Dyldam Parramatta Eels fullback Jarryd Hayne says Saturday night's clash with the Sydney Roosters is the best test the young blue and gold side could hope for.
When the Eels take on the Roosters on Saturday night for the Jack Gibson Cup, it will be the second time the sides have met in just four weeks, and Hayne says he doesn’t expect the rematch to be easy.
“Their forward pack is one of the best in the competition and we’ll really be in for it tomorrow night,” Hayne said.
“They were on fire that night [in Round 2] and they played really well.”
“Being a young team, you can come in and out of games and not realise the effect that consistency has until you play someone like the Roosters.”
“I think if you have a look at our first half we went pretty well, and I guess the second half just slipped away.”
“We didn’t do what we’d been training for, and I think we’ve been doing that ever since then and it’s worked for us. We’ve really bounced back and stuck to our guns so we’re going to do that tomorrow night.”
“For us, the way we’ve been playing it’s probably going to be a great test for us; the best test we could have at this time. I think we’ll really see where we’re at and how far we’ve come.”
The match has a special significance on Saturday night, as the two teams vie for the Jack Gibson Cup on the 67th anniversary to the day since the Eels played their first ever competition game back in 1947.
The Eels greats in attendance will be recognised on field with a lap of honour, while on Sunday the club holds its annual reunion, and Hayne hopes to have a full stadium of fans in attendance to support both past and present Parramatta Eels.
“We want all the fans to come out and support the boys,” Hayne said.
“Being a smaller stadium it’s a lot more vocal and a great atmosphere.”
“And it’s always good to have a yarn [with past players]. I’m sure Pricey will be telling some stories about back in the day so the forwards will be in for that!”
