Parramatta coach Arthur wary of falling into Titans trap again
THE in-form Parramatta Eels won’t be taking the Gold Coast Titans lightly on Saturday night despite the Titans’ scrappy performance in round four.
The Titans struggled to hold on to the footy in last week’s 8-6 win over the lowly Wests Tigers and lacked conviction in their fifth-tackle options.
The Eels meanwhile come off a 48-14 thrashing of the Dragons.
The Eels have already defeated the Titans once this season – 32-28 in the first round – and coach Brad Arthur expects Gold Coast will throw plenty at his side with ball in hand at Cbus Super Stadium.
“They’re a very tough team to play against. They put a lot of shape and movement on the footy, so you’ve got to be really good defensively,” Arthur said.
“We fell into the trap a little bit last time we played them of playing a bit of touch footy.
“We fell into the trap of a few ill-discipline actions out of the red zone, some loose efforts with the ball and a couple of penalties on the back of kick chase.
“It’s definitely an area we need to tidy up because if you give them too much time at the try line, they’ll make the most of their opportunities.”
Big man Shaun Lane returns to the Eels line-up after missing last week’s win over the Dragons with Ryan Matterson moving back to the bench.
After last week’s win, Arthur said he was pleased his side could continue its winning ways. “I thought our control of the ball was pretty good in terms of completions,” he said.