PARRAMATTA Eels skipper Nathan Hindmarsh has made it quite clear: close enough isn't good enough.
The Eels lost another winnable game at the weekend against St George Illawarra 14-12. It was their 10th loss of the season.
"At the end of the day, close enough isn't good enough and we need to start winning those close ones. Anything less than a win is disappointing," he said.
"It was an improvement from us on previous weeks, but it just goes to show that 76 minutes of good footy isn't enough at this level, you need to be spot-on for the entire 80 minutes because a team like the Dragons can hurt you."
Hindmarsh said Monday night's game against the Sharks would be another test for their defence.
"Our defence improved against the Dragons — we defended our line a lot better, but a few lapses in concentration really cost us. The Sharks have plenty of firepower so our defence will be a focus," he said.
"They are playing confident footy and back themselves to throw the ball around, and they've done a good job of converting their pressure into points. We need to restrict the amount of time they have with the footy."