This week, Mary Kaye gives her thoughts ahead of the Round 9 clash against the Melbourne Storm at Pirtek Stadium on Mother’s Day (Sunday 10 May). You can catch up on Mary Kaye's blogs at Ladies who League here
After a week off, all I want to say is bring on Sunday afternoon.
I am hoping that 2 weeks off will have given our boys some much needed rest and relaxation as well as giving them the opportunity for quiet reflection. This quiet reflection and contemplation, I am hoping, will be drivers for the boys as they work towards the next couple of rounds which will essentially determine the rest of the season and whether we will make the 8.
At the moment we sit on 3 wins out of 8 games played. It is not horrific, but I am sure that the boys would have wanted to have been sitting on a better win-loss ratio. The good news is that we have played some really good football and we are well in touch with the top 8. With a couple of players returning from injury in the next few weeks, we should see a stronger Parramatta Eels outfit take the field.
With all that in mind - what a game we have to look forward to this weekend. The Storm are one of our fiercest rivals and I am looking forward to welcoming them back to Pirtek Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
As a team, the Storm are professional, disciplined, talented and consistently competitive. In other words, they are no easy beats. Despite this, a Storm team at their best is nothing that our boys cannot handle and I am looking for an improved performance following our loss to the Broncos with hopefully some razzle dazzle from our halves.
Apart from being a very important game, this Sunday is also an opportunity to celebrate some pretty important people. Our mums. For me, my mum is my best friend and there is almost no one in the world that I love more. Whilst every day should be an opportunity to celebrate our mums, this Sunday is extra special and I am hoping to see lots of mums out with their families on Sunday.
It was sensational to see some of the Eels getting into the spirit yesterday with Anthony Watmough, Will Hopoate, Brad Takairangi, Tim Mannah and David Gower all welcoming their mums to training. I am looking forward to seeing the interviews as they are shared later this week, especially with David's Gower mum who was the talk of Twitter yesterday. For now, I leave you with some pictures from the morning (can I please get a unified awwwww).
So get your mums, your jerseys and your scarves and help me cheer the boys home on Sunday afternoon.
Finally, a big welcome back to a big welcome back to Semi Radradra this weekend, who makes his return from injury. I am looking forward to seeing our 'Flying Fijian' racing down that touchline.
#GoParra and a big happy Mother's Day to all the mums out there.