Parramatta Eels
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Club Information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Parramatta District Rugby League Football Club |
| Founded | 1947 as Parramatta |
| Current Details | |
| Ground(s) | Parramatta Stadium Parramatta, Sydney (20,000) |
| CEO(s) | Denis Fitzgerald |
| Coach | Michael Hagan |
| Competition | National Rugby League |
| 2007 | National Rugby League, 5th Preliminary Finalists |
The Parramatta Eels is an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Sydney suburb of Parramatta. The Parramatta District Rugby League Football Club was formed in 1946, with their First Grade side playing their first season in the New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership's 40th season in 1947.
The club was highly successful in the early 1980s, winning four premierships and qualifying for five Grand Finals within six successive seasons. The club plays in the National Rugby League, the premier rugby league football competition in Australasia; sides are also fielded in lower grade and junior competitions run by the New South Wales Rugby League.
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[edit] History
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For more details on this topic, see History of Parramatta Eels.
The roots of the playing of rugby union and rugby league in Parramatta lie in the 19th century with the formation of the Parramatta Rugby Club in 1879. With the advent of a Sydney District competition in 1900, the Parramatta club merged with Western Suburbs and played some of its matches at Cumberland Oval. On a local level, rugby league began to be played in 1909 when a district competition was formed. Other clubs in the Parramatta district also emerged; over the ensuing decades, clubs established in suburbs throughout the area.[1]
Pressure in the area for a local club to participate in the New South Wales Rugby League premiership began in the mid-1930s with a formal proposal put to the NSWRL in 1936 by local rugby league identities such as Jack Argent and Jack Scullin. The proposal was rejected by all clubs except Western Suburbs who, despite having the most to lose from the entrance of a Parramatta side (with much of their territory being lost to Parramatta), voted for the entrance of the new club. The advent of World War II put the establishment of the club on hold and a Parramatta district club was not proposed again until 1946 when the club was successfully admitted into the Premiership.[2]
Parramatta saw very little success in their early years, finishing last in the competition 6 years in a row from 1956 to 1961. The club's only relative high points were narrowly missing out on finals qualification in 1948 and 1949 under the guidance of former Western Suburbs and Leeds five-eighth Vic Hey. In 1962, Parramatta made the finals for the first time; this achievement was repeated for three consecutive years to 1965. However, the club slid back down the ladder in the following years, collecting the wooden spoon in 1970. The club's first major success came in 1975 when they won the Pre-Season cup, defeating Manly-Warringah in the competition's final.[3]
In 1976, the club finally reached the NSWRL Grand Final, in their 30th year. However, they lost narrowly to a Manly-Warringah side that they had defeated just two weeks earlier.[4][5] The following year, Parramatta captured their first minor premiership before qualifying for the Grand Final for the second year running. Against St. George, the match was drawn 9–9, forcing a Grand Final replay the following weekend. In this match, Parramatta choked 22–0.[6][7] The team made the finals in both 1978 and 1979, but missed the finals in 1980 for the first time since 1974.[3]
The early 1980s was unquestionably the most successful period for the Eels, with the club earning five Grand Final appearances and four premierships from 1981 to 1986. Under the influence of coach Jack Gibson and with a team including names such as Ray Price, Eric Grothe, Sr., Steve Ella, Mick Cronin and Brett Kenny, the club captured three consecutive premierships from 1981 to 1983, the most recent "threepeat" in the competition's history. In 1984 the team once again reached the Grand Final, but lost in a low-scoring Grand Final to the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 6–4. In 1986, the club took out their third minor premiership while also reaching the Grand Final, beating Canterbury 4–2 in the lowest-scoring Grand Final in history.[3]
From 1987 to 1996, the club failed to make the finals. With the advent of the Super League war in the mid-1990s, Parramatta capitalised on staying with the Australian Rugby League by picking up high-profile players such as Dean Pay, Jason Smith, Jim Dymock and Jarrod McCracken from the 1995 premiership-winning side, the Sydney Bulldogs.[8][9]
In 1997, the club made the finals for the first time in 11 seasons by finishing 3rd in the Australian Rugby League competition. In the combined National Rugby League competitions in 1998 and 1999 the club finished 4th out of 20 teams and 2nd out of 17 respectively, narrowly missing out on the Grand Final by one match in 1998.[3]
In 1998, in the wake of the resolution of the Super League War and the creation of the National Rugby League, the competition underwent a major restructure. It was announced that the new competition would comprise only 14 teams out of the 22 who had competed in the two competitions in 1997. This contraction would necessitate mergers or the culling of teams who did not meet the criteria for inclusion into the new competition. Despite meeting these criteria the Parramatta board explored mergers with Penrith Panthers and Balmain Tigers but opted against the plan.[9]
In 2001, Parramatta set a regular-season points scoring record in the premiership by scoring 839 points in 26 matches on their way to claiming the minor premiership. Despite being heavy favourites for the Grand Final against the Newcastle Knights, the team lost 30–24.[10] The club continued to make the finals until 2002 but did not qualify for the finals in 2003 and 2004.[3]
Despite Parramatta claiming the minor premiership in 2005, it was announced soon after the unsuccessful 2005 finals series that coach Brian Smith had been asked to stand down after the conclusion of the 2006 season in what turned out to be a direct trade with the Newcastle Knights for Michael Hagan. After a poor start to the 2006 season, Smith resigned on 15 May 2006 and was replaced by Jason Taylor.[11] Despite the team's low position on the ladder at the time, they were still able to make the finals for the second year running but were immediately eliminated from the series by minor premiers Melbourne Storm.
In 2007 the Eels finished 5th but were again eliminated from the finals series by eventual premiers Melbourne, this time making it to the preliminary final.
[edit] Emblem
Like most clubs established before the 1980s, Parramatta was established with no official nickname or mascot. The only nickname Parramatta had ever been known by was the "Fruitpickers", a reference to the orchards spread throughout the District and surrounding suburbs in the first half of the 20th century. As the competition and the clubs themselves became more focused on marketing in the 1970s, Parramatta adopted an official club mascot.[3]
In the mid-1960s, Peter Frilingos, a Sydney rugby league journalist, suggested that the club should be known as the "Eels". This reasoning was based on the name of the Parramatta, anglicised from the Aboriginal dialect "Barramattagal" meaning "place where the Eels dwell". After this, the team was commonly called "The Eels" and it became an official nickname in the late 1970s.[3]
As a result, the club's crest was changed in 1980, to a design featuring an Eel. This crest remained, despite several changes in jersey design, until a new Eel logo was introduced in 1999. In 2005, the club mascot featured on the crest reverted to an Eel drawing similar to that featured on the original crest.
Parramatta has also used two separate crests based on Parramatta City's crest. The first was a highly-detailed scene showing a typical scene on the foreshore of the Parramatta River in the early days of European settlement. It is an apparent tribute to the District's original occupants, the Barramattagal tribe. In the foreground of the original crest, a male Aboriginal is preparing to spear a fish while a woman in a canoe watches. In the background a paddle steamer is visible as well as the tree-lined banks of the Parramatta River. This crest was used by the Club until the 1970s when a more stylised version showing only the hunter, and the club's name on a scroll, was used. This crest is still used in 2006 by the Parramatta District Junior Rugby League Football Club.[3]
[edit] Colours
When a Parramatta District Club was first proposed in 1936, the colours put forward to the New South Wales Rugby League by the District were emerald green and white, as these were the colours worn by the Western Districts President's Cup side and the Western Suburbs Rugby Union Club.[12][1] However, when the proposal for a Parramatta club was next put to the NSWRL in 1946, the proposed colours for the new District side were blue and gold. These colours are said to have been selected based on the navy, sky blue and gold colours used by Parramatta High School.[2][13] These colours were also adopted by the Parramatta District Rugby Union club in 1936 and also suggested in Parramatta City Council's use of livery of blue and golden-orange in their crest. While this colour scheme has remained consistent throughout the history of the club, the shades of blue and gold have changed several times.
The original Parramatta jersey used in 1947 was of a blue design with a single yellow hoop around the middle of the jersey, extending across the sleves. This original design was altered in 1949 to a design based on blue and gold hoops and remained unchanged until the 1970s when a jersey comprising stripes on a predominantly blue or gold background was adopted. Over the years, the design has changed gradually from one based on blue and gold stripes to a design incorporating different blue and gold designs around the fringes of a predominantly blue or gold jersey.
[edit] Stadium
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For more details on this topic, see Parramatta Stadium.
Rugby league was played at Cumberland Oval from as early as 1909 by local clubs such as Parramatta Iona, Endeavours and the Western Districts representative side. When the club was admitted into the NSWRL Premiership in 1947, Cumberland Oval became its home ground. The club played its first match in the premiership on 12 April 1947 against Newtown, being defeated 34–12 in front of 6,000 spectators. Cumberland Oval remained the home ground of the Parramatta Eels until 1981; the club played their last match there against the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles.[14] Later that year, after the Parramatta Eels secured their first-ever Premiership trophy, Eels fans rallied at Cumberland Oval; during the celebrations, fans set fire to the ground's soon-to-be-demolished stand.
From 1982 to 1985, the club used Belmore Oval, home of the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, as a temporary home ground while a new facility (Parramatta Stadium) was built. The new stadium to be built on the site of Cumberland Oval was approved by the New South Wales Government for development in 1983 and the contract for the construction and design of the Stadium was put to competitive tender.[15] After construction was completed in November 1985, the club played its first match at the new stadium on March 16, 1986 winning this opening game 36–6 against the St. George Dragons. The capacity of the ground is 20,000, after the construction of seated terraces on the previously hilled areas in 2002.
The largest crowd to watch a rugby league match at Cumberland Oval was 22,470 when the Parramatta took on the South Sydney Rabbitohs on 26 April 1971. The largest crowd at Parrmatta Stadium under the current configuration was 21,141 in 2006 against the Wests Tigers.[16]
[edit] Rivalries
Parramatta's most significant and famous rivalry is with Northern Beaches-based club Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles. Though both clubs were formed in the same year, this rivalry did not develop until the 1970s and 1980s when the clubs faced each other in three Grand Finals: in 1976, 1982 and 1983. The clubs also competed in several play-off finals matches during this period including a controversial drawn semi-final and subsequent replay in 1978. The famous rivalry between the clubs was also marked in an advertising jingle in a 1970s Tooheys television commercial. The rivalry has been regularly rekindled at various times since, particularly when Parramatta players have transferred to play with Manly.[17][18]
A similar rivalry also developed between Parramatta and the Bulldogs during the 1980s when the clubs faced one another in Grand Finals in 1984 and 1986 as well as regular play-off matches during this period. This rivalry received renewed impetus during the Super League war when Parramatta recruited 4 notable Bulldogs players.[19][20]
Another significant rivalry is with neighbouring Western Sydney club the Penrith Panthers. The match between the two is known as the "Western Sydney derby" or "The Battle of the West".[21] Aside from local 'bragging rights' the rivalry is also partly founded in bitterness associated with the former status of the Penrith district as part of the Parramatta rugby league district. The relationship between local Penrith clubs and the Parramatta District was often problematic; players and officials in the Penrith area considered themselves ignored and neglected by the Parramatta club during the 1950s and 1960s.[22]
[edit] Statistics and records
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For more details on this topic, see List of Parramatta Eels records.
[edit] Individual Records
Most Appearances (First Grade)
- Brett Kenny (265 games) from 1980 - 1993
- Ray Price (258 games) from 1976 - 1986
- Peter Sterling (227 games) from 1978 - 1992
- Nathan Hindmarsh (223 games) from 1998 - present
- Mick Cronin (216 games) from 1977 - 1986
- Bob O'Reilly (216 games)
- Billy Rayner (203 games)
- Ron Lynch (202 games)
- Daniel Wagon (187 games)
Scoring records
Mick Cronin holds the record for most number of points scored across all grades (2,001) between 1977 and 1986. Cronin also holds the record for most points scored in a single season (282) in 1978. Brett Kenny holds the record for most First Grade tries (110) between 1980 and 1992.[23]
Parramatta's largest victory was a 74 - 4 win over Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks on 23 August 2003 at Parramatta Stadium. The club's largest defeat was a 0 - 68 loss to Canberra Raiders on 22 August 1993 at Canberra Stadium.[24]
Attendances
The largest crowd Parramatta has played before was 104,583 at Telstra Stadium in the Round 1 'doubleheader' in 1999. The largest home crowd at Parramatta Stadium, before the construction of the hill terraces, was 27,243 against South Sydney Rabbitohs on 17 August 1986.[25]
[edit] All Time Match Record
The all time playing record for the Parramatta team since 1947 (including finals).[26]
| Games | Points | Wins | Draw | Losses | Win % | Correct to |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1364 | 23254 | 633 | 38 | 693 | 46% | 23 September 2007 |
[edit] 2008 Squad
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For more details on this topic, see Parramatta Eels 2007.
The following list comprises players who make up the Top 25 squad of the Parramatta Eels first-grade team in 2008.
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[edit] Notable players
In 2002 a team of the greatest Parramatta players, known as the Parramatta Legends, were selected based on a public vote of fans. In August of that year the following players were named in each position:[27]
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[edit] Honours
- New South Wales Rugby League, Australian Rugby League and National Rugby League Premierships[28]: 4
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- 1981, 1982, 1983, 1986
- Premiership runners-up: 4
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- 1976, 1977, 1984, 2001
- New South Wales Rugby League, Australian Rugby League and National Rugby League Minor Premierships: 5
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- 1977, 1982, 1986, 2001, 2005
- New South Wales Rugby League Club Championships: 16
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- 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1986, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005
- Pre-Season Cup Titles: 1
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- 1975
- Tooth Cup: 2
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- 1980, 1986
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- 1997, 2003
- First Division, Premier League[29]: 8
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- 1975, 1977, 1979, 1997, 1999, 2005, 2006, 2007
- Jersey Flegg Cup: 3
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- 1970, 1985, 1990
- SG Ball Cup: 11
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- 1966, 1967, 1968, 1973, 1983, 1987, 1988, 1991, 1993, 1999, 2007
- Harold Matthews Cup: 16
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- 1970, 1971, 1972, 1975, 1976, 1981, 1982, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1994, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2003, 2004
- Bandaged Bear Cup: 1
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- 2007
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ a b Fagan, Sean. Cumberland RLFC. RL1908. Retrieved on 2007-09-18.
- ^ a b Fagan, Sean. Parramatta Eels. RL1908. Retrieved on 2007-09-18.
- ^ a b c d e f g h (2004) The History of Rugby League Clubs. New Holland Publishers (Australia) Pty Ltd.. ISBN 1-74110-075-5.
- ^ Fagan, Sean. The Eels' Flying Wedge of '76. RL1908. Retrieved on 2006-09-05.
- ^ Alan Whiticker, Grand Finals of the NSWRL (2e), Gary Allen, 1994
- ^ 1977 Tied Rugby League Grand Final. Era of the Biff. Retrieved on 2006-09-05.
- ^ Alan Whiticker, Grand Finals of the NSWRL (2e), Gary Allen 1994
- ^ "How the war unfolded", The Sydney Morning Herald, 2005-03-26. Retrieved on 2007-09-18.
- ^ a b "Double punt is finally paying off", The Sydney Morning Herald, 2005-03-26. Retrieved on 2007-09-18.
- ^ "Eels coach rues missed chances", British Broadcasting Corporation, 2001-09-30. Retrieved on 2007-04-21.
- ^ "Two old foes set to meet again", The Sydney Morning Herald, 2007-03-12. Retrieved on 2007-04-21.
- ^ 60 Years of Parramatta Junior League. SportingPulse. Retrieved on 2006-09-06.
- ^ Parramatta High School Badge. Parramatta High School. Retrieved on 2007-09-18.
- ^ Cumberland. Parramatta Stadium. Retrieved on 2007-07-14.
- ^ Parramatta Stadium - Construction Project. Parramatta Stadium. Retrieved on 2007-07-14.
- ^ Attendances Parramatta. Rugby League Tables & Statistics. Retrieved on 2007-07-14.
- ^ Prichard, Greg. "Eels won't be reserved in hitting Hill: Hindmarsh", The Sydney Morning Herald, 2005-09-06. Retrieved on 2007-09-19.
- ^ Masters, Roy. "Manly whipping was one for the true believers", The Sydney Morning Herald, 2005-09-12. Retrieved on 2007-09-19.
- ^ Paine, Chris. "NRL Preview: semi-final one", Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 2007-09-14. Retrieved on 2007-09-19.
- ^ Ritchie, Dean. "Dogs, Eels back to the future", The Daily Telegraph, 2007-09-10. Retrieved on 2007-09-19.
- ^ Dick, Barry. "'Derby' the highlight", The Courier Mail, 2007-04-12. Retrieved on 2007-04-27.
- ^ Fagan, Sean. Penrith Panthers. RL1908. Retrieved on 2007-04-27.
- ^ Parramatta Scorers (since 1971). Rugby League Tables & Statistics. Retrieved on 2007-09-19.
- ^ Game Records - Parramatta. Rugby League Tables & Statistics. Retrieved on 2007-09-19.
- ^ All Games - Parramatta. Rugby League Tables & Statistics. Retrieved on 2007-09-19.
- ^ Season Summary. Rugby League Tables & Statistics. Retrieved on 2007-09-19.
- ^ Legends Dinner. Parramatta Eels (2002-08-29). Retrieved on 2007-03-03.
- ^ Up until 1994, the top division of the premiership in New South Wales was the New South Wales Rugby League premiership; since then, it has been the Australian Rugby League (1995-1997) and the National Rugby League.
- ^ Up until 2002, the second division of rugby league in New South Wales was Reserve Grade/Presidents Cup/First Division Premiers; since then, it has been the NSWRL Premier League.
[edit] External links
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