Hindmarsh checked after Tri-Nations
BRAD EARL
15dec04
PARRAMATTA'S Kangaroos dynamo Nathan Hindmarsh has a doctor's appointment today to see if he needs surgery on his troublesome ankles.
"They were good while I was away," the workaholic second-rower said.
Eels coach Brian Smith told The Advertiser recently Hindmarsh experienced problems with his ankles for most of last season.
"They started to play up a lot" towards the end of the season and he struggled with training, Hindmarsh explained.
"They had a look at them and there were a few spurs that needed to be cut out," he said.
"They seem to have settled down a lot but we're just going to have to wait and see with the scans."
While Smith also said Hindmarsh wouldn't resume training until mid to late January, the player himself is looking forward to the new campaign and jokes that if he leaves it too long, "I'll be getting too fat".
The Tri-Nations series was Hindmarsh's first Kangaroo tour of Great Britain, not counting the 2000 World Cup played there.
As well as Australia beating the host nation in the final in front of a huge crowd, his other personal highlight was the first game against the Lions.
"It was the first time I'd played against Great Britain and it was pretty much all that I expected it was a tough, close game," Hindmarsh said.
He gave the Tri-Nations, which also involved New Zealand, the thumbs up.
"It was a successful tour," he said.
"We had three sold-out Great Britain games and a decent crowd for the Kiwis.
"It was good for the game and hopefully we can do it again."
* EELS fans will have only one match on free-to-air television in the opening five rounds of next season, and a home one at that.
In round four Channel 9 has chosen Parramatta's western Sydney derby against Penrith as its Friday night game.
All other games are shown on Fox Sports.
The NRL last week released the complete scheduling for the first five rounds.
The Eels' games are: v Wests Tigers at Telstra Stadium, Saturday, March 12 (5.30pm); v Souths at Aussie Stadium, Sunday, March 20 (3pm); v Cronulla at Parramatta Stadium, Easter Saturday, March 26 (7.30pm); v Penrith at Parramatta, Friday, April 1 (7.30pm); v Brisbane at Suncorp Stadium, Sunday, April 10 (2.30pm).
* THE Eels held their annual Christmas party at Ronald McDonald House, Westmead, last Thursday. Parramatta Leagues Club presented the house with a $15,000 colour photocopier-printer.
* PARRAMATTA won the Club Education Award at the Rugby League Professionals Association's inaugural Players Awards last week.
* THE Eels will stage a Christmas visit and autograph session at Parklea Markets at 11am on Saturday. The entire 2005 squad, minus Hindmarsh and Kiwis Tri-Nations representative Nathan Cayless, will attend.
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