In 1908, as the Sydney Rugby League Premiership took it's first tentative steps into the unknown, a collection of locals banded together to form a team to be based at Parramatta. The side, known as Cumberland, never won a game, and hence collected the first ever wooden spoon. At the season's end, the side merged with Western Suburbs, and the area commenced a half-decade sabbatical as part of the Fruitpickers (as Wests were known in those days) junior district.
Killer, Thirsty and the Mayor. The Dawn of the Juniors. The Heroes of 1975. The Birth of Parra Power. So Near, but yet So Far: The 1976 and 1977 Grand Finals. Still Bridesmaids
In 1978, as if to make up for missing THAT kick, Mick Cronin provided the club with the greatest point scoring season in history. He ended up scoring 282 points for the club, and in all of his 52 matches (including games for City, NSW and on the Kangaroo tour) ended up with a massive 547 points! That included a record 26 consecutive goals. The season ended in yet another replay, this time in the Minor Semi final against Manly, which ended up as a 13-all draw. The replay was a disaster. The Death of the Witch: Glory in 1981. Parramatta's Mighty Reign. The Post Gibson Era. A Golden Homecoming. >The Sweetest Victory.
Despite Parra's easy win in the Major Semi Final, Canterbury WERE defending premiers, and the memory of 1984 was still vivid in the minds of the Parramatta players. If not, they were reminded quickly when Peter Kelly dropped his knees into Ray Price, and Canterbury's strong arm tactics came to the fore. But referee Mick Stone would have none of it, and penalised them willingly. Cronin had 2 shots at goal from such penalties, but they both hit the uprights. Changing of the Guard.
During the Second World War, the Federal Government called upon the leading sporting bodies of the counry to play their role in boosting the spirits of the population. The New South Wales Rugby Football League heeded the call, and as the war weary troops dwindled home from the battlefront, 2 new sides were created.
Parramatta broke away from the parent Western Suburbs club, and played it's first game in 1947, against Eastern Suburbs. Success eluded them that year, and they won the wooden spoon. The following year they snared the prize signature of legendary former test 5/8 Vic Hey, who played his last seasons as captain-coach. Unfortunately, Hey's presence did little to stimulate success, and the club continued to languish at the bottom of the premiership for the next decade. The only other significant event in the club's first decade was the signing of hooker Billy Rayner from Yass in 1956. Rayner was to play 196 games for the club.
It took another 13 years after Vic Hey's signature for the club to lure another big name to Parramatta. In 1961 the signed rugged Test backrower Brian Hambly from Wagga Wagga, and Ron (Thirsty) Lynch from Forbes. Lynch proved to be a sensation in his debut year, making his Test debut at lock against New Zealand. The following year they made probably the most important signing yet, luring former Wallaby Ken Thornett from English club Leeds to play fullback. In 1962 they also employed a freshly retired Ken Kearney as coach. 'Killer' Kearney had put the St George club on the road to history, as captain and then captain-coach for their (then) 7 straight titles. He had returned home, having been born in Penrith, and a long serving player for Parramatta Rugby Union prior to St George. He brought with him Bobby Bugden, who had shared Kearney's days of glory with St George as halfback.
Parramatta made their semi final debut against Wests that year. They did it, however, without Thornett, who had returned to Leeds to fulfil contractual obligations there. Thornett's loss caused Parramatta' fortunes to fall, and they lost the Semi final narrowly, 6-0. The season was still a triumph, however. Parramatta had won the last 6 consecutive wooden spoons!
Ken Thornett returned the following year with his brother, Dick, who had also been a Wallaby, and also represented Australia at Water Polo. Dick Thornett, a gifted ball player, slotted into the pack neatly under Killer's guideance, and to this day the backrow of Thornett (the ball player), Lynch (the runner) and Hambly (the enforcer) is still the best the club ever had. At fullback Ken Thornett was winning favour with his brilliant attacking play and faultless defence. The combination began to entice large crowds to Cumberland Oval. Ken Thornett was particularly revered. His brilliance earned him the deserved nickname 'The mayor of Parramatta'
In 1963 the touring South African side was thrashed 39-18 by the Eels, who were on the road to their second finals appearence. This time were much better prepared. The minor semi final, against Balmain, produced one of the most freakinsh occurrences seen at the SCG. Trailing 7-4, with 16 minutes to go, Bugden took a shot at goal from near the touchline. The kick was a shocker, and hit the crossbar, but fell sharply down to the feet of a disbelieving Ron Lynch, who grabbed the ball and strolled over for a try. Bugden's coversion gave them the match, 9-7, in front of 40 000 fans. They were one game away from their first Grand Final.
Unfortunately, their opponents in the final were St George. The inevitable happened, although the 12-7 scoreline indicated that the Eels gave them plenty to worry about. A dislocated shoulder prevented Lynch from touring with the 1963 Kangaroos, but Hambly and the Thornett brothers went, and between them played 14 tests on tour. The Thornetts became the first brothers in 50 years to play together in a test in the first encounter against England, and backed it up for the second test. Here they set a record as the only brothers to each score a try in the same test during the Kangaroos 50-12 massacre. Ken went on to play all 6 tests at fullback, a considerable feat considering that he beat Graeme Langlands, Keith Barnes and Les Johns for the job! Another tourist, centre Barry Rushworth from Lithgow, came back to a contract with Parramatta for 1964.
The 1964 side had an excellent minor premiership, finishing 2nd behind St George. Again there was talk of a Grand final appearence, and with 7 internationals on the books, the league world was starting to sit up and take notice. Again, however, they were slated to meet St George in the major semi final, and the Dragons turned on the power. The final score of 42-0 effectively killed their spirit, and even though they still had another bite of the cherry (against Balmain) they could not recover, and went down 16-7. In 1965 Ken Thornett took over from Ken Kearney as coach. They again played strongly, and ran third, but were bundled out of the semi finals by a young South Sydney side 17-2. In four seasons they had only won 1 semi final, and it was to be a decade before they could win their second.
By the late 60's the area had grown to be a huge metropolis, and in 1967, gave birth to Penrith. That year Bob O'Reilly made his first grade debut, aged 18. The Bear was a huge man who posessed all the front rower's skills. He was a yards man, an enforcer, a brutal defender, but above all, had consumate ball skills. He became the first junior to play for Australia, making his debut against England in the 1970 World Cup, revelling in the brutal decider at Leeds. The following year, Keith Campbell, a rugged centre/lock, played his only Test in the match against New Zealand in Auckland, and scored a try. This effort eaned him the title of first junior to play in a Test match.
The second ex St George legend to coach Parra, Ian Walsh, won coach of the year by guiding then into the Semi Finals in 1971. Ken Thronett came out of retirement for the occasion, but they lost 19-8 to St George after extra time.
Despite the junior wealth, Parramatta collapsed to collect it's 11th Wooden Spoon in 1974 (then a record). It also had only ever won 1 semi final, and had earned the reputation as sleeping giants. In the off season of 1974, the sleeping giant prepared to awaken.
For the third time, the club looked to a St George legend for success, and Norm Provan became coach of a 1975 squad that included O'Reilly and Campbell, and recruits Ray Higgs (Roma), John Quayle and Jim Porter (Easts) and Dennis Pittard (Souths) as captain. Success was instant, and they won their first title, the Wills Pre Season, by beating Manly. They also made the final of the Amco cup, losing to Easts 12-7. At the end of the Minor Premiership, the Eels had scraped into equal 5th spot with Balmain and Wests. Permieship rules demanded that 5th place be decided by playoffs.
Balmain's name was the first to be drawn out of the hat, so on the Tuesday (only 3 days after their last match), they played Wests, and won 18-13. 2 days later, they faced Balmain, and remarkably, won 19-8. They had claimed 5th spot, having won 3 sudden death matches in 5 days. So when they fronted at the SCG on the following Sunday for the minor Semi final against last years grand finalists, Canterbury, no one really expected them to do much. However, for 80 minutes the side played on courage alone, and by fulltime the SCG scoreboard read Parramatta 6, Canterbury 5. They had played 4 sudden death matches in 8 days, and won the lot.
After a full week to recover, they played Manly, but lost 22-12. Provan, Pittard and Quayle retired, and O'Reilly joined Penrith. Nevertheless, their heroic deeds won thousands of fans over. The juniors were producing vast talent, and the Leagues club was amassing wealth, and good players were keen to come to Parramatta. In the off season, they bought a new coach, a lame 5/8, a young Union convert, changed their jersey, and planned their first real assault on the premiership.
The new coach was Terry Fearnley, and the 5/8 was John Peard, who hesitated because it was obvious thet his growing list of injuries was threatening his career. Fearnley told him that he would be valuable to the club in many other ways, and Peard, a member of Easts premiership sides and Australia's 1975 World Cup truimph, signed up. Fearnley encouraged him to practice a new attacking weapon, the bomb, and drilled his forwards to follow through quickly and ruthlessly, in the hope of pressuring the opposition fullback.
The Union recruit returned from his first Wallaby tour with a bung knee and long hair, and an intention to join the Eels. Observers thought he would take time to adjust to League, but in 1976, the knee caused no problems, and by the end of the season Ray Price had outscored all other forwards in the premiership. He was the main follower of the Peard Bomb, and scored plenty of tries from spectacular leaps above the opposition when the bombs reigned. With a ruthless forward pack, led by Ray Higgs, and a brilliant young backline featuring Geoff Gerard, Neville Glover and Mark Levy, Parramatta grabbed 2nd place in the minor premiership, and set crowd records at Cumberland. All of a sudden 20 000 people would squeeze into the dilapidated old ground for big games. The team responded to the fans, and in their fist semi final, belted St George 31-6. They made their first ever major semi final against Manly, and the 2 clubs engaged in a thriller. Late in the match, with Parra desperately clinging to an 18-17 lead, Peard put up a towering bomb over the Manly line. Winger Greame Atkins flew above the mellee, and grabbed the ball for the try. Peard's conversion cemented the game 23-17, and after 30 seasons, Parramatta was in their first Grand Final.
With a week off, the district went mad with excitement. On the Thursday night before the match, the City gave them a parade through Parramatta. An estimated 100 000 people lined Church St as the grim faced players took it all in.
By half time in the 1976 Grand Final the scores were locked at 7 all, and Terry Randall had broken Rothman's Medal winner Ray Higgs' jaw. Higgs refused to come off. Early in the second half, John Kolc and Denis Fitzgerald combined to put Gerard over in the corner. Higgs steeled his players for a final assault, as Peard missed the conversion. Leading 10-7, referee Gary Cook decided to award 3 scrum penalties to Manly close to Parra's line, and Graham Eadie was successful with all of them. Down 13-10, Ray Higgs' despite the pain from the smashed jaw, made a heroic 35 metre burst which lifted the team immensly. With 9 minutes to go, Glover failed to take a John Moran pass with the goal line wide open. The pass was not a good one. Recieving a penalty 5 metres from the Manly line, the pack formed a 'wedge', like a scrum in reverse. Ron Hilditch was at the front of the wedge, and took the tap. The wedge surged toward Graham Eadie, but in what must be described as an act of a Manly supporting God, the wedge crumbled, and Eadie tackled Hilditch on the goal line. A last attempt to go wide saw anither poor pass to Glover, who dropped it. Despite scoreing 2 tries to 1, scrum penalties killed any chance, and Parra lost 13-10.
As goal kicking had won the match for Manly, Fearnley decided to get the best goal kicker available. He found him in a pub in Gerringong, on the South Coast. Mick Cronin had already played for Australia, but had rejected many offers to come to Sydney so he could stay and work with the family business. Canterbury's Peter Moore had a handshake agreement that if Cronin WAS to come to Sydney, he would join the (then) Berries. Cronin rang Moore and asked his permission to break the agreement so he could join Parramatta, and in the biggest mistake that Bullfrog ever made, he said 'Yes'
1977 saw Parramatta consolidate as the best side in the competition. They won their first Minor Premiership, having lostb only 3 games. Cronin topped 200 points for the season, and won the Rothmans Medal. They also won the club championship, and made the Grand Final in all 3 grades. However by half time in the Grand Final, St George were up 9-0. Referee Cook had allowed the St George forwards latitude to 'bash' Parramatta out of the game, and caned the Eels 5-1 in penalties. Inthe 2nd half, however, some penalties came Parra's way, and Cronin's 3 goals got them back in the match. With 3 minutes to go, Cronin put Ray Price into a small gap close to the St George line. Price got his hands free and Ed Sulkowicz scored wide out. Cronin then calmly lined up the most important goal kick in the club's history, and missed. The fulltime score was Parramatta 9, St George 9. 10 minutes of extra time yielded no points, so a replay, the first ever, was set down for the following week.
In the dressing room after the match, the club doctors assessed the injuries. Ray Price had simply been bashed, and prop Graham Olling had many bite marks on his back. Ray Higgs asked premission from Fearnley for Parramatta to abandon their cleanskin attitude, and bash St George back. Feanley denied the request. The disagreement split the camp, but eventually the team sided with Fearnley. Higgs, as captain, had effectively lost the support from his players.
The 1977 Grand Final replay saw Ray Price take a merciless bashing from St George, and he was not protected by his forwards in the manner that Higgs has wanted. St George won 22-0, and Higgs left the club.
After leading 11-2, Ray Price got sent off by referee Greg Hartley (and was later exonerated). John Peard tapped the ball forward close to the Manly line, and scored, but Hartley dissallowed the try, claiming that foot did not touch the ball. Manly then scored the match winning try on a seventh tackle, and Parra had only been allowed 5 tackles on 3 occasions. The final penalty count read Manly 13 Parramatta 5, and the score Manly 17, Parramatta 11. Denis Fitzgerald (now club secretary) demanded a replay, but was turned down. Manly went on to win the premiership in heroic fashion, also having to play a grand final decider. The match, however, provided 2 bright notes for Parramatta. One was Cronin's record 282nd point, the other was the debut of Peter Sterling, at fullback. Cronin won the Rothmans Medal, and joined Price, Olling, Gerard, and Hilditch on the Kangaroo Tour. Ray Price was devastating against the Poms, and won the Harry Sunderland Medal as best player in the Ashes Tests.
1979 was a carbon copy of the previous year, except that Arthur Beetson was now an Eel, and so was young backrower Peter Wynn. Ray Price won the Rothman's Medal. Parramatta again made the Semi Finals, and belted Cronulla 24-4. Unfortunately they were beaten in the major Semi Final by the eventual premiers, St George (15-11) and then in the final by Canterbury (20-14). Terry Fearnley left the club and was replaced at coach by the now retired John Peard for 1980. Bob O'Reilly came back to spend his twilight years at home, and with Beetson, provided an immence wealth of knowledge for the younger up and coming Eels, Steve Ella, Eric Grothe, Brett Kenny, John Muggleton and Sterling. In the final round they needed to beat St George at Cumberland, but despite a brilliant second half effort by Beetson, playing in his last game, they failed, and missed the semis for the first time since 1974.
Jack Gibson agreed to coach Parramatta, provided he had full control of the team. Denis Fitzgerald gave it to him. Gibson's first move was to request that Fitzgerald signed Peter Sterling for life! Many players left the Eels during that off season, but Big Jack was not worried, looking to the juniors to replace them. Where he couldn't find replacements there, he went shopping. He only bought 2 players, the ageing Kevin 'Stumpy' Stevens from Easts, and continuing the trend to seek the winning formula from St George, he signed hooker Steven Edge, and gave him the captaincy. At the beginning of the year, radio caller Peter Peters bet that if Parramatta won the comp with O'Reilly and Stevens, he would walk from Wollongong to Palm Beach in thongs!
The young Eels settled comfortably under Gibson's rule. Peter Sterling was in his second full year of 1st grade, and Steve Ella was chosen as his 5/8, with Brett Kenny partnering Cronin in the centres. After the first few rounds, Ella and Kenny swapped positions. During the season talk began to grow about a 40 000 seat stadium being built on the old cumberland Oval site. The last game played there was a thriller, and a 22 all draw with Manly. Parra finished second, and won the Club Championship for the record 7th time in a row. They beat Newtown 10-8, and then tied the Major Semi final 8-8 with Easts. In extra time, Cronin landed 2 brilliant goals and they were in their third Grand Final.
Parramatta had made the Grand final in all 3 grades, but it seemed asthough Grand final luck was again deserting them, as Souths won Third Grade 18-5, and Wests won reserves 19-2. As first grade started, Price and Tom Raudonikis belted each other after a tackle, setting the scene for a gripping match. Newtown had come out firing, and their forwards were very enthusiastic, and not giving Parra an inch. The Jets scored the first try, but Parra replied when Sterling sent Price on a long run from a scrum. Price then put Kenny in the corner for 3-3 with a kick to come.
The wind that day was virtually gale force. The gaps in the grandstands at the SGC meant that Cronins kick, it was estimated, would have to pass through 3 different wind currents. As he lined up the kick from the sideline, Rex Mossop told the TV audience that he would lay odds of 100-1that Cronin would miss. Nevertheless, the ball sailed sweetly in a towering kick, straight over the black dot. Parra was up 5-3. Newtown replied when Phil Gould set up a neat try for centre Brian Hetherington, but Jets kicker Paul Morris was having an off day with the boot. The Crow wasn't, though, and a penalty had the Eels up 7-5 at half time.
Jack Gibson didn't enter the dressing room, such was his confidence. Quietly they recharged the batteries, and returned to the field. Soon after, Newtown won a scrum 5 metres out from the Parramatta line, and Tom Raudonikis, like a kid with a bag of lollies, raced past Sterling for a try next to the posts. his time Morris converted, and the Jets settled down to defend their 11-7 lead.
The try knocked the wind out of Parra's sails for a while, and Newtown sensed this. The Jets forwards lifted, as Ray Price went down with a bad ankle, and the rest of the pack struggled to gain supremecy. The Eel pack was tiring.
The club's only fresh reserve, Steve Sharp, was sent on, as was young tackling machine Paul Taylor. Price came off. With Newtown clinging grimly to the lead, big Bob O'Reilly decided to seize his moment of glory. Sensing this, young Sterling decided to shadow the Bear as he made repeated charges into the Newtown pack, offloading neatly timed passes to him. With just 15 minutes remaining, and the 57 000 strong crowd completely tense, an O'Reilly burst allowed Sterling and Sharp to find a sliver of room for Graeme Atkins to dive over in the corner. With Parra trailing 11-10, the crowd looked to Cronin, with the memory of 1977 vivid in the backs of their minds.
Mick Cronin responded again with one of the great goals of his career. The ball never looked like missing, and Parra was in front, 12-11.
The slim advantage was enough to spur the Eels on, and they gradually ground down Newtown. With 5 minutes left, Sterling sent Kenny through a slim gap out wide, and Steve Ella raced 20 metres to score the try that sent the SCG into a blue and gold frenzy. Again, Cronin's towering kick from the sideline and across a gale force wind was straight over the black dot.
The last minute of the 1981 Grand Final is one to savour. As the vast majority crowd of 57 000 went mad. On the sideline, Denis Fitzgerald brandished a magnum of champagne, 1947 vintage. Near him, Ray Price simply sat and absorbed the atmosphere. Midfield, Bob O'Reilly began embracing his teammates (whilst play was still happening!), and it was as though the only Eels paying attention was Brett Kenny. Close to the Parramatta line, he fielded a Newtown grubber kick, and took off. His dummy fooled everyone, including the crowd, and he raced 70 metres downfield to score, leaving a shattered Newtown and a still celebrating Parramatta down at the other end of the ground. He placed the ball down on the stroke of fulltime, and in the euphoria that followed, no one seemed to notice Cronin's conversion. He missed.
In typical Cronin fashion, he simply jogged back to halfway as the fulltime siren signalled the end of the game, head bowed, as if ignoring the fuss. It was Steve Edge who started the now common trend among victors, by leading the team straight over to the Hill to applaud the fans. Then Edge was give the Giltinen Shield, and the lap of honour began.
Parramatta had defeated Newtown 20-11, and won their first Premiership. The event sparked remarkable scenes at the leagues club. When the team bus arrived back at the club, 100 000 peole were their to greet them. The bus was unable to get the players too the door, and the JJ Giltinan Shield was carried by the players, who, because of the mass of humanity before them, could not touch the ground! Next door, the condemned old Cumberland Oval was being demolished by fans. The scoreboard was set alight (with people still on it). The old seats around the oval were ripped up. The fences were pushed down, the fittings removed from the dressing rooms, the walls smashed. Water sprayed out from broken pipes, and whatever could be found was either looted, stolen or destroyed. Amidst these scenes, some people simply sat quietly in the grandstand and reflected upon the moment.
Inside the leagues club, Jack Gibson uttered only 6 words to the crowd: 'Ding Dong the Witch is dead'.
The destruction of Cumberland Oval was supposed to allow immediate commencement of the new staduim. Instead, a legal wrangle broke out between the pro stadium lobby, and the 'Friends of Paramatta Park', who claimed that the size of the stadium would impinge upon the asthetics of the park. While the dispute dragged on, the Eels trained at Granville Park, and played at Belmore Sports Ground. Nevertheless,1982 was all Parramatta.
Bob O'Reilly retired mid year, courtesy of a broken ankle, but they had signed Geoff Bugden. Parramatta had their best season to date, and won the minor premiership, 8 points clear of 2nd placed Manly. The received a jolt when Manly beat them in the Major Semi Final 20-0, but returned to thrash Easts 33-0 in the final.
In the Grand final, the defending premiers were stunned when Manly half Phil Blake scored from a bomb after 2 minutes. From that point on Manly may as well have gone home. As the forwards under Edge and Price took control over manly's huge pack, the backs of Sterling, Kenny, Cronin, Ella, Grothe, Hunt and Taylor were cementing their spot in history. Ella, Grothe, Kenny and Hunt had all scored by halftime, and Parra went for 'oranges' leading 16-3. Les Boyd scored for Manly shortly after half time, but Kenny scored his second in the 62nd minute. The obligatory towering Cronin conversion gave them a 21-8 victory.
Celebrations in the club grew bigger that night when the Kangaroo squad was announced. Sterling, Kenny, Ella, Grothe and Muggleton were to wear the Green and Gold fo the first time. Ray Price was off for his second tour, and Mick Cronin was chosen for his third. The Crow declined, however, deciding that spending the off season helping out at the family hotel was more important. That tour establised sterling and Kenny as Test halves, pushing aside Wally Lewis and Steve Mortimer. With Ray Price, they formed an impeccable scrum base trio that blitzed all opposition. Out wide, Eric Grothe was unstoppable, and the Eel contingent was instrumental in making the squad the first ever to return undefeated.
Their first 3 games in 1983 served notice that the Eels were going to take no prisoners. They beat Newtown 54-14, Canberra 46-16 and Penrith 46-8. With Jack Gibson resting a jaded Brett Kenny late in the season, the Eels started the semi finals with a 30-22 win over Canterbury, whos spirit in the game was shattered when Eric Grothe, from a tap, pushed off 5 tacklers to score under the posts in an almighty powerful try, before Manly got them 19-10 in the Major Semi. In the final, they again beat Canterbury 18-4.
In the grand final, Parra opened their account when Brett Kenny sent David Liddiard downfied on a sideline run. Liddiard was tackled, and the ball was half passed, half lost in the tackle. Nevertheless the brilliant hands of Kenny were there, and he scored try No. 1. Soon after, Sterling sparked a blind side move that ended up with Cronin sending a rampaging Grothe toward the line. It is a testimony to the power of Grothe, that he skittled Manly's giant fullback, Graham Eadie, to score. A Cronin conversion, and later a penalty goal saw their third straight title secure at half time , with a 12-0 lead. Not only the backline, but Peter Wynn's all round contribution, and Price's defence, were excellent.
Two minutes into the second half, and a Paul Mares bomb was allowed to bounce in the Manly ingoal, and the ever present Kenny swooped to claim his second try in each of 3 consecutive Grand Finals. As usual, Cronin converted. At 18-0, Parramatta simply enjoyed the rest of the day, and Manly could only post a try soon after. The last half hour of the match saw no extra scoring. Fulltime, and Parramatta had defeated Manly, 18-6. It was the first time since 1966 that a side had claimed 3 straight titles, and it hasn't been done since.
Jack Gibson left the club 1 week after the Grand Final, and was succeeded by Reserve Grade coach John Monie. Maybe Jack's departure was a matter of good timing, because Monie was faced with starting the 1994 campaign with only half of his first grade squad. Steve Edge was suffering from a detatched retina and punctured iris. Mick Cronin was sidelined with a knee injury and missed the first 3 months of the season. And Sterling, Kenny, Grothe, Taylor, Hunt and Muggleton were in England, cashing in on big money available from English clubs.
Canterbury had won the Minor Premiership, having built their reputation on tight, brutal defence. They sat and watched as Parramatta beat St George 22-16, and then beat them 16-8. Parra had to face St George in the Final, and St George played with brilliance, and after leading 7-4with 3 minutes to go, looked on in dismay as Eric Grothe crashed over for an 8-7 win, and a fourth straight Grand Final. despite the scare, Parramatta's camp was very confident about the premiership.
The Grand Final a dour affair, and a problem for Parra surfaced when Steve Ella left the field after 7 minutes. Sterlo set up a try for Cronin 2 minutes short of half time. Cronin's miss was omenous. 2 minutes inbto the second half, with Ray Price down, Canterbury hooker Mark Bugden scored a try next to the posts. Terry Lamb converted for 6-4, the final scoreline. Cronin recieved a penalty late in the game, but it sailed wide of the posts. The golden run had ended.
Finishing fourth in the 1985 Minor Premiership, they had the homour of participating in Penrith's first ever Semi Final appearence. To celebrate, Parramatta belted them 38-6, with Grothe trampling all over a hapless Greg Alexander for one of the Eels tries. Next week, the flogged Balmain 32-4, and they were becoming favorites to be the first side to win a comp from fourth place. Unfortunately, they were diabolical in the Final against Canterbury, losing 26-0
Parramatta's first match for 1996 was to be held at the brand new Parramatta Stadium. Unfortunately, Mark Laurie accidently poked Mick Cronin in the eye during a trial, and the Crow was virtually ruled out for the season! Nevertheless, they won the Pre Season competition, and began preparations for what was to be their best season ever.
Parramatta Stadium was opened on 6th March 1986. 27 000 people crammed into the ground, and the 4 greats of Parramatta were honoured, along with other noteable sports persons from the district (eg Richie Beneud). Patrons enjoyed the comforts of the Ray Price Lounge and the Bob O'Reilly Lounge, but the big honours went to Ken Thornett, and Michael Cronin, who had the western and eastern stands named after them. With a pre match honouring of the heroes of Parramatta (sporting and otherwise), a giant banner was unfurled in the middle of the arena. It read, in Blue and Gold, 'Welcome Home'. Their opponents were St George, minor premiers and (bar 1 Andrew Farrar field goal) premiers in all 3 grades the previous year. Parra's solution was a 36-6 belting. The eels went on to win the Minor Premiership, and in the Major Semi Final, belted Canterbury 28-6
Cronin's year was one of frustration, however. Coach Monie decided to give him time to test his vision, and Mick Cronin made his reserve grade debut in round 16. In that match, he broke his ribs, and was out of action until the Major Semi final. That game became the first full first grade game that he played in a year. If that wasn't all, on the morning of the Grand Final, he headed up the F6 for the last time, and got stuck behind a 6 car pileup! He pulled his car off the road, walked to the crash site, and politely asked a policeman if there was any way he could get to Sydney in a hurry. The policeman freaked when he saw Cronin standing there, and oranised a police car to get him to the SCG. He arrived half an hour before kick off!
In the 17th minute, Peter Sterling put a beautiful chip over the Canterbury defence close to their line. In a brilliant feat, Brett Kenny dived over the Canterbuty pack, grabbed the ball, and scored. Stone ruled that he hadn't grounded the ball. Nevertheless, the Eels soldiered on, with the pack playing like demons. Price was in his element, with ruthless defence the order of the day. The 'Bookends', props Geoff Bugden and Terry Leadbeater were not far behind. Parramatta were making Canterbury look lethargic, and Cronin's third attempt at goal, a majestic kick from a difficult angle, took his total Parramatta points tally to 1999. At half time the Eels lead 2-0.
Parramatta continued in the same vein in the second half, but a Terry Lamb penalty made it 2 all. Canterbury captain Steve Mortimer made his troops realise that, despite their poor preformance, that they could yet win the game. The Bulldogs responded, and an increasingly battered Ray Price simply dug in, and tackled himself to the point of exhaustion. The Parramatta pack, on seeing their champion captain do this, decided to do the same. When David Boyle flattened Price, the Eels resolve to out defend Canterbury stiffened even further, and grimly they trned and witnessed another legend, Cronin, post a magnificent goal. It was his 2001st point, his last, and his most important. With 20 minutes to go Parra dug in to defend their slender 4-2 lead.
The goal also stiffened Canterbury's resolve. 5 minutes later, Bulldog fullback Phil Sigsworth tackled Kenny high, and was sent off. With Parramatta tiring, Mortimer urged his troops on, and Canterbury set up camp in the Parramatta half. With 5 minutes left, winger Andrew Farrar tried to sneak past his opposite, Eric Grothe, and score a try in the corner. When Farrar's progress was finally halted, over the sideline, no less tha 6 Parramatta defenders peeled themselves up from the ruck. Most of them were forwards. Shortly after, Bugden was sin binned for tacking a player without the ball. Terry Lamb missed with the long range attempt at goal, but still canterbury came back. Steve Mortimer instigated one last despersate raid with only a few seconds on the clock, and the raid ended 5 metres out. With massive overlaps, and Mortimer screaming for the ball, Mark Bugden tried to burrow his way over from dummy half. He was tackled 10cm short of the line, and before he could play the ball, the fulltime siren sounded. Forlornly, Bugden looked up at his defender, and it was none other that Ray Price. Like Cronin's last kick, Prices last tackle was a try saver. Nevertheless, he couldnt smile, or even pump his fist in the air in triumph. He was exhausted.
Parramatta had won, 4-2. An emotional Price called on a beaming Cronin to accept the Winfield Cup with him. Peter Sterling had won the inaugural Clive Churchill Medal. As they did the lap of honour, the realisation had dawned that the 2 legends, Ray Price and Mick Cronin, had played their final game. The naming of the Kangaroo team was an anti climax. Only Sterling and Kenny were selected, with Ella an Grothe injured. It was the lowest ever representation of a premier club on a Kangaroo Tour.
Peter Sterling became captain in 1987. Despite winning the Rothmans Medal, his tenure was difficult. Parramatta missed the semi finals, and were also missing the driving force of Price and Cronin. The Salary Cap was being introduced, and the club regrettably, had to jettison Geoff Bugden and Paul Taylor. By the 1989 Grand Final, Steve Ela, Eric Grothe, Peter Wynn and Paul Mares had all retired through injury. John Monie was relpaced by Cronin as coach, but the club had lost it's impetis. The salary cap prevented the club from buying quality players, and only had a now ageing Sterling, Brett Kenny and Mark Laurie to bring the juniors on.
In 1990, Sterling again claimed the Rothmans Medal, but the following year was ruined by a shoulder injury. After a reconstruction he returned in 1992, but a crunching tackle by Wests prop David Gillespie damaged it again, and the little halfback, the greatest ever, walked off the stadium for the last time.
Brett Kenny assumed the captain's role. His speed was leaving him, and he spent his last few seasons at lock. The last link to a golden era ended in the final round of 1993, against Balmain. Kenny, in probably his first act of sheer stupidity, king hit giant Martin Masella, right in front of referee Graham Annesly. Annesly didn't have the heart to send him off, and Bert was able to do a farewell lap of honour after the season closing win. He had played in 265 first grade games for Parramatta, more than anyone else. He also holds the club record for the most number of tries, with 110.
Unable to recruit decent players, Parramatta languished near the bottom for most of the decade. It wasn't until 1995, and the Super League War, that Parramatta were able to spend beyond the salary cap. Their target was disgruntled players, forced to leave their clubs, who had gone to Super League. Some players had sought legal intervention to remain with the establishment, and at the end of the phase had signed Dean Pay, Jason Smith, Jim Dymock and Jarrod McCracken (from Canterbury), Aaron Raper and Adam Ritson (Cronulla), and New Zealand captain Gary Freeman, from Penrith. Coach Ron Hilditch struggled to mould the side, and in an unsavoury action by the club toward one of their great servants, was replaced by Brian Smith for the 1997 season. Former Illawarra Origin halfback John Simon replaced Freeman in 1997 as well.
Smith came to the club after the teething year, and his influence was immediate. Parramatta won the last Seven's tournament, and after a shaky start, settled down to win 12 straight games, equalling the club record, and getting to the semi finals for the frst time since 1986. Unfortunately, they were bundled out of the semi finals early, by Norths, and then Newcastle. Last year was a similar fare, but semi final success was better. The forwards performed magnificently in the defeat of Norths, and followed it u[p with a 15-10 win over Brisbane. After a week off, the shot to a 18-2 lead over Canterbury in the grand Final Qualifier, but lost the match in controvercial circumstances, going down 30-18.
Better times lay ahead for Parramatta, as current Test regulars Dean Pay and Jason Smith lead a team of the next generation of legends: Kelly, Cayless, Vella, Shifcofske and Burt. And mighty presence of the Eels Army is still around, too. The NRL acknowledged this when it awarded Parramatta's first home game of 1999 top billing for the double header: the first use of the magnificent Stadium Australia. The result: a world record crowd of 104500 turned up. Long Live the Eels!