Wests Tigers coach Michael Maguire is excited after "hearing there might be 30,000 fans" at Stadium Australia for the traditional Easter Monday clash with the Eels.
The Tigers opened their 2021 account with a win over Newcastle in round three and Maguire hopes they can gather more momentum against their western Sydney rivals, who are undefeated.
"It's always a good one playing on the Monday throughout the Easter period. You get the crowd coming from the Easter Show and I'm looking forward to plenty of fans. It's a big one," Maguire said.
"It's always special. You're playing big games every week, but this one, we need to make sure we build on what we did last week. We talk about our fans quite a bit. They're a big part of the club."
Maguire insisted that bench utility Moses Mbye, who on Thursday was granted permission to negotiate with rival clubs for next season, was "focused on the now" leading into the "important" match.
Wests Tigers v Eels - Round 4
The Eels may be heavily favoured to join the Panthers as the only teams with unblemished records, but coach Brad Arthur is wary despite the Tigers conceding an average of 30 points per outing.
"They've played the Raiders and Roosters in the first two rounds, who are both top-four outfits, and they came up against Newcastle, who were unbeaten, and won that game," Arthur said.
"We're expecting a real tough match. The Easter Monday clash is always a big game and it's something we're looking forward to. It's just another test for us on the back of a strong performance [against Cronulla] last week. We've got to reset, start again."
Defy Impossible: The try savers
With a nine-day break between games, Arthur has given his troops a lighter preparation. He confirmed that halfback Mitchell Moses and second-rower Ryan Matterson would play after head knocks.
Both sides boast strong forward packs and, as such, the coaches have placed an emphasis on their work without the ball.
"We're coming up against a big team, so we have to make sure that we're prepared to get our bodies [in front] and get a bit dirty with our defence," Arthur said.
Maguire noted that his side have the challenge of shutting down Parramatta's hulking wingers Maika Sivo and Blake Ferguson.
"They get their sets going," Maguire added.
"Everyone understands what [the Eels] do, so we've got to make sure we're pretty strong defensively because they like to move the ball around and they go from side-to-side and they put plenty of plays on."
NRL Magic Round Brisbane 1-Day Passes are now on sale with eight massive games across round 10 at Suncorp Stadium this May. With the league's best players all heading to Brisbane, you'd hate to miss it! Tickets at NRL.com/Tickets.