Pressure mounting on Eels' superstars

Now the referees want to be the heroes. After this weekend's performance Cummings should be Goings.

The one that really bugs me with the Hero usage is the Heroes08 campaign they used to advertise the World Cup, implying that footballers are heroes or whatever. But with most uses of the word 'hero' to a sportsperson is as a personal hero. Say, Nathan Hindmarsh is my 'hero', as in a role model-type player.

What about NRL Superstar? Since that implies they are only a superstar of the NRL, would that not be OK? As with this article, it says EELS' Superstars, implying they are Superstars within the Eels team. And who cares anyway? Seriously, no-one is comparing Jarryd HAyne with John Lennon.

Oh there is no doubt the media does do that, but there job is to get people interested, and if the word Superstar helps that, then what are you to do? Hero is the one that gets me. No sportsperson is a hero. Heroes are firefighters, ambulance officers etc. Those are true heroes.

I take your point on board Dogs of War, but I think people, or more so the media bandy words like superstar or hero around far too often. Fred Hollows is a hero, so is "Weary" Dunlop, but league players? Then the word 'superstar' implies better know than the average star, and in my mind globally. I think NRL star is fine, because they are a star of the NRL, but Fui Fui Moi Moi or Buddy Frankin isn't John Lennon, David Beckham, Michael Jordan.

There comes a certain responsibility with being one of the highest players in the game and it’s to win. Plain and simple! The great players of our game are consistent winners. Week in week out , you know what to expect and they lift those around them. Best athletes in the world have/had this ability. They can EXTRACT results. Your Michael Jordans, Darren Lockyers, Andrew Johns’ etc. They raised the bar so high in training, pre-season, during games etc that their team mates had no choice but to follow and do the same. Hayne has yet to display this same trait of the great ones. Half a season of excellent footy does not constitute to being labelled as “one of the greats”. You can blame the media for that I guess, always over sensationalising but you can also take it upon yourself. He knows the ability he has. He knows the influence he possesses. And he’s well aware of the FAT contract he’s milking at the moment. It’s simply not enough for the fans, your team and the game to simply switch on when needed. It’s time to stop making excuses and pointing fingers at forwards/coaches etc. With great players it all starts with them... No matter what!

I agree. Why can't they just call them star players? If the NRL does have Superstars it's one or two players in the entire league not a handful on every team.

Well Davo, they are Superstars in there respective sports, and for the fans of that sport. No different for a whole lot of sports around the world which are limited to the geographical location they are popular in. Your not going to see Buddy Franklin or Carter appearing on the back page of the LA Times either, but still they are considered Superstars of their sport.

Na mate I wasn't even alive during those finals, HA! I know who lost because I'm a true fan, unlike you who I doubt would know who won the 1988 and 1989 Grand Finals, as do many, many League fans. Heard of the 1989 Grand Final mate? It is known as the greatest of all time, and there were two teams, not one. Proves how much you know... And in 2001 Parramatta were th best team all year, just not when it counted. If they won in 2009 they would not have been the best all year by a long shot.

Seriously, I hate the word 'superstars' when referring to NRL players. Their is no superstar in the NRL. What actually qualifies these days as superstardom? Being known in Qld and NSW? The day I see the backpage of the LA Times with the headlines "Benji Marshall Signs On For Two More Years', or something of the like, is the time I'll recognise NRL players as superstars. Just for the record I do like League, but they are not superstars. Oh, yes... Parra bet to get their act together.

HA! mate ur sad enough to remember who loses in these finals...of course we remember mate out ellery hanley but seriously who gives a shiiit they lost u dont say "oh they solely deserved to be the 2nd best team of the yr" WOW! There's pressure on cayless champ...young players time to come in like Timmy Mannah move over cayless time is up chump!

Balmain lost the 1988 Grand Final and the 1989 Grand Final. It is well remembered that Ellery Hanley was taken out of the game early and illegally by Terry Lamb. No one remembers who comes third, but the Grand Finalists each year are well remembered, as are minor premiers and wooden spooners. Cayless didn't win the World Cup, New Zealand did, and not on the back of Marshall's brilliance. In fact Lance Hohaia would have had to be the best player on the field. As for Cayless, I didn't see Marshall make all of Cayless' tackles and hit-ups, did you? There is no pressure on Cayless, there is pressure on the team, don't see how Cayless is the whole team and don't know how he loses every game for them, like you lot seem to think.

Easy Gareth Barry Top 10 props...why dont we just name the Top 25 Props and have his brother Nathan in there too! Justin Poore is a pathetic excuse for a human being who is being well over paid having a salary exceeding 400k! thats a joke...and shows how much of a joke parra are offering nothing players like himself contracts of that high value. I agree with Postman Pato and Lecco...I honestly dont rate Cayless at all..Yeh his no frills but seriously the bloke never gets any dally m points as other props in past and present have eg. steve price, and his only getting slower and older! Time to move on and let the younger props they have have a go. Moi Moi and Mannah are by far their 2 best props and they have found themselves on the bench for Poore and Cayless (before you say anything relax I know Poore only recently started on the bench) Clearly the Eels didnt miss Cayless when he got injured against the dogs in last yrs prelim final as it allowed Moi Moi and Mannah to run riot (shock)..why...because they are powerful ball runners who are going to make space for the likes of hayne to get going with that stab onto his toe that he calls a chip, and allow warren smith to have an orgasm every time hayne touches the ball. These Eels are pretty much on level pegging on the over rated tag as the dragons as neither have done anything in the past 20 yrs...Springs you say they have made 2 grand finals...honestly do you get remembered for coming 2nd?...Quick answer this who lost the '88 grand final? NO ONE KNOWS AND CLEARLY NO ONE CARES, you're seen as a failure for leading you're team around for 200 games and coming up with 2nd place, thats the 1st loser in everyones eyes! And cayless won the world cup on the back of marshalls brilliance, I dont recall cayless doing anything apart from lifting the trophy at the end of the game? And must we really discuss Minor Premierships my goodness the dragons would have had a street parade last yr if we were all celebrating minor premierships! Hindy being co captain this week will still spell another loss for these hapless eels and mounting pressure on anderson to release cayless of his duties and let guys like mannah and moi moi run up the guts as thats the only chance they have of winning games.

Seems like you know him well Postman, you fool. Cayless, who has New Zealand parents, always chose New Zealand and I would say he definetly would have played Origin, geez Justin Poore made it! From 2001 to 2009, with the two Minor Premierships and Grand Finals, Cayless along with Hindmarsh and Burt are the only ones to have been there. Apart from Hindmarsh he is easily the most integral forward in Parramatta over the past ten years. And it was obvious you would say he never won a premiership, but either has Hindmarsh, or Hayne, or many, many other great players to have played the game. Your argument is ridiculous mate, and mine is backed up by just about every 'expert' to have played or coached at he highest level.

I don't get the constant stream of derision directed at Jason Cayless. For most positions in league, stats are fairly interpretive, but for front-rowers, they tell a pretty clear story. You're either making metres, or making tackles. Anything on top of that is a bonus. There are some subjective elements, particularly what the tackle count is when taking a hit-up, and the speed of the play-of-the-ball - but on the whole, front row stats don't often tell porkies. Cayless is currently running for just over 100m a game, averaging 13 runs. That's about 8m per hitup. For sake of comparison, Fui is averaging about 3 metres more a game from a similar average of runs - but in defense, Cayless averages 28 tackles a game, Fui only 16. From those stats, you'd have to say Cayless is the best front rower the Eels currently have. To put it in competitive context, Cayless is just outside the top ten props in the competition for average metres. There's a vanguard of Petero, Hannant and Tolman who are well clear of the pack, but the rest of the top ten are only up to 10-15 metres ahead. In defense, he's inside the top 10. Then if you want to look at the frills on the side, he's Top 5 for offloads, well down the list for errors, and hasn't conceded a single penalty. I'm not sure what standard this bloke is being held to, but all bar one or two of the blokes ahead of Cayless in stats are playing 15-20 minutes more each game, and if Cayless still had the condition to play for 60 a game, he'd be Top 3 across the board. If you're going to point any fingers, point them squarely at Justin Poore, who is only averaging 77 metres and 24 tackles a game, and is surely causing some dicontent among the ranks, given he's on a contract that's worth as much as the rest of the Eels front row stocks combined (Cayless excluded). To a lesser extent, Fui should be running a lot more metres, given he doesn't really defend. Ultimately though, I think the Eels biggest issue is that they're playing safe footy, and not promoting second phase play. Against the Raiders the other night, Mateo was almost always pushing through the line and getting an arm free, but there was nobody to pass to. Hayne needs to get more involved, and the team as a whole need to get some support players in motion.

You left out one little thing Springs, hes never won a premiership! I guarantee you that all of his success has mainly been from riding on the coattails of other team members. If you look at any of those sides you just stated as achieving significant milestones and I bet that you will pick at least 5 other players that were more integral to the sides success than he was. Regarding his achievements with NZ the bloke is an aussie born in Sydney, the only reason he chose to play for NZ is because he knew that he was never going to be good enough to play origin. The fact that he has captained NZ and Parra so many times would seem to suggest that he is one of the greatest props to ever play the game, however we all know that he would never even be mentioned in the same breathe as the likes of Shane Webcke, Petero Civonceva and Steven Pricy. Hindmarsh is the heart and soul of Parramatta and its a disgrace that he hasnt ever been given the captaincy instead.

I find it such a cliche to say "the strike player can't do well unless his forwards go forward." This line gets trotted out any time a team hits a slump and, while it is often true (as with all cliches), it is not always the most relevant criticism. For instance, I hardly think Parramatta have been getting monstered in the forwards this year - their go forward has been solid and they have held opposition packs to reasonable metres too. The problem Parramatta have is they don't have quality playmaking halves, so adopting a traditional 'go forward' approach to give the halves room is of no use to them. More than just strictly 'go forward', Parramatta need their forwards to create more second phase play and to use more offloading before the line. Parramatta's fatal attacking flaw, as said earlier, is the lack of creativity and class in their halves. For their attack to become penetrative, they need to abandon the organised approach they are taking this season and go back to their flamboyant, off loading style. Hayne plays his best football linking in to this fast-moving, free-flowing style. At the moment Parramatta's forwards are chewing through metres with predictable go-forward play, and on the back of it their halves have no options but to throw it to Hayne and hope for some magic. This whole style of play will not work for them.

Eels are not waiting for Jarryd Hayne to do everything, but I'm sure they would like him to at least put in in defence like the rest of them. Hayne could have stopped two tries on the weekend but made some terrible decisions that cost the team in the end. And Nathan Cayless has captained 200 first grade games because Parramatta has had good coaches and players who hold much more football knowledge than fools like Postman Pato or Leece, and know that he is a good player and captain. Amazing how someone as overrated as Cayless can somehow lead his side to 2 minor premierships, two Grand Finals and a World Cup triumph!