1982 /

FOR the first time in club history, the Parramatta Eels entered a new season as the defending premiers.

After so many years chasing the ultimate prize, now they would experience life as the hunted.

In 1982 there was additional competition following the introduction of expansion teams -  the Canberra Raiders and Illawarra Steelers.

If they were to go back-to-back, Jack Gibson’s men would have to do it from different surroundings.

Cumberland Oval was out of action, reduced to rubble and ashes after the post-grand final fire of ‘81.

It meant Parramatta would share Belmore Sports Ground with Canterbury until a new home stadium was built.

They were also forced to transfer training to Granville Park, a very basic suburban ground hardly worthy of hosting the best team in the competition.

General facilities were so limited, Jack Gibson bought an old bus where he would hold team meetings before and after training sessions.

Parramatta went onto win 21 of its 26 games in the preliminary rounds to win the minor premiership in a canter.

The Eels had the best attacking and defensive records, while also supplying the top tryscorer Steve Ella (21) and pointscorer Mick Cronin (255).

Another huge honour went to Ray Price, the 1982 Dally M Player of the Year. 

After earning a week off under the old top-five finals format, the Eels blew their chance at direct passage to the grand final by crashing to a shock 20-0 loss to Manly in the major semi-final.

It was a jolt to the system and Parramatta responded with full fury.

They Eels dispatched the Roosters 33-nil in the preliminary final, booking a second straight grand final appearance and a chance to atone for their finals mauling by the Sea Eagles. 

Players were greeted by sunny skies at the SCG and on offer for the first time was a new trophy, the Winfield Cup, a bronze statue depicting John O’Gready’s famous ‘The Gladiators’ photo from the 1963 grand final.

To get their hands on the trophy the Eels would need to overcome a Sea Eagles side full of confidence and favourites to win their first premiership since 1978.

They had beaten Parramatta in their past three encounters, including a comfortable victory in the semi-finals of the midweek KB Cup competition.

Manly had discovered arguably the game’s most exciting young talent in new halfback Phil Blake, named Dally M Rookie of the Year.

The 18-year-old whizkid opened the scoring in the grand final a with a try from his own bomb to put Manly ahead 3-nil after just a few minutes of play.

It was a diabolical start for Parramatta. Captain Steve Edge showed his leadership qualities, gathering his team together as Graham Eadie lined up the conversion.

Edge simply told his troops to start again and pretend it was nil-all.  

His talk had the desired effect, the Eels hitting back when Brett Kenny glided across the Sea Eagles’ defensive line, before putting Steve Ella into a yawning gap.

It was the Zip Zip Man’s 23rd try of the year, a club record at the time.

For much of the first half both teams fired shot after shot, but scrambling defence kept the score locked at 3-all.

That would all change late in the first half when the Eels clicked into gear.

Ella and Kenny combined after a Manly turnover to give Eric Grothe space, and the tearaway winger did the rest, crashing through Eadie’s attempted tackle and carrying Blake over the line with him.

Like he did 12 months earlier against Newtown, Cronin defied blustery conditions to nail the sideline conversion and the Eels were up 8-3.

From the ensuing kick-off, winger Neil Hunt and Ella made more inroads into the Sea Eagles defence.

Peter Sterling then launched a bomb which Manly couldn’t handle, allowing Kenny to score from the scraps.

The Eels could sense their opponents were in disarray and weren’t about to let them off.

Suffocating defence produced a fumble from the Sea Eagles inside their own quarter. Parramatta pounced … quick hands from Sterling, Kenny and Ella put winger Neil Hunt over in the corner.

Three tries in seven minutes - suddenly a raucous “Parra, Parra, Parra” chant reverberated around the SCG crowd of 52,186.

A tight 3-all grand final had become virtually ‘game over’ at 16-3.

Fighting for their lives the Sea Eagles came out hard to start the second half, Les Boyd crashing over from close range to give them hope at 16-8.

Manly had plenty of attacking firepower and a pack stacked with representative talent.

Hooker Max Krilich, who would go on to captain Australia on the 1982 Kangaroo Tour, was playing from the bench.

Yet they hardly made a dent in the blue and gold wall. Parramatta’s forwards, led by Edge and the unrelenting Price, defied Manly’s desperate attempts to get back into the game.

John Muggleton, Chris Phelan, Steve Sharp, Geoff Bugden and Peter Wynn cut down anything in maroon and white.

Battered by the tackle-hungry Eels forwards, the Sea Eagles were then dismantled by the attacking genius of Sterling and Kenny.

The Eels number seven turned his halves partner on the inside with a clever ball and Kenny did the rest, stretching out to grab his second grand final double in as many years.

He would later be retrospectively awarded the Clive Churchill Medal.

Manly’s frustration spilled over in the dying stages with Price wearing a left jab on the chin.

But it was Parramatta who landed the knockout blow, winning 21-8, to claim a second straight premiership.

Gibson hailed it the best win of his coaching career.   

Parramatta’s performance was widely lauded as “professional”.

Price agreed, saying in the aftermath: “We knew what we had to do and we did it.” 

The victory party gathered more steam that night when six players were chosen for the Kangaroo Tour: Price, Sterling, Kenny, Ella, Grothe and Muggleton. Cronin, considered a certain selection, was unavailable.