Eels boosted by key duo’s return
PARRAMATTA coach Brad Arthur says the return of 2010 premiership winner Beau Scott and Kaysa Pritchard will be a huge boost for the Eels ahead of finals.
The pair is likely to return tonight against the Rabbitohs in the last round of the regular season after both had looked done for the year.
Arthur said Scott, who won the NRL title with the Dragons in 2010, would add to the Eels’ defence after recovering from a biceps injury.
“It gives us experience that we probably don’t have and what he brings to the team in terms of just tightening up those defensive lapses,” Arthur said.
“He’ll be good for those periods where we take the foot off the pedal a little bit. He’ll make sure that doesn’t happen.
“If he plays tomorrow, we’ll give him a bit of time before half-time and after half-time.
“We don’t need to get too much game time into him. We just need him getting some run in his legs and
make a couple of tackles, a couple of runs, and we’ll leave it at that.”
Pritchard, who started as hooker for the Eels’ first 15 games of the season, is also certain to come off the bench tonight and for their finals campaign.
His season looked finished when he injured the PCL in his knee two months ago, but Arthur is intent on staying with back-up rake Cameron King through September.
“We know Kaysa was doing a good job before he got injured, but that’s footy. When someone goes down, it’s an opportunity for someone else and Cameron’s taken it,” Arthur said.
“Now we’ve got good depth there and it keeps everyone on their toes.”