CHRIS Sandow is having trouble eliminating shoulder charges from his repertoire, with the tiny Eels No.7 still relying on the illegal hit as a means of self preservation.
Parramatta coaches have spent this week tinkering with Sandow's defensive technique after he was ruthlessly targetted during last Friday night's loss to Wests Tigers.
Chris Lawrence trampled him on two occasions en route to the tryline, while hulking winger Marika Koroibete charged in his direction at every opportunity. And things won't get any easier on Monday night, when Sandow - who defends at right centre - marks dynamic Roosters duo Sonny Bill Williams and Michael Jennings.
Their match-up shapes as a no contest, given the halfback now tips the scales at just 78kg after shedding excess weight over the summer. While Eels defensive coach Dean Pay has attempted to reconfigure Sandow's technique, he's reverted to leading with the shoulder in a bid to protect himself against larger predators.
Such was the case when the blockbusting Koroibete returned the ball in his face last Friday night, with Sandow having little choice but to c**k his shoulder in the face of the Fijian's onslaught.
"What else can you do when Koroibete is running at you?" Sandow asked.
"You can't wrap your arms, otherwise he's going to bump you off. It's a lot different this year to previous years, when you could use the shoulder charge."
Asked if he used the shoulder charge as a means of protection, Sandow replied: "100 per cent. You don't want people to run over the top of you and make a fool of you.
"He's coming fast and he's one of the quickest in the NRL. Him running full speed at you ... you've got to do something."
While the Koriobete hit didn't draw a penalty, Eels coaching staff are mindful of the ban's impact on Sandow's defence. There's no questioning his courage and commitment, but the enormous size difference between him and rival outside backs has the potential to cause extensive headaches.
Long term consideration has been given to playing him as sweeper, although he's expected to remain in the front line for this weekend at least.
Reminded of the calibre of this weekend's opponents, Sandow simply shrugged.
"I should have made those tackles (last weekend)," he said. "I shouldn't need my team mate's help in that regard. We don't really care who we play.
"It's Sonny's fourth game in. The first one he had a shocker, but he's been getting better. We've just got to make sure we get more ball than them, so we can run at their smaller guys."
