Rugby league’s preseason is great and I have always loved it.
My mindset right now in my first Roar column of the year is: piss off, cricket and tennis. We leaguies will tolerate you for a month or so, but in the coming year – our season – there are much bigger fish to fry.
For every fan, plenty has happened since the previous year’s grand final, and the anticipation for the coming NRL season never fails to stir and excite me.
Seemingly, everyone’s team is looking bigger, better, faster, stronger, smarter, and so on.
And so it should on the 13th day of January, after an off-season which must have included an influx of exciting new talent, players’ surgery to correct some physical wrongs, and a fitness regime that is unquestionably the ‘best ever’ for the club concerned.
I bumped into an absolutely crazy Parramatta fan a couple of days ago and the preseason excitement was way, way out of control. I was in – of all places – Port Macquarie, but ‘Pirtek’ Pete Doherty’s personal Richter about the new-look Parra read 9.5.
Why? I asked.
“Kieran Foran looks absolutely fantastic,” said Pirtek Pete, the greatest advertisement I’ve ever seen for the blue-and-gold cause.
“And you should see how the Semi-Trailer [Semi Radradra] looks! Never better. I reckon he’ll score 25, maybe 30 tries this year. He looks absolutely awesome.
“We’ll be right up there with the best, no risk. For the mighty Eels, this could be a season to remember.”
Pirtek Pete was absolutely convinced that his beloved Eels are heading for a monumental season, so I asked how he knew they looked so damn good.
“I saw their session on the internet mate,” he said.
“Never looked so quick and slick. They’ll go really well. No risk about it.”
Ah, right. The internet. Of course! But this bloke was in his mid-50s, pushing 60. I looked in his driveway. There was a 4WD there with a bunch of Parramatta stickers adorning the rear window.
So I checked out his man-shed. Yep, this guy was blue and gold from top to toe. Parra-phernalia everywhere I looked.
Thinking about the Parramatta 2016 roster, I surmised: “Geez, season 2016 could be one for Parra to savour forever.”
Sincerely, I would like to see that.
Rugby league got an exciting infusion when the North Queensland Cowboys won last year’s comp with that golden-point thriller. The Cowboys played an exhilarating, never-say-die brand of footy to snare the code’s Holy Grail at Homebush.
That amazing, one-point win triggered the most sumptuous feast for a hungry rugby league community.
Honestly, I am not convinced that 2016 will do the same for Pirtek Pete from Port Macquarie. But this is the preseason and the Eels are looking pretty good. At least on blue and gold paper.
And I would love Brad Arthur’s boys to go the whole hog and do it for the blue and gold faithful for the first time in a beautifully neat 30 years.
Go Parra. Do it for yourselves, do it for your district. And do it for Pirtek Pete Doherty, one of the most ardent supporters I have ever met.
Bearfax
Guest
No false feel good compassion there. A real tribal footy supporter. Give no quarter. I love it even though I'm an Eagles fan. In the end we all want our team to win. Feeling gooey about other teams is just keeping them off guard.
Ben
Guest
I would most definitely begrudge both the Sharks and Warriors a premiership :P but then again, I'd bleed blue and gold if you cut me. Although to be fair the only reason that I'd begrudge the Sharks a premiership is because Michael Ennis deserves to be as far away from more glory as possible, and I can't stomach the idea of New Zealand taking Australia's top rugby league prize.
Bonza
Guest
Good to have you back Tim, what a yawnfest the cricket is. But surely wishing Parra a title is a bit greedy, they've won 4. That's plenty. I don't think many would begrudge a Sharks or Warriors title except a few sad Dragons fans.
Jay C
Roar Guru
Raiders will need to defend if they are any chance. We'll see.
Jay C
Roar Guru
If it's true that you can buy a premiership then parramatta are halfway there.
Jay C
Roar Guru
"Unfairly"
Tim Prentice
Expert
Hi Steve: yep, the Boardroom seems to be the biggest hurdle facing the Eels. We can only hope some harmony is achieved for the greater good. Player-wise, I think they'll be very dangerous providing they can come up with a decent half-back. That's a HUGE proviso as history shows.
Rodney Olsen
Guest
Those are some pretty interesting stats Parrafan, I remember a lot last season thinking, geez we blew that, the cowboys game for instance, we lead something like 30-0 or 36-0 and got run down. Damn I was ropable that Monday night.
steve b
Roar Guru
Gday Tim hope Parra can do it for their long suffering fans lots of drama in years gone by lets hope they can get on with it both on the field and in the boardroom .
Albo
Guest
And if you want to know what the problem has been at Parramatta since the days of Sterling .....just have a look at that very ordinary list of halfbacks they have had since him ! And as for 2016, they still don't have a halfback, this time hoping on getting something out of a running five eight and a utility man .
Andrew
Guest
I have good hopes if Jennings will be there ? this year. Peats, Foran, Semi, Scott & hopefully Jennings. But I'm an eels fan for 38 years, so I'm bias.
Elton
Guest
"Storm win ’12 to “redeem”the salary cap saga" "13 SBW returns to guide Roosters" calling these two fairy tales is certainly putting a spin on things.. What about these fairytales: Sharks 2016 Premiers! - Redemption for unfairly being labelled drug cheats Broncos 2016 Premiers! - Wayne Bennet delivers Brisbane's 7th after a painful 10 year drought
Bearfax
Guest
I can see that ladder potentially happening Jason but I wouldnt put money on it
jason
Guest
my ladder early prediction after 26 rounds 1. broncos 2. cowboys 3. warriors 4. sharks 5. eels 6. storm 7. raiders 8. rabbitohs 9. sea eagles 10. roosters 11. bulldogs 12. dragons 13. panthers 14. knights 15. tigers 16. titans
TheEroticGamer
Roar Rookie
WIth Jennings likely coming in, Parra can finish in the top eight in my opinion.Not in the top four, probably not even in the top six.But maybe on the edge, they still have the likes of Cronulla, Warriors, three teams from last year's top four, Penrith, Manly and etc. with better squads. Radradra with Jennings on the left though...Parra fans better hope they get some early passes.
Wollongong Whitey
Guest
Let me start off by saying that I have met Pirtek Pete on the odd occasion and there is only one bloke in Australia that is a bigger gibberer than him and that's his son Parramatta Mat, this is the bloke that's claim to fame is that you can't spell Parramatta without using his name Mat, a bloke who made his own mother belt out a stirring rendition of the national anthem on the back steps of his childhood Wauchope home before backyard footy could ever kick off, this is a bloke who was the jealous of big bad benji marshal he went into attack mode at the very sight of him, we are talking about a fella that despises Brisbane to the point of hate but has decided to live in you guessed it BRISBANE, poor old parramatta mat wasn't even born the last time the eels won a premiership, he was but a twinkle in Pirtek Petes eye, but they did win the comp that day on the 28th September 1986 and parramatta mat was born 9 months later nearly to the day, I guess Pirtek Pete celebrated that victory long and hard that night, and just as well he did as it has been a long time between drinks for this club, let's hope these bunch of clowns can choke once again come September and save us all from hearing Whatsamatta Mat delve into full blown bragging come the summer time, let that be all for now, oh and in case you read this Mat, the co-op has got snickers on special, it may be time to stock up again...
AJM
Guest
Hey Tim, Great piece, I haven't thought too much about the coming season. Now I'm pumped up and ready to go. Get in there and give it to em Broncos -- Comment from The Roar's iPhone app.
Sanka
Guest
The Parramatta District has produced many great juniors, but they only reach their potential by moving to other Senior Clubs. Parramatta Eels must take full responsibility for converting rookies and rep players into reserve graders: Just look Parramatta Eels halfbacks since Peter Sterling: 1.Jason Bell 2. Stu Galbraith 3. Tulsen Tollett 4. Chris Lawler 5. Keith Blackett 6. John Frare 7. Gary Freeman 8. John Simon 9. David Penna 10. Troy Pezet 11. Ben Kusto 12. PJ Marsh 13. Jason Taylor 14. Andrew McFadden 15. Adam Dykes 16. Brad Drew 17. James Webster 18. Paul Green 19. Michael Witt 20. Chris Thorman 21. Tim Smith 22. Jeremy Smith 23. Brett Finch 24. Kris Keating 25. Jeff Robson 26. Daniel Mortimer 27. Chis Sandow 28. Luke Kelly
Tom G
Guest
a competitive Eels would be good for the NRL but I can't see how that'll happen whilst the coaching and administration continues to be so mediocre. They need a Jack Gibson like revolution where he ran things from the roots up
Eden
Guest
Parra will continue to struggle. At the moment and for the last 10-15 years NRL has been structured to reward consistent conservative teams. Parra is the opposite and Brad Arthur, as per his philosophy, likes to introduce and encourage creativity and risk. Great to watch so long as you aren't tied to the result. Reduced interchange (is that this year?) and more sin bins for professional fouls and dirty play would be two changes that help shift towards the attacking teams