| Personal information | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Eric Raymond Grothe | |||||
| Nickname | Guru[1] | |||||
| Born | 15 March 1980 (age 31) Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
|||||
| Playing information | ||||||
| Height | 189 cm (6 ft 2 in) | |||||
| Weight | 101 kg (15 st 12 lb) | |||||
| Position | Wing | |||||
| Club | ||||||
| Years | Team | Pld | T | G | FG | P |
| 1999–01 | Parramatta Eels | 12 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 64 |
| 2001–03 | Sydney Roosters | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 2004–10 | Parramatta Eels | 123 | 50 | 0 | 0 | 200 |
| Total | 146 | 66 | 0 | 0 | 272 | |
| Representative | ||||||
| Years | Team | Pld | T | G | FG | P |
| 2005 | City Origin | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2000–06 | New South Wales | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 2005 | Australia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Source: NRL Stats | ||||||
Eric Raymond Grothe (born 15 March 1980 in Sydney, New South Wales) is an Australian retired professional rugby league footballer of the 2000s. A New South Wales State of Origin and Australian international representative three-quarter for the Parramatta Eels of the National Rugby League. An Australian international and New South Wales State of Origin representative winger, he played the majority of his club career with the Parramatta Eels, with whom his father, Eric Grothe, Sr. achieved legedary status with in the 1980s. Grothe, Jr. also spent three seasons with the Sydney Roosters.
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Aside from being a footballer full-time, Grothe is also a part-time musician. (Although Grothe himself has said he prefers to see himself as a musician who plays football to pay the bills.)
The large, impressive winger grew up surrounded by rugby league, spending his formative years watching his father Eric Senior star in the Eels' all-powerful side of the 1980s. Unsurprisingly, he cites his father as his greatest influence.
Eric Junior is not totally overshadowed by his father's legacy. Grothe made his first grade debut in 1999 as a 19-year-old, quickly showcasing his impressive combination of strength and speed.
Within a year he was selected in the NSW side for the State of Origin series. However, a knee injury stopped him making his debut – it was an injury that was to cost him a year of his career.
Grothe returned in 2002 with the Roosters but he signalled he was really back when he rejoined Parramatta in 2004. Grothe, who relaxes by playing music, starred that year and became a City representative in 2005 as he helped the Eels surge up the ladder. That year he also first played for the Kangaroos, becoming, along with his father Eric Snr. the 8th father-son combination to represent Australia.[2]
He also continued to showcase his musical talents as a regular member of the band on Channel Nine's The NRL Footy Show.
He also plays in his band Shinobi with his brother Daniel and mates Darren Stapleton and Wayne Langfield. Eric writes the lyrics for their songs. Shinobi is registered on Triple J Unearthed with track "Enemy" at Number 13 in the Overall Unearthed Charts as at week ending 18 November 2007. In November 2007, the band was snapped up by booking agent powerhouse The Harbour Agency.
On the 26th of September 2007, Grothe earned stinging criticism from Australian coach Ricky Stuart for missing a training session.
After poor showings in the first half of the 2008 season, Grothe was dropped from first grade and replaced with teenager Tony Williams. At the end of the 2008 campaign coach Michael Hagan told Grothe that his services were not required for the 2009 season and he has permission to find a new club.
With the arrival of new coach Daniel Anderson in 2009, Grothe was returned to the Eels starting lineup. Anderson has something of a history with Grothe, having coached him as a 14 year old in the Harold Matthews Cup back in 1995.
On Monday 13 December 2010 Grothe announced his retirement from football after failing to overcome an injury that kept him sidelined for most of the 2010 NRL season.[3]