Berkeley_Eagle
Current Status: 24/7 Manly Fan
Eels' new Eels' new halves pairing set to fix an old weakness
Michael Chammas November 25, 2011
Go-to men … Chris Sandow and Ben Roberts are excited about next season.
http://m.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/eels-new-halves-pairing-set-to-fix-an-old-weakness-20111124-1nx0x.html
IS THIS the pair that will finally lead Parramatta towards the light at the end of the tunnel?
A curse has haunted the club's halves for the past two decades but in recruits Chris Sandow and Ben Roberts, Eels fans have renewed hope that their search for a quality pairing is finally over.
Under three coaches over the past four years, Parramatta have used 20 different halves combinations and 14 different playmakers.
The weight of expectation on the shoulders of Sandow and Roberts is heavy enough to bring down even the most resilient of combatants, but the pair insist the pressure of ending the club's halves drought is far from a burden. ''It's excitement more than pressure, to be honest,'' Sandow told the Herald. ''The halves is a struggle Parramatta have had here for a few years. But I think if me and Benny can just start the year playing good, consistent footy, everything else around us will fall into place.''
So how does a bloke who built a reputation at South Sydney for producing rocks or diamonds join forces with a Kiwi international turned NSW Cup five-eighth to transform the fortunes of the NRL's biggest underachievers of the past decade?
It's probably a question better saved for this time next year.
Michael Chammas November 25, 2011
Go-to men … Chris Sandow and Ben Roberts are excited about next season.
http://m.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/eels-new-halves-pairing-set-to-fix-an-old-weakness-20111124-1nx0x.html
IS THIS the pair that will finally lead Parramatta towards the light at the end of the tunnel?
A curse has haunted the club's halves for the past two decades but in recruits Chris Sandow and Ben Roberts, Eels fans have renewed hope that their search for a quality pairing is finally over.
Under three coaches over the past four years, Parramatta have used 20 different halves combinations and 14 different playmakers.
The weight of expectation on the shoulders of Sandow and Roberts is heavy enough to bring down even the most resilient of combatants, but the pair insist the pressure of ending the club's halves drought is far from a burden. ''It's excitement more than pressure, to be honest,'' Sandow told the Herald. ''The halves is a struggle Parramatta have had here for a few years. But I think if me and Benny can just start the year playing good, consistent footy, everything else around us will fall into place.''
So how does a bloke who built a reputation at South Sydney for producing rocks or diamonds join forces with a Kiwi international turned NSW Cup five-eighth to transform the fortunes of the NRL's biggest underachievers of the past decade?
It's probably a question better saved for this time next year.