Panthers declare ‘hate’ for Eels ahead of battle of the west blockbuster

THE Panthers won’t be holding back in the battle of the west, with players declaring they ‘hate’ Parramatta. While Eels players are preparing for a bruising encounter when the two sides clash on Sunday.

• FLYER: Waqa Blake once dreamed of being an AFL star

• BENNETT: Mind game or dad joke or connoisseur?

PENRITH won’t be holding back in today’s battle of the west with players declaring they ‘hate’ Parramatta.

The traditional rivals will play each other for the ninth time in round one this afternoon and Panthers star Reagan Campbell Gillard is expecting a heated encounter.

The Rooty Hill local junior said his disdain for the Eels started the day he first laced on a footy boot.

“As a junior you come through the whole system learning to hate them. It’s one of those games you get up for. It’s the battle of the west, one of those thing you grow up dreaming to play in.

“I’m over training and I just want to get out there.”

The forward’s sentiments are echoed by teammate Dallin Watene-Zelezniak but his bitterness towards the Eels goes one step further.

“I’ve grown up as a kid knowing when you come up against Parra, it’s all or nothing,” he said.

“It’s instilled in us that you have to beat them no matter what, if it’s a trial or a round game, no matter what.

“You can see it’s bred in us since we are young to hate Parramatta. It’s just a big rivalry.”

The winger is currently contract until the end of season 2020 but he is adamant that when it comes to negotiate, the Eels are the only club in NRL he isn’t willing to consider.

“I like to picture things and I cannot picture myself being in a blue and yellow jersey … nah, never,” he said.

But the ill feeling isn’t one-sided.

Eels forward Tepai Moeroa, who came up through the ranks of the Parramatta junior system, said today’s clash is as much about the fans of the two sides as it is the players out on the field.

“From SG Ball to under 20’s to first grade, it’s taken as a given that Parramatta and Penrith don’t get along,” he said.

“It means so much to us but it means just as much if not more to our fans. They want to get one over the Penrith fans.

For the Panthers, today’s game will be a welcome distraction from the off-field dramas that have engulfed the club over the last few weeks.

They were dragged into the NRL’s off-season of shame when Tyrone May was charged and stood down after a series of sex videos were leaked on the internet.

But despite the disruption so close to the start of the season, Moeroa said his side will be prepared for an ambush.

“The best and the worst time to play a team is right after they have gone through some drama. They are either going to come out shut everyone up or it can have the opposite affect,” he said.

Eels hooker Reed Mahoney told The Daily Telegraph after a long and gruelling preseason his teammates are itching to kick-off their 2019 campaign.

“I can’t wait to get out there. I think the Eels will come out and try and get away from the off-field stuff.

“They are going to come out firing and ready to rip our heads off. We’ll be just as ready to give it back.”

Originally published as Panthers declare ‘hate’ for Eels ahead of battle of the west blockbuster