We are getting towards the end of this series which reflects on Parramatta’s greatest players of the last 50 years by position, however there are still a couple of very important positions to cover.

Today the focus is on second rowers and in this instance, the top of the leaderboard isn’t as dominated by players from the wonderful teams of the 1980’s as was the case with other positions. This means that some of the selections will be quite interesting, and sure to spark lively debate.

Again, I have to reiterate that the criteria for this list is the last 50 seasons. If I were 30 years older then I would have had a crack at a greatest players of all time list but I find it difficult to grade players that I never saw play, outside of grainy black and white footage.

With that in mind, it’s with regret that I exclude the likes of Dick Thornett, Ron Lynch, Bruce Mann and Brian Hambly from consideration, but as always, I love reading the perspectives of older fans in the comments who had the privilege of seeing some of these legends of yesteryear play the game.

One further note for those eagle eyed observers, there is no Mark Laurie on this list, and that’s because he was considered as a lock forward for the purpose of this exercise. So for those ‘Pebbles’ fans out there, he will get his time in the sun.

So, like Fui Fui bringing the ball back off the kick off, let’s get stuck into it!

Honourable Mentions

Geoff Gerard

Geoff Gerard has the distinction of being the first player to ever reach 300 topflight games and held the record for most games played for several years until overtaken by Terry Lamb.

If you looked at Gerard’s entire resume, it would be enough to put him comfortably into my top three, however we are only grading him on his time at Parramatta.

During his time at Parramatta, he represented both NSW and Australia, following a successful transition from the centres to the backrow. Although being lured across to Manly in 1981, the esteem with which he is held in by the club is seen by the fact that the Parramatta NSW Cup player of the year award is named after him.

In similar fashion to Nathan Hindmarsh, Geoff Gerard spent his entire career getting incredibly close to winning a premiership but never achieving a title.

Gerard was on the losing side of four grand finals (the only player to do this and not win one). His timing to move clubs was also unfortunate, he left Parramatta after the 1980 season to join Manly, watching Parra win four of the next six, and he retired after the 1989 season at Penrith (with Penrith going on to win the 1991 GF).

Don’t take the coincidences the wrong way, as it was his presence at these clubs that contributed heavily towards placing them in a position for success.

John Muggleton

I feel as though not including Muggleton in my top 3 might be a cause for controversy amongst our readers. Having him among the honourable mentions acknowledges his standing as a great of the club while also acknowledging that his career was heavily impacted by injuries and loss of form at various stages.

In his earlier career he was a star, and was rewarded with NSW Origin caps and a starting role on the Kangaroo tour in 1982. Unfortunately from that point, he struggled to hold his place in first grade and sat behind two others who have (or will) feature in these lists (Wynn and Laurie), in the second row pecking order for a number of years.

Muggleton’s versatility (could also play centre) meant he found a consistent place in the team on occasion, before the retirement of Ray Price freed up a more permanent space for him.

Though his playing days were prematurely ended by two broken jaws, he went on to a stellar coaching career as a defensive specialist for the Wallabies.

I have always loved a skilful big man, and someone who can kick goals along with nailing long range field goals while playing in the forwards is a rugby league rarity and talent to be treasured.

Manu Ma’u

For 6 seasons, the award for the player that you would least like to run into in a dark alley went to Manu Ma’u.

Along with Danny Wicks a few years later, Ma’u was a great story of redemption. After the gang ties of his youth led him to spend time in prison, he was able to turn his life around in a way which benefited both the player and the club.

A fearless backrower, Ma’u hit as hard with the ball in hand as he did in defence.

However, to simply categorise Ma’u as only being a hardman would be to do him an injustice, as he supplemented his aggression with silky ball playing skills. This combination of toughness and talent  saw him play 17 tests (6 x NZ, 11 x Tonga) during his time with Parramatta.

 

Third Place: Jarrod McCracken

Years at Parramatta: 1996-1999

1st Grade games for Parramatta at the position: 51

Premierships: 0 (1 with Sydney Bulldogs)

Representative Games: NZ x 22, Rest of the World x 1

Personal Honours: NA

Although McCracken was better known in his earlier career as a powerful and damaging centre, it was in the backrow that he spent most of his time at Parramatta.

McCracken has made my top three at the expense of some more tenured players at the club. This is due to the high value I place on his impact on the Eels across those four seasons.

Lured to Parramatta along with his Canterbury teammates (Pay, Smith, Dymock) after the Super League war, the impact of all four players was immediate.

McCracken started his Parramatta tenure as a centre to before transitioning to the back row for the second half of 1997 and then occupying that spot permanently for the 1998 and 99 seasons.

It was during these years that Parramatta had significant success and McCracken’s influence as a co-captain was no small part of that.

He provided steel to the squad and ensured that Parramatta rarely lost the forward battle. A metre eater in attack, and a bell ringer in defence, he was a brilliant player for Parramatta and it was a shame that his career ended prematurely at the Wests Tigers following a spear tackle.

From the long haired young Kiwi centre who scored a try on debut against the world champion Kangaroos in 1991, to the short haired elder statesman of the Parramatta pack, McCracken had a fabulous career from start to finish.

 

Second Place: Peter Wynn

Years at Parramatta: 1979-1990

1st Grade games for Parramatta at the position: 127

Premierships: 3 (82,83,86) – injured in 81

Representative Games: NSW x 6, Australia x 3

Personal Honours: 1985 Dally M Second Rower Of The Year, Eels Hall of Fame 2002

There’s a whole generation of Parramatta fans who would be more familiar with Peter Wynn’s status as the premier Rugby League retailer of Church Street.

Despite his post playing career being arguably even more impressive than his on-field career (by no means a slight on his on-field achievements), I still have Peter Wynn as my second greatest Parramatta second rower of the last 50 years.

Tall and rangy, Wynn played across multiple forward positions during his career at Parramatta but was primarily selected at second row. For much of that time he was easily distinguishable by his ever present headgear.

A one club player, Wynn finished his career with 175 games for the Blue and Gold, a number which would’ve been much greater if not for his early career being marred by serious injuries.

He was barely able to play from 1981-83 but still managed to start in the 82 and 83 grand final wins. It was following the 83 season where Wynn managed to have some luck with health and discovered his best form.

Wally played Origin in 1984 and 1985 and his Origin form was so good in 1985 that he was taken on a test tour to New Zealand where he played all three games.

After playing a key though less prominent role in the 81-83 Eels sides, Peter Wynn was one of the premier forwards in the game from 1984, which meant he was a crucial piece of the 84-86 sides which culminated in the 1986 title.

On a personal note, I will always fondly remember my time shopping at his store down on Church Street. From the early 90’s until present day, I would ensure I made my way down to his store to buy as many new Parramatta jerseys as my pocket money would allow.

Peter would always graciously give his time to the teenaged me, telling stories about his time at the club and the players he knew. As an adult, he couldn’t be kinder to my own kids when I take them in there, signing autographs and throwing in free water bottles and key rings.

Disclaimer, Peter Wynn Score isn’t a sponsor of this article, but regardless, I would always strongly encourage rugby league fans to take the time to drive to his store and enjoy the interpersonal connection that you might not get at a large chain.

Between Peter and Stan Jurd, the chances are you’ll get a great story to go with your purchase. ‘If you don’t score here, you’ll never score!’

 

First Place: Nathan Hindmarsh

Years at Parramatta: 1998-2012

1st Grade games for Parramatta at the position: 311 (330 in total – club record)

Premierships: 0

Representative Games: Australia x 23, NSW x 17, NSW Country x 1, NRL All Stars x 2, PMXIII x 3

Personal Honours: Ken Thornett Medal x 8  (2000,01,02,04,06,07,08,12), Dally M second rower of the year x 5 (2000,01,04,05,06), Provan Summons Medal x 5 (05,06,07,08,11), Eels Hall of Fame 2018

This selection was very obvious.

Nathan Hindmarsh is Parramatta’s greatest player outside of our golden era (sorry Jarryd Hayne), and in the conversation for our greatest player ever.

For 15 years, Hindmarsh represented the club with distinction, bleeding blue and gold every weekend and leaving everything out on the field.

At his peak, he was the driving force behind a side which made 7 preliminary finals in 11 seasons. Even towards the end of his career, he remained integral to the team, and wrapped up his final season by winning the 2012 Ken Thornett Medal.

When he first burst onto the scene in 1998, he was part of a new breed of Parramatta rookies that had come through the junior ranks.

Whilst the super league era Eels teams were defined by the influence of the veterans Bulldogs imports, the next generation was set up from within. The Hindmarsh brothers, the Cayless brothers and later Jarryd Hayne, were all home grown talents that set the club up for a sustained period of success.

In his younger years, he was a deceptively quick runner of the ball who was a regular try scoring threat. As his frame aged and his running game diminished, he remained the hardest worker on the field, and a tackling machine.

That’s not to say that he ceased to threaten in attack. The latter career Hindy introduced an offload to his game, which enabled the club to play off the back of second phase play (crucial to the team’s 2009 grand final run).

A measure of the esteem to which he was held inside the club is that the Eels named the annual ‘player’s player’ award after Hindmarsh.

Although his final games were played in Eels teams which struggled to be competitive, he left myself and others with that image of him kicking a penalty goal in the closing seconds of his farewell game. It came with the fanfare of the sand mound and the preparation routine. What a fond memory for Eels fans to look back on.

A competitor and a legend to the end, he was a one club player of importance to the Eels in a way that we are unlikely to ever see again.

Whether playing for Parramatta, NSW and Australia, he was always the heart and soul of the team. Although going close twice in 2001 and 2009, it was a travesty that he never won a premiership with the club.

I could write 10,000 words about the impact that Nathan Hindmarsh had at the club but I’ll sum it up in one statement – he was my favourite player to have ever pulled on the Parra jersey.

Chris Ricketts