Parramatta Eels halfback Jonah Pezet shared that a recent motivational speech from coach Jason Ryles fueled the team's victory against the Brisbane Broncos on Thursday night.
Ultimately, in a thrilling match that featured a total of 72 points, Parramatta emerged victorious with a score of 40-32.
Pezet's performance was a mix of brilliance and challenges; he assisted in three tries and scored one himself, though he also had several defensive lapses.
After the match, Ryles described Pezet as a project that still requires development.
"Jonah is a work in progress and we knew that he was when he came to the club," Ryles stated during the post-match press conference.
"What was it? Four try assists, but there are some other parts of his game that we need to work on and he's really aware of that.
"So whilst that is really pleasing for him, he has also got some areas of his game that we want to keep working hard on, so we will just keep working hard with him."
Pezet played a crucial role in helping Parramatta bounce back against the reigning champions, who now face a challenging start to the season at zero wins and two losses.
Describing the win as 'special,' Pezet acknowledged the impact of Ryles' midweek pep talk.
"We got a spray from Rylsey, but we had to come up here, flick the switch and be physical. We missed the start, weren't great early, but to come around and turn that back in the first half and take it into the second half was really good. The boys showed a lot of fight tonight."