Dyldam Parramatta Eels skipper Tim Mannah says the Blue and Gold went away from their game plan in the first half, as their 12-0 lead was cut down by the Wests Tigers, before a second half fight back saw the Eels come away with the two points at ANZ Stadium last night.
Reflecting on the game, Mannah said that whilst the Round 17 game wasn’t the prettiest of performances from the Blue and Gold, the skipper was happy with the second half attitude and commitment to come away with the two points.
“I thought the back end of the first half we kind of went away from what was working for us at the start of the game,” Mannah said after the game.
“We tried to be a bit too flash without earning the right in attack and our defence was a bit soft.”
“I thought the boys aimed up a lot better in the second half, and like Brad said, it wasn’t the prettiest of performances but we will take the two points and learn from the lessons we take out of tonight’s game.'
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The game kicked off with the Eels providing plenty of try scoring opportunities and it was the captain who put the first points on the board with his very own four pointer in the fourth minute.
Mannah crossed for his third try of his 159 game career, his first since Round 26, 2012, and the skipper credited his coaches after the game.
“It has been a long time coming but the coaches put on a play there that gave me a chance and it just kind of opened up a bit which was good,” Mannah said.
“It is selfish to see Semi get that many and I have been waiting three years for one!” he added.
And whilst Mannah was pleased to cross the white line, he commended Eels winger Semi Radradra, not only for his two tries, but for the work that goes unnoticed.
“It is a lot of credit to him because our structures are really good and they give opportunities, but to his credit, he is the one creating the opportunities to finish it.,” Mannah said of Radradra.
“He he has been rock solid in all aspects of the game, not just his try scoring ability but his dirty work and a lot of the stuff that not too many people take notice of; his carries out of our red zone, his defensive efforts, and his all round energy.” Mannah added.
“He has been talking a lot more before games as well, which has been rare, but he has been doing that a lot the past few weeks so he is starting to grow as a player and a person.”
Radradra’s two tries sees the Eels winger total of 16 tries this season level with Bulldog Curtis Rona on the season try-scoring list, and his fifth consecutive double sees the winger break a 60 year old record for a player to notch two or more tries in five games in a row.
The Eels have the bye in Round 18 before returning to ANZ Stadium to take on the Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs on Friday 17 July.
