Eels Blogs

We fell short’: Jennings’ brutally honest take on Eels’ finals failure, turning things around
NRL PREMIERSHIP
James Hooper
January 29, 2018 12:36pm
JAMES HOOPER@jimmyhooper
Source: FOX SPORTS

EXPERIENCED Parramatta centre Michael Jennings has called on the Eels senior playing group to take greater ownership after the success of last year’s top four finish was dealt a reality check in September.

The hype around the Eels possibly smashing a 31-year premiership drought was quickly doused come the finals when the blue and gold outfit suffered back-to-back losses to the Storm and Cowboys.

When the Eels escaped to the NSW Central Coast last week for a pre-season camp, Jennings and the Parramatta leadership group didn’t try and sugar coat the lost opportunity.

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“We got together as a group and had some honest opinions. Everyone was pretty hard on each other,” Jennings said.

“Our inexperience of playing semi-final footy hurt us there a bit. We needed some key players to really step up — myself — to really lead from the front.

“I’m pretty hard on myself but I could have done better at the back end of the year and really led the team from what I’ve done previous years.

Jennings on Eels' hard truthsJennings on Eels' hard truths1:05

“We had some honest truth. We fell short. We know we have to try and find something extra this year and that’s what we’re going to try and do. Off the field, on the field, whatever it takes to try and get us to the finals.

“We didn’t really seize that moment or take that opportunity. You could say we were just kind of happy to be there. But we needed to be better. We’ve all been brutally honest with each other and everyone’s upfront. Brad (Arthur) hasn’t had too much to say, he’s got our older boys really leading us.”

It’s a bittersweet reflection now but the Eels did lead eventual premiers Melbourne 10-4 at halftime at AAMI Park in the opening week of the finals.

And it did take the Storm conjuring some very special football to eventually prevail 18-16.

Add the return of Jarryd Hayne and the signature of emerging prop Kane Evans to the blue and gold roster for 2018 and the Eels should again be aiming for a top four finish.

Jennings joked he had been training primarily at left centre because Hayne “doesn’t know how to play on the left” — the best indication yet the two-time Dally M Medallist will start the season as Parramatta’s right centre.

“I’ve been training on the left. I’ve spoken to Brad about where I’m going to play and we’ve spoken about being on the right and how successful that was,” Jennings said.

“Haynesy has been training on the right and he won’t switch over. I think he doesn’t know how to play on the left. He’s a bit nervous on the left so he’s just been staying on the right. I’m pretty fine with wherever I play, it’s no biggie.”

The recruitment of Hayne has inadvertently bolstered the Eels forward pack by pushing Brad Takairangi into returning to the backrow.

It gives the Eels menacing back row depth including the club’s player of the year Nathan Brown, Manu Ma’u, Kenny Edwards, Tepai Moreoa, Beau Scott and Takairangi.

Bevan French has spent almost all of the pre-season training at fullback, a position Eels coach Brad Arthur has also assembled tremendous depth in.

Will Smith wore the no. 1 jumper during last year’s finals campaign while Clint Gutherson, one of the Eels best in 2017, is expected to ultimately return there.

Gutherson wants to return for the Eels opening game of the season against Penrith at Panthers Stadium but Parramatta will resist rushing one of their star players.

After undergoing a second ACL reconstruction on the same knee at the end of last season, Gutherson could have to wait until as late as round six or seven as the Eels take every precaution.

Jennings said the Eels halves pairing of Corey Norman and Mitch Moses had impressed over the off-season by taking control of the club’s field sessions.

“Definitely they can go to another level. Mitchy when he first came across started firing and he’s complimented Normy’s game and helped Normy out a lot,” Jennings said.

“Those two have been getting better and better each day and as soon as we got into pre-season training they’ve just clicked straight away.

“They’ve kind of just run the sessions, which is good. We want our halves to run the sessions. They’ve been running our attack and pushing forward and really taking the heat off Brad not to coach the boys. They’ve been leading the boys around which has been really good.”