Eels press conference - Round 19
Parramatta Eels Head Coach Brad Arthur praised his side for their defence after a 14-8 win against the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs on Thursday night.
Down 6-0 after 20 minutes and under severe pressure following some self-inflicted errors, effort was key to the win.
"We are over the moon for the players, our club and supporters for the win," Brad Arthur said.
"Quite a few things went against us and I thought we toughed it out. We didn't lose composure and kept our patience."
"I thought the Bulldogs played very well. They threw plenty at us. Probably the most we've had thrown at us for a long time."
"At this time of year it would be easy, we wouldn't accept it, but it would be easy for the boys just to go 'we tried hard but it's not good enough'."
Match Highlights: Eels v Bulldogs, Round 19
Co-captain Tim Mannah shared a similar appreciation of the team's performance.
"There was a lot of defence in that first 20 (minutes)," Tim Mannah said.
"The resilience they showed laid a platform for our win tonight. There's been signs of that the past 4-5 weeks."
Arthur had a lot of relief for his players who have been on the losing end of close encounters over the past two rounds.
"There's a lot of relief from the playing group because they've been working really hard and we haven't been getting the results," Arthur said.
"It's really important we try finish with something to build on in the preseason for the players, for our club and our supporters."
Nathan Brown had one of his best performances of the season and Arthur took notice.
"He spoke to me about making sure he's getting 80 minutes and I challenged him that he had to earn it."
The Eels next clash will be against the top placed South Sydney Rabbitohs at ANZ Stadium on Saturday 28 July in Round 20.
Eels celebrate after Bulldogs victory
