Dyldam Parramatta Eels Head Coach Brad Arthur says his side’s pride has been dented, following Monday’s late-in-the-game loss to the Wests Tigers.
With the Eels ready to take on the Gold Coast Titans at Pirtek Stadium tomorrow, Arthur says the boys have prepared to bounce back.
“If you lose, your pride is hurting; so regardless of how well you play or how hard you try, if you don’t get the two points - at least how it is with me and our players - pride is about winning games of football,” Arthur said.
“Our style of footy is high energy, so we need to get back to some high energy football and while it’s important to complete, we’ve got our unique style of football where we move the ball around a little bit more and our shape is probably our strength.”
Addressing comments made earlier in the week by Eels lock Anthony Watmough criticising his own performance, Arthur said it’s because he’s setting high expectations.
“At least he’s being honest - that’s the last thing we want our players to do, is hide behind the truth,” Arthur said.
“He’s trying very hard and his work rate is very high, and it’s just about him trying to fit into the way that we want him to play and what he can bring to the team.”
“He hasn’t been bad, he’s set high expectation like we all do and if we’re not reaching them, the boys are going to be critical of themselves.”
Following onto the NRL’s modification of the concussion rules this week, Arthur said anything that improves the players’ welfare is a good thing.
“[They’re] going to be hard to police, but at the end of the day we’re happy with our medical staff and if they say our players cant go back on, they can’t go back on,” he said.
“[Changing rules mid-season] is frustrating, but if the NRL thinks that’s the best for player welfare, then I’ve got no problem with that ; [the rules] are the same for everyone.”
The Eels kick off against the Gold Coast Titans at 3pm on Saturday, as part of a triple-header at Parramatta's Pirtek Stadium. Tickets start from $20 for a family of four - click through to pre-purchase your tickets!
