While all the talk following Sunday's dramatic one point victory over the Titans has focused on Reagan Campbell-Gillard and Maika Sivo being handed hefty suspensions, Parramatta is also without half of its starting spine and is still missing powerful bench forward Wiremu Greig.
It's why most pundits have already written the Eels off for this weekend's clash in Townsville against the now high flying Cowboys.
Much like last year's preliminary final, there's apparently little chance of the Eels winning this match given the Cowboys are at home, have a mostly fit roster and have won five matches on the bounce - their last loss coming against the Eels at CommBank Stadium.
But if Brad Arthur has instilled one thing in his side, it's a never give up attitude. Aside from the Warriors match a fortnight ago, Parramatta has been in every match this season.
Against the Titans they could have completely combusted once they went down to 11 men, but competed in every facet to only concede two tries, while then responding with only 12 men to halt the Titans' momentum.
The second half wasn't pretty and the defensive workload the side had to complete earlier in the match took its toll, but they were prepared to take the match right to the death.
Mitchell Moses and Clint Gutherson were the chief orchestrators. With Gutherson's alertness earning him a try when almost every other player had given up and Moses kicking Parramatta out of trouble before both slotting a sideline conversion and then the match-winning field goal showing why they are Origin players.
Arthur's experiences as an assistant coach at Melbourne have no doubt influenced the way he coaches and the way he has galvanised the side over the past two seasons is something Craig Bellamy would be proud of.
They will now play a Cowboys side which have been probably more inconsistent than the Eels. This is a side that scored 74 and 45 points against the Tigers and Storm respectively, but also conceded 66 points against the Tigers and 44 against Cronulla.
If Brad Arthur needed any help in creating a siege mentality, then the suspension of his best prop combined the absence of a quarter of his salary cap through injury and other suspensions, then he's got it.
It's hard to overstate the importance of this week's match. A win takes the Eels two points clear of the Cowboys who have a similarly tough run home with matches against Penrith and Brisbane.
Just like their co-captain Clint Gutherson, the Eels will need to compete on every play this week, but who is to say that Parramatta won't defy the critics once again in the steamy heat of Townsville?
Replies
Just hope they Dont blow their for and against.
Not an issue if they win
We'll win on Saturday
It's just about timing your run home.
Would you like to be in the top 4 yes it would but if we are playing decent footy we can beat anyone.
Defensively we need to go up a level attack isn't the issue with this team.
Well said Coryn, we can beat anybody, we've proven that. We beat Souths without RCG and Sivo was non factor in that game.
RCG is a big loss, Sivo is a loss but I'd say Blake is picked there is not too much missing other than under the high ball. Just two more games til Brown is back, if we can get NQ on Saturday we will be fine.
We haven't put together full 80, BA mentioned we might never do that but we haven't peaked yet. If that's the case it could time well
Like 2021 & 2022 we started to get going around round 20/21.
The first 15 minutes against the Titans is how this side is designed to play. Until the sin-bins happened the Eels were going through the gears and easily dismantling the Titans defence. It's doing that for 80 minutes that is the issue.
Always a tough trip to Townsville. The Cowboys can't go the rest of the season undefeated however and we're exactly the type of team who can end their run.
I think the Cowboys may underestimate us this week. They've been playing well but have had some soft sides and it took them 88 minutes to beat a Penrith team missing all of their Origin players.
If we didn't lose our heads and go down to 11 players we would have run over the Titans.
I doubt they will, they are the underdogs for a long time, they are favourites purely on being home. They are playing as underdogs mentality. We need to treat them as Penrith or Melbourne.
Don't think they will.
They will be wanting revenge for last year. I expect an torrid affair and I'm not sure we will be ahead by full time.
Frank i fear that it will be a close win or a massive loss. It would not surprise me to see us concede 50 as we are team prone to do that. Yet could come out and win like last years Prelim.
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