Parramatta Eels
Find what works and stick to it
Both the Panthers and Rabbitohs had clear approaches to their game.
The Panthers looked to strangle their opposition and suffocate them of the ball until the points came. Their NRL-best defence ensured they wouldn't concede too many points while being patient in attack themselves.
The Rabbitohs put their foot down from the start to charge through the middle and earn opportunities to attack from inside the opposition 20-metre line where few could hold them out.
While the Parramatta Eels spent a lot of time towards the top of the NRL ladder and played some good football throughout the year, they moved away from what worked too often. The 'good' Eels compressed the middle through 1,752 running metres per game (3rd) and broke down the defence on the edges through the ball-playing of Mitchell Moses, Clint Gutherson and Reed Mahoney. Meanwhile, the 'bad' Eels looked for the easy way around the opposition. They didn't put in the work through the middle and no amount of ballplaying from Parramatta's creative players can pile up points on a defence that can slide from side to side with relative ease.
Parramatta knows what works and proved as much against the Storm in Round 23 and Panthers in Week 2 of the Finals. They need to stick to that plan more often in 2022 if they want to keep up with the contenders.
Here's one lesson the NRL grand finalists can impart to the rest of the competition.
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even at 11 I knew that video clip was awesome for some reason.
