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Scott Bailey

Parramatta declare Cleary pressure crucial

Nathan Cleary was relaxed at Penrith's fan day but the Eels aim to pile pressure on him on Sunday. (Dan Himbrechts/AAP PHOTOS) (AAP)

Parramatta have promised to do everything in their power to pressure Nathan Cleary in the NRL grand final, desperate to atone for the mistakes of three weeks ago.

Cleary's kicking was the clear difference when Penrith beat Parramatta in week one of the finals, forcing two errors out of Waqa Blake and tearing the Eels apart.

Parramatta coach Brad Arthur lambasted his side afterwards, laying the blame firmly at the feet of his forwards for not putting enough kick pressure on Cleary.

It's a point being well taken by the Eels in their bid for a drought-breaking title.

But, as has proven the case all season, talking about stopping Cleary is one thing, finding a way to actually get to him is another.

"Obviously they have a good system in how they protect their kicker," said Eels back-rower Shaun Lane, who will mark up on Cleary's side of the field.

"He stands quite deep as well and has such a big boot on him that he's able to stand a long way away from the ruck.

"So it's difficult to get to him unless you're 100 per cent with your kick pressure.

"They clearly have an emphasis on protecting him and getting him the best possible situation to put in a good kick.

"They get quick play-the-balls the play before it a lot of the time with (fullback) Dylan Edwards, which makes it very difficult to then get kick pressure."

But Lane said finding a way to get around that would be definitive.

"All those things we're going to have to address if we want to come out on top," he said.

"It's a game changer. What he did in that first semi-final against us, it was such a tight game.

"They're scoring tries off the back of it and then they're getting field position other times and then are able to ice the game through those things.

"So kick pressure is going to be a massive thing for us this week."

Parramatta players enjoyed a day off training on Tuesday, as the club announced they would open CommBank Stadium for fans to watch the game on the big screen after grand final tickets sold out.

But the job that must be done on Cleary remains on their mind, with prop Junior Paulo labelling it one of his most crucial roles.

"We're going to be running on a lot of emotions and adrenaline going into the game but you've still got to focus and narrow down to that one job," Paulo said.

"And for us as a middle, that's getting that kick pressure.

"You've got to be willing to leave everything out there and I'm sure this group is willing to do that.

"In last week's win (over North Queensland), that's what got us over the line, that effort and that desperation that we needed heading into the last couple of minutes."

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