De Gois has made his home at Parramatta

He was on half-way and collapsed, clutching at his knee. The Eels faithful collectively gasped.

No, it's not when Nathan Hindmarsh injured his knee in 2005, nor is it Jarryd Hayne going down in 2012.

It's Nathan Peats, one of Parramatta's best players so far in 2014 and the man seen as the best buy by any club in the NRL. He was the backbone of the Eels pack and was a big reason for the Eels' resurgence.

With Peats gone and back-up hooker Kaysa Pritchard also injured, they looked to Cronulla.

Here was Isaac De Gois. He saw himself behind John Morris and Michael Lichaa and was determined not to finish in the NSW Cup.

The Eels snapped him up but there was a lot of discussion as to whether he could transition into the side mid-season.

An experienced campaigner, it's not the first time De Gois has moved clubs.

He was a Wests junior, although he grew up in Liverpool, a suburb considered in the Eels' district.

He debuted for Wests Tigers in 2006, but a man by the name of Robbie Farah had cemented himself in first grade.

So the Portuguese international moved to Cronulla for two seasons before making the trek up the F3 to the Newcastle Knights where he established himself as a key member of the post-Andrew Johns squad.

But the return of Danny Buderus, the man he had replaced, saw De Gois move back to the Shire.

His performances in the blue and gold have been consistent. He was getting through his work with little fanfare.

Then, against Manly, he stood up when his pack of young forwards needed a leader. He may be the smallest member of the Eels' forward pack, but he played like he was 10 feet tall and bullet-proof.

His speed off the line led the Eels forward and saw them dominate a Manly side that was heavily favoured to run over the blue and golds.

There's a touch of romanticism in seeing De Gois in blue and gold. It's like he's found his true home. The club he was meant to be at all along.

Maybe, when he was growing up in Liverpool, Parramatta was always the club he was meant to join.

See more: http://www.bluegoldglory.com.au/2014/08/25/6228/de-gois-has-made-his-home-at-parramatta

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Replies

ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER August 25, 2014 at 8:06pm

When we sign him I said Why? Now I know WHY im glad we did.
slip August 25, 2014 at 8:08pm

Scares me. Digging up any backyards lately?
Nidge August 25, 2014 at 9:17pm

How the f&@k was he behind John Morris at the Sharks. Fair dinkum! That's ludicrous by the Sharks.
- Alan Hunt > Nidge August 25, 2014 at 9:26pm
  
  Shows how truly clueless the Sharks are, Sharks fans laughed at us for signing him. Their fans are clueless as well.
Bean August 25, 2014 at 9:32pm

He has been an outstanding buy. Couldn't have asked anything more of him. I have been impressed with him since he joined. He now plays 80 minutes, leads the defensive line. Knows when to run and knows when to pass and does so with class.
Waterboy August 25, 2014 at 9:34pm

I was surprised when the Knights let him go and dumbfounded that J.Morris was ahead of him at the Sharks and over the moon we got him as a replacement for Peats. One truly underrated player. One master stoke for BA, and a march for the finals for us.
- wazzamatta > Waterboy August 26, 2014 at 4:10am
  
  Second all that. Fast becoming one of my favorite players.
- Bernie Dowling > Waterboy August 26, 2014 at 9:11am
  
  No masterstroke. We had all but signed Granville but Broncos would not let him go. Let's not re-write history.
IH8Manly & IEspeciallyH8Qld August 26, 2014 at 12:32am

Once Peats returns next year, it will be interesting to see how patient DeGois will be at Wenty for an indefinite period.

Or perhaps BA will include him on the bench? But BA has shown a tendency to get 80mins out of his hooker.
- IH8Manly & IEspeciallyH8Qld > IH8Manly & IEspeciallyH8Qld August 26, 2014 at 12:34am
  
  personally, i like to get at least 90 out of mine. :)