Sixties kicked off this unique celebration of Team List Tuesday by assembling the list of the greatest Eels to never win a title prior to the breakthrough campaign in 1981. He has since tasked me a similar responsibility to compile my assortment of players who best fit the question – who are the greatest Eels to never win a premiership post 1986?

Below is my jumbled, garbled mess of an attempt that features some eye-brow raising picks and plenty of shockers in the honourable mentions column. Keep in mind though that I added a couple of house rules for this process. The team can not contain any of the following:

• Any current Eel in 2020
• Any player who won a NRL premiership elsewhere, before or after their time at Parramatta
• Any player who is better remembered for their time at another club

That adds a surprising degree of difficulty to the task. No Andrew Ryan, Jason Taylor, Willie Tonga, Jamie Lyon, Jason Moodie, Timana Tahu, Dean Pay, Jim Dymock, Jason Smith, Jarrod McCracken, Jason Cayless, Brett Hodgson or Pat Richards among others. So let’s see how I fared!

 

1. Jarryd Hayne (Honourable Mention – Luke Burt)

While a disturbing shadow potentially lingers over Hayne’s legacy, there is no doubt that he was one of the most talented players to ever don the blue & gold. A 2-time Dally M champion and representative superstar for NSW, Australia and Fiji over the years, Hayne’s transcendental combination of athleticism and skill were arguably peerless in the modern era.

Naturally, Hayne’s most well-known footy feats centre around the incredible run that the Eels made in 2009 – the greatest fairy tale that never was – as Parramatta put together an unprecedented string of performances to claim the unlikeliest grand final berth in the history of the code before finally falling victim to the Melbourne Storm. While the Eels are not exempt from extremely serious salary cap breaches circa 2013-2016, history would reveal that Parramatta were beaten by a team that was cheating the system – robbing the Eels of a breakthrough title and harming the long-term legacy of modern greats like Hayne and Nathan Hindmarsh.

 

2. Semi Radradra (Honourable Mention – Matt Petersen)

Semi Radradra’s body of work from 2013-2017 had him on a trajectory to be considered the greatest winger of all time. I do not say that lightly but his ability to turn a game on its head from the wing caused a lot of people to re-evaluate just how impactful the position can be in the modern game. In Jarryd Hayne and Semi Radradra the Parramatta Eels had two of the most talented players the game have ever seen. Sadly, Radradra’s departure from the code in 2018 means that he will likely be remembered more commonly as a cult figure rather than the all-time talent he was. Still, Radradra is the owner of one of the most prolific strike rates in the game’s history – scoring 82 tries in the 94 games he played for the Eels. One of the easiest selections in this team.

 

3. Krisnan Inu (GK) – (Honourable Mention – Michael Buettner)

Another mercurial talent to make the team, Inu’s career trajectory is one of the most frustrating among the 17 players here. Having lost a grand final a piece for the Eels, Warriors and Bulldogs, the Smiling Assassin has felt heart-break at the big dance more than just about any player in the modern era. While he was frustratingly inconsistent, Inu’s brilliance at its peak rivalled that of Hayne and he scored some simply jaw-dropping tries – the grubber kick against the Bulldogs where he went out of play and somehow became a legal option in time to touch the ball down comes immediately to mind. With Luke Burt narrowly missing out on selection, Inu assumes the goal-kicking duties for this team and with a career record of 130/170 (76.47%) he is actually a respectable option.

 

4. Ben Smith (Honourable Mention – David Woods)

Ah, The Penguin. While I was tasked with assembling the best roster post-1986 to never win the premiership, I am also on track for the all-time nicknames roster! With the likes of Jamie Lyon, Willie Tonga and Timana Tahu all ruled ineligible for winning a title elsewhere and earning a greater claim to fame at another club, competition for centre spots in this line-up arrived at an interesting junction.

After giving Krisnan Inu the nod to the first spot, Smith edges out players like Joel Reddy, Daniel Wagon, David Woods and Michael Buettner. The caveat here of course is that this is Ben Smith before a string of knee injuries slowed him down, back when he was a devastating attacking option in the back-line and wasn’t a huge liability due to degenerating lateral agility.

Smith would eventually be a serviceable backrower for the Eels in the backend of his career but he was a blockbusting weapon for them circa 2005-07 and that earns him the nod here.

 

5. Eric Grothe Junior (Honourable Mention – Luke Burt)

Now we arrive at what I feel is my first controversial selection as the son of the Parramatta legend dubbed The Guru claims the final spot in the back line over Luke Burt. Like Hayne and Inu, Junior brings concerns about consistency to the table but at his best he was a dominant force on the flanks and the idea of pairing Grothe with Radradra was too tantalising to say no to.

As it were, Junior was very nearly ruled ineligible to make this team given he was at the Sydney Roosters in 2002 (and 2003) but he only played the 1 game in the ’02 premiership winning team and it wasn’t the grand final. Thus, the 2005 Dally M Winger Of The Year pips Luke Burt, oh, and he was one of the elite few to plant an Irish kiss on Justin Hodges so he has that going for him as well.

 

6. Corey Norman (Honourable Mention – Jason Bell)

Oh Corey, my sweet prince..if only things could have been different between us. Now at the Dragons and sporting the peroxide look (turns out he was simply ahead of the curve here) he has the honour of being the only active NRL player to make this team, something that I am positively certain he is absolutely thrilled about. Prior to the rise and rise of Mitchell Moses along with the ascent of budding superstar Dylan Brown, I had Norman pegged as Parramatta’s best performing halves prospect in the post Sterling/Kenning era. Some might argue that is a low bar given the quality of the competition but it is worth pointing out that Corey did a lot of good for us in his five years at the club.

Norman, for all his own worts on the field, was shackled with ‘power-house’ play-makers Chris Sandow and Luke Kelly for his first two seasons at the Eels. Then just as it looked like he had found his perfect offsider in 2016 in Kieran Foran it all fell apart in a particularly painful flash for fans and players alike. He enjoyed one great year with Mitchell Moses in 2017 before both players run into compatibility issues the following season with each man looking to be the dominant option.

Ultimately the Eels chose Moses over Norman in a move that is looking better and better with the benefit of hindsight but I sincerely hope Corey’s efforts for the club don’t go unappreciated as the years wind on.

 

7. Tim Smith (Honourable Mention – Jeff Robson)

Oh god, I am just collection these uber-talented but inconsistent players like Pokemon at this point. Still, Tim Smith deserves special mention because he is one of the greatest ‘What-Ifs?’ in the history of rugby league. His rookie campaign in 2005 still stands as one of the greatest individual seasons for any play-maker (FORTY, read it, FORTY try assists) and while he had the very textbook definition of a second-year slump, his resurgent 2007 reminded everyone of his immense talents before mental-health issues and personal demons led him into a self-destructive spiral and flaming out of the NRL.

Smith’s dazzling talents as a passer and kicker were nearly unrivalled – even to the present year – and he played with the kind of flair that is rarely seen these days. Adam Reynolds would be his best contemporary comparison in terms of skill set, only he was Reynolds with the on-field flamboyance dialled up to 11.

 

8. Nathan Cayless (C) (Honourable Mention – Danny Wicks)

Finally, a nice, safe selection! After racking up mercurial talent after mercurial talent, we finally arrive at a stalwart pick in Nathan Cayless. One of the Eels’ most loyal servants in the modern era across his 259 game career, Cayless captained the blue & gold to their two heartbreaking grand-final losses in 2001 and 2009.

While his brother Jason would taste premiership success at the Roosters, Nathan had the distinction of leading his county, New Zealand, to a breakthrough Rugby League World Cup victory in 2008. One of a handful of auto-inclusions in this list, Cayless is unfortunately a player whose legacy won’t age well historically due to the lack of grand-final success but he was an absolute workhorse for the Eels.

 

9. Mark Riddell (Honourable Mention – Brad Drew)

This was one of the more surprisingly competitive slots when I went about constructing this line-up. Brad Drew was a dynamic running threat out of dummy-half in the early 2000s while Kingston and De Gois were under-appreciated rocks in the middle in more recent times. Ultimately, I gave the nod to ‘Piggy’ Riddell, even if I have some reservations about his ability to play 80-minutes.

Riddell’s legacy is tied in equal parts to the Dragons (92 games) and the Eels (86 games) but the Prince of Pork was a huge part of Parramatta’s resurgence in the mid-2000s. A shockingly damaging runner of the ball with the ability to cover lock, ‘Piggy’ quickly earned cult hero status – and it didn’t hurt that he was probably the greatest exponent of the post-try celebration in the history of the game.

 

10. Fui Fui Moi Moi (Honourable Mention – Justin Morgan)

“I’m going home. I play 10 minutes, I train 10 minutes” Probably not the best way to endear yourself to a coach at any level of the game and indeed, Fui Fui Moi Moi’s stint at South Sydney under Paul Langmack never saw him come close to reaching the heights he was capable of. The Rabbitohs’ loss was Parramatta’s gain however as the wrecking ball bookend embarked on a storied 11-year career with the Eels from 2004-14 with the ‘Fuiiiiiii’ chant that bounced off the walls of Parramatta Stadium becoming a staple of the game-day experience for every fan.

While the likes of Jason Taumalolo and David Fifita are rightfully earning plaudits for their insane athleticism, Moi Moi remains to this day one of the most explosive prop forwards the game has ever seen. Jarryd Hayne forever will be the face of the legendary 2009 run but Fui was every bit as important in their charge to the grand final and his form over the 2009-10 seasons cemented him as the best prop in the world during that stretch. Never forget the incredible try he scored against the Melbourne Storm in the ’09 decider – it is as good an individual effort as you will ever see.

 

11. Nathan Hindmarsh (Honourable Mention – Ian Hindmarsh)

Ever the butt of the same tired joke on Fox Sports, Nathan Hindmarsh is the most public victim of the 2001 bottle job and the 2009 robbery. Equally tragic perhaps is that most fans remember him more for the workhorse role he slipped into in the second half of his career, instead of the dynamic edge weapon that he was for years before arthritis in his feet and gaping holes in the Parramatta roster forced him into the defensive specialist role.

One of the last few one-club champion’s, Nathan’s retirement in 2012 set a record club for appearances for the Eels at 330…a record that will likely never be broken as clubs and players equally become more ruthless in the pursuit of contracts best tailored to their own interests.

Did you know that only one forward has won the Dally M Medal in the NRL era? Jason Taumalolo of course being the sole player to earn that distinction when he split the award with Cooper Cronk in 2016. However, Nathan Hindmarsh very nearly kicked down that door a full decade earlier in 2006 when his 30pts tallied fell short of Cameron Smith’s 34pts. That is how good Hindmarsh was in his prime. Never let anyone forget it.

 

12. Manu Ma’u (Honourable Mention – David Solomona)

There are players that will run into a brick wall for a coach. Naturally coaches love these types. Then there are players that will run through the brick wall, pick up a scattered brick and bite a chunk out of it. Manu Ma’u falls into the latter category and it was little wonder that Brad Arthur was such a huge fan of the ‘Tongan Terminator’.

Sixties and myself have both written about it before but Manu’s story is a celebration of our great game, it captures the essence of why we all turn out every week through thick and thin to cheer for the 17 blokes that pull on the blue & gold – even when there are so many idiots in the code. Manu’s redemptive arc from jailed street criminal in Auckland to international mainstay is a powerful lesson in the value of a second chance to the right man or woman.

Ma’u was a mainstay on the edges for the Eels throughout his 6-year career while he also showed the ability to work at lock in his final season in 2019. One of the most fearless, relentless and whole-hearted players I have ever seen regardless of team or code, Manu Ma’u demanded selection here.

 

13. Glenn Morrison (Honourable Mention – Daniel Wagon)

Technically I am cheating a little on this one seeing as Morrison spent considerably more time at the Cowboys (94 games) than the Eels (45 games) but the rough and tumble lock forward starred in the two years he spent at Parramatta before departing to the English Super League.

One of my favourite Eels in that golden run to the minor premiership in 2005 (let us not speak about the Preliminary Final), Morrison played with a hard edge in his game that would work well alongside Manu Ma’u. He also had a surprisingly good nose for the try-line, scoring 15 tries in 45 games at Parramatta. While he wasn’t an auto-include like some of the club legends on this list, he is a personal favourite.

 

14. Dean Widders (Honourable Mention – PJ Marsh)

Wow. What a difficult choice when it comes to the bench utility. There is absolutely an argument that PJ Marsh would be the better pick to spell Riddell at dummy-half – and I am a big fan of the dynamic rake – but it was impossible to go past Dean Widders when all was said and done.

One of the most exciting bench players in the modern game, Widders simply had a knack for being in the right place at the right time on the footy field and one of the most nuanced abilities to sell dummies and steps that you will ever see.

Dean has used his platform as player to springboard into important community work for the indigenous population in Australia, holding ambassadorial roles with the NRL, Federal Government and the Men of League among other organisations.

 

15. Feleti Mateo (Honourable Mention – Kenny Edwards)

Excuse me, just another spot for a player that I have a soft spot for (two if you count the honourable mention!). If Tim Smith is the biggest ‘What-If?’ on this list, Feleti Mateo gives him a red-hot run before settling for second place. One of the most talented ball-playing forwards that the game has ever seen, Mateo unfortunately was never able to fully unlock his potential in the NRL. Even so, what we did get to see was still incredibly exciting and it isn’t unfair to suggest that only Sonny Bill Williams was a more proficient offloader of the ball in the NRL era.

I was more than a little surprised to see that Feleti had played 6 more games for the Warriors (95 games) than the Eels (89 games) but he will always be an Eel in my eyes…even if you have to wash the stink of that 2015-16 stint at Manly off him.

 

16. Tim Mannah (Honourable Mention – Adam Ritson)

While his last season with Parramatta ended on a bizarre sour note amidst a scuppered mid-season switch to the Wests Tigers, Tim Mannah remains a fantastic servant of the club through his 233 game career. Originally billed for big things, Mannah made a bright debut as a bench forward in the 2009 run before earning call ups to Origin for NSW in the 2010 and 2011 seasons. I distinctly recall a tremendous battle he had with Matt Scott around that period at Parramatta Stadium which had me convinced that Mannah had arrived as an elite prop forward.

Alas, he wasn’t able to maintain those heady heights but he did carve out a niche as a very solid role-player (not the Dungeons & Dragons type obviously!) for the Eels. Mannah has been the subject of many an online argument throughout his tenure at Parramatta but he is worthy of a spot on the bench here.

 

17. Michael Vella (Honourable Mention – Dallas Weston)

One of the mainstays for the Eels through their record breaking 2001 tilt, Vella was a dominant force through his early years earning Dally M Rookie of the Year honours alongside call ups to NSW and Australia. Not only did Vella sport of the best-worst mustaches the game has ever seen, a mantle now inherited by Reagan Campbell-Gillard, but the mad man kicked cancer’s arse in 2005 when he overcame Thyroid cancer.

Vella would wind up his career for Parramatta in 2006 before joining Hull in the ESL but he remains one of the club’s best prop forwards to this day.

 

So how does this team shape up? What changes would you make, keeping in mind the restrictions I imposed on the selection process? Feel free to flame any and all of my selections but be sure to offer your own team so I can give as good as I get! I hope everyone is keeping well in these trying times and I look forward to reading all your teams.

 

Credit to the NRL, AAP and Getty Images for all images used