I’ve been a Parramatta fan since I was about eight years old living on the Central Coast of NSW. I can’t remember what it was for or why, but I met a few Parramatta players.
I got a hat that day signed by Geoff Gerard and Peter Sterling, both who hadn’t played first grade at this stage.
Much to my Dragons supporting father’s chagrin, that was it, I was part of the Blue and Gold army.
A couple of years later I got to watch my team win three competitions in a row and dominate the 80s along with the Bulldogs – but the Bulldogs didn’t win three grades and the midweek knockout in one season.
I took the greatest pleasure at being able to join the Parramatta Leagues Club on my 18th birthday so I jumped on the train from the Central Coast to Parramatta, joined, walked in, had my first legal drink, jumped back on the train and came home again.
The 90s were testing. I didn’t understand why, but once the team lost the bulk of their grand final teams they fell to mediocrity and missed the finals for ten years. That slide only stopped when Super League gave the club easy access to players.
The biggest names were Jim Dymock, Dean Pay, Jarrod McCracken and Jason Smith who took us to plenty of finals – yes I was there when Paul Cariage killed us 1998 – and finally a grand final in 2001.
Parramatta were destined to win. Sadly Andrew Johns didn’t agree and tore Parramatta apart in the first half and the Knights held on in the second.
I got on board the Hayne plane in 2009 and made my way up to finals against Gold Coast and the Bulldogs and loved every minute of it. I was gutted when the Storm rolled us in the grand final, even more so that I wasn’t there.
As good as 2009 was on the field, it was the beginning of the end. There was a massive push to get rid of Denis Fitzgerald for reasons I’m still unclear about. It worked and that started the period of uncertainty and mismanagement.
The CEO, board and coaching positions became revolving doors and Parramatta have become fodder for media to stick the boot into for their ineptitude in creating an environment for the players on the field.
Since 2009 Parramatta has had five coaches – Brad Arthur, Ricky Stuart, Brad Arthur (caretaker), Stephen Kearney and Daniel Anderson.
The club has had six CEOs: John Boulous, Scott Seward, Ken Edwards, Matt Phelan (interim), Paul Osborne and Bob Bentley. There’s also been three chairman in Steve Sharp, Roy Spagnolo and Denis Fitzgerald.
Each CEO has knifed a coach or two appointed by the previous one.
Each coach has come in and swept the broom through players employed by the coach before him and this lead to the club paying for many players not playing for Parramatta anymore.
2013 was the last year I was a member of the club, I was dismayed at how the club was being run and feeling helpless to do anything about it. The smear campaigns between board tickets made federal elections look like pillow fights.
Last year after the incompetence and illegalities were brought to light, I was hopeful this would trigger a change in the right direction.
The news that there was a threat to starting season 2016 on -4 was terrible, the way the club handled Kieran Foran’s signature was disgusting.
All of a sudden, there was light at the end of the tunnel, the club signed Beau Scott, Michael Gordon and Michael Jennings before the season started and not losing the four points.
Awesome, there was genuine hope for the first time in a long time.
Parramatta won the Auckland Nines. Sure it’s the T20 of rugby league, but it was something.
Then it all started again, I don’t need to go through it all, but it was gut-wrenching for Parramatta supporters. All along the way the board were saying ‘nothing to worry about’, more and more news came out and the worse it looked the more the board were confident in their position.
Now the club has been gutted on and off the field, the same people whose job it was to ensure that the club was run properly has knifed every supporter in the back.
The NRL’s decision and findings hurt, the club is once again the laughing stock of the NRL, 0 points after a great start and a fire sale to get back under the cap. The board had the audacity to try and take the NRL to court to keep their jobs on technicalities not facts.
But the final straw for me was the club tapping Nathan Peats on the shoulder. A guy who’s given his all while playing in blue and gold and one of the positives from the last few years. Nathan was a critical piece of our success this year and would’ve been into the future.
Last night I packed my Parra jerseys up – all 12 of them that fit and the ten or so that don’t – collected all my Parra paraphernalia and chucked it in a moving box. I’m out, sorry Parra fans, I can’t do it anymore.
Attempting to defend the club’s administration now and previously was tough, I didn’t believe it myself when trying to defend the club.
I’ll stay an NRL fan and watch the games, but it won’t be with the passion of supporting a team.
Sorry Parramatta, it’s not me, it’s definitely you. We’re breaking up.
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