The rugby league family is abuzz with a wide range of emotions in light of the God-awful state of the Parramatta Eels.
After a more than encouraging opening on Friday, which included a clean slate of completed sets and a scoreboard advantage, they buckled in catastrophic style to go down to the ‘Dogs by the length of the straight.
And their situation is being chewed over by every Monday morning expert and his domestic pet today.
Some sections are offering a sympathetic ear, whereas others have determined the topic as an unfixable basketcase and therefore have conveniently inserted their head into sand.
Others are too deeply moved by their plight to even mention the subject.
There’s also a gaggle of amateur comedians who are loudly hee-hawing at the prospect of another stock-boosting week of material and some who are downright furious at the dragging down of rugby league’s image.
And I don’t even want to think of what their tormented supporters have to withstand.
Personally, I’ve offered the number of a good counsellor to my brethren in blue and gold along with the guarantee of an endless supply of personal shoulder time for them to use for bawling purposes.
My reasoning is that this is no longer a laughing matter. Being a merciful softie, I can’t continue giggling at another’s misfortune when the act goes from harmless slapstick to grotesque black humour that only the most disturbed niche market could enjoy.
However, somewhere among all of this lies one organisation that is secretly overwhelmed with gratification for the limelight-hogging circumstances that Steve Kearney and the Eels find themselves in.
It’s their next-door neighbours down the M4 at Penrith.
Their recent conduct has been at a waste level that’s comparable- if not worse – than what their counterparts further up the highway have been manufacturing.
Can you imagine the uproar at Parramatta if they went two whole matches without scoring a single point like the Panthers recently did?
Stocks of Steve Kearney effigies in Sydney would’ve sold out in a blink.
I was sucked in at the start of the year by Gus Gould’s tractor beam of sunshine and rainbows for the Penrith people. He had poached a boss from last year’s grand final, flushed the dispensables and supposedly revamped the culture.
But all he’s done so far in 2012 is send the Penrith faithful bolting for refuge in the Blue Mountains, where they hope to find some Zen-like state among the mist and hippies so they can forget that they ever followed the club.
However, all of this torment ensues that the rest of us remain transfixed on the door at Parramatta Leagues Club, waiting patiently for the bosses to come out with Kearney in the stocks and boxes of rotten fruit for flinging.
How can we stand by and blatantly ignore the Panther family suffering in silence?
Shame on you rugby league peeps. It’s time to widen the sights on your rifles of criticism and take a look at the other underachievers in this competition.
ceebow
Guest
Dane 25 - "Personally, I’ve offered the number of a good counsellor to my brethren in blue and gold along with the guarantee of an endless supply of personal shoulder time for them to use for bawling purposes" can i use your services by putting a mask of stephen kearney on you and use you as a endless supply of personal BRAWLING purposes. seriously with a record of 7 wins from 34 games and the worst start in 52 years deserves everything he is copping, and then to turn around and say he doesnt need help is just baffling, atleast JT has a connection with parra while kearney has walked in demanding control and turned us into the laughing stock of the nrl. Kearney cant coach and only won the world cup caus ehe had bennett and won the 2010 four nations cause he consulted with both bennett and bellamy for advice through out the tournament, then once they are gone nz get flogged 36-0 by england and have only won 1 game against a very weak wales team. BTW i feel your pain and penriff.
DumpStar
Roar Rookie
I agree with the assessment of the Panthers. It will take a few years to see there current restructuring pay dividends. Gould has the right pieces in play, you only have to look at how Cleary brought juniors through the Warriors setup, but also ensured he played the market bringing in guys with a good work ethic. Panther by 2015 will have a top 8 lineup for a few years to come. Whether they can build there crowds of this is another thing.
The Barry
Roar Guru
I would imagine that Penrith have a better record of retaining their juniors than the Eels. The Panthers have also won a couple of comps in the last 25 years, without the GF winning seasons Parra have probably been more consistent than Penrith, particularly since 96. Parramatta's malaise seems all the deeper because every time they start to struggle the ghosts of 86 are rolled out.
Patrick Angel
Roar Guru
I think people need to get some perspective about Penriths current situation. Penrith had a massive amount of backended contracts which meant their list was ridiculously unsustainable (Purtell for example was meant to be on very good coin). These contracts are being wound down while Penriths juniors are being bred to move into the first team, and all their junior teams are tearing it up big time. The club is being completely restructured from a Leagues club with a team attached, to a football team with incedental funding from a leagues club. The entire juniors systrm is being restructured to make it more productive, but this will take time. If Penrith do succeed in what they're trying to do, then by 2015 they will be the new Melbourne Storm, and the team will have grown up together, making them easier to keep a hold of and they will play together better.