The Dyldam Parramatta Eels have touched down in the Northern Territory, with the players heading straight out to training ahead of Saturday’s trial game against the Gold Coast Titans.
Tim Mannah says while the weather’s certainly hot in Alice Springs, the players are looking forward to getting out on the field.
“The heat isn’t too bad, this is my third game up here here and there’s something about the dry heat that isn’t too bad,” he said.
“It’s not quite like the humidity that we have back home [in Parramatta] so I’m actually looking forward to it, it’ll be a good week.”
A 24-man squad has been named for the trial, which will kick-off at 7.30pm local time.
“Usually in a trial game we go through more interchanges than normal and we have a pretty big squad here, so we’ll roll through a few more plays than we would in a normal game,” Mannah said.
“Everyone gets to this time of year and just wants to play some footy, so it’ll be good for us to see where we’re at as a club.”
With 13 players in the squad coming off the back of the Auckland Nines victory, Mannah says it’s a good opportunity for some healthy competition.
“The boys haven’t got too carried away with the win; it’s great for the club and the belief in the boys and I think we can use it as a springboard and benefit from that for the future,” he said.
“But we’re back to getting out minds on our job for this week, and all these young guys who had a good week in NZ have another chance to put their best foot forward and really push for positions during the season.”
