Snoochies
First Grade
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All about staying for Anderson
So no one noticed when Justin Poore played a meagre total of 20 minutes in Parramatta's three warm-up games. Nor did they tweak to the limited contributions of Eels stars Jarryd Hayne and Daniel Mortimer.
And they didn't appreciate that when Parramatta were flogged in their trial at Penrith, the Eels used just 17 players on a simulated 10-man rotation against two teams of fresh Panthers.
In the storm of negativity that has gathered over Parramatta, these tiny things are easily forgotten in the panicked search for simple answers to why a team this good has started off so bad. But to overlook them is to ignore the bigger picture.
And to ignore the bigger picture is to forget premierships are won in September, not April.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...on/story-e6frext9-1225851102126#sidebar-start
And when it comes to the bigger picture, there're few better students than Eels coach Daniel Anderson.
When Parramatta slumped to an almost identical loss to cellar-dwellers Cronulla midway through last year, the same knives were out for Anderson and his team.
Three months later - with some divine intervention from Jarryd Hayne - Parramatta won eight games straight to scrape into the finals with one round remaining.
And it was that week that Anderson proved what an incredibly smart coach he is.
Knowing the result was immaterial in the bumper last-round clash against St George Illawarra, he rested tired stars Eric Grothe and Nathan Hindmarsh. He eased the team off training. Did barely any video. Ditched the game plan.
But the Eels weren't being prepared to lose that game, which they eventually did to the resounding tune of 37-0. They were being prepared to win when it counted - which they eventually did in the semi-final against the same opponents nine days later.
Those who still marvel at Anderson's feat will have already felt an odd sense of deja vu this week.
The only difference this time is that he's got more than a week to lift the Eels. He's now got five months.
That's the equivalent of being halfway down the Flemington straight on the first lap of the Melbourne Cup.
And Anderson isn't interested in being first past the post with two-thirds of the race to run.
There are no prizes for that.
In modern rugby league, the prize always goes to the team that's healthy and in form when the music stops. Thanks to the salary cap and top eight evening out the competition, it's become a cruel game of musical chairs where pure chance can bring the best back to field.
With thinner rosters pitted against an arduous 26-week season, teams can be reasonably expected to peak physically and mentally for perhaps 10 games each year.
And there's no use playing those 10 games well before September.
What's more, the top eight gives teams more of an incentive to treat the competition as a staying test rather than a sprint. Given teams only need to win half their games to qualify, early losses are of little consequence so long as the roster is healthy enough to build momentum when the whips are cracking.
And those are the teams that generally claim the premiership, or at least go closer to doing so than their early form truly warrants.
Teams like the Tigers in 2005. Like Parramatta and Melbourne 12 months ago.
If Parramatta had won their first four games, Anderson would no doubt be pleased. At the moment, he'd be pleased just to have every player's attitude on song.
That's not the case right now, but it's not fatal either. Parramatta will come good at some stage this year.
But as history tells us, this is not a case of now or never.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...ing-for-anderson/story-e6frext9-1225851102126
- Josh Massoud
So no one noticed when Justin Poore played a meagre total of 20 minutes in Parramatta's three warm-up games. Nor did they tweak to the limited contributions of Eels stars Jarryd Hayne and Daniel Mortimer.
And they didn't appreciate that when Parramatta were flogged in their trial at Penrith, the Eels used just 17 players on a simulated 10-man rotation against two teams of fresh Panthers.
In the storm of negativity that has gathered over Parramatta, these tiny things are easily forgotten in the panicked search for simple answers to why a team this good has started off so bad. But to overlook them is to ignore the bigger picture.
And to ignore the bigger picture is to forget premierships are won in September, not April.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...on/story-e6frext9-1225851102126#sidebar-start
And when it comes to the bigger picture, there're few better students than Eels coach Daniel Anderson.
When Parramatta slumped to an almost identical loss to cellar-dwellers Cronulla midway through last year, the same knives were out for Anderson and his team.
Three months later - with some divine intervention from Jarryd Hayne - Parramatta won eight games straight to scrape into the finals with one round remaining.
And it was that week that Anderson proved what an incredibly smart coach he is.
Knowing the result was immaterial in the bumper last-round clash against St George Illawarra, he rested tired stars Eric Grothe and Nathan Hindmarsh. He eased the team off training. Did barely any video. Ditched the game plan.
But the Eels weren't being prepared to lose that game, which they eventually did to the resounding tune of 37-0. They were being prepared to win when it counted - which they eventually did in the semi-final against the same opponents nine days later.
Those who still marvel at Anderson's feat will have already felt an odd sense of deja vu this week.
The only difference this time is that he's got more than a week to lift the Eels. He's now got five months.
That's the equivalent of being halfway down the Flemington straight on the first lap of the Melbourne Cup.
And Anderson isn't interested in being first past the post with two-thirds of the race to run.
There are no prizes for that.
In modern rugby league, the prize always goes to the team that's healthy and in form when the music stops. Thanks to the salary cap and top eight evening out the competition, it's become a cruel game of musical chairs where pure chance can bring the best back to field.
With thinner rosters pitted against an arduous 26-week season, teams can be reasonably expected to peak physically and mentally for perhaps 10 games each year.
And there's no use playing those 10 games well before September.
What's more, the top eight gives teams more of an incentive to treat the competition as a staying test rather than a sprint. Given teams only need to win half their games to qualify, early losses are of little consequence so long as the roster is healthy enough to build momentum when the whips are cracking.
And those are the teams that generally claim the premiership, or at least go closer to doing so than their early form truly warrants.
Teams like the Tigers in 2005. Like Parramatta and Melbourne 12 months ago.
If Parramatta had won their first four games, Anderson would no doubt be pleased. At the moment, he'd be pleased just to have every player's attitude on song.
That's not the case right now, but it's not fatal either. Parramatta will come good at some stage this year.
But as history tells us, this is not a case of now or never.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...ing-for-anderson/story-e6frext9-1225851102126
