Price was the heart and soul. Cronin was the big points machine.
Price would drive the side - make sure the team all played to their ability, and never slacken off. He was also the starch up the middle. How many times in a big game would a trainer drag Price to his feet in wobbly legs, and send him back into battle. It weould never fail to lift his team!
Sterling directed the attack. Kenny, Ella and Grothe took what Sterlo offered and ut defences to ribbons. But Cronin was the big points man. Big Jack Gibson used to say that Crow was worth 12 points to a side. In an era where a 30 point win was a huge flogging, you can see how important he was.
Crow could bang 'em over from halfway (and make the ball go dead). Then he would miss 'em from 10m out right in front!
If you ever gat a chance, watch a replay of the 1981 grand final. On that day Cronin performed the best display of goal kicking I have ever witnessed. To explain - the day was extremely windy, and the wind swirled around the SCG. Newtown were scoring 2 tries to Parra's one. but Paul Morris couldn't convert many of them - the win was far to wild. By the time Tommy Raudonikis scored, Newtown had 3 tries to our 1, for an 11-7 lead. yet Cronin was the difference.
The conversion of Brett Kenny's first half try was the best kick I have seen. Crow had to kick accross the wind. Not only that, but the wind swirling inside the arena was bisected by the wind roaring accross the ground from the gaps between the grandstand. Cronin had to kick the ball across a gale blowing in 3 different directions accross the balls flight path. and the kick was from the sideline as well.
Bigger me is he didn't nail it! A huge kick that crossed the black dot about 20m above the ground!
When Ella scored late in the game, Cronin's kick was needed to put us in front. Again, from the sideline, across the gale, he nailed it.
Back to Price, he came to parra when Ray Higgs was captain. Higgs was a no bullshit tough as teak second rower who simply belted anthing in his path. He played the '76 grand final with a broken jaw. He was all heart, and was a magnificent leader to whom the Parramatta history does not give nearly enough credit to. Ray Price learned from Higgs.
Higgs left Parramatta when Terry Fearnley wouldn't allow him to bash the St George pack in the 77 GF replay. Higgs would have ripped in too!
) It was Year 11 for me and I wasn't supposed to be able to go to many games cause of school (pfffft! bloody school!) but my Dad was convinced to take us to the Canberra game, and he felt so sorry for me, lol, he allowed me to go see Bert's send off next week. He was a big Kenny fan, even though he is a Penrith boy, and my neighbour snuck along with us to see Bert play.
