By Mary Maidiotis
St George Illawarra Dragons lock Trent Merrin admits the team will have to regroup and knuckle down ahead of the fixture against the Parramatta Eels at Pirtek Stadium, Parramatta on Saturday.
The Dragons are in the midst of their training preparations for the match following their tough 19-14 loss against the Sydney Roosters at Allianz Stadium, Moore Park on Monday.
Merrin, 25, faulted his side’s attention to detail for the five-point loss but believes that they have the potential to come back stronger after back-to-back losses.
The NSW Blues representative affirms that despite there being some sore bodies in the sheds after 15 rounds, the squad has excellent depth with players prepared to do what’s best for the team when required.
“It was a tough night, the Roosters came out firing and they were missing a few players so I think their middle men did a great job,” said Merrin.
“Our attention to detail during certain periods of the game was lacking, our completions were on the low and we just couldn’t find that momentum to get us back in the game.
“I think we will have to go out to training and really knuckle down, we need to have a look at what we need to work on and regroup so we can get back out there and play the footy that we’re capable of playing.
“It’s a tough game we play and you’re always going to come out of the game with a niggle and we’ve just got to go back to training and reassess how the boys are feeling.
“If necessary, we might make some changes but we’ve got a tough bunch of boys here and I’m sure they’ll look after themselves away from footy and get themselves in the right position to play next week.
“We definitely have great depth in the squad, boys like Will Matthews and Jake Marketo have been in and out since the start of the year, so they know the task at hand and they do a great job when they’re in that position.
“Re-signing with the Club and settling their future will have boosted their confidence, so they’re more than capable of filling in as part of the squad if need be.”