Dyldam Parramatta Eels forward David Gower was shattered on Sunday night at Brookvale Oval, as a resilient Eels side fell just short of the mark against the Sea Eagles.
“We competed hard for the full 80, well 79 I suppose, unfortunately for us,” he said.
“That was a big improvement on last week but we’ve come off and we’re not satisfied losing, so we’ve got things to work on and make sure next time we’re in that situation where we come off winners.”
Despite the loss, Gower praised the boys for their effort and how they were able to turn it around following last week's 56-4 loss at the hands of the Roosters.
“I think last week we sort of came back to reality a little bit," Gower said.
"This week we knew Manly were a red hot side and we knew we had to come up, really turn up, and just have a strong desire and attitude in defence, and I think we did that today,” he said.
It was Gower’s first NRL game for the blue and gold, and it just happened to be against his former club. The Sea Eagles snuck away with the premiership points in the dying moments, but Gower is thrilled to be representing Parramatta and playing first-grade footy.
“I had a shaky start there with a drop," Gower said.
"I came back strongly and it’s just great to be out there to represent Parra, and hopefully I continue to get the opportunity to play and improve and play well, and we can go on this year and have a lot more wins.”
The Eels will be looking to secure their second win of the season on Saturday night when they host the third-placed Penrith Panthers at Pirtek Stadium, and Gower believes they are in with a chance.
“We’re gonna build, continue to build and we’re not happy coming off,” he said.
“We almost beat Manly, it’s not good enough. We want better and we’re gonna get better.”
