Coming into this season you'd excuse Parramatta Eels fans for being skeptical about the top four tags being slapped on them.
The Eels haven't done particularly well when expectations have been placed on them. In the past they've excelled when not much is expected on them, when they can spring a surprise.
As the 2020 season continues rolling on, it's become clear the Blue and Gold are one of the premier teams in the competition. They went toe-to-toe with the defending premiers, beat the side currently sitting second, beat the 2019 grand finalists and beat a Manly team with Tom Trbojevic.
And yet, there remain discussions about Parra's bona fides.
Phil Gould himself has constantly talked down the Eels this season and talked up Penrith. His reasoning is self defeating; Parramatta beating Penrith shouldn't have happened and the Panthers are more resilient so they are a better side.
Now it's true the Eels have squeaked a few wins.
But rugby league isn't easy and the NRL is one of the toughest competitions in world sport.
The narrow wins Parramatta have managed have been against sides also tipped for top four, and in the case of the Raiders, tipped as a Premiership contender at the start of the year.
That's what good sides do. They win games. By one point or by 30 points, they win.
Now, I compare this side to Liverpool of the EPL. The newly minted Premier League champions. At the start of this current campaign, they snagged a bunch of late wins, scrounged out 2-1 victories and gave their fans a heart attack.
Each week pundits questioned their real championship winning ability. Each week Liverpool kept winning until everyone looked around and the Reds were 25 points clear of their nearest rival.
Now I point this out, not to gloat (okay, maybe a little), but to highlight that the most important thing is winning and that quite often those tight wins help to build character and the confidence of a side.
As Vince Lombardi once said, "Winning is a habit".
For me, the pleasing thing this season is Parramatta's seeming ability to forget what happened last week. In year passed they'd play out of their skin one week and then drop off the next.
This season the intensity is there from the kickoff.
Alongside their narrow wins and one loss, they've blown away lesser sides in the Cowboys, Broncos and Titans. No jitters, no tight finishes. Just straight up run over them. The Titans put up the biggest fight and still lost by 40.
Those wins indicate a killer instinct. When this side smells blood, they go for the jugular and they don't let off.
In many respects it's a philosophy best employed by the World Cup winning German team of 2014. Once they were up, there was no consolidation, no playing out the match. They kept the pressure on and looked for more goals. Their 7-1 demolition of Brazil highlights that.
Against the Cowboys, Parra had that match wrapped up in 65 minutes. They still scored after that and if Maika Sivo had his way he'd have probably scored again following a penalty in the final minutes.
The hardest part for fans watching this is changing their mindset.
The Eels don't seem to be the up and down side they were in the past. Seven wins and one loss indicate a consistently high level of performance. They're the best defensive team in the competition despite having a weakness on the right edge.
Last season Parramatta had a propensity for fracturing through the middle. They don't break there anymore. Their left edge is also the stingiest in the competition. So in many ways the right edge could be a little blessing. Teams think that's the only way they can score so they keep sending the ball that way. It's up to that edge to get their act together and stop those points. If they do that it becomes even harder to score against this side.
Trust me, that change in mindset doesn't come overnight. It takes time.
As Jurgen Klopp said when he arrived at Liverpool, "We have to change. From doubters, to believers."
Yes, it's fine to be nervous before games, but we are not easy beats. Those other teams are worried about us. They know we're a tough opponent. But do we believe that?
We're a long way from finishing this season. The team will be taking it one week at a time. To do anything else would be foolish.
But for us it's a chance to dream of a top two finish. Our first since 2005.
11 wins probably gets you top eight this year. We have seven wins already.
So the question is, are you a doubter, or a believer?
Replies
id go more than rogue lol
I would end up like the SMH !!!crossed with a Redfern train carriage
I've got three, Carlo. I can lend you one on a trial basis if needed? Skin grafts going cheap down here in Melbourne
Christ poppa !!!!
Generally don’t need to give directions !!!
eels ideas welcome though
I wouldn't get the logo of the eel in the circle....it looks outdated. A slimline blue and gold eel by itself would be sensational. I might suggest that to the boss.
I'm not normally a tat man but that one ticks all the boxes.
What does it feel like to have the rim of your ass tattood Daz?
Snake, you're so obsessed with, you know, around back there. I mean each to their own so it's all good. #allchoicesmatter
We are definetely good enough to make the finals. Once there its an all together new ball game. Usually you have to loose a few before you win a big one. The difference in our team this year is that a lot of the boys have lost a big one or two semi final games and others have actually won a grandfinal and or represented NSW and Australia. The Key for me will be patience and determination during the finals, with an ability to weather the onslaught and pressure in the big games.
We are close, and still have to improve.
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