Slipping away
Eels great Ray Price and other concerned Parramatta people, including former sponsor and fan Andrew Eagleston, have written a letter to chairman Peter V’landys and the ARL Commission about the plight of the Eels juniors, asking questions about how Manly are able to recruit so many of their young potential stars.
They want an investigation into that and what they say is a collapse of the junior league. The letter reads, in part: “The Parramatta Eels junior league is in such a state of disrepair the Parramatta junior league has had to merge with Canterbury to ensure there is a competition in 2022 in many age groups.
“If not urgently addressed, this issue will completely undermine the game’s growth strategy. There is a significant player exodus from Parramatta to Manly. Why would so many talented Parramatta juniors play on the other side of Sydney? There are so many talented Parramatta juniors at Souths, Balmain, Canterbury and other clubs.”