Hindmarsh had willed himself to chase Sailor, though the chase was pointless. There was no other Parramatta player in sight.

Two minutes earlier Hindmarsh had willed himself to chase the Saints’ other winger, Josh Morris, and had put the flyer into touch two metres from the Parramatta line.

If defence is an attitude, the Parramatta second-rower has it in spades.

That attitude was reflected by few of his team-mates in the 42-14 loss that ended Parramatta’s NRL finals hopes.

Hindmarsh’s reward was to be benched 20 minutes from the end of the humilation; coach Michael Hagan didn’t want to risk further injury to the lionhearted one and the game and Parramatta’s season were gone.

"I’m nearly over it," Hagan said yesterday of the loss of the game and a dream.

"It was a disappointing effort, and that’s being kind."

From the phlegmatic Hagan, that’s being scathingly critical.

As someone who had been in countless dressing rooms as player and coach before big games, had he any sense of what was, or rather what wasn’t coming?

"We had a pretty good week in preparation. Without Brett Finch it was going to be more difficult, but with two games left you don’t expect less than a full effort.

"You don’t expect such soft defence. We were never in it. They’re a quality team and were very good but we helped them to look good."

Hagan said Parramatta was probably paying for the three or four games they should have won at other times in the season.

"The season is also probably two or three games too long, physically and mentally, for young players like the Keating brothers and Taulima Tautai," he said.

"You play young blokes a lot longer than you’d want to because of the way the salary cap restricts the number of experienced players you can have."

Hagan said the season would be reviewed after this Saturday’s final game against finals contenders, the New Zealand Warriors at Parramatta Stadium.

He said Finch was an almost-certain non-starter and Hindmarsh was unlikely because of continuing problems with a big toe, and other injuries he was carrying.

Threequarter Joel Reddy and backrower Daniel Wagon had also not recovered from injuries and would not be risked.

Hagan said if Parramatta were still in contention for the finals, Finch and Hindmarsh would have been certain starters.