THE Big League hit the desk with a light plop and there it was.
The curse.
The editors might as well have taken hunting rifle from the top shelf and blasted away until they heard nothing but clicks. At least it would have been more humane.
Bright and prominent was Parramatta’s star new recruit Kieran Foran, in full dress uniform.
Superimposed over his left shoulder was a vintage Peter Sterling above the headline: Kieran Foran, is this the man to return Parra to glory?
We might as well take Foran out the back and finish it now.
We can bury him next to the rigid corpses of Tim Smith, Chris Sandow, Jason Bell, Stu Galbraith, Michael Witt, PJ Marsh, Troy Pezet, Keith Blackett, Kris Keating, Daniel Mortimer, Tulsen Tollett, Ben Kusto, Chris Lawler and forty others who all rest peacefully in Plot 7.
For reasons nobody can explain there is a continued obsession with Parramatta finding the next Peter Sterling.
The Eels need to stop looking for their next Peter Sterling.Source: News Corp AustraliaIt is no fault of Sterling. For many years he stayed away from any conversations identifying the next great Parramatta halfback even as he had as much invested in the conversation than anybody.
It doesn’t happen at Canterbury, who you could understand would be happy to discover the next Terry Lamb, if only he existed. Nobody is searching for the next Arthur Beetson at the Roosters or the next Changa Langlands at St George, although there was a little discussion in Brisbane last season about Ben Hunt and Anthony Milford being the next Alfie Langer and Kevvie Walters pairing.
True, they do share one trait; they’re both short.
The Broncos would love nothing more than to clone Langer and Walters, the same way the Parramatta faithful have tried to clone a new Sterling.
For his part, Sterling resisted as long as he could until Tim Smith made his debut in the Brian Smith era and he was convinced to attend training and confirm this could be the Eels next great No 7.
Five minutes later he was gone, playing in England.
Dig a little and the fault belongs to us wretches in the media. The search for the new Sterling is our creation, imagined and propagated by much of the influential media working around the time Sterling and Parramatta dominated the game.
Farah backs Teddy for Origin
0:35They are reliving their own glory days.
It’s evident in the belief Parramatta are one of the great powerhouse of the NRL, one of the great myths in the game.
The Eels go into their 70th season this year with such a reputation.
Yet it will be 30 years since their last premiership. From 68 seasons they have made the finals just 26 times. Aside from the golden era of 1976-86 where they made six grand finals and won four premierships — with basically the same core group of players — the Eels have been remarkably mediocre, with just two other grand final appearances and no premierships.
That era, of course, featured Sterling heavily so you understand the yearning to find a new one.
Compare this against the continued success of Manly (premiers in 1972-73, 76, 78, 87, 96, 08, 11) or Brisbane (1992-93, 97-98, 00, 06, 10) or their greatest rival Canterbury (1938, 42, 80, 84-85, 88, 95 04) and you see those clubs give their fans a chance to hope every decade or so.
For too long the Eels have relied on things that won’t happen. Like lucking upon another player as good as the best that ever played.
It has bred overwhelming mediocrity and disguised a club trying to fluke its way to success rather than work for it.
Brad Arthur has begun to turn that around.
Foran is not the next Sterling and never will be. He plays a completely different game.
But he makes a wonderful Kieran Foran, first edition.
Haven't seen this posted yet but might have missed it
Replies
What an imbecile Kent is, the only person that has the eels looking for the next Sterlo is the media, this is just another example, Kent has a deep seated hatred of us, no doubt it has to do with his time at the club, probably thinks he was hard done by getting only one game but by all reports it was the worst debut in the history of the club, let in 2 tries one of them to an intercept off one of his passes, dropped the ball 3 times and missed 11 tackles from 20, apparently also actually shat himself in a tackle, you can understand why the club stamped his papers never to play again.
Poor fekking Kent.
Kent is the best half back since Sterling, he's the only Half back to have a 100% winning record with the Eels.
what, you mean literally Shat himself while making a tackle? what a dumb Kent....
I was at the game.
The club needed to qualify Jason Bell for reserve grade finals which meant Bell had to start from the bench.
The other side kicked off to start the game.As the ball sailed through the air Kent ran off - Bell ran on. It was pre interchange so that was it.
That was the extent of his first grade career.
I have also confirmed this with mates who played with him at Ourimbah Magpies
Paul spelled his surname wrong.
One of Kents better articles, I enjoyed the read.
'Brad Arthur has begun to turn that around'.
Yes he has.
Foran is Foran, not Serlo and 'Brad Arthur has begun to turn that around'.
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