“It’s deja vu all over again!” While there were positive signs for the Parramatta Eels in season 2021, ultimately the season finished the same way every smirking jerk on the internet expected it to: with a loss in the second…

Crystal Ball – Top 8 Predictions: Season 2022
At The Cumberland Throw, we don’t mind being known for our passion for rugby league and the Parramatta Eels. Consequently, we spend plenty of time thinking about what’s going to happen each season. Just like previous years, the 2022 instalment…
Bumpers Up – March 6, 2022: SupportIng Is What We All Do Best
I started this column looking to find a diversion from the gloom that seems all pervasive right now. The incessant rainfall and dark skies have been with us for weeks on end to the extent that the gloom is both…
The Preview – 2022 Pre-season edition: Eels vs Panthers
Sometimes you’re the hammer, and sometimes you’re the nail. While the Parramatta starting side certainly hammered St George-Illawarra in the early stages last weekend, ultimately the Eels ended up the nail as they suffered the only real loss you can…
Bumpers Up – February 22, 2022: Riding That Eels Rollercoaster
It’s been an eventful few days in Parradise. Though times are rarely uneventful in the Blue and Golden West, emotions have just run the full gamut in the space of little more than 72 hours. Firstly, we had the…
The Preview – 2022 Pre-Season Edition: Eels vs Dragons
How sweet it is, the taste of footy in February. While the dedicated have been able to watch the occasional blurry, badly commentated NRL trial over the last few years via streaming, 2022 marks the first time Fox Sports has…
Bumpers Up – February 16, 2022: The Footy’s Back!
It’s been a while hasn’t it! Over six weeks have passed since the last Bumpers Up column, and though there’s been no shortage of news in rugby league land, time has been a precious commodity. Now that I have your…

The Spotlight – An Early Call: Round 1 Eels Team List
Wouldn’t it be fun to have a Parramatta version of Punxsutawney Phil, the famous American groundhog that predicts the start of spring. Picture an Eel in an aquarium, (cue alliterative name ideas) tempted by three types of bait. Which will…
Bumpers Up – January 1, 2022: Welcome To The New Year
Happy New Year! If there was the perfect time to turn that greeting into reality, then surely 2022 qualifies for that honour. We don’t have to think too hard to come up with reasons to be negative about what the…

The Spotlight – Omicron And Rugby League
There’s an elephant in the rugby league room and it goes by the name of Omicron. The latest variant in the COVID pandemic is wreaking havoc across Australia with NSW “leading the way” after hitting 5 digit numbers of infections…