The Dyldam Parramatta Eels came away 20-16 victors in their Round 24 clash against the Sea Eagles at Brookvale Oval on Blue and Gold halfback Luke Kelly said the side was happy to come away with the points after a tough encounter in wet conditions.
“It was wet and a lot of mistakes came through that but it is a tough place to win, Brookvale Oval, so we were very happy with our effort and happy to come away with the win,” Kelly said.
“I thought the whole team went well, and in the wet weather we had instructions to play long and get the ball down the other end of the field so I was happy with how that went.” He added.
The challenge for the Blue and Gold this week are the Cronulla Sharks, however Kelly said that the Eels will have a boost returning to their home ground Pirtek Stadium, last featuring there with a 16-12 victory over the Dragons in Round 16.
“Sharks are going really well but we are back at home and we are really looking forward to having a good crowd and hopefully we can put on a good performance for the home supporters”
ROUND 25 TEAM LIST
With the potential to impact the Sharks run into the Finals and stopping them from making the top four, Kelly stressed that it was not being spoken about at the Eels, rather focusing on what they as players can do for the loyal Blue and Gold army.
“That sort of stuff [impacting the Sharks Top Four hopes] doesn’t really play into our minds,” Kelly said.
“We are just wanting to play well for our fans, they have supported us well all year and to finally get back to Pirtek Stadium, it will be a good opportunity to hopefully finish the year well for them.”
The Round 25 clash will be for the third annual Johnny Mannah Cup, in honour of the late Johnny Mannah, who was a member of both the Eels and Sharks NRL clubs, and Kelly said it will be a very special occasion.
“It will be a special game for him [Tim Mannah] and a special game for the club,” Kelly said.
“Timmy, Johnny and the Mannah family mean a lot to this club and it will be a big game for everyone and everyone will want to play well for him.”
The Eels NRL clash is part of a massive triple-header with the Eels NYC and Wentworthville Magpies NSW Cup sides also in action.
Gates open at 10:30am with the NYC kick off at 10:40am, NSW Cup 12:40pm kick off and NRL kickoff at 3pm.
ROUND 25 GAME DAY INFORMATION
