EEL FEELINGS
Weve heard it for 12 months now: the laughing, the snickering, the gloating from Manly fans after streaking away to another premiership.
Supporting Parramatta has never been easy not since 1986 at least but even with their current predicament, those of us that witnessed the Eels of the early 1990s know better than any that the definition of crap is arbitrary.
Thats right the Parramatta side that ventured out during those lean days a little more than a decade ago was so bad that even losing a game by single figures was quite the accomplishment.
This was an era of such debilitating failure that the main reason for trekking out to Parramatta Stadium was because the chips on the hill were so damn good; an era when David Woods was hailed as our saviour despite the fact that he spent far more time in the rehab room than the weights room.
While Canberra fielded the likes of Ricky Stuart, Mal Meninga, Laurie Daley and Bradley Clyde, the Eels boasted such luminaries as Stu Galbraith, Tulsen Tollett, Bill Greentree and Vince Fawcett.
They were a side that promised little and delivered less.
A side so bad that victory was rarely measured on the scoreboard as illustrated one Sunday afternoon in Canberra when Eels fans celebrated long and hard after delivering the home side a devastating blow.
What blow, you ask?
No, we didnt win or even come close, but at least Ricky Stuart had suffered a serious knee injury along the way that quickly brought Canberras season to a crashing halt (the Raiders won 68-0 that day, by the way).
These were torrid times and like all true supporters, the blue and gold army would dream of the impossible despite knowing full well that a trip to the footy was really a hidden form of masochism.
On one glorious Sunday afternoon in 1995, Parramatta had an entire stadium stunned when they shocked premiership heavyweights Brisbane to race to a 14-6 lead at the half-time break.
Could this really be happening, the Eels faithful wondered? Are we watching a miracle? Could the tide be turning?
Yes, said the newcomers; I want to go home now said the diehards.
Brisbane won 60-14.
Yet this was the life of a born and bed Eel
and, just occasionally, a miracle
did happen.
That 1995 season will live long in the memory of us faithful primarily for the fact that we won just three games all season and still managed to avoid the wooden spoon (thanks North Queensland) but also for a shock 22-16 win over eventual premiers Canterbury.
The Eels were dreadful that season (obviously) but somehow that one win made it all better.
In-fact, it was the enigma of this truly woeful side that on the rare occasions they jagged a win it often happened to be against someone near the top of the table.
Either that or we would lose by 50.
One such occasion was in 1992, when a couple of hours after Lee Oudenryn a man with great speed but rarely able to catch a football beat Martin Offiah in a pre-match foot-race, the Eels actually beat Great Britain.
GREAT BRITAIN!!!
In times like these it wasnt so much a case of how did the Eels win, rather how the hell did the other mob lose?
But this was the life of a Parramatta fan. We knew what we were.
While Brisbane fans would yell Give it to Renouf, wed be screaming Dont give it to Muchmore.
There has, of course, been plenty of pain since.
Thanks to coach Smiths remarkable skills of resuscitation, the Eels found a new and far more impressive means of falling short: a debilitating loss to the Bulldogs in the 1998 semi-final after leading 18-2 with 11 minutes remaining; falling to Melbourne in a game they couldnt lose 12 months later; that debacle of a grand final in 2001 and a 29-0 loss to North Queensland in the grand final qualifier four years later when hot favourites to win the title.
The Eels have made losing an art form over the past decade but those of us that have been there for the long haul know that, even for the failings of this Parramatta side circa 2009, it could be far worse.
It could be 1995.
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