Brad Arthur has spent close to 12 months preparing Parramatta to go one step beyond a semi-final - one step beyond the hurdle they've fallen at three times in the last four years.
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The Eels are trying to reach their first preliminary final in 12 years. They are also trying to end the longest title drought in the NRL in 35 years.
Saturday night's semi-final against Penrith shapes as arguably the most important of Brad Arthur's career, with one year left on his contract.
The Eels are one of just five teams to have made the semi-finals in four of the past five years.
But their inability to progress past that point turned the spotlight on them when their form dipped late this year.
Arthur and the Eels have been planning subtle changes for a year now in preparation for this moment.
They've also enlisted a mental skills coach in Andrew May and have been more open in resting players at the end of the season.
But this build-up can't be worse than last year's when Michael Jennings was banned on the morning of the semi-final under the NRL's anti-doping policy.
"I'm sick of talking about last year and what happened last year," Arthur said.
"There's circumstances or there's excuses, whatever way you want to look at it.
"But what we need to do is we need to play well.
"We've got aspirations like every other team to go further. It's not as easy as it looks. It's hard work.
"You've got to beat a lot of good teams along the way. You need a bit to fall your way."
If nothing else, Arthur wants the Eels to give themselves a chance and be in the game at the 78-minute mark.
In their past three semi-final defeats, they have been blown out of the water twice after halftime or smashed early in the case of Melbourne in 2019.
There have been better signs in recent weeks, however, scrapping and fighting their way to late wins over Newcastle and Melbourne.
"We need to be able to withstand the pressure, we need to be able to build pressure for a full 80 minutes," Arthur said.
"We need to start well. And then we need to be able to maintain it for 80 minutes.
"That's what it's going to come down to, the 78th or 79th minute that we're in the game and in it up to our eyeballs."
Crucial to that will be their right edge of Will Penisini and Blake Ferguson holding their own.
They leaked three tries against the Knights last week and are up against the competition's best left side of Jarome Luai, Matt Burton and Brian To'o.
"It's really important," Arthur said.
"In those big moments we have to come up with the right decision (defensively) more often than not.
"Especially when we're tired and we're under fatigue and there's pressure against us."
Australian Associated Press
