Dyldam Parramatta Eels Head Coach Brad Arthur isn’t underestimating the danger from the in-form Panthers and their strong forward pack in Saturday night’s Battle of the West.
Coming off a narrow loss in round three, and up against local rivals Penrith, Arthur is preparing his side for a battle up front this weekend.
“They’ve got a big forward pack,” Arthur said.
“They try and roll you down the middle, get quick play the balls for Kingston and Segeyaro and then their halves have got a good kicking game.”
“They’re strong right across the paddock.”
And the Head Coach is pleased with the effort his own pack has shown against the Warriors and the Sea Eagles in 2014.
“They were great [against Manly-Warringah] and they were great in Round 1 but we didn’t aim up in Round 2,” Arthur said.
“It’s about being consistent.”
“There’s some things we need to tidy up and we get the opportunity to do that on Saturday night.”
“They are full of confidence, and we just need to make sure we come with plenty of enthusiasm.”
The Round 4 match up sees halfback Chris Sandow return to the starting line-up for the Eels, and winger Ken Sio in the number 5 jersey for the Blue and Gold.
“Chrissy will provide plenty of energy,” Arthur said.
“Hopefully if we score a few tries he’ll kick a few goals too: that’ll help.”
Tickets to the Battle of the West start from just $40 for families (2 adults and up to 4 juniors) with gates opening at 3pm and NRL kick-off at 5.30pm. Click through to buy your tickets today!
