Hindmarsh tackling the past
By Chris Wilson | March 22, 2009 12:00am
PARRAMATTA Eels powerhouse Nathan Hindmarsh said the humiliation of last year's under-achieving season had forced an attitude shift at the Eels.
As Parramatta legend Ray Price praised new coach Daniel Anderson for injecting defensive grit at the club, Hindmarsh said the players had resolved to be tougher in 2009.
Hindmarsh, who has made 103 tackles in the first two rounds, said the Eels had their "pants pulled down'' by missing the finals last year.
"I think we're a fitter team under Ando. But I think we embarrassed ourselves a fair bit last year, so I don't think it mattered what coach we had, we would have tried to be a different team anyway,'' Hindmarsh said.
"We didn't live up to expectations last year, we weren't there physically and mentally.
"We weren't the team we were supposed to be and we got our pants pulled down several times.
"We were a bit complacent. We had a reasonably good season the year before and I think a lot of us just expected it to happen again and we weren't willing to grind out the tough games.''
The Eels did that on Friday night against South Sydney in their 14-8 win.
Having scored nine tries in their round-one romp over the Roosters, the Rabbitohs were restricted to one against the Eels - and that was from a bomb.
"That's the type of win you like to have, it just shows we can hold in there and win the tough games,'' Hindmarsh said.
Price was particularly proud of the way the Eels won.
"If they're going to do anything this year that's what it's going to boil down to, they're going to have to tough out a lot of games,'' Price said.
"The passion and pride, they've got to get that back in their defence. I noticed it at the first training run I went to, the attitude has changed.''
When told of Hindmarsh's 103 tackles in the first two rounds, Price responded by saying that was "too many''.
"Don't get me wrong, he's a great defensive player but he's also a great running player. The other forwards have got to take some of that load off him.''
On Anderson's advice and in a bid to push his claims for a recall to representative football, Hindmarsh had been planning to cut back his defensive workload.
"Promises, promises,'' he laughed.
"I don't know, it just bloody happens, doesn't it. If they're close enough, I'm going to tackle them.''
Hindmarsh said he still had more work to do on the quality of his defence.
"A few instances this week I wasn't effective,'' he said.
"Any Joe Blow can make a tackle, but if you don't get up at marker you're letting your side down.''
