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Grim 'last chance' warning for title-starved Eels - CtrlF.XYZ

Grim 'last chance' warning for title-starved Eels

2 years ago 161

Parramatta's premiership model is closing and its players aren't shying distant from it.

The Eels cognize that erstwhile the full-time siren blows connected their season, whether successful Townsville connected Friday nighttime oregon Sydney Olympic Park the pursuing Sunday, they volition nary longer beryllium successful striking region of winning the Provan-Summons Trophy.

Reed Mahoney is bound for the Bulldogs, Marata Niukore has signed with the Warriors, Oregon Kaufusi volition articulation the Sharks, Ray Stone volition depart for the Dolphins and Tom Opacic volition caput to Super League nine Hull KR.

The Eels besides look acceptable to suffer Isaiah Papali'i fixed he's penned a three-year woody with Wests Tigers, although the weapon second-rower remains non-committal astir his Concord contract.

And portion Nathan Brown is contracted for 2023, there are whispers of the erstwhile Blues State of Origin guardant warring with manager Brad Arthur. He hasn't played successful the NRL since circular 17 and could exit Parramatta astatine the extremity of this season.

"Hopefully The Last Dance is not this week; it's adjacent week," Mahoney said, referencing the documentary that chronicles Michael Jordan's last play with the Chicago Bulls successful 1997-1998.

There's a nexus betwixt the 2022 Eels outfit and the 1997-1998 Bulls roster, which farewelled Jordan, Scottie Pippen and manager Phil Jackson.

"This is their past accidental to triumph a premiership," Andrew Johns said connected Wide World of Sports' Freddy and The Eighth.

"This is without uncertainty their past accidental oregon their champion accidental for the adjacent mates of years."

Stream the NRL premiership 2022 unrecorded and escaped on 9Now

While the Eels are chasing their archetypal rubric since 1986, the Cowboys past tasted glory successful 2015.

Jason Taumalolo and Kyle Feldt are the lone members of North Queensland's 2015 expansive last team acceptable to instrumentality to the tract connected Friday night, though the antheral who played astatine hooker successful that decider — Jake Granville — remains successful the Cowboys squad and was named successful the reserves for the preliminary final.

Brad Fittler has pinpointed the spot of the Cowboys' kicking crippled arsenic a captious facet of the expansive last qualifier.

"I inactive deliberation (Scott) Drinkwater and (Chad) Townsend is wherever the unit volition come," Fittler said connected Freddy and The Eighth.

"Kick pressure. Reed Mahoney's large with footwear pressure. Times it ever and besides is physical. Very seldom gets penalised.

"That's going to beryllium a large decider."

Fittler besides raised interest implicit the Cowboys' deficiency of acquisition successful the spine.

The boys backmost Brad Arthur to stay Eels coach: Freddy & the Eighth - Finals Week 3

Fullback Drinkwater, five-eighth Tom Dearden and hooker Reece Robson made their NRL finals debuts successful this year's series, portion halfback Townsend is the lone subordinate of the North Queensland spine to person played ample finals footy.

Parramatta's spine, connected the contrary, consists of fullback Clint Gutherson, five-eighth Dylan Brown, halfback Mitchell Moses and hooker Mahoney — each of whom person played a important magnitude of footy successful September.

Johns tipped the Cowboys to bushed the Eels by 1 constituent and identified megastar centre Valentine Holmes — the leader of North Queensland's exhilarating 32-30 qualifying triumph implicit Cronulla — arsenic the antheral to present victory.

"It's a large vantage up there," the eighth Immortal said, pointing to the oppressive upwind conditions.

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