Dyldam Parramatta Eels Head Coach Brad Arthur says his side is ready to put their concentration issues behind them when they take on the Melbourne Storm tomorrow afternoon at Pirtek Stadium.
Arthur admits the players have occasionally lost focus for small periods in the last two games, and it’s ended up being costly.
“The last two games we’ve controlled and managed it really well but you go to sleep for one tackle in a set and that’s enough for them to hurt us,” Arthur said.
“For us at the moment, it’s about getting rid of those concentration lapses and playing for 80 minutes.”
Off the back of a loss and the Representative Round week off, Arthur says the players are itching to put in a better performance.
“We’ve trained really well; it’s been a long fortnight and off the back of a loss the boys are really excited and hanging to get out there and play some football,” he said.
“We’re not concerned about the ladder, we’d have liked to have a couple more wins under our belt, but the competition is so tight that a couple of wins and you’d be right up there.”
The Blue and Gold Army will see the return of winger Semi Radradra after a medial ligament injury suffered in Round 2.
“I’m sure the fans will be really pleased to see Semi back on the park, he’s a really good try scorer for us,” Arthur said.
“But one of his strengths and things he’s worked really hard on in pre-season is his defence, and I think having him back on the wing will give us a bit more stability with our decision making on the edges.”
Addressing the form of the Eels’ opponents this week, Arthur says the Storm side is always prepared for a tough encounter.
“They’re strong, they’re consistent and it doesn’t matter who they play or where they play, they play the same style and you need to be at your best to be competitive with them.”
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