WESTS TIGERS hooker-turned-halfback Robbie Farah says the team's run of outs against Parramatta is in the past and that the players have felt no need to discuss it going into tonight's game at Parramatta Stadium.

The Eels have won the past seven clashes between the two teams, including a 44-6 flogging in round 14 at ANZ Stadium, but Farah insists the fact the Tigers have not beaten Parramatta since 2004 has not left any mental scars.

"We haven't spoken about it," Farah said yesterday. "And I don't think that we need to speak about it. The more of an issue you make of things, the more they play on your mind, so if you don't think there's anything in it there's no point in bringing it up at all.

"The past is the past and we're not worried about it. We've got more important things to worry about, like trying to win to keep our finals hopes alive, and I reckon Parramatta would be thinking the same thing."

The Tigers began the round in ninth place and the Eels in 12th. In the desperate battle for the last few spots in the top eight, the sixth-, seventh-, 10th- and 11th-placed teams going into the round all won at the weekend, keeping the heat on. But the fact the eighth-placed team - Newcastle - lost means that if the Tigers win tonight they will go back into the top eight with three rounds remaining. The Eels would drop out of the battle with a loss.

Parramatta produced their best performance of the year when they thrashed the Tigers, but their form has been mostly disappointing. Last weekend they scored an upset win over Sydney Roosters, but there is no guarantee they will back it up tonight. Farah says the Tigers are much better placed to do well against Parramatta than they were in their June clash. "We didn't have a forward pack to put on the field that day," he said. "We had a team full of back-rowers.

"We're much bigger not only in the forwards, but right across the park now. We've got a couple of big centres and a couple of big wingers who get in there and help us get out of our own end.

"We've lost Todd Payten from our pack, but finally getting Ryan O'Hara back last weekend was great for us, and Daine Laurie is making more and more of an impact with his size, coming off the bench."

Farah said that while the Tigers still had some things to improve on, they were approaching games with a great attitude.

"We're showing up with a really good intensity, week in and week out," he said. "It's been a pretty desperate situation for us, needing to get a win nearly every week lately, to stay in the hunt, but we're playing with a lot of commitment and getting results. It was an ugly win we got against the Dragons last weekend, but often that's how it is at this time of the year. Everyone's fighting hard. The position we're in now, we know that if we win all of our remaining games we'll make the finals."