Wests Tigers utility Dene Halatau says his side have to step up this week if they're to match the Parramatta Eels in their Easter Monday blockbuster at ANZ Stadium.
Coming off two big wins against the Warriors and Sea Eagles, Wests Tigers suffered a dissapointing 30-18 defeat to the Gold Coast Titans in Round 3, with errors and fatigue proving costly for Jason Taylor's side as they searched for a third straight win.
Returning back to Sydney this week for their traditional Easter Monday clash against the Eels, Halatau says the side must improve from last week's performance if they are to continue their recent success in the contest — having never lost to Parramatta on Easter Monday before.
"Our completion rate was about 65 percent on the weekend, so you're not going to win football games when you're dropping the ball, and on early tackles as well.
"We had to make our defence do a lot of work, and it's not the way we want to play," he said.
"We were a bit flat, and coming off a short week, it was a tough game for us.
"But we don't want to make any excuses — we weren't good enough on the night."
"The Eels have been going really well lately and they're going to be a tough test for us.
"Corey Norman is in great form, and has been for a while now. And while [Kieran] Foran is new to the Club, but from what we know of him at Manly, he's one of the best running halves in the game and he's tough as nails, so together they work really well.
"I thought they were really good last weekend off the back of their forward pack."
Boosted by the return of representative hooker Robbie Farah this week, Halatau will move into the back-row to accomodate for Farah and also to replace the suspended Chris Lawrence, saying that the move will be one of that benefits both the team and him personally.
"He's the first-choice hooker so he'll go into that No. 9 spot and I'll find another role," he said.
"I'm happy to fill any other role that is needed, which this week is in the back-row.
"Kyle Lovett is in there now on one side — he came in for [Curtis] Sironen against Manly when he got injured early and played really well, and he was solid again on the weekend too, so he'll be there and hopefully I'll get to play some minutes in the back-row too.
"I enjoy it there and we'll see how that unfolds during the week."
Be there on Easter Monday as we take on the Eels at ANZ Stadium! Get your tickets here!
