Casper The Ghost
First Grade
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The Parramatta Jesus
Will Swanton
September 29, 2009
smh.com.au
BE SEATED. Parramatta Jesus is speaking. ''There will be no second coming,'' he says, doom descending upon all those wanting him back. ''I'm too old. I'm 33. Everyone has been bugging me to get back into it but I'm just going to the game like normal. I'm pumped. The last few months have been great but, like Nathan Hindmarsh said, it won't mean anything if we lose. No one remembers who loses grand finals.''
Parramatta Jesus was one of the great supporters. He was created the night a fan called John Ryan went to an Eels game dressed in a robe. He just happened to already have long hair and a beard and hey presto, the Parramatta Son of God had arrived at Stadium Australia. What started as a one-off appearance for a laugh became a decade of infamy as the most notable of Eels fans. He's always been a diehard follower, someone whose favourite Eels teams were ''the ones who got their arses kicked every week'' because they kept trying anyway.
''The whole thing was lunacy, insane,'' he says of his alter ego. ''I still can't believe it. I was going to the footy with my brother and some mates, and they knew I didn't mind being a bit of a dickhead so they told me I should dress up. It was all just a bit of fun.
''It was the night Stadium Australia opened. I just put on this robe and, 10 years later, I'm still Parramatta Jesus. Absolute insanity, the whole thing. I retired last year, and I won't be coming back this week. I don't want to jinx them.''
Parramatta Jesus hasn't lost his religion - he didn't have any in the first place. Jarryd Hayne credits Christianity with transforming his life but Parramatta Jesus isn't buying it.
''I'm not on the Hayne bandwagon,'' he says. ''I don't mean anything bad by that, but you need to play for four or five years before people start putting you with the real greats. Time will tell. If he does it for another few years, then I'll be the first one to say good on him. In terms of the religion, good on him with that, too.''
But has Hayne done enough to dislodge incumbent Slater from the Test fullback berth? ''I think Billy Slater has dominated more,'' Parramatta Jesus said. ''And he's been doing it for years.''
Better the devil you know, then.
BIG INSPIRATION
If there's one thing Eels prop Tim Mannah wants more than to win a premiership ring on Sunday, it's to have his brother Johnny at ANZ Stadium to see him do it. Johnny Mannah, who plays for the Sharks, was diagnosed with lymphoma a month ago, and Tim is unsure if he will be able to attend the grand final.
''He came last Friday night, and to see him there was really good, but he gets treatment on Thursday so he might be a bit dusty. We'll just have to wait and see - he's got a ticket with his name on it,'' Tim said. ''Seeing what he's had to go through and knowing how much he loves his footy and how much he would love to be out there playing … puts things in perspective.''
Will Swanton
September 29, 2009
smh.com.au
BE SEATED. Parramatta Jesus is speaking. ''There will be no second coming,'' he says, doom descending upon all those wanting him back. ''I'm too old. I'm 33. Everyone has been bugging me to get back into it but I'm just going to the game like normal. I'm pumped. The last few months have been great but, like Nathan Hindmarsh said, it won't mean anything if we lose. No one remembers who loses grand finals.''
Parramatta Jesus was one of the great supporters. He was created the night a fan called John Ryan went to an Eels game dressed in a robe. He just happened to already have long hair and a beard and hey presto, the Parramatta Son of God had arrived at Stadium Australia. What started as a one-off appearance for a laugh became a decade of infamy as the most notable of Eels fans. He's always been a diehard follower, someone whose favourite Eels teams were ''the ones who got their arses kicked every week'' because they kept trying anyway.
''The whole thing was lunacy, insane,'' he says of his alter ego. ''I still can't believe it. I was going to the footy with my brother and some mates, and they knew I didn't mind being a bit of a dickhead so they told me I should dress up. It was all just a bit of fun.
''It was the night Stadium Australia opened. I just put on this robe and, 10 years later, I'm still Parramatta Jesus. Absolute insanity, the whole thing. I retired last year, and I won't be coming back this week. I don't want to jinx them.''
Parramatta Jesus hasn't lost his religion - he didn't have any in the first place. Jarryd Hayne credits Christianity with transforming his life but Parramatta Jesus isn't buying it.
''I'm not on the Hayne bandwagon,'' he says. ''I don't mean anything bad by that, but you need to play for four or five years before people start putting you with the real greats. Time will tell. If he does it for another few years, then I'll be the first one to say good on him. In terms of the religion, good on him with that, too.''
But has Hayne done enough to dislodge incumbent Slater from the Test fullback berth? ''I think Billy Slater has dominated more,'' Parramatta Jesus said. ''And he's been doing it for years.''
Better the devil you know, then.
BIG INSPIRATION
If there's one thing Eels prop Tim Mannah wants more than to win a premiership ring on Sunday, it's to have his brother Johnny at ANZ Stadium to see him do it. Johnny Mannah, who plays for the Sharks, was diagnosed with lymphoma a month ago, and Tim is unsure if he will be able to attend the grand final.
''He came last Friday night, and to see him there was really good, but he gets treatment on Thursday so he might be a bit dusty. We'll just have to wait and see - he's got a ticket with his name on it,'' Tim said. ''Seeing what he's had to go through and knowing how much he loves his footy and how much he would love to be out there playing … puts things in perspective.''
