To win a championship, you’ve got to have a nucleus of five or six real tough, hard competitors. To win anything, the team’s got to think tough and that infiltrates into the individual. You’ve got to have a tough leader.…
From The Stands – Victory Song
A couple of years ago, the Eels players changed the team’s victory song. The words were written to represent their identity. The victory song has special meaning as they own it. In this new age of fan connectivity, vision is…
The Spotlight – Dedication Goes AWOL in 2018
I’ve got a lot of respect for NRL players. They put their body on the line in arguably the toughest collision sport in the world. For many years I’ve watched the Eels team both train and play. Year round. Like…
From The Stands – Integrity and Other Musings
Match Officials Before launching into the following criticism of referees, it’s important to acknowledge that it’s often a thankless task. Without match officials there would be no game. They should be respected and, in the case of young referees in…
The Spotlight – Passion Without Precision But The Signs Are Right
Don’t let that loss hurt. Draw inspiration from it. That should be the message from the Eels loss to the Broncos. Players should never be satisfied with a strong performance in defeat. The aim for every match is victory. Parra…
The Spotlight – A Minor Change To Fix The Basics
Last week’s loss to the Warriors seemed to highlight, bold and underline my recent article about the Eels woes. As I curled up into the spectator equivalent of the foetal position at ANZ Stadium, the thought crossed my mind that…
From The Stands – Negativity Ends Here
“ You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact it may be necessary to encounter the defeats so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out…
From The Stands – Making Sense Of It All: An Examination In Three Parts
Indulge me if you will. There’s much to say, plenty to criticise, and maybe not a whole lot solved. I’ll be sharing the thoughts of three generations of my family and it’s not just relating to the Eels’ latest loss.…
The Spotlight – The Eels Are Failing In Rugby League Basics
Rugby league basics. The Parramatta Eels are failing the simplest aspects of the game and it’s at the core of why the team sits at the bottom of the ladder. This post is not written as criticism of the coaching.…
NRL Indigenous Round – Honouring Parramatta’s Indigenous Heritage
The 2018 NRL Indigenous Round is being played out this week as the NRL and its 16 clubs set out to honour and recognise the role of the Indigenous community and its athletes in our great game. And why wouldn’t…