Ok, off-season bit bored so here's my top 13:
1) Jarryd Hayne
2) Eric Grothe Sr
3) Mick Cronin
4) Steve Ella
5) Semi Radrada
6) Brett Kenny
7) Peter Sterling
8) Ray Price
9) Peter Wynn
10) Nathan Hindmash
11) Nathan Cayless
12) Steve Edge
13) Bob O' Reilly
Replies
I'd be inclined to put Hayne on the wing for Radradra and put Ken Thornett at fullback. A bit harsh on Radradra, but Hayne played at his peak for longer. Imagine both Hayne and Grothe coming in off their wing and linking up - the opposition would be completely bamboozled! It also gives much better leadership in the core position of fullback.
1. Jarryd Hayne Backup Garry Dowling
2. Eric Grothe Backup Blake Furguson
3. Mick Cronin Backup Ian Johnston
4. Steve Ella Backup Barry Rushworth
5. Semi Radradra Backup Luke Burt
6. Brett Kenny Backup Jim Dymock
7. Peter Sterling Backup Mitch Moses
8. Ray Price Backup Ron Lynch
9. Dick Thornett Backup Ray Higgs
10. N.Hindmarsh Backup Peter Wynn
11. Arthur Beetson Backup Dean Pay
12. Steve Edge Backup Ron Hilditch
13. Bob O'reilly Backup Brian Hambly
Coach: Jack Gibson Assistant: Brian Smith
Administrator : Jack Argent
1. Ken Thornett
2.Eric Grothe Senior
3 Mick Cronin
4.Jarryd Hayne
5 Semi Radradra
6. Brett Kenny
7. Peter Sterling
8 Brian Hambly
9.Brad Drew
10 Fui
11.Nathan Hindmarsh
12 Ron Lynch
13 Ray Price
I'm with Slug and Poppa.
1. Ken Thornett
2. Eric Grothe Snr
3, Mick Cronin
4. Jarryd Hayne
5. Semi Radrada
6. Brett Kenny
7. Peter Sterling
Lock. Ray Price
2nd Row: Dick Thornett
2nd Row: Ron Lynch
Prop: Brian Hambly
Hooker: Steve Sharp
Prop: Bob O' Reilly
Bench
Utility: Paul Taylor
Fui Fui Moi Moi
Ray Higgs
Nathan Hindmarsh
Didn't pick Beetson because he was right at the end of his career when he played for us. He played a few good games but most were average, nothing like the Beetson of 1969-1977/78 - And played a blinder in the first game of SOO. Whacked his good mate Cronin real hard on the noggin.
18th MAN: the most terrifying defender of them all Ron Hilditch - fuck he hit hard and constantly and he could play hooker too.
LOLLLLLLLLL Steve Edge FMD
Best others ...
Phil Mann, Arch Brown, Barry Rushworth, Ed Sulkowicz, Owen Stephens, John Peard, Ivor Lingard, Brian Hambly, Billy Rayner, Matt Goodwin, Chris Phelan, Stan Jurd, Keith Campbell.
Just throwing it out there.
1) Ken Thornett
2) Eric Grothe Sr
3) Mick Cronin
4) Steve Ella
5) Semi Radrada
6) Brett Kenny
7) Peter Sterling
8) Ray Price
9) Dick Thornett
10) John Baker
11) Brain Hambly
12) Steve Edge
13) Bob O' Reilly
14) Graeme Olling
15) Ron Hilditch
16) Nathan Hindmarsh
17) Ray Higgs
I could not pick Hayne, while his stella game against the saints and the mesmerising try he scored will long stand apart from most tries I have seen from an individual, he was a bii too sleepy for me and never gave a real full time commitment overall. Brilliant when on his game but in his dreamworld too often rather than for the team.
Thanks Colin . I am still weighing up my team however my first thoughts are to nsme the entire 1981 inaugural Grand Final winning team , given that it was the most exciting memory from almost a lifetime of of following the eels . A number of the players in that 1981 team including Sterling and Kenny are my age or at least within a year age difference. At the same time we played in the same Parramatta / western suburbs junior Comp although by age we are up to a year apart and of course Sterlo arrived at Fairfield Pats school from Wagga while a High School student although probably did not DON a his school jersey in the local comp . Shame as I played against his school in weekend football for a number of years up until time of his enrolment there . Jarryd Hayne played for Cabramatta one of my junior clubs but nearly 30 years after I played for that club . My problem is that I find it hard to leave out a few great players before and since that 1981 GF win who I have greatly admired including the Thornett brothers , Ray Higgs , Jarryd Hayne , Jamie Lyon , and Nathan Hindmarsh. I note you included John Baker in your team . I don't recall seeing John play although Ray Price in his book mentions John Baker as a player he played alongside in the 70's . What are your memories of him and reasons for including John ? I don't think he was a rep player ?
Edit not complete!! I do not recall seeing the Thornett brothers play live however my late father told me how much he thought of them . Brilliant they were to him !!!
Driza, I go back to the 60's and earlier when my late dad and mum would go to almost every match the eels played in/at even as a ten year old in 1957, climbed the North Sydney oval trees having walked from North Sydney station, same everywhere else, did not have a car until early 60's as my dad walked to work or caught PT.
There's a heck of a lot of great players I met, including brothers Thornett, MacMartin Brothers, Hambly, Billy Rayner, now there was a tough as teak hooker and a parra tragic, served on the old committees as well. Ivor Lingard great little pommie half and coached lower grade to a GF, & IIRC they won with him at the helm but he only stayed one year.
John Baker, was one of the hardest players I ever saw, a sort of mongrel bloke he played 5 years for the eels and finished up after the 79 season have a read here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Baker_(rugby_league) In it is mention of Neville Glover's dropped ball with the line wide open and we could have won a premiership earlier.
John Baker was a niggling player, knew how to cover up not so nice, other words illegal plays and not get pinched for them. He was not big in size and weight but he was huge in heart, never stopped an early old school version of Ray Price. After training one Tuesday night I went up to the pub The Royal Oak where some of the players would go for a few bears after training, wont mention names but one of our better players a big forward was at the pub and we were yarning, he had his ankle strapped and could not train with the team that night, JB walked in through the doors where a brick was used to prop the door open, when he walked in and seeing said team mate, he gave the ankle man a real mouth full accusing him of bludging, when told he had a crook ankle, JB picked the brick up, and chucked it on the others ankle, well now you have a real crook ankle. Goes over orders 2 schooners and gives to the ankle man who is still jumping around a bit, and JB said settle down the beer will help.
He played hard and fast and expected no less from his team mates. I look at Graham Olling not a lot of him either but when one thinks of Ron Hilditch the hit man, Olling was in that class too. When Artie Beetson was playing for the chooks, he took the ball on a big run from their try line, or so he thought. Olling lined him up and gave one of the best demo's ever of putting Artie on his back, in the in goal area, driving him back around 5 metres, the tackle was carried out with Olling putting his shoulder up and under Arties rib cage in a brutal head on tackle lifted Artie off the ground and Ollings momentum took him back into the in goal.
I could sit down and go through a list of eels players from around 1957 onwards whom I met and knew also many more that I did not meet except to have them sign my autograph book, a book that has been lost, there was a heck of a lot of signatures in there and sad that its now gone.
That lost GF when John Moran passed to Nifty Neville, who dropped the ball and that was very unusual for him as he had good hands, John Moran was a good centre, not flashy but good and reliable, ex Riff player like his brother.
In that era we had Dennis Pittard who had 2 good seasons with the eels I thought in the mid 70's, IIRC he was at the pub on the brick night as well, and he laughed his head off.
Thankfully for me I was able to go to our Premiership winning game, my dad had passed away about 4 years beforehand & it always grieves me that he never witnessed an eels first grade GF. So reflection back to my time, there a heck of a lot of players that would deserve a place in the best ever even though they did not taste a GF victory, they all put their bodies on the line, along with their hearts, they played for their team mates and club, also the eels supporters, they got win, lose or draw match payments and was not great as they all had normal daytime jobs.
Each year in January/February there would be trials for jnr comps and others trialling for reserves or 3rds, usually was over half a day and played seperately to normal matches, they would get over a hundred or more arriving at different times for the age group and if they were trying out for the rep teams as well.
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