Legendary manager Phil Gould has questioned Parramatta's determination to remainder a big of stars for their final-round clash with Penrith, predicting it volition dilute their resurgence and declaring "a full-scale formal rehearsal" would beryllium best.
After stunning the Storm successful a 22-10 boilover successful Brisbane past Saturday, the Eels person opted to remainder 5 players for their lucifer against the Panthers connected the Gold Coast connected Friday.
Coach Brad Arthur has sidelined Clint Gutherson, Mitchell Moses, Junior Paulo, Marata Niukore and Waqa Blake for the crippled arsenic helium lifts his eyes to what volition apt beryllium an elimination last a week later.
But aft the Eels managed to triumph conscionable the 2nd of their past six games successful the upset of the Storm past week, Gould has formed uncertainty implicit Arthur's thinking.
"It's an absorbing determination from Brad Arthur and this is wherever I whitethorn person handled it differently," Gould said connected Wide World of Sports' Six Tackles with Gus podcast.
"When I look astatine what Parramatta did past week, which was truthful overmuch amended than thing other they've produced not conscionable this twelvemonth (but) successful the past mates of years ... Their upset triumph against the Melbourne Storm was thoroughly deserved and they dominated from the aboriginal stages of the crippled and they enactment successful a truly prime 80-minute show of intensity. Then to dilute that the pursuing week and deliberation I tin prime it up again successful a fortnight?
"I don't know. I don't cognize whether oregon not I would person gone into this 1 with a full-scale formal rehearsal and think, 'Well present that we've got determination let's support it there, present that we've got determination let's support the rage, let's signifier it again'.
"And I cognize that risks wounded and the finals are a large thing."
The fifth-placed Eels would adjacent beryllium a agelong changeable to bargain a top-four berth if they had named a full-strength broadside for the Panthers game.
Parramatta would request to bushed Penrith and person Manly suffer to North Queensland to people the treble accidental that a top-four decorativeness guarantees.
"It indispensable person been an absorbing treatment astatine Parramatta this week arsenic to whether we support the momentum going oregon whether oregon not we desperately request the rest," Gould said.
"Now they've opted for the 1 wherever they'll beryllium little criticised, I think, successful resting their players ... Gutherson, Paulo, Niukore, Moses and Waqa Blake travel retired of the team. That's a reasonably steadfast drop-off."
The Panthers, connected the contrary, volition instrumentality an unchanged line-up into the final-round fixture.
"The Panthers person gone the different way, saying we privation a afloat formal rehearsal earlier we play our finals hostile the pursuing week, knowing afloat good that if we triumph that we get a fortnight disconnected anyway, starring into the preliminary final," Gould said.
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