What a year it’s been for Parramatta fans so far. It doesn’t look like the Eels are going to win anything this season, unless they give out a trophy for the dumbest club at the end of it all.
We’ve only had seven rounds of action, yet the Eels have managed to get rid of their only experienced playmaker, play their best player out of position, and look so disinterested at times to have had past greats questioning their commitment to the jersey.
It’s little wonder they’re second last on the ladder, and if Friday night performance against the Broncos is any indication, they’ll be staying at that end of the table all season.
Admittedly, things didn’t quite go their way on the night. But they’ve only got themselves to blame.
Crucial dropped balls in try scoring positions, poor fifth tackle options and a leaking defence is a recipe for a heavy defeat. Nathan Hindmarsh’s feet first slide into Darren Lockyer’s head summed it up: dumb, and now it looks like he could be suspended just when his team needs him most.
Off the field, things haven’t been much better.
The Leagues Club reported a loss of $9.1 million in the lead up the their much publicised board election. While that may have been a blow for their reputation, it had nothing on the stupidity of what appears to be the incumbent board’s “votes for vouchers” campaign.
Chinese leagues club members, along with those with surnames that sound Chinese, each received a $30 voucher for the Tingha Palace restaurant in the club, valid for the three days that voting took place only.
A complimentary meal is one thing, but the how-to-vote card tipped it over the edge and made it quite possibly the dumbest thing the club has done so far in 2009.
It could be too early to call that one, though, after the 3P group, supported by club legends Ray Price, Eric Grothe and Brett Kenny, beat out the incumbent board comfortably and promised to remove long time CEO Denis Fitzgerald from his position as soon as possible.
After three decades under Fitzgerald, it might well be that a change at the top could the tonic that gets the Eels back into premiership contention.
Given that Fitzgerald’s contract is said to be watertight, the incoming board would do well to resolve the situation with some discretion and diplomacy because the last thing Parramatta needs is even more of their dirty laundry being aired.
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