Phil Rothfield: Parramatta Eels set to become Brisbane Broncos of western Sydney

RUGBY league desperately needed a shot in the arm and the mighty Parramatta Eels delivered it.Friday night’s stunning victory over the Brisbane Broncos was the best thing I’ve seen all season.Beautiful rugby league. Tough. Free-flowing. Plenty of speed, passion and big hits.We’d been depressed about another State of Origin debacle, referees and the horrible knockout tackle on Billy Slater.Down 12-0 early, the Eels looked outclassed and out of their depth. We were all thinking this was going to be one of those 40-6 sort of scorelines.No Clint Gutherson. No Beau Scott. No hope. Another dismal Friday night game. But the Eels quickly fought back.The Mitchell Moses pass for their second try is a season highlight. He floated it skilfully from left to right, on his bad side, and passed straight over the top of a desperate Broncos defender and into the arms of Kirisome Auva’a to touch down.The pass of the year. Game on, ladies and gentleman.Parramatta powered home to stamp their credentials as premiership contenders.Nathan Brown leads the forward pack magnificently. Surely he’s the buy of the year.The timing is perfect.Going into retro round we stop to recall the Eels’ four glorious premierships in the magnificent ’80s. The days when they turned the SCG into blue and gold.Can it happen again this year?In the bigger picture, this is just the start of something potentially monumental.This is about the club’s long-term future and the fact it is shaping up as such an NRL powerhouse. The launching pad to even becoming the Broncos of Sydney’s west.The political rubbish and salary cap scandal are long gone.They will get a new 30,000-seat stadium, which will open in 2019 next door to a thriving leagues club.It will be a state-of-the art facility. And the leagues club has even bigger plans.Around $120 million will be spent on a multistorey hotel, new restaurants, a fitness and leisure centre, tenpin bowling, a new brewery and retail and fan areas.A precinct for footy supporters to arrive earlier and stay longer. And spend money.The fitness centre in the hotel is designed to attract sports tourism and visiting NRL teams.Seriously, this could become a more powerful sporting franchise than the Broncos.“We are not Barangaroo, but we are hoping to be Parramtta’s version of Barangaroo,” leagues club chief executive Bevan Paul said.Remarkably, this is a club that often uses the Cronulla Sharks as an example, according to communications boss Josh Drayton.How they came back from the peptide scandal to win a premiership by clearing out the management and starting all over again.The Eels have done exactly the same thing to recover from the salary cap disaster.Friday night was just the start of something big.Parramatta players after winning the 1986 grand final.They have a great draw, facing Canterbury, Newcastle, Gold Coast, Brisbane again and Souths in the run home.They haven’t played in the finals since 2009. But a top-four finish looks a real possibility and anything can happen from there.In coach Brad Arthur they have a man who has delivered extraordinary results.He’s no Craig Bellamy or Wayne Bennett just yet, but he sure can coach.And the way he held the players together last year after they were docked 12 competition points and got them up week after week for matches with no more than pride on the line was commendable.We’ll never stop blowing up about refs but suddenly the story of Laurie Daley’s future, the Origin loss and Slater’s concussion have been overtaken.Rugby league needs a great story and the Parramatta Eels are it.http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/teams/eels/phil-rothfield-parramatta-eels-set-to-become-brisbane-broncos-of-western-sydney/news-story/fe75efba7e8df90373b742459d556697

"Risati won't be a centre. He will be in the halves for sure. Cant say who will be better out of the 2 since Lorenzo has barely played cup whilst Risati is only playing SG balll for the first time next year. Must see them when they are consistently…"

"I'm not suggesting throwing Lorenzo or any other young player in there now, they aren't ready, my point is they still won't be ready for a start in 2027 either so are we going to sign another 1 year stop gap 6 for 2027?."

"Thanks KN/ EA. Just checking my gut feeling. Hopefully, he stays & makes good on his potential. I like his upside: footy nous, big body, kicking game, goal-kicker. Ain't many sixes offering all that. He's called by many in RU as a "Sua'ali'i clone…"

Replies

The French Fullback #1 July 30, 2017 at 10:22pm

Bit of a hype article off our good win. If we're sitting pretty in a few more weeks then it may have more substance
- eels2037 > The French Fullback #1 July 30, 2017 at 10:37pm
  
  thanks for the article still
- The True Parra fan > The French Fullback #1 July 30, 2017 at 10:42pm
  
  Visited the leagues club today and saw the level parking and it was good to see the progress . The eels have Third highest membership, brand new precinct and new stadium i think we will the envy of all the nrl . GO PARRA!!!!
Muttman July 30, 2017 at 10:44pm

"He’s no Craig Bellamy or Wayne Bennett just yet, but he sure can coach." - OMG Fong will have a heart attack.
fishbulb July 30, 2017 at 10:45pm

Fucking hell..... they belt us and belt us, then we have one good win and we're set to be 'the Brisbane Broncos of western Sydney'.... the truth is somewhere in between...
- Dave > fishbulb July 30, 2017 at 11:38pm
  
  Including a complete overreaction from people about the negative articles written
Hugo July 30, 2017 at 10:57pm

What a load of crap... These so called journos go off don't they... We get creamed by the bulldogs and they will be writing us off again.
They are an absolute pox.
Snakey - Sack Dylan Brown July 30, 2017 at 11:09pm

This clowns been bagging us for years now hes saying we could be the broncos of Sydney, fuck me.

But i agree with him about the new stadium, it will go a long way to helping us being a strong club and changing our image.
The Offside Eel July 30, 2017 at 11:16pm

Bullshit these pricks have passed on us every chance they get now were winning they lobe us piss off.
- wiggy 71 > The Offside Eel July 30, 2017 at 11:23pm
  
  My sentiments actually.