First of all, Happy Easter to all of those that celebrate.
As we enter the upcoming Easter long weekend, what better time than now to appropriate the Ten Commandments into a “helpful” guide/series of directives for how Rugby League fans should behave.
Now, before I start, a quick disclaimer. These are my personal views only, and meant for fun. How anyone chooses to express themselves as a rugby league fan is up to them.
Whether you change teams every year, or whether you only tune in during finals time, the game is glad to have you.
Just know though, that if you do those things, I will be judging you every step of the way.
The First Commandment: There Is Only One Team For You
That’s right, you heard me. If you are someone who has changed your allegiance from one club to another, you have blasphemed. (This does not apply to converts to the Eels faith)
There’s nothing worse than a turncoat fan who jumps teams when the going gets tough. Beside those wonderful Eels converts, the only exceptions I would allow would be if your club merges with another team (you can then support the merged entity), or alternatively if your club goes defunct (I’ll give you a pass if you don’t want to exclusively follow NSW Cup
The Second Commandment: Support Your Team At The Ground Whenever Possible
I’m a little less firm on this rule than the first one. There can be many reasons why people don’t attend the games. Maybe you live overseas, interstate, or don’t have the financial means to attend what is becoming an increasingly expensive pastime. All of that is understandable.
Just know this though, your team can hear you cheering when you are at the ground, they can’t hear you cheering through your TV screen. One of the few levers that we as fans have to influence the results of our team, is to get to the ground and cheer for them as loudly as possible.
CommBank Stadium – the place to be
The Third Commandment: Wear Your Team Colours With Pride
The reasons for this are many. Firstly, buying merch is a way of increasing your clubs revenue stream. Secondly, seeing someone else wearing the same team colours as you is a way of creating an immediate bond with another human being. Thirdly, it’s undeniably stylish and will turn heads in all the right ways.
The Fourth Commandment: Keep It In The Family
I can never understand people who raise their kids to support a different team than their own (unless you’ve married someone who is a more passionate fan of another club than you are). The argument I’ve often heard is that ‘I don’t want to subject my children to what I’ve had to endure’.
Nah – that’s rubbish!
The ties of supporting the same club is one of the greatest ways we have to connect generations. If you simply measure the value of being a rugby league fan in wins and losses then maybe the game isn’t for you.
Chris and Sam Ricketts with Ryley Smith
Whether you win or lose, it’s the time we spend together, the discussions we have, the shared ‘ecstasy of victory and the agony of defeat’ that counts. There’s something beautiful in being able to share all of that with other generations. Plus, the day might just come (in 40 plus years) when you get to watch your team win the grand final and you can bask in that moment together.
The Fifth Commandment: Wear Your Heart On Your Sleeve
It’s ok to be passionate. Sometimes we can be jaded, cynical and even increasingly dispassionate about the game. Particularly when you’re looking for a way of insulating yourself against against the pain of following a losing team.
On the flip side, being someone who lives and dies by the club’s results on the weekends is totally acceptable! It’s this passion that makes the fans of our game the best in the world. Just make sure that you’re being respectful to others while doing it.
The “crying Eel” with Reed Mahoney after the 2022 Grand Final qualifier
The Sixth Commandment: Be Constructive With Your Feedback
I’ve never been someone who’s subscribed to the idea that to be a true fan you have to blindly agree with everything the club does, or believe that the players can do no wrong.
That said, it helps nobody when fans come out with comments like, ‘this player is rubbish’ or ‘Parramatta sucks’. It’s ok to question the players or the club, but do it in a measured and balanced way.
All clubs do things which are both good and bad. It’s ok to talk about both, and to be solution orientated in your feedback.
The Seventh Commandment: Savour the Good Times
Whether you’re a perennial contender, or a struggling club, it’s important to enjoy every win, both on and off the field. Always make the most of winning moments, because it’s inevitable that a fall is likely not far away.
The Eighth Commandment: Never Support An Origin Team If You Were Born, Raised Or Live In The Other State
I’ve got some ‘friends’ who support Queensland despite never having lived there, or having any prior affiliation with the state.
This is disturbing and to be frank, a little weird.
People who do this have no integrity and can’t be trusted more broadly in life. Anyone who chooses a team based on success rather than geographic or familial association, is a disgrace. It’s the equivalent of someone giving up their Parramatta fandom to support the Melbourne Storm. Just don’t do it.
The Ninth Commandment: You Can Support Any Club As Long As It’s Not Manly or Canterbury
Ok, so this one is a bit personal and I don’t necessarily expect everyone to follow this.
As a 4 year old, I asked my Grandfather who he supported. The answer came back, ‘I support Parramatta and everyone that plays Manly and Canterbury’. I’m sure there are some nice Manly and Canterbury fans out there, I’m just yet to meet them.
Seems like the feeling is mutual
The Tenth Commandment: Read ‘The Cumberland Throw’ (and share it with your friends)
Ok, this last one is clearly a little self serving and pretty specific to Parramatta fans.
That said, there is no better site for information on the Parramatta Eels than TCT. If you want to get in depth knowledge of all grades including junior reps, or you just want to keep up to date with the NRL side, then you’ll find it all there. From training reports to match reviews, from podcasts to all the news updates, TCT has you covered.
Happy Easter and go you Mighty Eels!
Chris
In 2016 my then 8 and 5 year old first started showing interest in footy and jumped on the bandwagon 2016 GF teams, announcing to my horror that they were Storm and Shark fans. A quick family meeting was held where all members of the household were given a simple choice…support the Eels or find a new family.
I’m happy to say that everyone realised the error of their ways and made commitments to the mighty Eels.
It is now time for them to repay the faith of the generations of children who have been born into a lifetime of pain and suffering.
In Ryles we trust?
Very good JonBoy. This is true parenting!
Nice Chris, can’t argue with any of the commandments.
I have no time for turn coats, back in my school days, anyone who changed clubs became invisible to me and my attitude towards turn-coats has never changed.
And yeah, I’ve never understood how a family could support different teams, I knew my kids would be Eels supporters when I was five. My family and friends thought I was kidding when I would always say I would never marry a woman who would not support the Eels or God forbid didn’t like rugby league.
I was blessed to find my rough on the edges, jeans and t-shirts wearing, Parra loving girl next door.
I’ve been happily married for 30 years and I can honestly say the kids and our love for the Eels has kept our flame lit till this day. Thanks to the Eels I get love when they win and sympathy love when they lose.
Laure Daley said one of his kids was a Dragons supporter, I mean seriously, I would have demanded a refund for that kid.
It sounds like you and Mrs Joseph are a match made in heaven. Well played sir!
Excellent stuff Joseph. There was a reply on X suggesting another commandment – “you must follow your man’s team”. You didn’t need to cross that bridge mate. You found your Parra loving partner!
Any man worth having would not expect me to give up being an Eels fan to support his team.
Fair call. But the exception is always for Eels fans.
I live in Tigers heartland. My young kids support the Eels. I get questions from locals about “why did you do that to them” when they wear their Eels supporter gear. Needless to say there is a look of deep confusion on my face when I hear that sort of stuff from a Tigers fan.
Also admittedly the kids are more excited about hot chips and ice cream at CommBank than watching the footy, but it’s probably a fair trade for what I’ve signed them up for.
Well done Mick!
oh my god Chris i loved your ten commandments and as someone who became an eels fan as a result of my dear late dad supporting them and growing up in Cabramatta – eels territory) (them being his team despite the fact lol that he was born in another teams territory!!!!!
My uncle took me hand in hand to the first Eels game in 47 at Cumberland, I was six. The only things I remember distinctly were the noise of the crowd and blokes in singlets. I’ve been glued on eversince.
Prometheus, my first memories are of walking along the street to Cumberland and trying to keep up with Dad’s brisk walk to the ground. It stayed in my mind as something important coming up. It always was!
Family, Gail, family. Thanks for replying to Chris.
Nice one Chris. I’ll have to seek forgiveness on this very religious day but early on I grew up in a Wests family then moved to the Fairfield district in 1958, made new friends, mostly league kids who played in the Parra juniors so I didn’t change, just gradually morphed and by 1967 was going to Cumberland. I also will have to confess that I’ve never sacked Noel Kelly as one of my all time favourites.
You are forgiven BDon as you converted to the Eels faith. Even as a devout Eels fan I’ve had players that I’ve admired from other teams. Max Krilich was one and when I finally met him a few years back at a Brett Kenny fund raiser I was not disappointed. He was probably even more of a legend bloke than I imagined. I introduced myself to him near the bar. He said he was getting some drinks for himself and others and asked where I was in the room. Not long after he came over and spent about twenty minutes chatting with me. Recently I met Johnny King. He was at our live appearance with his family – they were there to support Max King, the Bulldogs prop. It made my day to meet him and to ask him about his grand final try against Wests.
Loved these commandments. As a Queenslander from Brisbane it is almost mandatory to be a Broncos supporter. However I admit that I have broken commandment 1. My justification is that one of my kids started playing for Parramatta last year. Surely exceptions can be made? Unexpectedly her team beat the broncos at home last season, our entire family are now mad Parra supporters. Bring on 2025!
Doesn’t matter how you become a Parra supporter Jim, as long as you stay one… which can be hard with the eels haha. But better times are ahead. Is your daughter Rory Owen?
Welcome aboard as an Eels fan Jim. How good to have your daughter (Rory?) wearing the
Blue and Gold. It’s an exciting year ahead for the NRLW team. The second year with Steve Georgallis who is such a good coach and a top bloke. We are privileged to be able to speak with him about both pathways and the NRLW and the joy he has in talking about coaching and the players is evident on every occasion. And the players are terrific ambassadors for the club and the code. Looking forward to their season.
Welcome aboard Jim. We are thrilled to have you and your family join the blue and gold army. Only problem is that now that you’re here, I’m afraid you must stay!
Thanks for the welcome. My wife and I were made aware of the trials confronting Parra fans on our first expedition to Comm Bank last year. Flight down, cab ride out, and immediately on leaving the cab a young gentleman was pushing wooden spoons into the arms of anyone wearing parra paraphernalia.