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It was a tough night to be a Parramatta supporter on Saturday night. Coming off the back of two straight losses and the bye, the game against the Warriors was an important one.
Prior to kick off, the Eels sat outside of the eight simply based on for and against. Following Saturday night’s spectacular loss, the Eels now sit at 11th place, still out of the eight based on for and against.
The debate over the last 24 hours has been about whether we have seen the best of the Parramatta Eels for 2014, and I’ve got a lot to say.
First of all, I have been absolutely delighted with the way the Eels have played so far this season. This time last year, Parramatta were heading towards their second successive wooden spoon. We were in turmoil on the field and in the board room, and as a supporter it was an extremely difficult time, particularly following the lack of success since the grand final of 2009.
At the beginning of this season, my expectations were pretty low – anything other than the spoon would have been an improvement. However, the Eels have done much more than that and in previous blogs I have credited coach Brad Arthur.
I still think Arthur has done amazing things with our squad this year – we look a different side and now have purpose in attack and have improved out of sight defensively (despite what you saw last night).
No matter where we finish this year, I feel like we are on the right track for the future and I can hold my head high and be encouraged that the squad has indeed improved since last year.
However, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t extremely disappointed on Saturday night.
The first issue that needs to be addressed is the Jarryd Hayne factor. A lot of people have criticized coach Arthur for resting Hayne, but the reality is, it was a decision which the coach made and I don’t feel Hayne’s presence on the field would have been enough to turn it around for us anyway.
I cannot give enough credit to the Warriors. They are a real dark horse of the competition this year and played so well last night. I think there was very little the Eels could have done to stem the dynamic and creative attack that the Warriors showcased.
Coaches receive little to no credit when things are going right and receive all the credit when things are going wrong. I respect Arthur’s decision and, ultimately, if Hayne is the one thing preventing us from conceding 40 points each week, then that’s extremely disappointing. In the end player welfare should always come first and I look forward to seeing Hayne at his explosive best come next week against the Bunnies.
I have seen enough from the Eels this year to feel we still have a crack at the eight. However, the injuries that have affected our squad this year cannot be understated (but I’m certainly not using it as an excuse).
Losing Nathan Peats earlier in the season was a massive blow. He was buy-of-the-year for the Eels and buy-of-the-season for any club. He added another level to our attack and his enthusiasm on the field was infectious.
Other players the Eels are missing at the moment include Tim Mannah, Will Hopoate, Manu Ma’u, Lee Mossop, Kenny Edwards and Ken Sio. All clubs suffer from injury throughout the year, but Parramatta are certainly not able, at the moment, to put their best side on the field.
The Eels are not done for season 2014. However, this game against South Sydney on Friday night will be a very interesting one. If Parramatta are to feature come September, we really need to get back on track.