Clint Gutherson has revealed the secrets behind Parramatta's premiership push, and the honest discussions between the squad that are ensuring there's no deja vu come finals time.
The Eels have made the finals in four of the last five seasons, finishing in the top four in two of them, yet have won just two finals game from eight attempts, crumbling under pressure when it mattes most.
The club travelled along an all-too-familiar road this season, starting the season red-hot before fading away, beating the top teams like Melbourne and Penrith, and succumbing to cellar-dwellers Canterbury and the Wests Tigers.
It wasn't until their Round 19 loss to Brisbane at home that not only gave them a much needed wake up call, but also endangered their place in this year's finals series.
Losing stars like Isaiah Papali'i, Reed Mahoney, Oregon Kaufusi, Marata Niukore and Ray Stone for 2023, Gutherson knows how important this premiership campaign is for the club, and refuses to let the opportunity slip.
“We spoke about it two months and talked about sacrifices and what we need to do away from training,” Gutherson said on SEN.
“Everyone is different and everyone has different motivations for why they play.
“(We discussed) what holds us back from our game.
“It’s just the little sacrifices that each individual is making in the squad to make sure that they are ready to go every single week.
“Since we have done that, we have been a lot more consistent in our performances.”
Since that dreadful loss to the Broncos at CommBank Stadium, the Eels have won four of their last five, their only coming in the form of a 26-0 loss to South Sydney in Round 22.
The captain sung the praises of Parramatta's left edge, particularly two players who have come along in leaps-and-bounds compared to their 2021 form.
“Knowing what (Shaun) Lane is going to bring each week is the same as giving Dylan (Brown) a lot of confidence,” he said.
“It’s then allowing Mitch (Moses) to deal with the players on both sides of the ball.
“That’s been the biggest improvement for us as a team.
“We are in a better position now than we were in the past couple of years.”
Parramatta face the Melbourne Storm at CommBank Stadium on Thursday night, a victory pushing them into 4th place and setting up a tantalising clash with rivals Penrith at BlueBet Stadium, while a loss will likely see them plummet to 6th, and face the loser of the Roosters-Rabbitohs in a sudden-death clash next weekend.