I became a rugby league tragic in 2009. Although I follow Penrith and did back then too, the games I remember most that year were the those featuring the Parramatta Eels.
Led by an enigmatic Jarryd Hayne, some of their play defied belief, and the miracle run to the finals was one you couldn’t help but get swept up in.
When the biggest game of the season rolled around, the Eels started slow and fell at the final hurdle to the Melbourne Storm.
I can’t imagine the feeling months later when it was revealed the Storm were an illegal team; to be a fan with them all the way and on the cusp of a truly remarkable chapter written in rugby league and to be robbed by a club systematically cheating the cap.
Players, coaches, administrators, sponsors – they all change. The fans, though, at the back of their mind will never really be over it. Instead of being the premiers of 2009 they have waited more than 30 years to add to their trophy cabinet.
They would be burnt too after letting an opportunity to dent the Storm’s aspirations this year slip last weekend.
If I’m an Eels fan first of all, I want to make the big day, and if they do, I would want to be playing the Storm. The emotion of getting the chance to set things right in a sense is too big to ignore.
The media have all but handed the trophy to Melbourne. They have undoubtedly been the best side all year. They will farewell at least one superstar before the end of the season.
League fans love an underdog story. New South Wales fans would love just for once a Queenslander not getting the fairytale ending.
Parramatta have to beat the Cowboys first and the Roosters after that, and those are no givens. The Storm have to beat either the Broncos or Panthers.
There are stories to play out yet, and rugby league is never predictable. It was easy to support the Sharks last season when it came to their finals charge. This wasn’t anything to do with the team or the players. It was the fans who had loyally supported for up to 50 years for no premiership.
Of the teams left now, the Eels are a team that are easy to get behind for the same reason. A win against the Cowboys tonight will put them just a baby step towards redemption and a long awaited premiership.
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