The Parramatta Eels take on the New Zealand Warriors at Mt Smart Stadium today (Sunday 9 April) for Round Six of the NRL Telstra Premiership.
Previewing the game thanks to betting.club, Blue & Gold Assistant Coach Pete Gentle knows the side will have a big task ahead of them.
“You can see Foz made a big difference for them last week, he straightened them up, but I also think he gave them a lot of confidence with his presence there.” Gentle said of the Warriors.
“We have a big task ahead of us this week. Their spine are all New Zealand Internationals. They are a very good side and they are just starting to play some decent football and as I said, we are in for a very big task this week.”
“Our forwards are excited about getting our there because their forwards are notoriously known for the way they carry the ball, and we want to carry the ball just as hard, if not harder.” He added.
For the Eels, Gentle is looking for a much improved performance compared to the previous three weeks.
“Without disrespecting the opposition, we have been our own worst enemy for probably the last three weeks. We have beaten ourselves, things we have done, our game management, our completions and little things that have slipped away,” Gentle said.
“We have addressed a lot of things this week and we are looking for a much improved performance.”
The Eels will be without Bevan French who was ruled out through injury, but Gentle is confident in the depth of the squad.
“What we have with our squad is a lot of versatility, right through to our premier league, but we have a lot of versatility in our seventeen players so it’s not too much of a disruption,” Gentle said.
“He will be missed but we are comfortable with what we have there.”
“Auva’a is a grand final winning centre, which is what I mean by our versatility and depth that we are able to bring someone like that in. He is looking forward to it and the boys are looking forward to playing with him,” he added.
The Eels take on the New Zealand Warriors at Mt Smart Stadium for Round Six of the NRL Telstra Premiership today. Kick off is at 4pm NZ local time (2pm AEST).
