Dyldam Parramatta Eels Head Coach Brad Arthur has labelled the Blue and Gold Round 21 clash against the Gold Coast Titans on Monday (3 August) as a do or die encounter for his side.
With the Eels looking to rebound after losses to the Bulldogs and the Cowboys in the last week, Arthur says he will be looking for the best performance from his side.
“We are still hurting a little bit from last weeks fading in the last 20 minutes,” Arthur said ahead of the Eels training session on Sunday morning.
“We know this is a do or die game and we need to put our best performance up because if we lose, we’re out.”
“I am a big believer you can build your confidence through the week with how you train and how you prepare but then you have to take it onto the field,” Arthur added.
“We have trained really well all year but on occasions we haven’t taken it onto the field so that will be the challenge for us this week.”
With the Eels sitting in 13th position on the ladder, preparing to take on the 16th placed Titans, Arthur knows both sides will be desperate to come away with the two points.
“You would like to think they would be up for it with both teams in the same position and needing to win to be any chance of securing a top eight spot or still being in the hunt.”
“They are going to be desperate. They have James Roberts who is obviously a X-factor for them and going to be a danger,” Arthur added.
“Ryan James has a big strong carry and they have forwards that like to work hard for each other so it will definitely be a tough game for us.”
With the Eels naming an unchanged line up for the clash, Arthur reflected on forward Daniel Alvaro’s performance from the bench in just his third NRL game last week.
“Daniel got a little bit more time last week. He was very energetic and probably ran himself into the ground a little bit in his 12 minutes trying to do everything,” Arthur said.
“He just needs to learn to control his energy and channel it in the right areas but he is a good young kid and hopefully we can give him a bit more time this week.”
Despite the off-field distractions, Arthur knows it has not impacted his side, with the Blue and Gold having a clear focus on coming away with the two points on Monday night.
“Every week there has been a bit something to do with Parramatta at the moment, but the boys have been very professional about it the whole way through, focusing on how they can train and taking that onto the field.”
“We need to win this week. If we get the job done this week, we can sit down and have a look at the following week, but these next two games are very important for us,” Arthur added.
“We can go away now being a couple of wins outside the eight and we can return right on the border.”
The Eels take on the Titans on Monday night at Cbus Super Stadium with kick off at 7pm.
