Parramatta star Ryan Matterson admits the team have been ‘shaken’ by the Titans’ rampaging comeback

Parramatta second rower Ryan Matterson admitted the Eels were “shaken” by the Titans’ attack before halftime in their season opener, but claims the team’s ability to achieving a victory is a sign of their growth.

The Eels looked set for a big win after slamming five tries to two in the opening 33 minutes, before Gold Coast replied with three tries in six minutes.

The Eels ultimately hung on for a 32-28 win, and Matterson said the game was a prime example of the team being a more legitimate contender for premiership this season.

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“The game we had at the weekend, if it was last year, I don’t think we could have come back from a game like that,” he told Wide radio. 2GB World of Sports.

“Especially with the way the Titans came out, they put in a few points and kind of shook us up at halftime.

“If it was the old Parramatta side, we would have lacked maturity, but we kept a cool, calm, collected mindset and ended up winning.”

Parramatta’s 2021 season ended in a hotly contested semi-final against eventual Premiers Penrith, and Matterson said the disappointment of the loss drove the team through the summer.

“The work we did in the pre-season, especially with our maturity, has grown us compared to last year,” he said.

“With that tough loss to Penrith, coming out the way we did, we bounced back and had a tougher pre-season and we’re learning from that.”

The win was marred by a hamstring injury for Matterson, who said he expected to be sidelined for one to two weeks.

“At the start of the first half, I had a little tension,” he said.

“I ended up having my second stint and did it again.”

The Matterson-less Eels will be hoping to continue their unbeaten start to the season when they take on the Cronulla Sharks at PointsBet Stadium on Saturday.

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