Back in December 2015, The Cumberland Throw commenced its coverage of all things Parramatta Eels,
Behind the scenes it had been a “noses to the grindstone” endeavour to ensure that the content was available from Day One, and so we launched with a bank of articles and a feature interview with the legendary Peter Wynn.
Fast forward to today, and we are now preparing for our tenth season covering our beloved Eels.
Right now, we are hitting significant website milestones.
For the second season in succession, and they have hardly been golden years for the Eels, The Cumberland Throw has surpassed 800K site visits. This number does not include all of our podcast numbers as many of our listeners are subscribed to the various hosting platforms.
The other big achievement is that the total number of site visits will hit the five million mark in either late January or early February. What an amazing number that is, and it’s something that we are both proud of, and little bit in awe about.
You see, that sort of number is indicative of the loyalty of our community. It’s not five million different visitors, rather, there are thousands of fellow Eels supporters who choose to visit The Cumberland Throw, every week, or in many cases, every day.
So, to our community of fellow Eels fanatics out there, thank you for sticking with us. You understand as deeply as we do that it’s often a rocky road as a Parra supporter. To that point, it’s probably reaching the stage where half of the club’s fan base has never experienced a premiership.
As Eels supporters, we’re all probably wired a bit differently. Like all footy fans, we want our team to win premierships. And similar to all footy fans, we stick by our team.
But Blue and Gold loyalty is next level. You don’t have half a million people (Roy Morgan Research, October 2024) identify as Parra fans, in a crowded market and after a season when the team barely avoids the dreaded wooden spoon, if there isn’t something remarkable about the fan base.
As a point of comparison, even after winning the last four titles and garnering the influx of bandwagon supporters that always accompanies success, the Panthers sit well over one hundred thousand people below the Eels in their total number of supporters (377K).
The significance of that Panthers number is that it has more than doubled since 2020, indicating the impact of Premiership success on supporter numbers. Hello!!! Our Eels have not won a title since 1986, and have played in just three deciders since then. Winning a premiership could deliver even more phenomenal levels of support.
As I said, Eels supporters are wired differently and it’s all about loyalty. It’s a quality that our club should always respect. And that’s why we are in awe of hitting that five million visits land mark.
It’s another example of Eels loyalty, and it’s why The Cumberland Throw has stayed strong to our core principles of covering all levels of Parra footy, from juniors, through lower grades to NRLW and NRL.
It’s also why we insist on respect on TCT. Criticism and debate are welcomed. Personal abuse has never been tolerated.
We’ve also avoided taking the path of clickbait headlines or “scoops”.
Our ‘exclusives” are based on producing quality original content, not copy and paste jobs.
And it’s not always easy.
I know I’m preaching to the converted when I acknowledge that finding “balance” in coverage is challenging when the emotion and passion of supporting kick in, especially after bad losses. From my own perspective, the 2018 and 2024 seasons tested every fibre of my Eels support.
So thank you to our readers, our listeners, our TCT community. Your loyalty inspires us.
And to those who choose to add opinions to our posts, please know that we appreciate the time you take to reply. Not only do your replies add to the content, there are also many instances where your takes inspire different perspectives. We don’t always agree, and that’s a healthy thing.
By way of reflecting on our history, I thought I’d include my personal top ten moments since the launch of TCT, and then what I consider to be the biggest Eels news stories for each year of our coverage.
The highs and the lows are there including the grand final qualification and the salary cap drama.
Here we go.
My Top Five Moments
1 The Eels Qualify For The 2022 NRL Grand Final
Forty and I were privileged to be “on duty” in Parra Leagues as we hosted the club’s preliminary final coverage between the Eels and the Cowboys.
Prior to the game, we interviewed Tim Mannah for the preview component of the event. Steve Ella was scheduled to be our post game guest. The Zip Zip Man remained confident when it seemed like the Eels were down and out. He assured me that they’d get the job done.
The legend was right, but the delirious chaos that ensued at full time made our event plans impossible.
What a match it was – the proverbial nail biter. Shaun Lane played the game of his life. Parra came from behind to take the lead, then held on against the odds in the tropics.
Elation on the field was matched back in PARRAdise
A casual observer might have documented the scenes inside the club far better than I could as a participant. The sound of the room must have been something to behold.
People yelled themselves hoarse. Tears flowed. Hugs, high fives and handshakes followed. I’m fairly certain there was dancing but I don’t remember any music. We waited for what seemed like an eternity to start our post game show, then realised it was pure folly to try.
Hours later, outside the club, the celebrations were in full swing. A crowd was in party mode in the car park. O’Connell Street was awash with blue and gold as supporters on the footpath responded to flag bearing cars sounding their horns as they drove past the club.
It was a night not to be forgotten.
2 BankWest/CommBank Stadium Opens In 2019
I don’t think I’ve ever attended a regular season game in my life that could match the atmosphere of this stadium opening clash with the Tigers.
A round 6 match, both teams entered the encounter with a three win, two loss record. The Tigers were coming off a victory over the Broncos, whilst the Eels were last up 19 to nil losers to the Raiders.
Moses scores the opening try at BankWest/CommBank Stadium
Nobody expected what unfolded, certainly not from the team that had finished with the 2018 wooden spoon. The 51-6 shellacking of Wests might not have been predicted, but once the Eels got on a roll, the 29K crowd ensured that the momentum was maintained in atmosphere that was probably only rivalled in Origin fixtures.
The first try by Mitch Moses could not have been scripted any better as he sprinted for that long distance try in the corner, riding the wave of the crowd’s roar.
I’ve been to many highly charged games across a span of nearly sixty years. Few will equal that day.
3 Manu Ma’u Wins 2016 Ken Thornett Medal
The year was 2016. It was a tough season to be an Eels fan, with the salary cap points penalty stripping the Eels of their first finals appearance since 2009.
Manu would not have expected to receive the award. His words on stage were brief but left guests in no doubt about his inspiration.
I decided to wait till Manu had finished with the throng of well-wishers before I offered my congratulations. When he had that first opportunity at his table on his own, he sat there looking at the medal. A photo in that moment would have best captured his emotion, certainly much better than I’m unsuccessfully trying to describe.
Manu Ma’u with the Ken Thornett Medal
Was he thinking about his journey? That of being an incarcerated youth in New Zealand, finding redemption in his life, and then winning the top award at an NRL club, an award earned through the votes of his peers?
When the time was right, I walked to his table to congratulate him. I received a hug and Manu then asked if I wanted to see the medal.
There was no doubting what it meant to him.
4 The Eels Demolish Broncos in 2019 Finals Match
In round 24 of the season, the Broncos had defeated the Eels 17-16 at Suncorp Stadium. Now, just two weeks later, the Eels had the home ground advantage for the qualifying final.
Much like that stadium opening clash with the Tigers, nobody would have foreseen the football carnage that eventuated.
What a night!
The 58 to nil record setting scoreline could have been worse. Parra crossed for eleven tries, including doubles to Mitch Moses, and rookies Dylan Brown and Maika Sivo, but Moses missed five attempts at goal.
On the other hand, Manu Ma’u celebrated his home ground farewell with the first and only goal of his career.
5 Eels Robbed In Melbourne
This one makes my list because of the fury I felt towards the NRL before, during and after the game, and how proud I was of the fight in the team during the 80 minutes.
After the Eels should have qualified for the 2016 finals series were it not for the salary cap breach, expectations were low in many quarters for the 2017 season. After all, the club had lost key players such as Junior Paulo, Nathan Peats and Kieran Foran during and after the 2016 season.
But our mighty Eels exceeded all expectations to finish the season in the top four, which meant travelling to Melbourne to face the minor premiers.
The Eels had players missing through injury, including fullback Clint Gutherson. Melbourne were full of Origin stars.
Along with thousands of other Eels fans, I flew to Melbourne for this match. We turned the pub near the ground Blue and Gold earlier in the day.
Storm players offside in that final Eels play, in plain view!
Unfortunately for Parra, the match was a milestone game for Cameron Smith. I have no interest in researching what number it was as everything about that day was, in my opinion, diabolical.
Pregame, it was all about Smith and the Storm. Yes, the match was at AAMI Park, but it was an NRL staged finals clash, not a Storm home game. There were tributes and special guests galore and you’d have been forgiven for thinking that only one team was present.
During the game, virtually every key decision fell the Storm’s way, from the opening try off a forward pass – the ball travelled forward into an Eels defender before deflecting, through to an offside loss of possession before another Storm try, then a 9 to 5 penalty count against the Eels, and finally the match officials completely ignoring nearly every Melbourne player being offside from the Eels final attacking play in front of the Storm posts.
With everything against them, the Eels pushed the Storm to the final minute.
Our Eels deserved better.
The Big News of Each Season
2016 – Eels Salary Cap Breach/Max Donnelly Appointed PLC Administrator/Bernie Gurr Eels CEO
2017 – Eels Qualify For First Finals Series Since 2009
2018 – Hayne Returns But It’s The Season From Hell Which Leads To The Dreaded Spoon
2019 – BankWest/CommBank Stadium Opens
2020 – Covid Strikes/Michael Jennings Tests Positive
2021 – Eels “De-Kleined” in Finals Series vs Panthers
2022- Grand Final Appearances For NRLW & NRL
2023 – Dylan Brown Suspension
2024 – Brad Arthur Terminated, Jason Ryles Appointed, Clint Gutherson & RCG granted releases.
What will be the big headline in our tenth season covering the Eels in 2025?
Off the field it will definitely be the opening of the Kellyville Centre Of Excellence.
On the field will it be the Eels NRL and NRLW teams returning to finals football?
Dare we dream any bigger?
One thing I can guarantee is that TCT will be there to cover juniors, elite pathways, lower grades, NRLW and NRL. If it’s Blue and Gold, you can read or hear about it right here.
Welcome to the tenth season of The Cumberland Throw and thanks for being part of our community.
Eels Forever
Sixties
Congratulations on 10 Years..A fantastic achievement, and, in my opinion, the best fan WEBSITE on http://www….
Look forward to every article. I admire the passion you all display and your love of the Club.
Being a Parramatta supporter provides heartache and pain, on occasions. But, we wouldn’t have it any other way.
I’ve really appreciated your input over the years Parra Pete. You were the voice of Parra fans before technology came along. Hope you’re well mate
Thank you for those kind comments. I don’t get around much any more – that’s what comes with getting old.
BUT I love my Eels, and I love watching the Albury Thunder in Group 9 after living the previous 50 years in Hay (moved to Albury in 2017) and being involved as a player, administrator, sponsor and correspondent for Hay Magpies.
Rugby league is in your blood Pete!
Well done TCT. I was lucky to be at the opening of our new stadium. It was a fair commitment since I live 800 kms away but so glad I did. The atmosphere was surreal and probably the best live sport I have attended.
The experience of watching the Melbourne GF was the antithesis, however. I don’t think I have ever been prouder of our team. To still be in the game at the end was real guts. The officiating was up there with the worst I have ever seen.
As a supporter from afar I always look forward to reading about all things Parra on this site and am very great full for the quality of your work. Thanks
Sec, thank you for your regular quality contributions to the discussions here. They are much appreciated. I’ll never forget the noise in the opening game at the stadium when Moses was running for that first try.
I thought one highlight would have been when Burnie Gurr came to the club to get us over a low point. He certainly made a difference.
2025 will be a year when the Eels return setting the scene for 2026. They are a top eight team and should have been for 2024 had it not been for crucial early injuries and suspensions.
The die hard eels fan regardless of where they sit never gives up and always hopes for the best. Any other team comes from the another planet while the Broncos and the Storm were birthed on the planet Uranus.
Thank you Mr Sixties the preseason reports fill a hole as we await for the real thing. Get ready for a big year. Finally, who can ever forget that semi final against the Broncos 58 to Zero. It set the scene for them when they picked up the wooden spoon the following year.
Hey Zero, I knew you’d appreciate that Broncos annihilation. As for the top 5 highlights, I tried to keep them to footy moments, but couldn’t omit Manu Ma’u getting the Ken Thornett Medal. As for Bernie, he was instrumental in turning the club around. My original plan with this post was to go into details with each of the headlines. The salary cap headline was meant to include the appointment of Max Donnelly and Bernie Gurr. soon realised that I’d be writing a 5000 word post and nobody has the time to plough through that! So it stayed as just the headlines. I’ve now amended the 2016 headline to include Max and Bernie.
You are a Champ Mr Sixties that is why your site is so successful. We sure missed Manu and his no back down defence. I still remember he wanted to take Klemmer outside for a discussion and he would have dusted up him nicely.
Cheers Zero.
Congratulations on 10 years. And thank you for the great service to our club and fan base. The eels mean a lot to a lot of people. Either we gee up somewhere close by supporting them and never forget, or for some fans who have an unexplainable attachment to the eels club and never lost support for them. I know every team is special to their supporters. But In my view if you are a parramatta supporter, you are amongst the most loyal of football fans. Our supporter base is absolutely huge. There’s something about the eels, and the giant fan base suggests this to be true “rubs my blue & gold glasses.” One thing I’ll point out, us almost getting the spoon. Or us “fighting in the spoon bowl” was also a major headline in the NRL world. Whilst ba’s sacking was sad for us even if we deep down knew our club needed some type of changes. I felt Fighting off a dreaded wooden spoon was the the worst part of 2024. It made huge headlines. Eels were laughing stock of both media pundits & NRL social media comment sections alike. I just hope our team uses 2024 as a massive motivation for 2025. If ANY click can go from a near wooden spoon, to the finals next season. It’s DEFINITELY the parra eels! The wild uncertainty, wild unpredictability, the insanity of it all. Is why us parra fans keep coming back for more. Sixties I was at the 09’ grand final. It was devastating. But was still extremely proud of our boys. That and us making the 22’ gf would have to be moments as a eels fan you can never forget. Thanks again for the hard work you put in for us all.
Sorry for any spelling mistakes. On the road. 🙏 happy new years guys.
Cheers Muz. You’ve certainly become a significant contributor to discussions and debates on TCT so thank you for your involvement and support. As for 2023, I understand your point about Spoon Bowl. It was embarrassing to be sitting at the point of potentially receiving the spoon. That said, as far a headlines are concerned, it was hard to go past BA’s termination, or that lengthy process leading to the appoinrptment of Ryles. The media attention around both was massive.
Congratulations on entering a milestone year and, in advance, for chalking up a what must be a landmark number of site visits. These achievements show the faith Eels fans place in the insights, accuracy and fairness of TCT. It is essential reading for any Parra supporter. Well done. Best wishes for 2025 – for TCT and the club
Thanks for the reply and your kind words David. They are much appreciated. Yes, here’s to being able to report on a massive 2025 for our Eels.
Congratulations on the upcoming 10th year tct. I only stumbled on to it a couple of years ago. The thing with me about being a true long time supporter is loyalty it’s a a good trait to have I think
Tanky, that it is. I reckon loyalty defines Eels supporters. I know it defines the TCT community. Thank you for your support and contributions too.
Good read sixties, great concept, great execution, 10 years coming up,well done.
“De-Kleined 2021’ … refs will make errors, it’s part of the game but sometimes it’s so poor. This one cost us dearly and besides a couple of really bad calls, the referees didn’t know the rules for trainers entering the field and stopping play. A trainer illegally came onto the field when we looked like nailing the Panthers in the dying minutes, their defensive line on their own line looked shot, all we had to do was pass and catch to the left and a Grand Final beckoned. The NRL’s $25k fine was wet lettuce, the Panthers were laughing.
Too true BDon, too true! Really stuck with me that one.
It stuck with us all Namrebo
BDon, firstly thank you for your kind words and also your regular quality contributions. We all accept refereeing errors, but that night saw every match official get big calls wrong. The Luai pull back on Mitch Moses as he looked to support a critical line break was deserving of a sin bin. Yet nobody on the field or in the bunker saw it. It stank bad man. Bad!
Tks Sixties, I know you couldn’t list all things memorable but I still shake my head over Jayden Campbell bearing no accountability for bad injuries to Sean Russell. Campbell isn’t a dirty player but that one defies any excuse you might want to make for him. The NRL basically said ‘he didn’t mean it, no intent “ when careless, reckless and dangerous were all present in spades but ignored.
Don’t start me BDon. You know how fired up I was about that.
BDon that game still haunts me and more. It peeves me every time I hear and or see it.
It’s been a hell of a ride Sixties. The commitment from you and the TCT team is something to behold.
It’s always a great read and the volume of content is enormous.
Here’s to another 10 years, you’ll need a lot more than moral support to get there though. I hope the supporters (Web site visitors) and the club give you the support you deserve.
Thanks Trouser. You and I are heading towards 30 years of sitting together at the footy. Now that’s a ride. Well it certainly was in your Eels mobile mate.
Thanks for always being there for me, and for TCT.
Well done to the TCT team – 10 years is a big achievement. Great content – interesting articles – and a forum for open and fair discussion – will always attract readership .
Hard to argue with your top 5 – maybe i would have swapped the Storm one with the GF qualifier vs the Panthers when we had some tough calls go against us. But hard to argue with the others.
Looking forward to more Eels wins than losses, and many more years of The Cumberland Throw
Go Parra !!
Cheers Greg. Early in our existence you came on board as our sponsor with Starr Partners, and you changed the game for us. You said you wanted to help us and insisted on getting nothing in return. Your support immediately meant that we could upgrade the site access so that it wouldn’t crash after every match when supporters would log on for our post match grades. People might not be aware of the costs that go into running a supporter site, but you not only took those costs out of our pocket, you helped us to grow.
Thank you being the most loyal supporter we could have hoped for Greg. And of course, go the mighty Eels.
Congratulations TCT and thanks for all the hard work. It’s hard to pick favourite stuff from all the fantastic content, whether it be pre game preview or grade satire, to the post match instant reactions and everything in between. You guys do a wonderful job and make being a Parra supporter that much more special (or sometimes just tolerable!)
Cheers Mick, for both those kind words and for your contributions to site discussions. I like that last comment – “or more tolerable”. It’s sometimes like that!
Congrats on 10 years, wow how time flies!
Keep up the great work and I’m looking forward to another 10 years and beyond. Congratulations TCT, I’m excited about what 2025 will bring. Happy new year 🎉
Thanks Adam M. You are always there with such positivity about our content and its very much appreciated. Yes, time has flown. Geez I hope we can be reporting on a title once or twice in the next ten years.
Yeah well done to all concerned here TCT; it’s been one hell of a rise tbh and there’s more to come.
For me, I recall a message advising me of the site that was coming and it was great to see the initial stages and what was to come.
Well done 👍 to all and it’s always enjoyable to read and be able to comment.
Thank you
Cheers Milo. You and I have had many discussions about our Eels over the years. Thank you for those and for your contributions to post discussions. It has been a big journey from the concept, which you heard about as it was happening, to this our tenth year. I really appreciate your support all along the way.
It’s always a site for fair debate and comment.
Can’t fault your top five – and the Melb semi hurts still! As does the poor officiating
You’d have seen more Rumours than many…..
We get a few heading our way mate. Most are funny.
Congratulations to the team at TCT, compulsory reading and listening for the Blue and Gold Army. The 10 years has flown and in many ways wa highlighted by the opening of CommBank, what a day , the roar when Moses took the pass off Gutho and sprinted to the touch line was something else .
My daughter came over today, and like most Eels fans she said as she got to her car, when is the cricket and stuff going to end I’ve had enough already, we need our Eels fix, when’s the first game .
Could do nothing but agree and said , it’s not that far away and smiled.
Cheers B & G, and thanks for your support and contributions over the entirety of our existence. It’s much appreciated. The footy season will be here very soon. I’ll need for a break from the training reports!
10 years, wow, congratulations to Craig and the team.
TCT is truely a gift to all Parra supporters and I also know other fans who enjoy the podcast.
I listen to many podcasts, mainly true crime but I get most excited when I see a TCT episode drop.
Your love and loyalty for the club shines through all your episodes and articles.
As John Gibbs says “there aren’t enough superlatives”
The time and effort needed to consistently deliver quality content is not lost on me. Thank you.
The contributors here are fantastic too.
Happy new year to all!
Thanks for that Joseph. I’m glad that you found TCT. We truly appreciate your regular contributions to discussions. Happy new year to you and your family.
The only disappointing thing about this site is that I didn’t find it sooner! I have really enjoyed reading and listening to the formal content and follow on comments over the last few seasons. Often funny, often thought provoking and always discussion starting at the dinner table in our household.
Thanks for all the hard work and I look forward to many more years of reading and listening about how successful the mighty Eels are.
Thanks Namrebo. We’re certainly glad you did find TCT because you’ve been a big contributor to discussions since then. Keep spreading the word about us! 😁
10 years well done TCT! And thanks. With you We’ve been riding the highs and lows of the blue and gold.
All we want is; (COMPs!) competetive, consistent, and a defensive powerhouse club that is a regular finalist winner. I hope now we have entered that period.
Cheers Pete. Thanks for all of your takes on the various topics covered on TCT – it’s much appreciated. Here’s to future success for our mighty Eels.
Hello Sixties, thank you for a fantastic site and well done to you lot. TCT is noticeable for wealth of info, and a welcoming attitude. You should be applauded. Your insistence on fair play and your disapproval of personal insults and the like means you set a high standard and I personally really enjoy the civility of it all. I wouldn’t allow my young kids onto some other forums where over-the-top insults come thick and fast. Your site is a testament to the idea that we could be passionate and get wildly emotional but still stay civilised. Well done. It must be insane hard work, doing all this….tge reports, the reviews, the interviews…
Cheers NS. I really appreciate that acknowledgement about standards. They are important to us and we never stray from them – well maybe the odd expletive in moments of frustration but we are human after all. It probably costs us some clicks when we don’t go for extreme reactions or click bait headlines and attacks, but we’re comfortable staying with our standards.
Thank you also for your contributions to discussions. I look forward to reading them well into the future.
Happy new year by the way Sixties!
Happy New Year to you and your family NS.
Kudos on your 10-year anniversary! While we may not always see eye to eye, 40/20, 60’s, and Clint have been integral parts of my weekly routine for a decade. Well done, gentlemen!
Cheers Avenger. Not seeing eye to eye is footy’s spice of life. Thanks for making us part of your routine.