Eels forwards deserve more credit: Hagan

Parramatta coach Michael Hagan says he is more than happy with the efforts of his 'under-rated' forward pack as the Eels look to keep their finals aspirations alive.

The Eels come up against the star-studded Bulldogs forward pack in the semi-finals on Saturday night after the Parra big men held their own against the Warriors on Friday .

"Our forward pack is underrated," Hagan said.

"I think they've done a really good job in the work they've done against the Warriors, against Brisbane the week before and even Melbourne a few weeks back.

"I think they're probably not getting the wraps they deserve at the moment."

The Bulldogs' pack will also be bolstered by the return of suspended forward Sonny Bill Williams, but Hagan says the Dogs will need to find a way to stop wingers Eric Grothe and Krisnan Inu.

"That's certainly a strength for us at the moment, the form they're both in and Jarryd Hayne at the back.

"They're going to be important again this week, they'll be put under plenty of pressure by Sherwin.

"I thought they handled it pretty well last week, they were put under a lot of pressure early on and came up pretty good."

The strong Parramatta side are not without their injury concerns for the Olympic Stadium showdown.

Ben Smith underwent surgery this morning to determine the extent of a knee problem he sustained against New Zealand, the big centre unlikely to feature in Saturday night's semi.