Eels stirred by wooden spoon prospect
Parramatta face the longest weekend of their NRL season if they can't notch a win over the Sydney Roosters on Friday night.
The Eels could claim their first wooden spoon since 1972 on Monday if rivals for the unwanted prize Canberra and Gold Coast both win.
The Raiders host Penrith on Saturday night but the Eels will need to wait until Monday night to know whether the Titans can cause a boilover against Wests Tigers at Campbelltown.
Stephen Kearney's men are currently last on 15 points, a single point behind the Raiders and Titans.
"You don't want to see it (getting the spoon) but it is sometimes a downer when you do look at it, when you have a bit of a glimpse at (the table)," Eels hooker Matt Keating told reporters on Thursday.
"But it's about individual performances and trying to finish the year off as best we can.
"We haven't really spoken about it too much.
"Our focus is on the last two games and tomorrow night against the Roosters is our main focus at the moment."
Parramatta have lost six straight, while the improving Roosters posted their first back-to-back wins of the season with last week's victory over Cronulla.
An Eels win or Titans loss could make those clubs' final round clash next week a "grand final" for last spot.
Roosters halfback Mitchell Pearce knows what it feels like to cop the spoon after his side did so in 2009 before turning it around to play in last year's grand final.
"It's a pretty ordinary feeling so they'll be pretty hungry this week and they've got a home game," Pearce said.
"They've probably been fighting to get off (the bottom of the table) for a few weeks now but I'm sure they would have had a big team talk this week to have a massive one of Friday night."
Pearce said his side's focus wasn't putting the boot into the Eels.
"We're just more focused on trying to get ourselves up the ladder a bit," he said.
"Obviously they need to win their last two to get off the bottom and if we win our last two we could get right up there just below the eight.
"It hasn't been a great year but if you can finish on a bit of a high it makes the off-season more enjoyable."
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