The equation is simple for Parramatta, beat the Melbourne Storm at CommBank Stadium on Thursday night and you earn yourself a place in the top four heading into the Finals.
The Parramatta venue is set to be rocking in three days’ time, with a sold-out crowd expected to be on hand and in full voice as the Eels shoot for two bites at the cherry.
If Brad Arthur’s men manage to get the job done, it will set up a mouth-watering Qualifying Final the following week against Minor Premiers Penrith at BlueBet Stadium.
However, a loss to the Storm could see Parramatta fall to as low as sixth on the ladder and face elimination in the first week of the Finals.
The Eels are in red-hot form of late, destroying the Broncos at Suncorp Stadium last Thursday night 53-6, while the previous week they embarrassed old rivals the Bulldogs 42-6.
Speaking after the match, Arthur praised his side’s intensity in defence and strong start to the game.
“Credit to the boys, on the back of a five day turnaround they started with great physicality and we were just hard to handle,” he said.
“Our intensity in defence was excellent. What Reg and Junior and Marata were doing at the start of the game was allowing our halves to play with a lot more time and space and then when Matto come on, he really changed the context of the game for us.”
Brisbane were in all sorts of pain last week, losing four players to injury throughout the match including skipper Adam Reynolds and Queensland Origin forward Thomas Flegler. While they were forced to finish the game with no subs left on the bench, that wasn’t their biggest issue as Parramatta just outclassed them right across the park from the beginning – proving once again they are the real dark horses for this year’s title.
“We are in a better position right now today than we were this time last year, but the boys showed a lot of want and desire tonight and we need to make sure we’re back at home next week against a team that’s hitting form at the right time and we’ve always had tough contests against the Storm,” Arthur said.
“That’s got to be priority for us and not worrying about the Finals.”
Parramatta skipper Clint Gutherson, who scored a double in the match, said the 47-point win was huge in the context of Finals.
“Both teams had a lot to play for. We came out, started hungry and I think that set the tone pretty early,” he said.
“Brad said it before, when our middles start like that it just follows onto the rest of the team – I thought we just got on the back of that.”
The Eels and Storm play this Thursday night at CommBank Stadium from 7.50pm.
Troy Dodds is Parra News' Managing Editor and Breaking News Reporter. He has more than 20 years experience as a journalist, working with some of Australia’s leading media organisations. In 2023, he was named Editor of the Year at the Mumbrella Publish Awards.