Dyldam Parramatta Eels Head Coach Brad Arthur has brushed off talk of breaking the Eels’ away game drought, and focussed instead on his team’s emerging brand of “positive footy”.
The Eels’ 25-18 win over the Brisbane Broncos on Friday night was the first since Round 21, 2012, when Arthur was caretaker coach, against the same opposition and at the same ground.
Arthur said the coincidence hadn’t occurred to him.
“I enjoy winning whether it’s here or anywhere,” Arthur said.
“It’s a great win but we’ve still got plenty to improve on."
“We need to be positive with the the footy; we need to back ourselves. We’ve got some skill there so we need to use it.”
“We’ve just got to be smart about how we do it and when we do it. At times [tonight] we put ourselves under pressure for them to get back in front, and that’s where we’ve just got to be a bit smarter.”
It was in those moments where the Broncos looked poised to take control of the match that Arthur said he was most pleased with his side’s performance.
“The second half, especially when the Broncs just started to poke their nose in front a little bit there and got in front of us for a period, we dug deep,” Arthur said.
“That was really important, that we didn’t drop our heads. At times we looked a little tired and lethargic for a couple of sets, but the effort and belief we’re starting to build and the addition to our defence is pleasing.”
Co-Captain Tim Mannah said that determination came across loud and clear on the field.
“There was some great talk behind the line after their last try,” Mannah said.
“There was a lot of confidence there and it was really refreshing to see a lot of the boys have a lot of belief in themselves, and know that if we stick to it we can get the job done.”
“I don’t know what the secret is [to success] but I know everyone had a crack.”
