PARRA PLAN TO HIT & RUN
ARTHUR’S $100,000 AMBUSH STRATEGY TO LAND EELS FAIRYTALE GRAND FINAL
DAVID RICCIO & - MICHAEL CARAYANNIS
WELCOME aboard, Operation Ambush.
The Eels are plotting a $100,000 hit-and-run mission in North Queensland to advance to the club’s first grand final since 2009.
Despite advice from premiership-winning experts, including Gorden Tallis that the Eels must “get the hell out of Sydney”, Parramatta is planning the opposite.
Instead of escaping the pressure and spotlight of Sydney, Parramatta has decided to complete the entire preparation for their huge preliminary final against the Cowboys in Townsville at home before jetting directly into enemy territory.
The special blue-and-gold charter flight will see the Parramatta squad fly to Townsville on Thursday, following their final captain’s run on Wednesday.
Such is the ‘get-in-and-get-out-with-victory’ attitude of the Eels, the players will be told to take no more than a backpack with them.
They have been told in no uncertain terms that their trip to the lush warmer climate has nothing to do with relaxation or the potential of an early start to Mad Monday.
Instead, the Eels have finetuned their preparation for their biggest match in 13 years that will also expedite their recovery and readiness for a grand final, should they overcome the Cowboys.
The Eels will jet directly out of Townsville and return to Sydney immediately following Friday night’s clash.
The charter flight also provides an extra layer of biosecurity for the Eels to avoid contracting Covid.
“We want to maximise the preparation for the team,” Eels CEO Jim Sarantinos said. “Flying commercially and making multiple stops doesn’t do that.
“Obviously from a Covid safety perspective, heading into the important games of the season, being able to travel privately is an added bonus.”
Eels co-captain Junior Paulo said the team had learned from past road-trips what works for their pre-game build-up and what doesn’t.
“The travel games for us are about flying in that day before, we’ve been finding out what suits us,’’ Paulo said.
The decision to book a charter flight is also in contrast to what a commercial flight would entail for the Eels.
Parramatta was facing the prospect of flying from Sydney to Brisbane on Thursday and then on to Townsville which would have seen the team arrive at 10pm the night before the biggest game of their lives.
Paulo spoke to Tallis’ concerns that the Eels needed to get out of Sydney and their “heads out of the papers”.
“There’s been a lot of outside noise that has been spoken about us,’’ Paulo said.
“It’s always going to be outside noise to us, because the only thing that matters is this group to us.
“We know what team we want to be and how solid we are as a group. This is the ride we haven’t been able to enjoy over the last couple of years.
“We’ll regroup and just go again.
“There’s obviously a lot of pressure that has been put on us, over the past 20-years and we’d be lying if we said we didn’t hear it.
“Because it’s everywhere.
“And that’s just part of the rugby league world that we live in.
“The only way to respond to that is to go out there and perform.
“It’s all about making memories for us.’’
Michael Ennis told Fox League: “I think the big thing about a prelim final … is that they know what works for them as a group.
“They don’t need to publicly come out and make any statements about how they’re gonna handle the Cowboys or what they’re gonna do.
“They need to bunker down, they need to know what they’ve got inside their four walls.
“Bottle that, harness that energy, and make sure they go to Townsville and ambush the Cowboys.”
Eels coach Brad Arthur said simply: “The club’s done a great job for us, they’ve organised a charter flight for us.
“We’ll fly in and we’ve got one job to do.”
“We’ve got an opportunity next week and we’re going to go after it.” — with Jen Dawson and 3 others.
Replies
Siege mentality in full effect.
I would have thought that a few days to get use to the humidity was a better idea but if the club believes a hit and run mission is the best strategy then so be it.
Hiring a charter flight is a bloody good idea. At least they don't have to put up with the crap that comes with commercial air travel.
Yeh but you spend a few days up there and you have to deal with the locals, the heat becomes oppressive and you're looking forward to going home.
Agree. And, you don't want to be surrounded with "Cow-mania" up there. Better to marinate in "Parra-mania", bottle it and use it in a hit and run.
I do get that but I also remember games we have played in the heat where our forwards have run out of gas early.
That can be countered with the right bench selections though so I hope BA makes the right call and makes the changes that are needed.
Agree with Parra strategy here, you fly up to QLD early you start smelling that sweet summer air and you switch off and chill.
All this talk of oppressive heat?
It's 30/31 degrees during the day and will be 22/23 by kick-off. That's not that oppressive surely the players can handle it given they train in the off season in 35 degree plus in Sydney so it shouldn't be a factor IMO.
We will need a better bench though to help with rotations as it's obviously harder on the big boppers etc....
I said same in another blog. It won't be crazy Darwin weather where it was 30°c, 80% humidity at kick off.
Kick off at 8pm will be about 22-24°c and less than 60% humidity. Warm but absolutely playable. No excuse.
Muttman, see my Relative Himidity data over page, taken from bom.gov.au and using as referent point 7pm 17th September in Townsville and Sydney.
The dew point (saturation point of air) is starkly different at 20/5 Townsville/Sydney, so with humidity at roughly 80% each and a temp difference 25/17, the relative humidity was clocked at 79 vs 54.
That will feel quite different, of course.
Bit I'm not a meteorologist, just looking at the data, though we all know "feels like" (which is what RH is intended to indicate).
agreed though, no excuses! Just prepare for it. Really raises the issue of whether you want an extra bench forward vs a spare halfback when RH is 80+ !!!
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