Under-16s currently sit fifth on the ladder and hit the road this week to take on ninth-placed Truganina Rabbitohs.
In other games this week, the Under-14 girls went down to Doveton Steelers; 54-10, while the Under-14 Boys were defeated by Hume Eagles, 44-10.
