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April 19, 2026 \u2014 3:00am<\/p>\n
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Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n Save this article for later<\/p>\n Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime.<\/p>\n Got it<\/p>\n AAA<\/p>\n For those only familiar with the modern, points-a-plenty, supercharged version of rugby league, it would be difficult to grasp that perhaps the greatest backline ever assembled contested a tryless grand final.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was very defence-orientated in the middle of the \u201980s,\u201d says Parramatta legend Peter Sterling of his side\u2019s 4-2 win over Canterbury in the 1986 decider.<\/p>\n \u201cI challenge anyone to go back and have a look at the 80 minutes and not be excited by it. We sort of talk down the defensive side of the game [today], but that was edge-of-your-seat stuff for the whole time.\u201d<\/p>\n There is one moment that resonates with Sterling four decades later. With the clock ticking down, and Canterbury peppering the Eels\u2019 try line \u2013 \u201cPressure! Pressure for Parramatta!\u201d cried the great Ray Warren in commentary \u2013 the Bulldogs hatched a short-side raid. Opposing halfback Steve Mortimer fires the ball right, prop Peter Tunks offloads to open what appears a channel just wide enough for Andrew Farrar to sneak through and steal the game.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I think of the \u201986 grand final, I think of one tackle,\u201d Sterling recalls. \u201cThere were seven Parramatta jerseys in that tackle late in the game.<\/p>\n \u201cTo me that just summed up that win; the desperation just to deny, to find the effort to get the numbers there. That to me just encompassed what that game was all about. That shows why we won the game.\u201d<\/p>\n Among the blue and gold jerseys making the defensive stop was Sterling, who moments later would be crowned the game\u2019s first Clive Churchill medallist.<\/p>\n \u201cSterlo, the first thing he grabbed was the football,\u201d adds his halves partner Brett Kenny. \u201cHe wanted to make sure that they didn\u2019t get the ball on the ground.\u201d<\/p>\n It was one of many magical moments that were relived on Friday night when Parramatta celebrated the 40-year anniversary of that epic victory. More than 650 guests attended a lavish function at Rosehill Racecourse that featured the class of 1986, as well as the current Eels side.<\/p>\n Famous tales were retold. Like Michael Cronin almost missing the game due to a 30-car pile-up delaying his commute from Gerringong to the Sydney Cricket Ground.<\/p>\n \u201cI had a habit of running late to a lot of things,\u201d Cronin says of his predicament as the minutes to kick-off ticked down. \u201cI\u2019ve embarrassed myself a few times in my life, but missing a grand final would have been top of the list.\u201d<\/p>\n There were the two disallowed tries to Kenny, who had scored a double in each of the side\u2019s previous three grand final victories.<\/p>\n \u201c[Referee] Mick Stone got it right,\u201d Kenny concedes. \u201cWhich proves maybe we don\u2019t need the video referee.\u201d<\/p>\n And then there was the sight of captain Ray Price, who barely had the energy to regain his feet after completing the final tackle right on the hooter. It was a fitting farewell for Price and Cronin, who managed to get to the game just in time to boot the penalty goals that proved the difference.<\/p>\n The raucous, celebratory scenes that followed were replayed ad nauseam throughout the evening. It was evident that the bonds formed on that famous day had not diminished with the passing of time.<\/p>\n And while that feat was appropriately celebrated ahead of the latest clash between the great rivals \u2013 Parramatta host Canterbury at CommBank Stadium on Sunday \u2013 it wasn\u2019t lost on those in attendance that it remained the western Sydney club\u2019s final premiership.<\/p>\n For many in the room, it was literally a lifetime ago.<\/p>\n The contrast between that champion side and the present one is stark. Current coach Jason Ryles is overseeing the worst defensive outfit in the game, one that would be sitting at the bottom of the ladder if not for the hapless Dragons<\/a>. After last week\u2019s loss to the Titans, fans booed their team off the ground.<\/p>\n The season is only six weeks old and already it is a virtual write-off. For long-suffering fans, there\u2019s no guarantee the club is any closer to grand final glory.<\/p>\n \u201cIt seems like yesterday, and then to find out that it\u2019s actually been 40 years, geez it\u2019s a long time,\u201d Kenny says.<\/p>\n There are mitigating factors.<\/p>\n The Eels are experiencing one of the worst injury crises of any team in the modern era. There are 13 players unavailable for selection \u2013 including key men Isaiah Iongi, Jonah Pezet and J\u2019maine Hopgood \u2013 and the club doesn\u2019t have the depth to adequately replace them. Their replacements come up against a Canterbury outfit coming off a huge high, a victory against a white-hot Panthers team<\/a> considered almost unbackable favourites for the title. Things are likely to get worse before they get better.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s probably why there is a little bit of bitter,\u201d Sterling says of the mood at the reunion. \u201cIt\u2019s all sweet, obviously, but a little bit of bitter that this is a celebration of not just a grand final win, but also our last grand final win.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd that\u2019s disappointing, we\u2019re all disappointed by that. We\u2019d like to think that\u2019ll be rectified sooner than later, but for our club, that\u2019s way too long of a drought. We\u2019ve been in a couple of grand finals, but we need to be contesting more.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re putting our faith in Jason that he\u2019s taking us that way. We don\u2019t want the halcyon days of our club to be four decades ago.\u201d<\/p>\n A club with a storied past, a rich leagues club, a thriving junior nursery and a rusted-on fan base remains in the longest premiership drought in NRL history. And there is no sign that, at least in the foreseeable future, it will end.<\/p>\n Related Article<\/p>\n \u201cQuestions have been asked and should be asked about that,\u201d Sterling says.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m quietly and cautiously optimistic that we\u2019re getting things right \u2026<\/p>\n \u201cI want to be around for the [next] celebrations. I know what it was like for us. I couldn\u2019t begin to imagine the celebrations that would go on after our next victory.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d like to think that\u2019s going to be sooner than later because I want to be reasonably fit and healthy to be a big part, on the fringes, but a part of it.\u201d<\/p>\n Save<\/p>\n You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n![\"Prime](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/97c1f1d89b5e5b41fb9c46f5bb242082d28a0f42.jpeg\")
Prime minister Bob Hawke presents Ray Price and Mick Cronin with the premiership trophy in 1986, but are captain Mitchell Moses and the Eels any closer to another title?Artwork: Monique Westermann<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ac10fb5a984469bead014ba8429030286271288d.jpeg\")
The premiership-winning Parramatta Eels of 1986.NRL Photos<\/p>\n![\"Members](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/f02964d0285062c494ef1c6052df485413643bdc.jpeg\")
Members of the premiership-winning 1986 at an anniversary dinner on Friday night.<\/p>\n![\"Eels](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/94a7e9425dd525b5e99dc3df6c2ed5e42103f1ca.jpeg\")
Eels great Eric Grothe and current Parramatta wing star Josh Addo-Carr.<\/p>\n![\"Peter](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/a8984ddcb5e8cb6c0bac247751ebb63a814ba4b5.jpeg\")
Peter Sterling speaking at the anniversary dinner.<\/p>\n