The 2009 NRL season of the Parramatta Eels is one that will forever be remembered in rugby league folklore.
Riding on the back of a tsunami of brilliance from the legendary blue and gold custodian Jarryd Hayne, the Eels were able to pull off one of the most remarkable backs-to-the-wall season revivals ever seen. They lifted from short odds to take home a wooden piece of cutlery to come within a lucky bounce (and a missed knock on) of a grand final win.
The few finals football aspirations the Eels had were dealt a major blow early in the season, when after just four games consisting of two wins and two losses, experienced halfback Brett Finch was granted an early release from his contract.
This allowed him to make a mid-season move to the club that they would eventually meet on grand final day – the Melbourne Storm.
By Round 18, Parramatta would win just three more games, against the Cowboys, Newcastle and Brisbane, finding themselves in direct contention for the wooden spoon in 14th position.
As it stood, they remained only a mathematical chance of reaching the top eight, and with enormous match-ups against premiership heavyweights Melbourne and the Canterbury Bulldogs looming, their season looked all but over.
It seems just a whiff of desperation was all coach Anderson required to get his side – and more importantly, Jarryd Hayne – firing on all cylinders, as the Eels proceeded to chalk up two huge “W”s in consecutive weeks for the first time that season. Their beloved fullback picked up man-of-the-match honours in their 27-6 rout of the ‘Dogs in a performance that would spark a sensational run of form.
He would go on to pick up each and every man of the match award from Round 19 to 24 in effort that would draw glowing praise from one of the greatest minds in rugby league, Phil Gould. Gould labelled him “the best player in any code of football in Australia”.
As Hayne’s charge towards being crowned the Dally M Player of the Year continued, so too did the Eels’ run towards finals football, as they embarked on their remarkable run of seven straight wins, four of which saw them achieve victory by thirty points or more.
A disastrous performance in Round 26, however, saw Parramatta fall back to Earth with an almighty thud, as the St George Illawarra Dragons did what no other side seemed capable of – bringing the Eels to a halt. Their 37-0 victory would soon prove null and void though, as the blue and golds still managed to scrape into eighth position due to a timely stroke of luck.
They bounced back the next week and gained revenge with a Hayne-inspired 25-12 victory that brought the campaign of the minor premiership winners to a premature end.
Two more monumental finals victories over the Gold Coast Titans and the Bulldogs would propel them into the biggest game of the year, where they would meet none other than the Melbourne Storm. You can have all the momentum in the world – most of which was at the Eels’ disposal anyway – but in the end, there is no substitute for the Storm’s experience and brown paper bags.
This near-fairytale should hold great weight in the minds of NRL fans far and wide, all of whom can now cling onto the realistically slim chances of their club winning the premiership while looking down and out at the business end of the season.
Truly, the NRL hierarchy ought to be thanking their lucky stars that the Eels were able to manage such a miraculous back-end of their 2009 season, as without it, the majority of todays’ fans would likely throw in the towel once their wooden spoon odds begin to shorten and refuse to attend another game that season.
Instead, the belief that their club can replicate Parramatta’s brilliant effort burns strong in their hearts, until such a time, at least, that even a mathematical premiership chance crosses the line into ‘impossible’ territory.
The Manly Sea Eagles will be one club this year that undoubtedly has that 2009 season firmly placed in their minds, as they too have pounced upon the “mathematical chance” they were aligned with just weeks ago to upset the New Zealand Warriors 32-12 in their own backyard, before upping the ante on Saturday to record the biggest upset of the season, taking down the ladder-leading Brisbane Broncos 44-14.
And to think, all this after the uncertain futures of superstar halves Daly Cherry-Evans and Keiran Foran, as well as coach Geoff Toovey, threatened to deliver the club’s first wooden spoon.
Benedict Arnold
Guest
I remember that season and was beginning to think the eels would become a powerhouse and then they sacked Anderson the following year. They have not been the same since. Firstly that team overachieved, no one expected them to do what they did. Secondly, they sacked the guy who got them there because they returned to their inconsistent selves the year after. It was like anything less than GF was unacceptable because 'we got there the year before and that is now the expectation'. So as good as good as that run of form was, it rings true that sometimes you need to be good off the field in order to be good on it. Manly can dare to dream but I don't see a stroke of luck helping them out this time.
Kirk
Guest
dazzling footwork
Paulipaul
Guest
The storm fraudsters ruined the fairytale , I don't understand the logic parra should have been given the title. Hayne the greatest ever...dual dally m at 26 not to mention parra and nsw can't win without him.
Dogs Of War
Roar Guru
Better teams still win. You take the ref out of the game by scoring and not letting the opposition into the game.
JP
Guest
Aren't they investigating the Eels salary cap as far back as 2009?
Kaks
Roar Guru
honestly, my favourite player to have played the game (probably because im a Parra fan) Those few weeks were the highest high I had as a Parra fan for a while. He had everything then - vision, long kicking game (remember that 40/20 vs bulldogs?), short kicking game with deadly chip and chases, a great step, speed, playmaking, tackle breaking... It was awesome to watch. He carried a team with Robson and Mortimer in the halves to the finals. That says it all. And what about this try? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVol-ruR-cI still filthy that they had to lose to a team cheating the competition.
john neeson
Guest
2013 for example Doggy. From the performance of refs chosen for big games this season the playing field hasn't been levelled... maybe after the new TV deal. I think the same goes for your mob as well.
Chris Love
Guest
Considering From Memory that Parramatta demolished every side that made the 8 during their miracle run to and during the finals I think it would have been fair to award the title to them. Same for manly.
Jamieson Murphy
Roar Guru
One of the best fairytales that never was. It was glorious to watch the Hayne Plane in full flight
PLANKO
Guest
I agree I just paid $200 for 3 tickets to watch them. Hope I get to see a result.
PLANKO
Guest
Someone had to bring that up....
PLANKO
Guest
The Gold Coast Team has been out the for quite some time.
Kirk
Guest
Hayne was literally unstoppable in the last 9 or so weeks of that season. Never seen a run of form like that where the defence just had no answer.
Dogs Of War
Roar Guru
Why? If they are getting viewers, then they will. Not to mention that they just need to play like they did Saturday and not a lot of teams will come close.
Epiquin
Roar Guru
You make a good point Baz. If it becomes apparent that half the teams are no chance of playing finals, that will have a disastrous effect on the game as a whole. Who is going to brave a cold, wet mid-winters night to watch two teams play out a match with absolutely no effect on the premiership?
Epiquin
Roar Guru
I actually like the fact that 8 teams can be given the chance. It seems very 'Australian' that even the battlers can have a chance of glory. However, I think the old McIntyre finals format was not a good way of going about it. Under that system, the 3rd placed side could be eliminated in the first week, while the 8th placed side could play on. If you are going to have a top 8, at least make it more of a challenge. That's why I like the new system much better.
john neeson
Guest
2009 was truly a fairytale finish....however the NineRL won't allow Manly the same luxury.
Griffo
Guest
Just a point about the article. It says Parramatta brought St. George/Illawarra's campaign to a premature end but in reality it was Brisbane the following week who knocked them out, although i am sure it could be argued that the previous loss to the eels had a mental effect on the team. Another point I'd like to bring up is that both Brisbane and Manly were knocked out of the finals by Melbourne that year. When we consider that the Storm played with an unfair advantage then it also must be taken into account that these 2 teams may have been able to win the premiership if not for this fact.
The Barry
Roar Guru
I don't mind 8/16. 8/18 would be better. The current system gives teams to recover from poor starts or form slumps caused by injuries. Teams like the Raiders who have been put together recently are given a chance to get used to playing together, gain cohesion and still make the eight. That's better than teams having whole seasons written off as development seasons. If we're looking to increase ratings and attendances we can't have teams end of season hopes written off halfway through the season. Plus I love the romance of a teams charge from the bottom half of the 8 and let's be honest they rarely if ever actually win a comp. Bulldogs 2014, Warriors 2011, Roosters 2010, Eels 2009 all made late season charges from the bottom of the 8 but didn't win a comp.
Dogs Of War
Roar Guru
If they play footy every week like they did against the Bronco's, I will be tuning in. That was something special to watch.