Pirtek Parramatta Eels halfback Luke Kelly says Sunday's loss to the Melbourne Storm really was a game of two halves for the Blue and Gold.
Despite a strong start, which saw the Eels open the scoring at AAMI Park, the Storm turned on a clinic in the second forty to post a record score.
"We started really well I thought," Kelly said.
"We were quite confident, we were happy with our start, and things were going well."
"But as soon as the floodgates opened we were under a lot of pressure and they really made us pay."
Kelly says the focus for the Parramatta side was still on the remaining games of the 2013 season, as a vital step in laying a platform for a strong 2014.
"It's been a long year," Kelly said.
"If we can finish the last few games off well, it's going to be good for the group."
Meanwhile Eels winger Semi Radradra says that despite the result, he's starting to find his feet in first-grade.
"It's been a tough night tonight," Radradra said.
"We thought in the second half we were going to come back."
"Ricky said just to go there and give our best, and in the second half we gave our best but we just kept letting ourselves down."
"Today I felt comfortable compared to the other weeks; I've been injured the past few weeks and come back.
"It's definitely getting easier for me."
Despite a strong start, which saw the Eels open the scoring at AAMI Park, the Storm turned on a clinic in the second forty to post a record score.
"We started really well I thought," Kelly said.
"We were quite confident, we were happy with our start, and things were going well."
"But as soon as the floodgates opened we were under a lot of pressure and they really made us pay."
Kelly says the focus for the Parramatta side was still on the remaining games of the 2013 season, as a vital step in laying a platform for a strong 2014.
"It's been a long year," Kelly said.
"If we can finish the last few games off well, it's going to be good for the group."
Meanwhile Eels winger Semi Radradra says that despite the result, he's starting to find his feet in first-grade.
"It's been a tough night tonight," Radradra said.
"We thought in the second half we were going to come back."
"Ricky said just to go there and give our best, and in the second half we gave our best but we just kept letting ourselves down."
"Today I felt comfortable compared to the other weeks; I've been injured the past few weeks and come back.
"It's definitely getting easier for me."
