Parramatta coach Brad Arthur insists Friday night's mediocre performance against the Panthers isn't a reflection of how much Jarryd Hayne means to his football team.
The Eels looked lifeless in attack without their skipper, who was rested as a precautionary measure given his workload in Origin one on Wednesday night.
However Arthur insists Hayne's absence wasn't the reason behind his side's 38-12 loss to the Panthers in the local derby at the foot of the mountains.
"It's got nothing to do with Jarryd for me," Arthur said.
"Maybe we tried too hard in the first half to create things that weren't there. When you're completing at 56 per cent, it's very hard to come up with repeated sets in defence and that's what was the difference.
After starring for the Blues in game one last year, Hayne backed up and came off the bench for the Eels against the Roosters, picking up a hamstring injury that sidelined the fullback for the next two months.
While he was carrying no major injuries, the Eels medical staff were adamant it would be too big of a risk to ask him to back up just 48 hours after one of the most gruelling games of football in the code's history.
"It would be different if we were playing a semi final but I have to go on the advice of the staff around me," Arthur said.
"They said he was too big of a risk. We'd much rather miss him tonight then for six to eight weeks. The way he carries the footy and the explosive movements he makes, he was just at a big risk of doing a hamstring or something like that."
Eels captain Tim Mannah, who gets married on Saturday, echoed Arthur's thoughts, insisting the Hayne factor wasn't as influential as many people are suggesting.
"I don't think that was the issue tonight," Mannah said.
"It was a matter of us making some simple errors and letting them march down the field way too easy. I think tonight we probably didn't have everyone doing their job the best they could. I think we're the kind of team that needs everyone across the park turning up doing their job the best they can."
Replies
Less to do with Jarryd not playing... more to do with the fact that they played like a bunch of imbos.
I agree, FME. I was confident before the game but as soon as Gower threw that stupid pass in the first minute I felt we were gone. Not our night.
I stopped reading at lifeless. That about summed it up in 1 word. Bored out of my brain watching this game......
How does losing your fullback turn your forwards into a bunch of powderpuffs? Eels were getting driven backwards while Panthers were making 20m every tackle. Travelled over 100km to watch that rubbish....it was embarrassing.
this is what i observed about the players at the casino two sundays ago. they were celebrating as if they'd won the GF. got too cocky too early in the season.I never like the media playing up Parra's chances after a few wins, as it seems to go to the players heads. Apart from one game in Brisbane, we still play terribly away from home.
really disappointed with the lack of leadership, no direction
I honestly think it comes down to toughness. The panthers forwards muscled up and our forwards just couldn't match them.
I believe peats was the only player really standing up to them and he was injured as a result. The loss of Lussick meant that we had minimal big bodies to run at them.
In the backs, people are laying the blame at Morgan but for the life of me I can't see the return investment from Hopoate. Hoppa is just so slow. He is lucky that he is a smart footballer because he can hide his snail pace with good decisions but at 800k a year ( although I am told he does bring a lot to the club off field ) ????
I still marvel at the skill and desire of David Gower - in terms of effort, he is one player that does do the 1 % plays.
All in all as I said previously, I thought that the game answered a lot of questions regarding ability and personnel for the coaching staff.
Yep. Hayne can't do the job that 4 100KG plus forwards should do, we lost because
1:The Panthers line speed was fantastic
2: They were hungry and committed
3: Even their bloody winger Mansour was tougher than any of our big boys,
4: Our forwards were small in their meter gains, really small go forward in the 50% of sets we actually completed.
5: We just had a shocking completion rate.
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