Hearing the words ‘Finals Week 2’ might be enough to bring on cold sweats among some Eels fans this week, as Parramatta look to avoid their season ending in the second week of the playoffs for the fourth year in a row.
On each of their four trips to the finals since their Grand Final appearance in 2009, the Eels have failed to advance past week two, and after losing 27-8 to the Panthers in last week’s Qualifying Final they find themselves in familiar territory once again this season.
Parramatta skipper Clint Gutherson said while that unwanted record may be daunting to some, he is using it as motivation ahead of taking on the Raiders at CommBank Stadium on Friday night.
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“Every player is different, every person, every team is different. I sort of use it as motivation personally, you know where you have been, you know what you have got to do to try and get out of it,” Gutherson said.
“We have been here before, a lot of players have been further, but you have just got to go out there and take it a week at a time, it’s do or die now.
“We were in the game until probably the 65th minute on the weekend and then a few things just didn’t go our way and it sort of got away from us.
We didn’t play anywhere near the footy we wanted to play… you’ve got to learn from it, they taught us how to play the 80-minute game.
Clint Gutherson
The recent finals run is just another source of anxiety for a fanbase who have endured a 36-year wait since their last Premiership in 1986.
But in better news for the Eels, their record of bouncing back from a defeat this season is impeccable, with Brad Arthur’s side having not lost back-to-back games at any stage in 2022.
Prop Junior Paulo said that comes from the squad being able to process and move on from losses quickly.
Match Highlights: Panthers v Eels
“The good teams don’t lose back-to-back games and that’s kind of a motto we have been trying to run with,” Paulo said.
“The quicker we can bounce back the better we get back into the groove of things.
“Heading into this game we addressed it real early and we were able to flush that game from last week."
Halfback Mitchell Moses is on track to take the field against the Raiders, after suffering a head knock against the Panthers, while Canberra will be without key forward Adam Elliott who has a pelvic injury.