Parramatta have snuck away to the Central Coast for a training camp to help them mentally recharge in a bid to avoid another late-season fadeout.
As Eels forward Isaiah Papali’i remains coy about honouring his Wests Tigers deal – stopping short of guaranteeing he would be at Concord next year – The Sun-Herald can reveal the blue and golds made the trek up the M1 Motorway on Saturday where they will base themselves the next five days.
The players will train at Wyong, including gruelling sessions on local sand dunes. But, more importantly, they plan to reconnect off the field with a series of bonding sessions designed to help them cope with the tough month ahead.
This time last year the Eels lost five of their final seven regular-season games, and they have started to get the wobbles in recent weeks. Friday night’s
28-18 win over the New Zealand Warriors was far from convincing.
Prop and co-captain Junior Paulo was given Saturday off to spend time with family, but will pack his bags for the fourth time in six weeks to join his Eels teammates on Sunday, and said the getaway comes at the perfect time for the western Sydney club.
“This is the time of the year you want to start hitting your straps, but also freshen up mentally and bring everyone together,” Paulo said.
“We’ll be up there to work hard but also spend time together. Everyone is looking forward to it.
“We have set ourselves high standards; we want to be better heading into the back end of the year. We started well against the Warriors, but the way we finished was not up to the standards we’re talking about.”
Paulo said there was no way he was going to sit out the Warriors game, despite featuring in NSW’s heart-breaking Origin defeat just 48 hours earlier.
“Wednesday night’s loss was a tough one, but I couldn’t wait to get back on the field – it was better for me to get on the field,” Paulo said. “It was never an option to sit out. I wanted to turn up. This is what we get paid to do.”
Parramatta host Brisbane on Thursday night, followed by premiers Penrith, before games against Manly and South Sydney.
Meanwhile, Papali’i did his best to avoid questions about
reports at the start of the week that he wanted to back out of his move to the Tigers next year.
“I have no comment on that stuff; it’s not my focus at the moment,” Papali’i said. “I want to make sure I put my best foot forward during the season I have here.”
When pressed about whether Tigers fans could rest assured he would be at the club in 2023, Papali’i said: “There’s nothing for me to say there. I want to make sure I can finish this season strong and then whatever happens [next year] happens.
“That’s great for the club [Tim Sheens] has been appointed [coach], and obviously everyone was wondering who the coach would be. Knowing what their plan is moving forward is something good for the club, and I’m happy for them.”
