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The Parramatta Rugby League Football Club officially came into being in November 1946, when the New South Wales Rugby League accepted an application for Parramatta to join the Sydney premiership. The ‘Blue and Golds’ – the club having adopted the colours of Parramatta’s Council and High School – lost to Newtown 34-12 in their first match on April 12, 1947, in front of a crowd of approximately 6,000 people at Parramatta (Cumberland) Oval.

 

Early Days

 Parramatta’s admission ahead of the start of the 1947 season represented the achievement of a long held ambition to have a top flight Rugby League team located in Australia’s second oldest settlement.
Rugby League around the Parramatta district, like the game at large, has its origins in the establishment of Rugby Union in Sydney in the late 1800’s. Rugby came to Parramatta in 1879 with the establishment of the Parramatta club, helped by an influx of players from the nearby King’s School. The Parramatta club later merged with the Wests rugby club, playing its home games at Parramatta Oval, St. Lukes Oval at Concord and Pratten Park at Ashfield following the commencement of the Sydney district rugby competition in 1900.
Cumberland was part of the inaugural Sydney Rugby League competition in 1908, following the great split away from union. The Cumberland Rugby League Club is often, albeit wrongly, referred to as the first Parramatta team. In fact there was no link between the Cumberland club and the Parramatta district, the club being formed at Homebush by players from the Wests rugby union club. Cumberland never played inside Parramatta’s boundaries, instead taking the field at Birchgrove Oval, Wentworth Park and the Agricultural Ground. After winning just one game during 1908, Cumberland withdrew from the Sydney premiership, never to return.
The setback would prove to have little to no effect on the popularity of the 13 man game in the west of Sydney, with a local district competition commencing the following year. Little more than a decade later Rugby League enjoyed a significant presence across the area. Teams were established, under the control of the Western Suburbs club, from Burwood and Parramatta to Wentworthville, Penrith, Liverpool and Fairfield, a reflection of the game’s dominance in the region which continues to this day. Rugby League’s popularity gave momentum to the push to get Parramatta admitted to the Sydney competition in the years between World Wars.
Gathering Momentum
The push came to a head in 1936, when a proposal spearheaded by local rugby league identities Jack Argent and Jack Scullin was put to the New South Wales Rugby League for Parramatta to be included in the premiership. The only club to support the proposal was Western Suburbs, despite the fact they stood to lose a vast catchment area in Sydney’s west, stretching from Parramatta to Penrith and south to Liverpool. The proposal was unsuccessful.
The intervention of war once again put plans for a Parramatta team on the back burner until the club’s ultimately successful 1946 bid saw the Blue and Golds admitted to the Sydney premiership competition along with fellow newcomers Manly.

 

Off and Running

The early years were lean for the new Club, who were captained in their first season by former Western Suburbs RL and Parramatta RU player Bob Andrews. After finishing their debut season in tenth and last place on the ladder, the return to Australia from England of Guildford & Fairfield junior and undisputed star of the game Vic Hey helped inspire the new club to greater heights in coming seasons, finishing eighth in 1948 and fifth – just one place out of the finals – in 1949.
Five-eighth Ian Johnston was afforded the honour of becoming Parramatta’s first Australian Test player when he was selected to play against New Zealand in 1951, however Johnston’s elevation to the rank of international would prove to be one of the few highlights in a decade in which the club enjoyed very little on-field success. Parramatta claimed the wooden spoon no less than eight times between 1952 and 1961, and also endured its two biggest losing streaks (19 games between round 10, 1959 and round 10, 1960; and 15 games between round 12, 1957 and round 8, 1958) during that time.

 

Success Slowly Comes

But better days were ahead for the Club as it reached the finals for the first time in season 1962, a feat repeated in 1963, ‘64 and ‘65. The Club also tasted premiership victory during this time, winning its maiden title by taking out the 1964 Third Grade Grand Final. Five more barren years followed, culminating in tenth wooden spoon at First Grade level in 1970, before the Club again reached the semi finals in 1971.
The Club struggled until the 1975 season, which yielded great results including Parramatta’s first ever title in First Grade, taking out the pre-season Wills Cup on 21 March, 1975. The Norm Provan-coached First Grade team eventually reached the semi-finals while Terry Fearnley’s Reserve Grade team won the Reserve Grade competition.
Fearnley graduated to coach First Grade the following year, guiding the team into second position on the ladder at the conclusion of the 1976 season. With a formidable forward pack featuring Rothman’s Medallist Ray Higgs along with Ray Price, Geoff Gerard, Ron Hilditch, Denis Fitzgerald and Graham Olling, as well as John Peard at halfback, Parramatta rolled St George and Manly to reach their first ever Grand Final.
And yet despite scoring two tries to one, Parramatta was beaten 13-10 by Manly in the decider.
Overcoming disappointment Parramatta would remain a force in 1977, taking out the minor premiership and also the Rothman’s Medal, which would eventually be won in both ‘77 and ’78 by centre Mick Cronin. The Club again qualified for the Grand Final, which finished in a 9-all draw against St George, with a last minute conversion attempt from Cronin going wide of the posts. The first ever Grand Final replay would prove to be one to forget for Parramatta, who were outmuscled in controversial circumstances 22-nil by the Dragons.

 

Breakthrough to a Golden Age

Premiership success eventually came to the Eels in their 35th year of First Grade competition, 1981. With Coach of the Century Jack Gibson joining the club prior to the start of the season following a highly successful career with Eastern Suburbs, Newtown, St George and South Sydney, the Eels qualified for the finals after finishing the regular season in third place. The Eels boasted a vastly different team to their 1976-77 Grand Final sides, with new blood in Peter Sterling, Brett Kenny, Steve Ella and Eric Grothe lining up along with experienced campaigners Steve Edge, Bob O’Reilly, Ray Price, Ron Hilditch, Mick Cronin and Kevin Stevens.
The 20-11 Grand Final win over Newtown resulted in mass hysteria back at Parramatta, where coach Gibson delivered the immortal line “ding dong, the witch is dead,” in reference to the Eels premiership drought finally being broken. Celebrations continued at the Eels home ground, where fans marked the occasion by burning the marked-for-demolition Cumberland Oval grandstand to the ground in recognition of the triumph.
The win also kicked off a golden era for the Parramatta Club, with the six seasons between ’81 and ’86 seeing the Eels play in five Grand Finals and claim all four of the Club’s premierships to date.
1982 saw the Eels take out the minor premiership, finishing an amazing four wins clear of second placed Manly. After a surprise 20-nil loss to the Sea Eagles in the major semi final, the Eels recovered to beat Easts 33-nil the following week before turning the tables on the Sea Eagles to win the decider 21-8, claiming a second straight premiership.
1983 again saw the Eels take out the title by defeating Manly in the Grand Final, however this time they didn’t have it all their own way during the regular season with the Sea Eagles finishing eight points clear on top of the competition ladder. But by just after half time in the decider the result was confirmed, the Eels eventually defeating a disappointing Sea Eagles outfit 18-6 to claim their third straight title.
The win saw the Eels become just the second team, behind the great St. George sides of 1956-66, to claim three straight premierships in the mandatory Grand Final era. They’re also the last team to achieve the feat, with only Brisbane (1992-93 & 1997-98), the Bulldogs (1984-85), and Canberra (1989-90) coming close with two in succession.
The Eels run came to an end in 1984, losing the Grand Final to Canterbury 6-4, while they fell one game short of the 1985 decider, which was again won by the Bulldogs, this time over St. George.
1986 would however prove to be a memorable year for the Eels, which began with the grand opening of the brand new Parramatta Stadium by Queen Elizabeth II on 5 March, 1986. They went on to claim the minor premiership after South Sydney faltered late, and progressed straight through to their fifth Grand Final in six seasons with a thumping 28-6 major semi final victory over the reigning premiers, Canterbury.
The Bulldogs recovered to reach the Grand Final, setting up a clash between the two undoubted heavyweight teams of the 1980’s. The match was remarkable for finishing tryless, however the Eels were unlucky not to win by more than the eventual score line of 4 points to 2 with Brett Kenny having two tries disallowed. Nonetheless, Parramatta had secured its fourth title in six seasons, Peter Stirling had claimed the inaugural Clive Churchill Medal for best on ground in a Grand Final, and retiring greats Ray Price and Mick Cronin got a fitting end to their glittering careers.

 

End of an Era

The ’86 premiership did indeed prove to be the end of an era, as the Eels went the next decade without a finals appearance. One by one the great players of Parramatta’s golden era departed the Club, while a string of coaches including 1986 winner John Monie and club greats Mick Cronin & Ron Hilditch were unable to lift the Eels out of their slump.
The year of the Super League split, 1997, proved to be a turning point for the Club under new head coach Brian Smith. Smith joined the Club ahead of the ’97 season following stints with St George and Illawarra, as well as with Hull and Bradford in the UK. The Super League war also saw the arrival of Bulldogs quartet Dean Pay, Jarrod McCracken, Jim Dymock and Jason Smith, all of whom had a significant impact on the Eels fortunes.

 

The Rising

The Eels qualified for the semi finals in 1997 and backed up that performance with three straight preliminary final appearances between 1998 & 2000. This period in the Eels history was not just notable for where the team finished on the ladder – it also saw the emergence of long term players in Nathan Cayless, Nathan Hindmarsh, Ian Hindmarsh, Daniel Wagon, Luke Burt and Michael Vella, as well as the likes of Andrew Ryan and Jamie Lyon, who later moved onto long-term careers at other clubs.
The Eels claimed the Reserve Grade premiership in 1997, a year in which the Club claimed its first Club Championship since 1986. Reserve Grade also made the Grand Final in 1998.
1999 saw the Eels emerge as genuine premiership contenders across all grades, with First Grade and Jersey Flegg defeated in the Grand Final Qualifier, while the Harold Matthews, S.G. Ball and First Division all claimed Grand Final victories. This success continued in 2000 with Jersey Flegg, First Division and the NRL team making the finals series.

 

2001... So Near, Yet So Far

In 2001 the Eels took out the Club Championship for the fifth consecutive year and secured the Minor Premiership three weeks out from the Final Series, breaking almost every record in the history books along the way. The Eels scored 151 tries for the season, beating the all time try scoring record in a regular season of 131, set in 1935 by Easts, and the Broncos record for an entire season of 149, also set in 1998. They also scored the most points ever by a club in the premiership rounds (839) and overall (953).
In a rugby league first, the entire Eels team took out the Ken Stephen Medal for outstanding community involvement. Normally awarded to an individual, in 2001 the Parramatta Eels were nominated as a team for their outstanding community efforts, including the Eels on Wheels project, the Ronald McDonald House and the “Parra Room” at Westmead Children’s Hospital, and their contribution to promoting Daffodil Day when the entire team dyed their hair yellow.
The Eels eventually qualified for the 2001 Grand Final, and went into the game a red hot favourite to defeat Newcastle. However the game didn’t go to script, with the Andrew Johns-inspired Knights racing away to lead 18-nil after just 20 minutes and 24-nil at half time. The Eels fought valiantly to get back into the game in the second half, scoring late to get to 30-24, however time got away from them and the premiership trophy headed up the F3 to Newcastle.

 

2002-2007... There or Thereabouts

2002 was another successful year for the Parramatta Eels. The season began with Luke Burt breaking Mick Cronin’s 20 year-old record for most points in a first grade match for the Eels, scoring two tries and kicking ten goals for a personal haul of 28 points in the Eels round one 64 - 6 victory over Penrith. The Eels however were unable to repeat their feats of 12 months previous and were bundled out of the premiership race at the quarter finals stage.
2003 and 2004 did not deliver the success the Club and its fans craved, with the Eels finishing ninth and 12th respectively to miss out on the end of season action. However off field success once again came the way of the Eels in 2004, with Dean Widders winning the Ken Stephen Medal for his outstanding efforts in the community.
2005 saw the Eels return to the top of the Premiership table, securing the Minor Premiership title for the first time since 2001. While the Eels failed to reach the Grand Final, after being bundled out of the race at the preliminary final stage by eventual runners up North Queensland, gun halfback Tim Smith was named NRL Rookie of the Year whilst Nathan Hindmarsh and Eric Grothe were judged the best in their position at the annual Dally M Awards.
Despite a slow start to 2006, which resulted in the early departure of head coach Brian Smith, the Eels rallied under caretaker coach Jason Taylor, dominating the back half of the season before scraping into the finals in eighth place. The Eels remarkable run ended there however, eliminated by eventual runners-up Melbourne Storm in the first week of the finals, 12-6. Jarryd Hayne was named Dally M Rookie of the Year and Nathan Hindmarsh took out the Second Rower and People's Choice Awards.

 

The Hagan Years

New head coach Michael Hagan joined the club ahead of the 2007 NRL season and after a slow start, the Eels hit their straps ahead of the finals thanks in no small part to the audacious attacking flair of their stable young of stars. A fifth placed finish at the end of the regular season saw the Eels qualify for the finals, while grinding victories over the New Zealand Warriors in Auckland and the Bulldogs at ANZ Stadium booked them a preliminary final berth against Melbourne at the Telstra Dome. Despite a spirited performance from the visitors, the minor premiers proved a little too strong winning26-10.
2008 began with the Eels widely tipped to push reigning premier Melbourne all the way in the race for the title. However perception soon proved vastly different to reality as the Eels were forced to deal with injuries and significant off-field distractions even before the season began. With international centre Timana Tahu departing the club at the end of 2007, the Eels then lost the defensive strength of his centre partner Ben Smith to a chronic knee injury, which saw him feature in just two matches for the season. Added to that halfback Tim Smith departed the club just a month into the new season to seek treatment for Bipolar Disorder. Head coach Hagan was forced to blood a number of youngsters during the season, including Matthew and Kris Keating, Brendan Oake, Tony Williams and Taulima Tautai, with Matthew Keating finishing the year as the only Eel to play in all 24 matches for the season.
The Eels finished 2008 in 11th position on the NRL ladder, winning 11 matches and losing 13 to miss out on a finals berth. Frustratingly for all concerned, six of those losses were by margins of eight points or less.
The 2008 season concluded with head coach Hagan resigning with a year left to run on his contract, with family and health reasons the main drivers behind his decision.

 

2009 & Beyond...

On Monday, 17 November 2008, former Parramatta assistant, New Zealand, St. Helens, and New Zealand Warriors head coach Daniel Anderson was appointed head coach of the Eels for the 2009, ‘10 & ‘11 NRL seasons.