JUNE 26 2011
Eels won't let this one slip away
Paul Gallen slipped through Parramatta's fingers but they won't make the same mistake with the NSW skipper's teenage cousin, Matthew Eisenhuth, who is one of the club's Toyota Cup squad stars.
The 19-year-old backrower, who was recently signed to a new deal after being earmarked as a potential first-grader, described his cousin as an inspiration who proved hard work and desire would be rewarded.
''It's been great to see how well he's done, especially as captain of NSW,'' said Eisenhuth, an Australian Schoolboys representative. ''How he played the other week [in State of Origin II] was unbelievable.
''I don't think I'm going to make it just because he's my cousin. It's going to take a lot of hard work, but having someone close to you do so well … he makes it seem like [success] is possible.''
Eisenhuth has made his mark at Parramatta since being pitchforked from the Eels SG Ball team into the club's National Youth Competition [NYC] team midway through last season.
''Matthew is an 80-minute player - he has a massive motor,'' said Parramatta's NYC coach, Matt Cameron. ''He plays more on the edge than his cousin, he has a nice skill set - catch and pass - and is quite a skilful young man with a great off-load. And yes, he's tough.''
Cameron, who has been a part of the Parramatta coaching staff since 1997 and is renowned for his ability to develop players, acknowledged all clubs had stories of the one who got away. However, he added, when a club such as his is a ''development'' district, tough calls were necessary.
''We have a lot of kids in our district and a lot of junior development programs, so that means we end up having a lot of them, and while we'd like to keep all of them, we have to make educated and astute decisions about the players we keep,'' he said.
Daniel Lane
http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/eels-wont-let-this-one-slip-away-20110625-1gkls.html
