SAVE BEERS FOR WINS

Q You mentioned you enjoyed a few beers with the team after a win at Brothers. Do you subscribe to the same mantra at Parramatta?

A Yeah definitely. We created an atmosphere where we really enjoy and celebrate our wins, so if we win we definitely let the boys have a beer and relax. The game is so professional so a lot of it depends around turnarounds and travel but we definitely have at least one beer after a winning game. The difference is if we lose, well you haven’t really earned the right to have a beer, so there’s a real distinct difference between a win and a loss and the feeling after a game.

Q Who is your pick to play Parramatta in the grand final this season?

A It could be any of 15 clubs because you’ve seen how tight the competition was last year and every year it’s getting tighter and every team is trying to find ways to improve and strengthen their squads and there’s a lot of good teams. You need a lot of luck. You need to try to get through the year relatively healthy in terms of injuries and you need to keep your best players on the field. That’s very important and you can’t have any distractions off the field.

Q The Eels now have the longest drought in the league. How do you feel about that?

A Someone said that to me the other day but I’m not real big on history, it doesn’t really faze me. I know a lot of people are into records but the history is history for me. But it would be nice.