For the most part, the current pre-season reports have not shone too much of the spotlight on a vital member of the Eels spine – Reed Mahoney. Perhaps you’re wondering whether I’ve deliberately had him flying under the radar, or…
Rookie Watch – Sam Hughes
In the first instalment of the 2020 Rookie Watch series we took a look at one of the most promising front-row prospects for the Parramatta Eels in David Hollis. It is only fitting that his running mate in the engine…
Eels Pre-Season Training – January 24, 2020: A Hard Day’s Morning
Sometimes a training session doesn’t go as planned. The ball goes down a bit too much, passes don’t find the mark, and the team just doesn’t seem to be on the same page. If it was possible, I’d insert vision…
Eels Pre-Season Training – January 17, 2020: Precipitation And Exhortations
There was probably a time, long ago in most people’s lives, when sport wasn’t called off because of a little rain. If you’re like me, playing footy on a drenched track as a kid was one of life’s great joys.…
Rookie Watch – David Hollis
Dylan Brown, Reed Mahoney, Maika Sivo, Marata Niukore, Oregon Kaufusi, Jaeman Salmon, Ray Stone and Ethan Parry. As Larry David would say, the list of rookies blooded by the Eels in recent times is pretty, pretty, pretty good. So good…
Eels Pre-Season Training – January 13, 2020: The Battle Heats Up!
Mick Cronin’s toe-poke! Just when you thought you could lock in the Eels bench spots for their Top 17, the action heated up at this morning’s training. In what was, for me, an unexpected opposed session, Stefano Utoikamanu and Kane…
The Spotlight – The 2020 Premiership Window
In the ten years since 2010, the NRL Premiership has produced seven different title holders. The powers that be will tell you that this is evidence of the salary cap. Successful teams produce higher profile/salary players, which makes retaining stars…
Finalising The Eels Roster – Who Fills The Remaining Top 30 Places?
Don’t bother speculating about the Eels Round 1 team. There might be an abundance of NRL team previews on offer over the coming months, but the pundits will vary little in their crystal ball prognostications. Assuming that Waqa Blake is…
Ryan Matterson – Elite Workhorse Or Impact Forward?
When the Eels finally confirmed 25 year old Ryan Matterson’s signature in early November, there were sighs of relief that the Eels had finally filled the glaring roster hole created by the departure of Manu Ma’u. Manu had been a…
Merry Christmas To You & Happy 4th Birthday To Us
Exactly four years ago, The Cumberland Throw was born. We were just a small group of wide-eyed youngsters determined to share our passion for the Eels with fellow supporters. Fortunately, we found an equally passionate readership which has continued to…