PARRAMATTA greats were last night questioning how their former club can possibly replace seven
star players and remain competitive in 2011.
In recent months, the Eels have watched Nathan Cayless (259 games), Feleti Mateo (88), Krisnan Inu (78), Kris Keating (41), Jon Wright (12), Timana Tahu (160) and now Eric Grothe (142) either retire or walk out.
These players have played a total of 780 first-grade matches. The Eels have been gutted.
Grothe, 30, a former NSW winger, is the latest to leave after announcing his retirement yesterday.
Parramatta have held contract discussions with Brett Kimmorley, Trent Barrett, Quade Cooper, Craig Gower, Cooper Cronk, Braith Anasta and Matt Orford ... only to miss out on all of them.
And their signings for 2011 have hardly had Eels fans doing high-fives - Carl Webb, Reni Maitua, Chris Walker, Jordan Atkins and Casey McGuire.
Parramatta were already a club under pressure after missing last year's finals and then sacking grand final coach Daniel Anderson.
Many Eels fans fear even more pressure will be heaped on Nathan Hindmarsh next season.
"I hope Parramatta have a great season, I really do, but who is going to replace all these players?," asked Parramatta premiership-winning forward Peter Wynn.
"A lot of experienced players have now left the club. You can't buy experience.
"I guess they will have to blood a lot of young guys.
"It puts a lot of responsibility of Nathan Hindmarsh and Ben Smith.
"Those two will have to step up to the plate yet again to help blood the kids."
Brett Kenny, one of Parramatta's greatest players, said the club faced a huge task to remain competitive.
"It will be difficult," Kenny said. "All of a sudden they are now short of experience in the centres and wing. As the old saying goes, you can't put an old head on young shoulders.
"They will have to work something out pretty quickly but, with Eric gone, it will be difficult."
Asked about Tahu's imminent departure, Kenny said: "They had to get rid of him.
"There was talk he didn't want to train until February.
"The players can't dictate like that. You just have to get on with things. That would have been disruptive.
"It wouldn't have helped Timana either."
Cayless, who retired this year, was remaining upbeat last night. He was aware of the player drain but said Hindmarsh would lead a new generation of Eels.
"I am sure Steve Kearney and Nathan Hindmarsh have a handle on things," Cayless said. "They will lead the club well. Nathan gave me a lot of help over the years. I was always asking him for advice.
"He is a leader ... and Steve will take the club in the right direction."
Grothe had a year to run on his current deal and the Eels said, in a press statement, that he could not overcome a knee injury. But Grothe revealed last night he quit because of a lack of desire to continue his career. "I just found myself not wanting it," he said.
"I just split. I'm going to miss the club and especially the boys, but I feel it is the right time to move on."
In his 142 games, Grothe - the son of legendary Parramatta winger Eric Grothe Sr - scored 67 tries.
He will now concentrate on his personal training business and a music and TV career.
Aside from Hindmarsh and Smith, Kearney will be relying on the experience of Luke Burt, Tim Mannah, Jarryd Hayne, Justin Poore and Fuifui Moimoi.
Replies
what i dont understand is how we let alot of these players go without a fight. Why did we only offer Wright minimum contract [dogs payed only 80k for him], why was INU not even offered a contract?, why was KK given an insulting offer? [apparently Dogs bettered this offer substantially], we could have offered Mateo say 300k to compete with the Warriors offer, Caylo/ Grothe retired so nothing to be done there, but Webb as Caylo's replacement?
I think we DID try to attract OTHER players mid-season as well as trying to lure Cronk Cooper etc., players such as O'donnell, Watts, Ferguson etc. but for whatever reason they did not want to come. INU Mateo Keating Wright wanted to stay and would have for less, so where does the blame game begin? DA? Osbourne?.......who knows.
This article is a pile of shite
I can't see how the Eels have been left 'reeling'?
It's like everyone in the media spheres is deliberately trying to highlight everything negative about the club, rather than focusing on the positive side of things.
Where's a news story about Carl Webb, and his intensive training regime under Hayden Knowles in which he has shed a ton of kilos already?
Where's a news story about Daniel Mortimer eager to reverse his 2010 fortunes, with a solid 2011 in the halves as he too has bulked up and is ready to deal with more defensive work if needed?
Where's a news story about the Eels being pushed to the limit under SK and Knowles as they look to become one of the NRL's fittest teams?
There's none of that! Everyone only ever wants to focus on the negatives, and thus negating whatever positives that are out there.
If I were the Eels players, I'd be using all of these negative stories as added impetus and motivation to prove all the doubters wrong.
This is when we play our best. As long as long as Hayne and Hindy is there don't give up.
right on ricky
Well said Ricky, I really like the way you come up with positive comments almost all the time. We will do better than last year for sure.
I am not looking forward to 2011 but I am not worried about our longer term abilities.
In a salary capped competiton, a GF is potentially not far away when you are building a team around Hayne, and have some good forward stocks.
The team has gone backwards in order to go fowards which I don't have a problem with.
The problem I have is that this has happened by mismanagment and not by design but the path ahead has been cleared for SK to stamp himself in the future. That's all you can ask at this point.
Since BS took over, our no 1 problem has been an unwillingness to chase a marequee half.... that mentallity has changed now. We have been unsuccessful, but the intention is there and it will happen. I have no doubt we would have snared Cronk or JT if released by their clubs.
it still doesnt make sense to let some of them players go, especially mateo the only player we had with any ball playing skills in the team besides hayne. but i must admit i think or hope sk can get a big year out of webb and reni when he actually gets back.
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