Dyldam Parramatta Eels forward David Gower says the Blue and Gold needs to do more than just defeat the 2013 Premiers to be contenders this season.
And as the Eels start preparations for their Round 7 clash with the Wests Tigers on Easter Monday, Gower says there is plenty of room for Parramatta to improve on their 14-12 win over the Sydney Roosters.
“Defensively it wasn’t our finest game,” Gower said.
“There’s a lot of areas where we struggled and we need to be better.”
“We’re not satisfied with beating the reigning premiers: it’s just one game we’re not going to get caught up on it.”
“If we want to be there at the end of the year, we need to turn up with that desire and attitude every week and continue to compete against every side, not just the top sides.”
With the Wests Tigers forward pack in fine form over the past few rounds, Monday afternoon’s match up marks another solid test for Gower and his fellow forwards, and Gower is hoping for a strong turn out of Eels fans at ANZ Stadium.
“They’re a young pack playing great with a lot of enthusiasm,” Gower said.
“We’re just going to have to try and match that from the opening whistle. We think we’ve got the team that can play well and if we compete and play the way we want to play, and defend how we want to defend, we’re confident we’re going to give ourselves every chance to be in the game at the end.”
“We’re hoping the Blue and Gold army will outnumber [Tigers fans] cause when they’re roaring us home it lifts us, especially late in the game. If we could get a big crowd it’d be unbelievable.”
Round 7’s Easter Monday fixture is #forthefarmers, as we partner with NSW Farmers to support farmers struggling with the drought in Northern NSW.
The Eels will be running a coin collection, as well as accepting donations with ticket purchases on Ticketek. Click to find out more about this special game, and buy your tickets for our Easter blockbuster!
