The Parramatta Eels head to Mt Smart Stadium this Sunday afternoon for Round Six of the NRL Telstra Premiership against the New Zealand Warriors.
For forward Suaia Matagi, the thought of travelling home and clashing against a Warriors side who are coming off a come from behind victory over the Gold Coast Titans last week is an exciting one.
“This trip is one I am probably excited for, getting to go home,” Matagi said.
“It is going to be a tough game with the Warriors coming off a good win last week, they have a lot of momentum especially with Foz back in the team. I think it will be a tough one going back.”
“He showed what kind of player his is. It doesn’t matter how long he was off, he brought his A-game from the beginning.” He added.
However Matagi knows that Foran is not the only danger in their side.
“What I saw was a forward pack, with their quick play the balls, gave him the momentum to step up and do his thing,” Matagi said of their performance last week.
“I think their whole team all played a part, but if we can do a job on him, it will be good for us to stop their momentum.”
And for the Eels, Matagi said the side’s completion rate has been it’s own worst enemy.
“We are our own worst enemy,” Matagi said.
“If we can hold onto the ball, everything else will go from there.”
“You can’t win games if you don’t hold onto the ball so that’s one of our main focuses this week.”
And whilst there has been plenty of media interest around Mitchell Moses, Matagi said he has remained purely focused on what he can do for the Blue & Gold this weekend.
“I have been off social media this week, focusing on this game and training hard.”
“I just have to focus on what I can do and bring forward to the team, so that’s been my main focus this time.”
The Eels take on the New Zealand Warriors at Mt Smart Stadium for Round Six of the NRL Telstra Premiership on Sunday 9 April. Kick off is at 4pm NZ local time (2pm AEST).
