Pricey's first training in 23 years
By Phillip Heads and James Hooper | January 17, 2009 11:00pm
FOR Parramatta legend Ray Price, it was worth the wait of 8148 days, over two decades - and a sunburnt head.
The club's last premiership-winning captain attended his first Parramatta training session since the 1986 grand final last Friday, alongside new football club board members Brett Kenny and John Chidiac.
Price and Kenny, who also hadn't been to Eels training since he retired in 1993, spoke to head coach Daniel Anderson and several of the Eels players at a club signing day at Parramatta Stadium.
The next twist in the battle to reclaim control of the proud Parramatta club will take place tomorrow when the new board meets for the first time since Price, Kenny, Chidiac and Eric Grothe swept to power.
Out-of-favour chief executive Denis Fitzgerald, who appears a lame-duck walking, has made no personal contact with the so-called rebels since they took control.
The only correspondence was when the Eels football club office telephoned the new board members to tell them they could collect the minutes from the previous board meeting from Parramatta headquarters.
While the new regime virtually have their hands tied until the Parramatta Leagues Club election in April, you would still love to hear what goes on inside the Leagues club meeting at 6pm tomorrow.
"We're behind Daniel Anderson 100 per cent. We told him we hope the side goes well and we had to talk to some of the players about the club going forward,'' Price said.
"It was a very successful day, except for the fact I got burnt on the head.
"I forgot to take my hat out of the car, but I wish I had.''
Since Price last attended an Eels training session, the Eels have gone through four coaches - Ron Hilditch, Mick Cronin, Brian Smith and Michael Hagan.
"We want to increase football club membership and try and get the members more involved in training and game day activities. We want to make the club a better place,'' Kenny said.
