If the Penrith Panthers win the premiership this year they will be the first team since the great Parramatta Eels of the 80's era to win 3 premierships in a row which will be 40 years this year. I personally am hoping they don't.
However, that aside if the Panthers do win this year, how do they compare alongside the great Eels team of 1981 - 1983?
The Rugby League rules were much different in the 80's compared to the current NRL Rules.
For example, a try in 1981 was worth only 3 points not 4 points although I'm not sure but I think it might have gone up to 4 points by 1983 ( but not sure) might need to clarify that information. There were no 40/20's, no 6 again, no bunker, only 1 referee, no golden point, no 2 point field goal. The team selections and bench would have been different and from memory, some rugby league players in the 80's also worked in paid jobs. There were no HIA's, no trainers running on the field, no water bottle drinks after scoring a try, no synthetic footballs, no kicking tees etc.... There's also the salary cap which makes it nigh impossible to keep all your best players. Plus, there are probably many other things I've forgotten.
Anyway, how would Panthers compare with the 80's Eels? Would the Panthers be worthy champions for a triple premiership?
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If they win. Both teams would have been in 4 grand finals in a row with 3 wins and a lose, We did however win it again in 1986 to make it 4 Gf Wins and a lose over a 6 year period.
The dogs smashed us in 1985 prelim so we was one win away from GF in a row.
P.S No point trying to compare playing conditions/rules from the era as you just play in conditions you are thrown in.
If anything you could look at ladder position or win lose ratio in those 3 years but not points scored in just the GF.
The Eels from memory were actually robbed of 4 in a row when they were questionably beaten by the Bulldogs in 1984
"The great grand final sides have actually beat other great sides while who have panthers best?"
This sums it up. You think 80's, you think Eels, Dogs, and Manly, even the Canberra Raiders began a decent run in the last few years of the 80's. Past 5 years, you would struggle to name another team that was a real contender for the premiership every year besides Penrith.
I tend to agree but as an Eels supporter am I being biased? The scrums in the 80's were totally different and the clothing, boots were much heavier. I wonder how many modern day goal kickers would kick as many conversions using a leather ball and no kicking tee?
It's the overall level of competition that is so much tougher now. It really is no comparison.
I would argue about the level of competition being tougher now. I think today's modern rugby league athlete are much more 'Powder puffed' than they were in the 80's era and earlier. They certainly have more 'special treatment' these days.
Nonsense PT. I remember reading an article written by Trevor Gillmeister when he was an assistant coach at the Titans under John Cartwright. He had been retired as a player for a number of years, but when he turned up to his first preseason as an assistant he was shocked at the sheer ferocity of the collisions of the modern player, he said it made him physically ill.
The collisions in the modern game would kill players from the 80's.
That is true Frankie, but it's the regular season that is so much tougher. In the 80's the depth of quality just wasn't there, there were games that were gimmies, and remember in 1985 we didn't have Brett Kenny till round 10 & Sterlo till round 12 due to them playing in England for Wigan & Hull respectively, and yet we were 8/3 when Sterlo came back. What sort of record would the Panthers have if they missed Cleary & Luai for the first half of a season ?
In todays NRL there are no easy games, on any given day anybody can beat anybody, that wasn't the case in the 80's.
You have to look at the opposition they had nothing compared to some of the teams we faced back then the Eels of the early 80s would smash Penrith, Pricey alone would smash them
The only consistent opposition we had was Canterbury & Manly. The Dragons were tough in 85 & 86, but other than that there were a lot of easy games.
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