'Eels don't have mental edge': Cleary fires first shot in Battle of the West

Penrith coach Ivan Cleary insists that Parramatta don’t have a "mental edge" over his side as they prepare for a historic grand final against their western Sydney rivals at Accor Stadium next Sunday.

The Panthers will be seeking to win back-to-back grand finals after coming from 12-0 down to defeat South Sydney 32-12 on Saturday night, while the Eels will be aiming to end the NRL’s longest premiership drought, dating back to 1986.

After watching his side play an almost perfect opening 35 minutes only to capitulate under relentless pressure, Rabbitohs coach Jason Demetriou declared his admiration for the NRL’s benchmark team and doubted Parramatta could win.

“The competitor in me wants to hate Penrith, I really do. But the coach in me is so respectful of what they do,” Demetriou said. “It is a credit to Ivan and their club what they have achieved the last three years. They will be tough to beat.”

Yet if any team can go into a premiership decider against Penrith with confidence, it is Parramatta after beating the premiers twice during the regular season and losing last year’s semi-final 8-6 in controversial circumstances.

The Eels lost 27-8 to Penrith in the opening match of this year’s finals series but have bounced back to thrash Canberra 40-4 before coming from behind to beat the Cowboys 24-20 in Townsville on Friday night.

“It was a huge win for them up there,” Cleary said. “The game probably didn’t go as they liked in the first half, they had possession against them and field position against them, and they looked to be in a bit of strife in the second half.

“The Cowboys were coming home strong, as they have done all year, so to win the way they did, they will get a lot of confidence out of that.

“It is pretty obvious that they have had some success against us this year. We have played a lot of big games against them the last few years and it is a pretty exciting match up, too, for western Sydney. They have got a big fan base.”

However, Cleary rejected suggestions that the Eels were Penrith’s bogey team, saying: “They don’t have a mental edge over us”.

Panthers captain Isaah Yeo noted that the Panthers had halfback Nathan Cleary sent off when beaten 34-10 by Parramatta in round 20 but admitted that the Eels were always a difficult prospect for Penrith.

“I feel that they have got a team that matches up well in this month of footy,” Yeo said. “They have got a big forward pack and they are a really good front running team. When they have all the momentum, they do that really well.

“They’re a really good consistent side and any team that does that is hard to beat.”

The Panthers will play their third grand final in as many years but it is their first not impacted by COVID restrictions, with the crowd restricted to 50 per cent capacity at Accor Stadium in 2020 and last year’s decider played in Brisbane.

“It is pretty cool to be able to do it the proper way, I suppose, and to be able to immerse ourselves in the community, who have been with us all the way through this year,” Cleary said.

“It is going to be fun times and we have got to embrace it and enjoy it but obviously prepare well as we have all the way through the year to be at our best on Sunday.

“It’s awesome. It is fantastic. It doesn’t happen every day to make any grand final, so we are not worried too much about what we have done and what we might be able to do, to reach a grand final is a huge achievement.

“It is a long hard season, you have so many things go into it and you have so many ups and downs and different phases throughout the year so I am just so grateful to be with this group, be able to enjoy the week, and have another crack at it.”

Demetriou wouldn’t completely write off Parramatta but he said Penrith had shown against the Rabbitohs how hard they are to beat.

“Of course, they can but they are going to have to rattle the scoreboard, like we did, but you have got to stay at it. You can’t give them free tries and unfortunately that is what we did,” Demetriou said.

“You can have a plan - everyone has a plan - but to beat this team you have got to be able to stay at it for 80 minutes. You have got to be disciplined and you have got to be relentless – as relentless as they are.

“To get these guys it has been proved that you have got to be fit, healthy and have your best your 17 available. It is not an excuse it is just the reality of how hard they are to beat.”