We're now three matches into our new era at Bankwest Stadium.
We've had two matches at home and two stunning wins, with the incredible atmosphere and crowd energy certainly helping to bring the best out of the side.
And then we had a flat, dissapointing loss to bottom-of-the-table Knights.
At last week's match I watched the game from near ground level on the Western side. It was actually quite a different noise and I imagine more akin to what the players would be hearing out in the field. When you are in the midst of the crowd, alot of what you hear is 'local' ie it's all the screaming and cheering from those immediately around you. However, when you're removed somewhat from that local noise you actually hear what the whole-of-stadium environment sounds like, and it's amazing. When the crowd lifts, the energy at ground level is simply electric. It really is going to make it very difficult for any teams to beat us at home, because you're going to get a peak energy performance nearly every time we play there.
However, I also wonder as the players get a little bit accustomed to feeding off that atmosphere, how that will affect their away game performances when they don't have it. It's all very well to say that they're professional sports people and they should always have that drive and motivation to give 100 per cent, but the reality is that more often than not, the team that finds the most energy and motivation win the majority of sporting contests and I think there is a real danger that without our Bankwest advantage, this team is really going to have to find its own away game head space, so those games don't seem flat.
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The motivational part comes down to the head coach and the leadership group.
We also didn't win one away game in 2017. Our starts have been ordinary in all but two games this year
Chief, that is flat out wrong. We won 16 games in 2017. You only play 12 home games. We won games at Lottoland, WIN Stadium, Suncorp Stadium, 1300 Smiles and AAMI Park.
He probably meant last year
Make that 2018 dopey. You knew what i meant lol
No, I literally didn't. I thought you were legitimately talking about 2017.
Agreed Brissy. Brisbane have had parochial crows for more than 30 years and have found ways to win away from home. At one stage I think they played better the more the crowd gave it to them. I know Parra seemed to play better against them in Brisbane.
I think what Parra needs to do is to address the fact that we have bogey teams and these teams become even harder to beat when we play them at their home ground. As you say we need to find ways to lift, whether that be from a backs-to-the-wall mindset or not.
Way to find the cloud inside that silver lining Phil, lol.
As stated your home base fans will always give you that lift.
Away games its up to the team and coaching staff, a strong start to the game, laying a good platform always helps.
As a young side eels are starting to show ability and confidence and believing in the team, i think the know give it your all and we will win games away from home.
I was at the Knights game and we got a pretty big Parra crowd there. The Parra chant even went up at one stage, before it was drowned out by the Knights fans. I think this game was an anomaly after the exciting opening game at Bankwest.
I'd say the same about the Raiders game too, we trained at the new stadium all week and then had to travel down to a cold Canberra on a late Sunday night game. We were never going to get up for that one.
I think this week will be the test.
Fuiii, I agree with you on this. I said before the Canberra game that it was a bad call to train at the new stadium prior to heading South as it put the players minds more looking towards the home ground opening. The big win against Wests at Cumberland put them in to a new world and were pumped with the crowd adrenalin and they took that to Newcastle with them, They are two teams the eels have as bogey teams, if they don't come down off the Cumberland euphoric wins we will get a thumping up there as well. Bennett has been very vocal against the raincloud players and will be hyped for a big show.
No player in the eels team tommorrow night can afford to be switched off at any stage of the game. I expect the big forwards and Smith to really target Mahoney as well. as MM in the defensive line.
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