This is the secret mantra behind Parramatta's premiership charge: Be Honest. ''It stands for everything we believe in,'' Eels X-factor Feleti Mateo told the Herald.
The team's motto has sparked the Eels' irrepressible run of 10 victories from 11 matches to reach the grand final against Melbourne on Sunday, in which they will be aiming to complete a clean sweep of the top four.
Should they do so, Parramatta will be the first team to win the premiership from eighth place but after accounting for minor premiers St George Illawarra, third-placed Gold Coast and the second-placed Bulldogs, the Eels are confident they can overcome the fourth-placed Storm.
For all their Jarryd Hayne-inspired attacking brilliance, their conceding of only four tries in four hours of finals football has underpinned their dream run.
Hard yakka and commitment has built a defensive wall set to be tested to its limits by a punishing Storm back line led by Billy Slater and Greg Inglis and every time the Eels are under the pump, they will have their creed in their heads. Be Honest.
''When I hear the boys start shouting it, I know I want to go into another gear,'' Mateo said. ''Be Honest - we're telling ourselves that we have to work harder for each other. They're the words we use. It's about doing your job and being honest with your teammates. If we have to defend for a repeat set, or if one of us gets tackled over the sideline and we're under pressure, that's when it comes out again. We just keep telling ourselves be honest, be honest and everything will be all right. It's the trigger we have when we're defending our own line.''
Honesty is a constant theme in the Eels shed before every game. The ''Be Honest'' creed continues a tradition of teams adopting key phrases to fall back on when they're feeling the heat. Former Test cricket captain Steve Waugh adopted ''No Regrets'' throughout his reign. When the Kiwi league team trounced Australia 24-0 in 2006, coach Brian McClennan had drummed three words into his players: ''Slay The Dragon.''
But aside from the positive reinforcements, Mateo admitted that a fear of incurring the wrath of straight-talking coach Daniel Anderson formed a part of every player's motivational weaponry.
''He's very hands on,'' Mateo said. ''He's hard, but he's fair. If you've done the hard work then you get the opportunity. It's worked well.
''Everyone in the team knows they belong there - but there's still always that intimidation factor. When he does talk, he demands a lot of respect and he gets it. Everyone is afraid of messing up because he'll let you know if you do.''
