Coaching gig for Sterling as Eels call on legends for help
Adrian Proszenko | July 19, 2009
PETER STERLING will finally get an opportunity to coach Parramatta.
New Eels chief executive Paul Osborne has penned an open letter to former players - obtained by The Sun-Herald - urging them to return to the fold.
And at the top of the list is champion halfback Sterling, touted as a potential coaching consultant for next season. Several Parramatta greats - most notably Sterling, Ray Price and Brett Kenny - have had no official ties with the club due to a long-standing feud with veteran chief Denis Fitzgerald.
But in his first week as Fitzgerald's successor, Osborne declared that he wanted Sterling to help lead the club back to its glory days.
"Sterlo has indicated he's willing to be involved and I'd like to have to have him here in some capacity," Osborne told The Sun-Herald.
"He was the little general throughout those wonderful times we enjoyed in the 1980s and has a great knowledge of the game.
"He's highly regarded
We'll keep talking and see how it pans out."
Head coach Daniel Anderson already has a consultant halves coach at his disposal - Andrew Johns - but the prospect of Sterling returning in an official capacity is sure to excite long-suffering Eels fans.
Osborne said he would speak with Johns and Anderson about a role for a man considered one of the game's best analysts.
"I think he wants to be involved and that's exciting for me," Osborne said. "I've already spoken to Sterlo and it's a conversation I'll have with the coach."
Parramatta's coaching staff already has a fresh look about it for next season. Peter Sharp - who had been linked to a move to Bondi Junction as either an aid or replacement for Roosters coach Brad Fittler - will instead return to the Eels as an assistant coach.
Sharp held the role with the club before going on to head coaching jobs at Manly, the Northern Eagles and Super League strugglers Hull. While the announcement is not yet official, Sharp will quit as defensive coach of Irish rugby union club Ulster to take up the posting.
It won't be the last of the personnel changes at Parramatta - several long-serving staff members of the leagues and football clubs will be squeezed out as part of a cost-cutting exercise.
In his letter to former players, Osborne wrote: "I'd like to take this opportunity to officially welcome you back into the Eels family.
"We want you to come to our games. To contribute your ideas. To spend time with the current players so they can appreciate the history that this great club was built on. Because you may be a past player but we want you to be a part of our future."
Osborne, a former policeman and politician, said the squad could learn a lot from those who have gone before them.
"The former players are the ones who have created the legacy," he said. "We owe it to the club and the fans to have them involved and get their input.
"There's a few ex-players who have already indicated they want to be involved. I want to get Steve Ella back. He's done a lot with indigenous youth on the Central Coast and he's contributing in development and training.
"I also like the tradition of ex-players handing the jumper out to a guy making his debut.
"That's something I've spoken to the coach about.
"It would be a big thrill for a young kid playing for Parramatta getting his first jersey from someone like Ray Price."
Osborne said his other priorities were to finalise the playing roster for 2010, increase the "embarrassingly low" level of club memberships and facilitate the independent review being undertaken by the club. Parramatta take on Melbourne at Parramatta Stadium tomorrow night.
