Parramatta Eels treating close losses this year as a learning process
THE Parramatta Eels are entitled to be an NRL club in crisis and disarray after winning just one game of football since May.
Not so. Instead the players and coach Stephen Kearney are treating all the agonising weeks of golden point losses, tries after the full-time siren and field-goal heartbreak as a learning curve for next season.
Incredibly, the Eels have not been beaten by more than four points - apart from a 25-12 loss to the Raiders - since round 11 yet they've only come away with three competition points.
" It's been a long eight weeks of football - very frustrating but encouraging at the same time," Parramatta's State of Origin front-rower
Tim Mannah said yesterday.
"We've played some great footy at different stages but not for 80 minutes.
"We led Storm 18-nil then drifted away from the game plan. Same old story. Personally, I don't take losses lightly but I hope we can look back on what's happened as character building.
"The coaching staff have been great and all we can do is treat this as a learning curve."
Even winning just half of the close games, Parramatta would be on 22 points and knocking on the door for the finals.Mannah has no doubts the addition of Souths' brilliant halfback
Chris Sandow next year will help turn the Eels into a more serious premiership threat.
"I'm good mates with Chris from when we toured England and France together in 2006 with the Australian schoolboys, " Mannah said.
"We spent five weeks on that tour and he's a terrific fella and a great little player.
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"Look at how well he's done at Souths over the last couple of weeks. I'm sure he can bring that form to Parramatta next year and make a big difference for us."
Meanwhile, the Eels are determined to finish the year on a respectable note with matches against the Rabbitohs, the Sea Eagles, the
Wests Tigers, the Roosters and the Titans.
Skipper Nathan Hindmarsh refuses to be critical of the players or the coaching staff despite the disappointment of missing the finals.
"I've got big wraps on this team," Hindmarsh said.,
"I've been in teams where we haven't been travelling that well and we've turned our toes up and not turned up the following week.
"We're not winning games but this team's different.
"We're not giving up.
"Everyone's trying. We're having a crack."
Like in the previous losses, Hindmarsh puts Monday night's loss to the Storm down to poor options more than lack of energy or enthusiasm.
"Some of us wanted to defend the lead while some of us tried to come up with a fancy play instead of sticking with the way we'd played for the first 60 minutes. We have to all get on the same page," he said.
After years of non-stop success as Kiwi Test coach and
Melbourne Storm assistant, no-one is more frustrated than Eels coach Kearney.
"We've fallen into a bit of a habit (of losing) and it's one that doesn't sit well with the group," Kearney said. "We'll keep perservering and searching for the finish line. Against Melbourne, they never put their cue in the rack - but the Storm are always coming to get you."
