Second week of pre-season – will the new faces continue to measure up? The first week was a solid ask of the squad, but experience tells me that there’s an incremental build in the conditioning component each week. As explained…
Bumpers Up – Rumours, Contracts And Back To Business
Last week I received an interesting response to this column. “Why tell us things in your article what we know already from the paper?” The responder was obviously new to any form of media – mainstream or social. Besides…
Eels Pre-Season Training – December 4, 2020: Week One Done!
Don’t blink! If by chance you do, there’s every chance you’ll miss this pre-season. The comparative brevity of this pre-Christmas period is exemplified by how few weeks are available for NRL clubs prior to the festive break. With week one…
Eels Pre-Season Training – December 2 & 3, 2020: Managing The Training Load
What’s your image of a pre-season? Players running to the point of being physically ill? The tale of Dylan Brown requiring medical attention during his first preseason is evidence that this time of the year is unquestionably gruelling. NRL strength…
The 2021 Draw – A Breakdown
The 2021 draw was revealed late last week and it made for grim viewing for fans of the mighty Blue & Gold at first glance. Fox Sports dubbed Parramatta’s schedule the 3rd most difficult in 2021 (trailing only the Canterbury Bulldogs [2nd]…
Eels Pre-Season Training – December 1, 2020: New Faces Edition
Finally, the Eels have come back to Kellyville Park! Unfortunately, I’m the poorest of substitutes for Dwayne Johnson. But, the start of the pre-season deserves a big announcement – after all, it’s where the countdown to the next season…
Bumpers Up – New Apparel And Corporate Partners Launch Eels Into Preseason
It’s been another big week on the Blue and Gold front. Really, it’s just Eels Fan 101 – you cannot expect a week to go by without some news, good or bad. There’s plenty to discuss – memberships, corporate…
Bumpers Up – Origin Done, Season Done, Pre-Season Arriving
Welcome to the first edition of “Bumpers Up”. Towards the end of the NRL season, I introduced the “Sixties Mind-Trip” column. The goal was to cover a range of topics from the previous week of footy. It was proving a…
The Spotlight – Painting A Roster Change Picture
Over the past month and a half we’ve been inundated by Eels roster news. Departing players were announced, and newly contracted players have been added in relatively quick time. As Eels fans we collectively thank those leaving the club…
Haze Dunster To Debut
The shock suspension of centre Michael Jennings has stunned the NRL world. The longer term ramifications for him and the Eels will play out and be covered by the media in the coming days and weeks. More immediately, the…