The dust has only just settled on the Eels victory over the Bulldogs, but my focus has already turned to the incredibly unfair draw facing the Eels over the next month.
It’s difficult to believe that such a bias exists, but believe me it does.
How’s this for a disadvantage.
Every team, except for the Eels, receives at least one bye before this year’s Origin games.
That’s right. The Parramatta club does not get a single weekend off prior to any of the Origin matches. The Eels byes are scheduled after Origin games. This means that the Eels are playing in every club round before each Origin fixture, and therefore the club will participate in three matches without any of their Origin players.
How is it that this only applies to Parra?
Even the Warriors get a bye!
Here’s a run down of the teams and the number of byes they receive before Origin matches:
(NB, Following the naming of Game 2 Origin teams, the number of players each team will supply for that game is now added in brackets)
Broncos 2 byes – Game 2, Game 3 (4 players)
Bulldogs 1 bye – Game 1 (1 player)
Cowboys 1 bye – Game 3 (5 players)
Dolphins 1 bye – Game 2 (1 player)
Dragons 1 bye – Game 2 (1 player)
Knights 1 bye – Game 3 (1 player)
Panthers 2 byes – Game 1, Game 3 (5 players)
Rabbitohs 1 bye – Game 2 (3 players)
Raiders 1 bye – Game 2 (1 player)
Roosters 2 byes – Game 1, Game 3 (2 players)
Sea Eagles 1 bye – Game 3 (2 players)
Sharks 1 bye – Game 1 (0 players)
Storm 2 byes – Game 1, Game 3 (3 players)
Tigers 1 bye – Game 1 (1 player)
Titans 2 byes – Game 1, Game 2 (4 players)
Warriors 1 bye – Game 2 (0 players)
Eels 0 byes (2 players)
Obviously there are clubs with high representation across the Origin fixtures. You’d expect them to possibly get two matches. In fact, five clubs benefit from this consideration. It could be argued that the Cowboys (5 reps) should have received an extra bye during this period. Their player loss is more than double that of the Roosters (2 reps).
Prior to the season starting, the Eels could have expected up to three players to be a reasonable chance of playing Rep footy – Paulo, Campbell-Gillard and Lane. Even with just two reps the Eels provide more players to Origin than eight other clubs, and the same number as two others.
Injury robbed Lane and RCG of pushing their claims, but the draw was done long before any injury struck.
Junior
So if consideration was given to clubs who are likely to be heavily represented, to the point where they receive two byes, how is it that the NRL don’t notice that one club receives no consideration at all?
It’s a fair question.
As I write this, there is no clarity about how many Eels will be selected for Origin 2, but it will fall somewhere between one and four. (Now confirmed as two and included in the listings above).
Mitch
So let me spell this out again, no let me shout it out.
THERE ARE SIXTEEN CLUBS WHO WILL RECEIVE THE BENEFIT OF AN ORIGIN BYE – THE EELS ARE THE ONLY CLUB THAT WILL NOT GET A BYE.
This is not a quirk of the draw, it is a completely unjust if not biased scenario.
Even more infuriating is that it hasn’t received any coverage in the media.
It’s just not good enough!
Eels forever!
Sixties
Didn’t know this but not surprising – the NRL has seemed to have rheamed us in every other aspect of the draw. Souths had the same tough start to the season we did, however, we got the golden cherry of playing three of those teams straight off a week’s rest.
I read and agreed with the point about our club not being politically connected enough to gain any concession in the Brown saga – what is it with the current game administration and passive-aggressiveness to our club?
With the slew of byes this year I reckon the lack of an Eels bye in the weekends before Origin games has slid through to the keeper. It needs to be in the spotlight.
If will be now that you have highlighted it…… Those news journos will pick it up…. Even if they hate us…… As they hate the NRL more
The fact that the game has the audacity to employ people to work in an integrity department is mind blowing. The biggest problem in our game is the people running it. They only care about what 9 and Fox want, the lopsided draw year in and year out proves that and of course if they need to throw a player or club under the bus in order to stop a certain radio shock jock from criticizing them and their leadership then so be it.
Same goes for the draw- tv viewership suffers the week prior to origin the way to fix that is to have the Eels on. The only reason we are not on Thursday or Friday is because it would be a 3-4 day turn around. The fact that almost every journalist is on the bankroll for Fox and or 9 means no one will mention it as we know the lengths those organisations go to protect their own. They simply pretend that it has not happened.
The facts are this, the Roosters, Broncos, Rabbits or Melbourne do not get this type of draw nor would Dylan have been stood down if he played for them. I gave up expecting any semblance of integrity from the NRL leadership a while ago.
Remember Nelson getting an NRL suspension that included 3 test games and therefore no actual Storm games for his vicious brawl and arrest in Bali captured on video and shown on national and international tv coverage or May being allowed to defer his punishment after being found guilty of assault or Hargreaves being able to serve his NRL ban in pointless World Cup games against minnows.
The NRL needs to get rid of the Integrity Unit they fool no one and even worse they no longer even try to look like they are being fair and balanced.
There are some major imbalances Shelley, that is for certain.
agree Shelley I’m totally over the nrl. I have followed the eels for many years. and it appears that the gap between the favored teams is growing each year. inconsistencies are getting worse the draw can never be fair when you do not play each team twice. Players on same charges treated differently. referees inconsistent in their calls. bunker inconsistent. the nrl pandering to the press and the high profile clubs. This breeds the contempt that is growing each round from the clubs that are continually affected by this. The nrl needs a major overhaul that makes the competition fair and balanced
This bye scenario is the latest in a raft of mistakes or uneven playing fields. It’s almost getting to the farcical stage, such is the incompetence. Fortunately Parra had the match wrapped up yesterday when Sivo’s try was disallowed. All I could do was laugh. I wouldn’t have been laughing had it cost us the game.
I think they were drawing names from hats when ‘the luck of the draw’ was coined. Or will an NRL official tell us they just didn’t notice this after carefully looking after everyone’s interests. Who is it that actually designs and approves the draw and what is the process? Was it recognised that only one club didn’t get an Origin breather?
I’m genuinely dumbfounded that it is that way BDon. To be the only club to be treated this way is disgraceful.
I think that the unfairness ingrained in NRL in general is the biggest turn-off. Not just the biased draw you mention. But also the grey area of third party payments. Also the arbitrary nature of the no-fault stand down policy, where clearly, there is no consistency. Also the arbitrary nature of rule enforcement – whether it be on-field or in the bunker. It seems like the NRL care most about – optics/TV broadcast money/kotowing to powerful clubs such as the Roosters. We all know how unfair the NRL is and we all put up with it because we love the game. It is our team that gives us views into the wonders of the game – a case in point, tonight’s win. The NRL sure know how to kill the goose that laid the golden egg. Sure they want to make a buck, but it’s our game, not theirs
It’s time to draw some type of line in the sand. There can be no scenario where they say that this is ok
@Shelley,
The draw was not accidental. Graham Annesley, admitted that it was allocated deliberately!!
I have been complaining about the NRL all over Facebook, under as many articles as possible all season!!
What can we do about this blatant bias against our Team?
I’m seriously considering walking away from the game I love because I am no longer enjoying watching it. Today’s game was good, but even it had some questionable moments in the officiating!
I agree that if Dylan didn’t play for the Eels, he wouldn’t have been stood down! I also agree that the NRL is not even trying to cover or hide their blatant bias against our club and our Team!!!
Anon, this draw situation is surely the most extreme example now, because it’s there in black and white.
It would appear that the NRL has gone to the races, a dog has run off with its original draw, a shock jock is exercising undue influence over its integrity unit, and the work experience guy has been given the keys to the bunker. Applications are now open for the next lot of reprobates to put their foot through the door.
It’s insane Achilles
I didn’t realise that. It is totally unfair. Perhaps the NRL didn’t realise it 😂😂😂 but as a long time Parra fan I’ve grown used to the double standards when it comes to Parra.
I reckon that this has taken things to a new level.
This is like at the beginning of the season playing top teams after their bye. Not mentioned in the media because it’s not a negative bashing story and that’s all the media are interested in with the eels
Dave, I was unhappy about that aspect of the draw but put it down as an unfortunate anomaly- this is Origin bye situation is crazy!
It’s not just the byes before origin, it’s the entire draw that has been handed to parramatta. The fact we played 3 teams coming off a bye in a row. The ridiculous decision to schedule the Darwin game early in the season (should be June or July). Combine this with the origin byes, it’s not far fetched to say our draw is ‘unfair’. The one positive – and why I love the club – there has been no complaining. We just get on with it. We’re in a good position to make a run now. Just need the next man up mentality to get us through this origin period.
I agree about how our club gets on with the job West Coast, but I’m not sure that even they realised this had happened with the draw of the byes.
Whilst I agree with all the sentiments….. We are the only team with a week off before the finals…. This may be of benefit……. should we make it.
10 year, that is an advantage, just as playing teams coming off a bye was a disadvantage earlier. I don’t think that the NRL would dare suggest that there was some sort of trade off around that. And it is outrageous to be the only team to have to play all three rounds without any origin players, even if it’s only one or two.