Eels warned against rot of grand final 'burden'

2 years ago 136

Paul Gallen, a antheral good acquainted with drought-breaking premiership success, has implored Parramatta to "embrace" the value of past alternatively than seeing it arsenic a "burden".

When the Eels worker up the passageway for the NRL expansive final against the Panthers connected Sunday night, they'll beryllium aiming to triumph the club's archetypal rubric since 1986.

No nine successful the contention has a longer premiership drought than the Eels, who booked their summons to the expansive last astatine Sydney Olympic Park with a 24-20 preliminary last triumph implicit the Cowboys successful Townsville connected Friday night.

PAUL GALLEN: Family play hanging implicit expansive last week

Cronulla joined the league successful 1967 and Gallen captained the nine to its archetypal premiership successful 2016, starring the Sharks to a 14-12 triumph implicit the Storm successful the expansive final.

The Sharks fable warned the Eels against fearing the club's premiership drought.

"You cognize what Parramatta person to do? They person to clasp it, they person to bask it and they person to privation it. You can't spot it arsenic a burden. You've got to privation to beryllium connected the rugby league field, you've got to privation the shot and you've got to privation to win," Gallen said connected Nine's 100% Footy.

"These Parramatta players can't spot it arsenic a burden, successful my eyes. They've got to privation to get it done.

"They've got to privation to conscionable beryllium the adjacent champion thing, which is what they'll beryllium if they triumph this competition. They volition beryllium implicit superstars forever. They'll beryllium capable to make a bequest for themselves that volition ne'er spell away.

Eels gunning for ain portion of history: Paulo

"But they've got to privation it. They've got to privation to clasp the day, they privation to clasp the triumph and they've got to spell retired determination and get it done."

Gallen said the Sharks welcomed the situation to go the club's archetypal premiership team, revealing that talking astir it was a cardinal portion of their preparation.

Stream the NRL premiership 2022 unrecorded and escaped on 9Now

"I retrieve the past declaration I signed astatine Cronulla I promised myself I was going to triumph a premiership astatine the club," Gallen added.

The Eels are acceptable to diagnostic successful their archetypal expansive last since 2009, erstwhile they mislaid to the Storm 23-16. Melbourne had its 2007 and 2009 premierships stripped owed to a rort of the wage cap.

Not since Parramatta's glory days — the years lit up by the likes of Peter Sterling, Brett Kenny, Ray Price, Mick Cronin and Eric Grothe elder — has the nine tasted premiership glory.

Lane buzzing up of expansive final

"To spell up and really bash it, to clasp each that, to clasp that past and spell retired determination and bash it is an implicit imagination travel existent and thing you'll ne'er hide — and that's what Parramatta request to do," Gallen said.

"They can't spot this arsenic a burden. They've got to privation it, got to privation to enactment hard for it, spell retired determination and bask the game.

"Enjoy the week archetypal of all, they've got to bask this week. It's a antithetic week. There's a batch of media, there's a batch of press, there's a batch of hype astir it, but you've got to bask it. You can't fto it bog you down and load you.

"You've got to truly privation to conscionable bask it and get to the lucifer arsenic acceptable and steadfast arsenic you can, and spell retired determination and get the win. If you get the triumph you make your ain bequest and past forever."

For a regular dose of the champion of the breaking quality and exclusive contented from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here!