The star-studded U19s spine stepping up to Jersey Flegg and leading Parramatta to glory
They’re the four players that proved key to the Parramatta Eels bringing home the SG Ball title earlier this season. Now that same spine is rising in grade and looking to do the same in Jersey Flegg.
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They’re the fantastic four that have already brought one trophy back to Parramatta this year, and they have their sights set on another.
Apa Twidle, Joshua Lynn, Ethan Sanders and Matthew Arthur formed the spine that led the Eels to SG Ball glory earlier this season.
Now they have the opportunity to complete a miracle comeback season and repeat the dose in Jersey Flegg.
Parramatta has surged into this weekend’s preliminary final against the Sydney Roosters on the back of six-straight wins, with the quartet aiming up in the U21s age group after tasting success in the premier U19s competition.
“Having that continuity in our spine has been big for us,” coach Craig Brennan said.
“They played the whole competition (SG Ball) and were very dominant in what they brought to that team.
“They’ve contributed that to our team and been very consistent here.”
SG Ball grand final man of the match Sanders backed it up for the NSW U19s, with Lynn and Arthur earning a shot at NSW Cup this season.
Brennan paid tribute to the efforts of Arthur, as the son of NRL coach Brad and Sea Eagles recruit Matthew plots his own path towards the top grade.
“What people don’t understand with Matthew is how hard he works on his game,” he said.
“Things like his passing from left to right and right to left, he can put it on a dime for his halves from 15-20 metres away. When you’ve got that service it helps the spine.
“He’s a classy player that trains hard and deserves the accolades.”
After walking the finals tightrope for the past fortnight, Brennan said defence has been the catalyst for their hot form.
Over the past six weeks they haven’t conceded more than 20 points, including holding Cronulla to just one try last weekend.
“Leading into the Sharks game we had a chat and knew we had to play our best footy,” he said.
“Defence wins big games and we needed that mindset. We know we can score points, so if we minimised theirs it was going to give us a greater chance to beat them.
“The boys going out there with a willingness to bust their gut for each other was great to see. We conceded no points in the first half and that really reinforced the point backing our defence.”
With a task against the minor premier Roosters ahead in order to secure their spot in the grand final, Brennan said winning the middle against their sizeable forward pack would be key.
“They’re a big side and we have to be on our game,” he said.
“We’ll look to employ a similar game plan. They’re very powerful so we’ll need to be strong in the middle.
“Getting the win over them in round 25 will give us a bit of self belief that we can do it again, and we’ll take that mindset into training.”
The Jersey Flegg preliminary final between the Roosters and Eels takes place at midday on Saturday at Leichhardt Oval.
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