Dyldam Parramatta Eels co-captain Tim Mannah says this week’s home game against the North Queensland Cowboys is a test of the young Blue and Gold team’s resilience.
Coming off a 38-12 defeat on Friday night against the Penrith Panthers, the Eels will be back in front of their home crowd at Parramatta's Pirtek Stadium. And for Mannah, it will be his first match since becoming a married man over the weekend.
“It’s a really important game for us,” Mannah said.
“It was a great weekend, we had a lot of fun, but it’s back to business now with my focus and my concentration on tomorrow night’s game.”
“We’ve had a few disappointing losses this year, but I think the pleasing part has been how we’ve bounced back.”
“We love playing here [at Parramatta], it’s no secret, but it doesn’t matter where we’re playing, we just want to put in a performance our fans can be proud of.”
“We’ve worked really hard on making sure we make the most of this week and make sure we bounce back the best we can tomorrow night.”
Earlier this week, the Eels also announced a new deal for winger Semi Radradra, ensuring the Fijian flyer will be in Blue and Gold until at least the end of 2018.
Mannah also locked in a new 3-year deal early in 2014, and says the announcement is a sign of things to come.
“We’re very excited about having Semi here for another few years,” Mannah said.
“It just shows that we’re heading in the right direction. We’re big believers in what the club is doing at the moment and which way we’re going, and hopefully it’s the start of a few more exciting signings.”