Parramatta Eels' coach Brad Arthur is set to rest players from the club's final round encounter with the Penrith Panthers.
The match, which will be played as a Friday night blockbuster on the Gold Coast, is likely to see the Eels be without a number of stars as Brad Arthur attempts to get his weary team to kick into gear for the finals.
Parramatta have hit a wall in the last five weeks, losing four games on the bounce before turning things around with a still unconvincing victory over the North Queensland Cowboys on Saturday evening in Townsville.
In a Daily Telegraph report, Arthur revealed that, while he hasn't decided which players will be rested, some certainly will be.
โI havenโt worked out which players theyโre going to be yet but Iโm leaning towards getting ourselves ready for that first final. A few of the boys have played every game and havenโt missed a training session,โ Arthur said.
โIt will be tough convincing them but, at the end of the day, we have to do whatโs best for them, moving forward. A lot of blokes havenโt had much rest. It might be about resting a few and getting ourselves ready for the finals.
โWe definitely canโt go any lower on the ladder and it will be tough to jump a spot. A win or loss wonโt count for too much. We know weโre playing finals, thatโs the main thing.
The news comes with Parramatta almost certainly set to finish in sixth place. Their tough run to the end of the season, coinciding with a form trough has left Arthur's side down on confidence and with no chance of a top-four finish.
The Cowboys game on Saturday was the only time the men in blue and gold play a side not in the top six during the final six weeks of the team, with a clash against the Melbourne Storm in Brisbane ahead for Round 24.
It means that, instead of fighting for a week off or having a second chance, the out of sorts, out of form Parramatta side will face a Week 1 elimination final, likely against the Newcastle Knights.
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Arthur confirmed fullback Clint Gutherson would be among those considered for a week off ahead of the finals.
โItโs very hard to encourage โGuthoโ (to have a rest). You pull him off with three minutes to go and he gets the shits. โGuthoโ played all the games last year. A lot of blokes have played a lot of footy and then you throw in rep footy.
โItโs not just the physical toll, itโs mental too. Itโs how we can be ready for that first final but we definitely want to run with the same team and look to test ourselves against Melbourne.โ
