"NO ONE sees the stats in trial matches.
So no one noticed when Justin Poore played a meagre total of 20 minutes inParramatta's three warm-up games. Nor did they tweak to the limited
contributions of Eels stars Jarryd Hayne and Daniel Mortimer.
And they didn't appreciate that when Parramatta were flogged in their
trial at Penrith, the Eels used just 17 players on a simulated 10-man
rotation against two teams of fresh Panthers.
In the storm ofnegativity that has gathered over Parramatta, these tiny things are
easily forgotten in the panicked search for simple answers to why a
team this good has started off so bad. But to overlook them is to
ignore the bigger picture.
And to ignore the bigger picture is to forget premierships are won in September, not April.
When Parramatta slumped to an almost identical loss to cellar-dwellersCronulla midway through last year, the same knives were out for
Anderson and his team.
Three months later - with some divineintervention from Jarryd Hayne - Parramatta won eight games straight to
scrape into the finals with one round remaining.
And it was that week that Anderson proved what an incredibly smart coach he is.
Knowing the result was immaterial in the bumper last-round clash
against St George Illawarra, he rested tired stars Eric Grothe and
Nathan Hindmarsh. He eased the team off training. Did barely any video.
Ditched the game plan.
But the Eels weren't being prepared tolose that game, which they eventually did to the resounding tune of
37-0. They were being prepared to win when it counted - which they
eventually did in the semi-final against the same opponents nine days
later.
Those who still marvel at Anderson's feat will have already felt an odd sense of deja vu this week.
The only difference this time is that he's got more than a week to lift the Eels. He's now got five months.
That's the equivalent of being halfway down the Flemington straight on the first lap of the Melbourne Cup.
And Anderson isn't interested in being first past the post with two-thirds of the race to run.
There are no prizes for that.
In modern rugby league, the prize always goes to the team that's
healthy and in form when the music stops. Thanks to the salary cap and
top eight evening out the competition, it's become a cruel game of
musical chairs where pure chance can bring the best back to field.
With thinner rosters pitted against an arduous 26-week season, teams
can be reasonably expected to peak physically and mentally for perhaps
10 games each year.
And there's no use playing those 10 games well before September.
What's more, the top eight gives teams more of an incentive to treat
the competition as a staying test rather than a sprint. Given teams
only need to win half their games to qualify, early losses are of
little consequence so long as the roster is healthy enough to build
momentum when the whips are cracking.
And those are the teamsthat generally claim the premiership, or at least go closer to doing so
than their early form truly warrants.
Teams like the Tigers in 2005. Like Parramatta and Melbourne 12 months ago.
If Parramatta had won their first four games, Anderson would no doubt
be pleased. At the moment, he'd be pleased just to have every player's
attitude on song.
That's not the case right now, but it's not fatal either. Parramatta will come good at some stage this year.
But as history tells us, this is not a case of now or never. "
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/all-about-staying-for-anderson/story-e6frext9-1225851102126
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