Here we go again Manly and Parra….

Those of us who were around in the early 80s would have loved reliving that great old Tooheys commercial that was screened again on Fox League during the week. Any Eels supporters too young to remember, or even born since, might have difficulty fathoming how high profile the Eels of that era were. Perhaps it should be a message to potential sponsors nowadays, because the marketing gurus back then certainly realised the reach of a successful Parramatta team.

If you haven’t seen the adverts, you can view the second in the series here

So back to that Sea Eagles and Eels rivalry.

Both clubs entered the premiership in the same year, 1947. However, the paths of the two clubs could not have been any more different.

Whilst Parramatta’s early years featured a succession of wooden spoons, and no finals appearances until 1962, Manly would reach their first grand final in 1951 and have yet to finish at the bottom of the Premiership table. The Sea Eagles have totalled eight titles, double that of the Eels, and have lifted the trophy in every decade since the 1970s. In contrast, Parra’s four premierships were achieved across six seasons in the 1980s, with nothing to show since 1986.

Yet, the two clubs have one of league’s greatest rivalries. Why? Apart from entering the competition together, the two clubs seem to symbolise the polar opposites of rugby league.

In the early years, it was the wealthy northern beaches club against the battlers from the west. Manly seemed to build their early titles from plundering the talent of clubs like South Sydney and later Western Suburbs. They became the club that everyone loved to hate.

In contrast, Parramatta’s successful era featured some of the greatest one club or junior players. It was almost destiny that Manly would be the club to deny the Eels under controversial circumstances in the 1976 decider, and would again be the rival receiving the better end of the calls in the clashes between the clubs during the infamous 1978 finals series. (Seven tackles anyone?)

So by the time the 1982 and 1983 seasons rolled around, the rivalry between the clubs had peaked to such an extent that it would be immortalised in that series of Tooheys advertisements.

Fast forward to today.

The wealth of the two clubs has undoubtedly been reversed. The Eels have a financial benefactor in the form of a highly successful leagues club, whereas the Sea Eagles have required privatisation to stay afloat. Whilst Manly’s commercial issues haven’t hindered their successes, they are no longer the true Silvertails of the premiership.

Back to the business at hand.

For this Round 1 Stat Attack, I’m going to look at recent history and the last 10 matches between these two great rivals.

In the last 10 matches the Eels hold a slender 6 to 4 lead but who are we kidding – a lead is a lead ,especially over this mob.

The Eels two recent visits to Brookvale Oval, or should I say Lottoland, have served them well with two wins and no doubt the boys will be amped in continuing this trend on Sunday.

Points wise over these last 10 outings, Parra’s 203 trails Manly’s  231. Averaged out, this gives Manly the lead 23 – 20.

Overall, there’s been 136 matches between the clubs, with Manly holding a 82 to 50 winning record. At Brookvale, they’ve played 64 times with Manly holding a decisive 42 – 21 winning record.

Many ‘experts’ are tipping Manly to have a much-improved year. With only one quality signing in Blake Green, it’s hard to see them as a major player in this year’s premiership. Manly have lost an astonishing 820 games of experience with the retirements of Jamie Lyon, Brett Stewart and Steve Matai. This is something that cannot be replaced with a quick stop solution. They will be sorely missed.

As for Parramatta, they have signed quality. Although the names are not high profile, they are  intelligent signings. Matagi, Brown and Frank Pritchard bring size, mobility and ball playing to the Eels forward pack and Josh Hoffman brings speed, experience and is a noted try scorer.

Yet many ‘experts’ have the Eels as bottom of the 8 or missing the 8 completely. Their rationale points to the pairing of Gutherson and Norman in the halves. Norman Is rightly acknowledged for his talent, but they see Gutherson as a potential problem. However, as we saw at the end of last year and through Sixties’ summer training reports, there is no doubt Gutherson can hold his own.

With wet weather predicted and a heavy track, this could be a closer game than people would think but I can see our forwards dominating and running riot over their Manly counterparts and our backs to feed of this momentum.

I will be there Sunday. Hope you will too. We need to be the best supporters in the NRL and show that the Blue and Gold Army do travel and support our team. We cannot underestimate the boost that this gives to our team.

We have an important role in making Parra great.

When we support our team in numbers, it reminds marketers and sponsors of Parramatta’s market reach that was so readily recognised back in those TV commercials.

HERE WE GO AGAIN…..

Colmac

Champion Data
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