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Parramatta coach Daniel Anderson questioned his squad’s commitment and pride after the Eels’ season of discontent hit a new low with an embarrassing 48-18 loss to the Bulldogs at ANZ Stadium on Sunday.
The Bulldogs could have been there to be taken as the effects of a virus which ran through the club and the short turnaround following Monday night’s win over Souths took effect.
Instead the 2008 wooden spooners ran in nine tries and continued their blistering start to the season to climb to third on the ladder.
And Anderson claimed several of his Eels players opted to take soft options. They now sit second last with a 2-4 record.
“We need to tough it out, be grittier in our character and be grittier in our attitude and put your body on the line for the full 80 – we came up with some soft decisions when it mattered,” Anderson said.
“It’s an attitude, it’s a character.
“You can put yourself in the tough, courageous, uncompromising position on the football field and you can also put yourself in an option where you know the ball’s not going to come you’re way or you won’t have to make the big defensive play and I thought we did that on a few occasions in the second half and that’s disappointing.”
Anderson was asked if there was a solution to the problem.
“Appeal to the players sense of pride in performance, pride in wearing a Parramatta jersey, because I thought that we made it so that at times we didn’t have a sense of pride in our performance,” he said.
The Eels troubles were summed up in one two minute period early in the second half when Krisnan Inu and Weller Hauraki were left staring at each other as Gary Warburton went over untouched.
Inu sent the restart over the dead ball line on the full and Ben Roberts was cut down five metres short of the line after taking the quick tap before Hazem El Masri easily touched down two plays later to make it 26-12.
The rest was a cakewalk – Brett Kimmorley turning back the clock with a 75 metre runaway try as the Bulldogs added insult to injury.
Bulldogs coach Kevin Moore admitted the win was one his side got away with, the virus, short turnaround and an eighth minute foot injury to Josh Morris after the NSW Origin aspirant had raced in two early tries, leaving the visitors struggling to keep up with the pace.
“I thought the way we defended today, if we were up against a better side who threw more at us, we could have been in a bit of trouble,” Moore said.
As it is the Bulldogs have won five of their first six matches under Moore, who attempted to temper expectations.
“Maybe on the competition table we’re a bit higher than I thought we might have been, but I always held pretty high hopes,” Moore said.
“We’ve got to remember we’re only six weeks into the competition so we can’t get ahead of ourselves.”
For Anderson, the road ahead is looking much tougher.
“It’s not where I thought we’d be,” he said.
“It’s how far we’re behind other teams and we are … unless our performance improves and we have the consistent attitude over the course of 80 minutes then we won’t compete in the NRL this year – we’ll be languishing.”
Snapshot of NRL round six
THEY SAID IT: “Hopefully the Dell goes and gets a copy of Kenny Rogers’ The Gambler – you don’t start celebrating while you’re sitting at the table.” – Newcastle’s try-scoring centre ADAM MACDOUGALL on being taunted by WENDELL SAILOR who had scored two first half tries but departing injured in St George Illawarra’s 24-18 loss to the Knights.
STAT THAT MATTERS: Five tries in two games. Anyone think reigning premiers Manly didn’t miss fullback BRETT STEWART over the opening four rounds?
MAN OF THE ROUND: ISSAC DE GOIS Newcastle’s hooker was so good his the Knights win over the Dragonns he was talked up as NSW No.9 by coach Brian Smith.
MAGIC MOMENT: STACEY JONES’ golden point field goal to give the Warriors a 17-16 win over the Roosters after being 0-16 at halftime.
TALKING POINT: The great theatre between SAILOR and MACDOUGALL which carried out onto the field and into the sheds on Saturday night.
JUDICIARY WATCH: Brisbane: Aaron Gorrell (dangerous tackle), Souths: Jamie Simpson (kneeing) .
KEY INJURIES: Dragons: Wendell Sailor (hamstring), Luke Priddis (knee), Canberra: Marc Herbert (ankle), Brad Tighe (pectoral muscle), John Sutton (calf).
UNDER PRESSURE: Parramatta coach DANIEL ANDERSON. Questioned his side’s pride and commitment after they let in nine tries in a 48-18 rout by the Bulldogs to be second last on the ladder.
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