‘I use it as motivation’: The stats no Eels fans want to see

The Parramatta Eels have done a lot right for a few years now, but there’s one hurdle they just can’t seem to clear.

Eels fans want a reason to stay until the final whistle on Friday night. Picture: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

Rugby league is littered with hoodoos and omens and downright bad luck.

But when it comes to the Eels getting past the second week of the finals, some of their fans reckon they’re simply cursed.

Everyone knows about the premiership drought stretching back to 1986 or the fact they haven’t made a grand final since they were beaten by the Storm in 2009.

The frustrating thing for the blue and gold army is that the team has been in contention for a while now but has fallen at the same hurdle in four of the previous five seasons.

It’s why there’s so much trepidation leading into Friday’s semi-final against the red-hot Raiders, given they were bundled out in straight sets in 2017 and 2020 and eliminated in the second week in 2019 and 2021 after impressive wins to start the post-season.

Clint Gutherson left it all on the field, but it wasn’t enough as the Eels of 2020 went out in straight sets. Picture; Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

“I sort of use it as motivation,” skipper Clint Gutherson said, confident that this team has what it takes to right the wrongs of previous campaigns.

“You know where you’ve been and you know what you’ve got to do to try to get out of it.

“We’ve been here before and a lot of players have been further, but you’ve got to go out there and take it one week at a time.

“It’s do or die now. We just have to go out there and make sure we play the style of footy that we want to play.”

Teammate Ryan Matterson knows what it takes to go all the way after he enjoyed premiership success with the Roosters in 2018.

He says the rise of guys like Will Penisini and Isaiah Papali’i, as well as Dylan Brown’s incredible form, has the Eels on track to progress to week three.

“We’ve matured as a squad, but we’ve also had some additions,” he said.

“There are some key players who are probably more in form than they have been in previous seasons, which is helpful.

“I’ve played in so many semi-finals and it always just comes down to who turns up on the day. What you’ve done in the past means absolutely nothing.

“You saw it in the Roosters-Souths game on the weekend. Nothing made sense in that game, but it just came down to which team was willing to roll the sleeves up for the 80 minutes.”

Halfback Mitch Moses was in some doubt for Friday’s showdown, but he’s been cleared to take his place after recovering from last week’s tackle gone wrong on Viliame Kikau.

He’s been one of Parramatta’s best this season with a league-high 26 try assists but wants to make it count now with everything on the line.

Mitchell Moses has cleared concussion protocols and will play. Picture: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

“We have been here a few times but I don’t think there are any (lingering demons),” Moses said.

“If you look at it like that. then it can affect your game.

“We’ve got a new squad and new players are in there, including players who haven’t played in the second week of the finals. They’ll be pumped up and ready to go.

“I think you’ve just got to move on from those things. If you think about it too much, then it can affect your footy. We need to get past the second week of the finals, and the boys are pretty fired up.”

While not-so-ancient history suggests the Eels are doomed, modern numbers tell a vastly different story that should have their fans confident of seeing their team in the preliminary final.

Brad Arthur’s side has not lost back-to-back matches in 2022 and have actually produced some of their finest moments in the week following a defeat.

Both of their wins over Penrith this season have come the week after a loss, while they also beat the Storm earlier in the year after a narrow defeat to the Sharks.

The Eels bounced back from a loss to win in Melbourne the following week. Picture: Kelly Defina/Getty Images

The Eels also recorded big wins over the Knights and Bulldogs and bounced back from a big loss to Canterbury to defeat the Roosters on the back of the best 40 minutes any team has played this season.

It’s why big man Junior Paulo isn’t worried about talk of a curse or any potential voodoo dolls lying around in Canberra.

“We better be able to find it quickly before Friday,” he joked.

“You’ve got to be able to flush it (losses) as quickly as you can. The good teams don’t lose back-to-back games and that’s a motto we’ve been trying to run with.

“The quicker we can bounce back, the better we get back into the groove of things.”

The Eels could have made life easy on themselves if they’d beaten Penrith last Friday to earn the week off.

They were leading heading into the final half an hour before Nathan Cleary’s brilliance and some uncharacteristic errors ruined their night.

They now get another shot at week two of the finals just 12 months after their 2021 campaign ended at the hands of the Panthers when many people thought they were the better team.

This tackle led to the decisive penalty goal in last year’s finals series. Picture: NRL Photos

“It’s not the best when you’re losing, but you’ve got to be able to bounce back quickly,” Gutherson said.

“We’ve been pretty good at bouncing back from some poor performances against some big teams. We’d like to take that into this week.

“We have to be able to turn that luck our way. It’s on us and it’s about us playing our own game and our own style.

“We’re confident that if we play the footy we want, we can beat anyone.”

Originally published as ‘I use it as motivation’: The stats no Eels fans want to see