What if?

[Eels Dude]

What if Sterling, Kenny, Grothe, Ella, Price, Cronin etc. Never played for Parra?

We'd be the club copping the Harold Holt porchlight joke instead of Cronulla.

 

[born an eel]

What if Sterling, Kenny, Grothe, Ella, Price, Cronin etc. Never played for Parra?

we would be still building, not re-building.

 

[Seccie]

What if we won the 2001 and 2009 premierships?

yeah.. in 2001 when we lost to a team with the skipper under the influence (self admission)... ie cheating.. and in 2009 when we lost to a team that also cheated (caught out)...

makes me sick to think we got robbed these two opportunities for success because of the cheating of others..

BRING ON 2012....

and yes.. thank you souf sadney for being such a try-hard club that can't keep it's most important player...

 

[SDM]

Lol, the drugs he was on are really performance enhancing

 

[Eels Dude]

Joey taking ecstasy or whatever on occasions throughout his career cost us the 2001 grand final? FMD. We lost to the better team on the day in the '01 grand final. You can't put that loss down to the opposition 'cheating' simply because their chief playmaker admitted a few years later that he took recreational drugs on occasions during his playing career.

 

[Tony Bongo]

If we didn't sign Sandow then I would have the same optimism that I have had for the past 2 seasons and be faced with the same disappointment at the end of it. At least with Sandow on board I can be hopeful without having to try and kid myself.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

We lost to the better team on the day

More importantly, we lost to the better team on paper.

There might have been two champion teams playing that day but one of them was also a team of champions.

When has the team of champions ever lost a grand final to a team of lesser players? I'm sure it's happened but it must've been before I started watching the game.

 

[SDM]

The knights did have a very good team that year. I wonder why they weren't as consistent as us?



Hagan face

 

[caylo]

The knights did have a very good team that year. I wonder why they weren't as consistent as us?



Hagan face

they lost Joey for 1/3 of the year and came 3rd if I recall. The first game of the year we played them at Newcastle they beat us with Joey (pretty comfortably) and the second time we smashed them without him. They spent a few weeks at #1 until Joey was injured, they were probably a better team then us when Joey was on the field.

 

[SDM]

Yeah, that is true. I was thinking they might have been like us under Hagan in 2007. World beaters one week, hopeless the next.

 

[hybrideel]

More importantly, we lost to the better team on paper.

There might have been two champion teams playing that day but one of them was also a team of champions.

When has the team of champions ever lost a grand final to a team of lesser players? I'm sure it's happened but it must've been before I started watching the game.

You could argue that the cheats were the better team on paper against Brisbane and to a lesser extent as they were without Smith, Manly

 

[Poupou Escobar]

You could argue that the cheats were the better team on paper against Brisbane and to a lesser extent as they were without Smith, Manly

They might have been better but they weren't so much better that their opposition was no chance against them.

Brisbane '06 and Manly '08 were still packed with rep players. The '01 and '09 Eels were not.

I'd say the '05 Eels were a better side on paper than either of the '01 or '09 teams.

 

[hybrideel]

the '00 team was probably better too.

 

[Maroubra Eel]

Where would we be on the ladder ife the Titans were to beat the Raiders tonight?

 

[Eels Dude]

Where would we be on the ladder ife the Titans were to beat the Raiders tonight?

It's certainly looking like the wooden spoon is ours to lose... or is that win?

 

[Joshuatheeel]

They might have been better but they weren't so much better that their opposition was no chance against them.

Brisbane '06 and Manly '08 were still packed with rep players. The '01 and '09 Eels were not.

I'd say the '05 Eels were a better side on paper than either of the '01 or '09 teams.

Yeah agree with that, I think Hayne would have been the only regular rep player out of the 01 and 09 sides.

Hindmarsh, Cayless were not regular rep players in 2001.

 

[Maroubra Eel]

Yeah agree with that, I think Hayne would have been the only regular rep player out of the 01 and 09 sides.

Hindmarsh, Cayless were not regular rep players in 2001.

Hayne was playing Origin in 01.

 

[Eels Dude]

Yeah agree with that, I think Hayne would have been the only regular rep player out of the 01 and 09 sides.

Hindmarsh, Cayless were not regular rep players in 2001.

There were up and comers though in 2001 who went on to play regular rep games. Cayless, Hindy, Lyon, Vaealiki, Hodgson, Ryan, Wagon, Vella, and Moodie, had already either played for their state or country at that stage or went on to do so the following year.

Cayless was NZ captain in 2001.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Cayless was NZ captain in 2001.

Back then New Zealand was a Mickey Mouse rep team. Today they're on a par with playing Origin.

All those other guys were, at best, fringe rep players at the time.

 

[Joshuatheeel]

There were up and comers though in 2001 who went on to play regular rep games. Cayless, Hindy, Lyon, Vaealiki, Hodgson, Ryan, Wagon, Vella, and Moodie, had already either played for their state or country at that stage or went on to do so the following year.

Cayless was NZ captain in 2001.

Yeah that group of payers did play rep football but the point was in 2001 none were regualr rep players compared to the Knights side. Also out of that group only Hindy, Cayless and maybe Ryan and Lyon become regular rep players. The others only got the odd game here and there.