Little men conquer
By Iain Payten
April 2, 2005
THE problem with being the biggest battleship in the fleet is you trade intimidation for manoeuvrability.
Penrith have spent the offseason praying at the temple of Charles Atlas; bulking up with hours of weights and chowing down the protein supplements and egg whites.
Big men getting bigger.
The theory works along the lines of the old cliche: a good big man will always beat a good little one.
Last night Parramatta became the latest side to show that theory isn't necessarily so in 2005.
The hungry Eels, hurting after two losses in games they would once have taken control, emerged as the lighter pack by as much as 10kilograms per man.
What they gave up in weight, Parramatta players told themselves, they must make up for with effort, attitude and quick feet.
"They've got some big boys, that's for sure," Eels second-rower Nathan Hindmarsh said. "We knew we just had to meet them.
"We knew we had to get on top or they could be a handful."
Right from the opening rucks, Parramatta showed they would play at full tilt and see who wore out first.
Quick play-the-balls; short, sharp passing; changing angles around the ruck - up-tempo football.
The lighter men raced up in numbers, and with intensity missing in recent weeks, stopped the big mountain men and their yardage.
Nathan Hindmarsh, Glenn Morrison, Nathan Cayless and Daniel Wagon - wisely moved back to lock - harried and hustled Penrith in defence and on the ground.
"Our aim was to keep them in their half and make the kick from their own territory. We went up to meet them when they came forward," Hindmarsh said.
Cayless, bearing stitches above his left eye, said defensive attitude was considerably better than in the opening weeks of the competition.
"It wasn't just one bloke either. Daniel Wagon would put on a hit, and so did Mark Riddell, and Glenn Morrison," he said.
With the ball in hand, Parramatta stayed up-tempo, won a few repeat sets and the tries followed. Penrith's slow start was exacerbated and PJ Marsh proved the comeback kid with a couple of tries, thanking God on each occasion as the lead grew.
Penrith captain Craig Gower, only five weeks into the season after a summer of surgery, battled valiantly as he spotted the night slipping away.
Attempting to take the ball to the line, Gower probed and darted but Parramatta's defence was swarming.
Penrith looked where they always do for electricity - Preston Campbell - but the little bloke was out of sorts.
As Parramatta finally ran low on fuel, the Panthers steamed home, but the damage was done. This was a night for the good little man.
The Daily Telegraph
