2016 Parramatta Eels season
Australia Rugby League Parramatta Eels 2016 season
Kieran Foran
Tim Mannah
ANZ Stadium (Capacity: 83,500)
TIO Stadium (Capacity: 12,500)
16,739 (Home & Away)
401,740 (Home & Away)
Bevan French (19) Michael Gordon (71) Michael Gordon (162)| ← 2015 | List of seasons | 2017 → |
The 2016 Parramatta Eels season was the 70th in the club's history. Coached by Brad Arthur and co-captained by Kieran Foran and Tim Mannah, they competed in the NRL's 2016 Telstra Premiership.
Summary
Prior to the start of the 2016 NRL season, the Parramatta club faced the prospect with starting the season on -4 points due to salary cap indiscretions in 2015, however the NRL was satisfied with governance changes at Parramatta and no points were deducted.[1]
Parramatta started the season with a 17-4 loss against the previous years runners up in Brisbane. The club would win their following three matches in a row including a 20-16 victory over the reigning premiers North Queensland. On 3 May 2016, NRL CEO Todd Greenberg announced that the club would be docked the twelve competition points they have accrued so far this season, as well as fined $1 million and stripped of the 2016 NRL Auckland Nines title it won in February.[2] In addition, the NRL also announced that the Parramatta club would not be able to accrue any further competition points until they fell under the salary cap, which they were reported to be $500,000.[3] Five officials, including chairman Steve Sharp, deputy chairman Tom Issa, director Peter Serrao, chief executive John Boulous and football manager Daniel Anderson, were also sacked.[4]
On 9 July 2016, after over two months of club officials contesting the preliminary penalties, Parramatta were handed their punishment with the addition of their for/against points tally accumulated from rounds 1-9 being deducted. At the time of the points deduction, Parramatta sat just outside the top four on the table.[5] Although the points deduction had been handed down, Parramatta were still mathematically able to make the finals if they could win 12 of their remaining 15 games. The first match after Parramatta were stripped of the competition points was against South Sydney at Parramatta Stadium. Parramatta would narrowly lose the match 22-20. It was around this time that star recruit Kieran Foran was released by the club having just played nine games due to personal reasons and multiple off-field issues.[6][7]
On 29 August 2016, Parramatta played their final ever game in the top grade at Parramatta Stadium against St. George Illawarra as it had been announced earlier the club would move into a new ground which would later be known as the Western Sydney Stadium. Parramatta would win the game 30-18 with Bevan French scoring a hat-trick. Parramatta finished the season with a 40-18 victory over the New Zealand Warriors to finish 14th on the table.[8]
Standings
National Rugby League
| ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | B | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
| 1 |  Melbourne Storm | 24 | 19 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 563 | 302 | +261 | 42 |
| 2 |  Canberra Raiders | 24 | 17 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 688 | 456 | +232 | 39 |
| 3 |  Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks (P) | 24 | 17 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 580 | 404 | +176 | 39 |
| 4 |  North Queensland Cowboys | 24 | 15 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 584 | 355 | +229 | 34 |
| 5 |  Brisbane Broncos | 24 | 15 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 554 | 434 | +120 | 34 |
| 6 |  Penrith Panthers | 24 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 563 | 463 | +100 | 32 |
| 7 |  Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | 24 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 506 | 448 | +58 | 32 |
| 8 |  Gold Coast Titans | 24 | 11 | 1 | 12 | 2 | 508 | 497 | +11 | 27 |
| 9 |  Wests Tigers | 24 | 11 | 0 | 13 | 2 | 499 | 607 | −108 | 26 |
| 10 |  New Zealand Warriors | 24 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 2 | 513 | 601 | −88 | 24 |
| 11 |  St. George Illawarra Dragons | 24 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 2 | 341 | 538 | −197 | 24 |
| 12 |  South Sydney Rabbitohs | 24 | 9 | 0 | 15 | 2 | 473 | 549 | −76 | 22 |
| 13 |  Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles | 24 | 8 | 0 | 16 | 2 | 454 | 563 | −109 | 20 |
| 14 |  Parramatta Eels | 24 | 13 | 0 | 11 | 2 | 298 | 324 | −26 | 181 |
| 15 |  Sydney Roosters | 24 | 6 | 0 | 18 | 2 | 443 | 576 | −133 | 16 |
| 16 |  Newcastle Knights | 24 | 1 | 1 | 22 | 2 | 305 | 800 | −495 | 7 |
1 Parramatta were deducted 12 competition points and their for/against tally accumulated between rounds 1-9 for gross long-term salary cap breaches.
National Youth Competition
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | B | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Penrith Panthers | 24 | 18 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 851 | 382 | +469 | 42 |
| 2 | North Queensland Cowboys | 24 | 16 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 770 | 520 | +250 | 37 |
| 3 | St George Illawarra Dragons | 24 | 15 | 1 | 8 | 2 | 737 | 545 | +192 | 35 |
| 4 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 24 | 15 | 1 | 8 | 2 | 670 | 607 | +63 | 35 |
| 5 | Sydney Roosters (P) | 24 | 14 | 1 | 9 | 2 | 710 | 642 | +68 | 33 |
| 6 | Wests Tigers | 24 | 12 | 4 | 8 | 2 | 680 | 541 | +139 | 32 |
| 7 | Parramatta Eels | 24 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 579 | 562 | +17 | 32 |
| 8 | Canberra Raiders | 24 | 13 | 1 | 10 | 2 | 608 | 694 | -86 | 31 |
| 9 | Brisbane Broncos | 24 | 11 | 1 | 12 | 2 | 660 | 576 | +84 | 27 |
| 10 | Newcastle Knights | 24 | 11 | 1 | 12 | 2 | 589 | 678 | -89 | 27 |
| 11 | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | 24 | 9 | 1 | 14 | 2 | 604 | 694 | -90 | 23 |
| 12 | Melbourne Storm | 24 | 8 | 2 | 14 | 2 | 700 | 758 | -58 | 22 |
| 13 | Gold Coast Titans | 24 | 9 | 0 | 15 | 2 | 627 | 698 | -71 | 22 |
| 14 | New Zealand Warriors | 24 | 8 | 1 | 15 | 2 | 466 | 680 | -214 | 20 |
| 15 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | 24 | 7 | 0 | 17 | 2 | 468 | 742 | -274 | 18 |
| 16 | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles | 24 | 3 | 1 | 20 | 2 | 483 | 883 | -400 | 11 |
Fixtures
Auckland Nines
| Match No. | Home | Score | Away | Match Information | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and time (Local) | Venue | Attendance | |||||||||
| 1 |  Parramatta Eels | 4 – 14 | Melbourne Storm | Saturday, 6 February, 12:55 PM | Eden Park | 70,000+ over two days[9] | |||||
| 2 |  Sydney Roosters | 11 – 14 | Parramatta Eels | Saturday, 6 February, 4:25 PM | |||||||
| 3 |  South Sydney Rabbitohs | 11 – 24 | Parramatta Eels | Sunday, 7 February, 11:00 AM | |||||||
| QF | Parramatta Eels | 12 – 8 |  Newcastle Knights | Sunday, 7 February, 1:55 PM | |||||||
| SF | Parramatta Eels | 17 – 8 | Melbourne Storm | Sunday, 7 February, 4:40 PM | |||||||
| GF | Parramatta Eels | 22 – 4 |  New Zealand Warriors | Sunday, 7 February, 6:40 AM | |||||||
| Source:[10][11][12][13][14][9] | |||||||||||
Pre-season
| Match No. | Home | Score | Away | Match Information | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and time (Local) | Venue | Attendance | |||||||||
| 1 | Parramatta Eels | 20 – 20 |  Gold Coast Titans | Saturday, 13 February, 7:40 PM | ANZAC Oval | 2,405 | |||||
| 2 |  Penrith Panthers | 8 – 22 | Parramatta Eels | Saturday, 20 February, 7:10 PM | Pepper Stadium | 5,580 | |||||
| Source:[15][16] | |||||||||||
Home and away season
Players and staff
First grade staff
- This section lists players who were in Parramatta's first grade squad at any point during the 2016 season
- Asterisks indicates player left mid-season
- Caret symbol indicates player joined mid-season
- Hash symbol indicates player retired mid-season
Coaching staff
- This section lists members of staff who were in Parramatta's first grade squad at any point during the 2016 season
- Asterisks indicate member of staff left mid-season
| Position | Nat. | Name |
|---|---|---|
| Head coach | | Brad Arthur |
| Assistant coach | | Peter Gentle |
| Assistant coach | | Steve Murphy |
| Chief Medical Officer | | Dr Louis Shidiak |
| Physical Performance Manager | | Paul Devlin |
| Strength coach | | Jarrod Wade |
| Contact Coach | | Brett O’Farrell |
| Head Trainer | | Craig Sultana |
| Assistant NRL Strength and Conditioning Coach | | Nathan Beutel |
| NYC Head of Strength and Conditioning | ||
| Video analyst | | Craig Crossman |
| NSW Cup Head Coach and Development Coach | | Joey Grima |
| Under 20's Head Coach | | Luke Burt |
Transfers
In:
| Nat. | Pos. | Name | From | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HB | Mitch Cornish | Canberra Raiders | [18][19] |
 | FE | Kieran Foran | Manly Sea Eagles | [20] |
| FB | Michael Gordon | Cronulla Sharks | [21] |
 | PR | James Hasson | Manly Sea Eagles | [22] |
| HK | Cameron King | North Queensland Cowboys | [23] |
| FB | Kieren Moss | Penrith Panthers | |
| PR | Rory O'Brien | St George Illawarra Dragons | [24] |
| SR | Beau Scott | Newcastle Knights | [25] |
| SR | Kelepi Tanginoa | North Queensland Cowboys | [18] |
| CE | Scott Schulte | North Queensland Cowboys | [18] |
| FB | Clinton Gutherson | Manly Sea Eagles | [26] |
| SR | Matthew Woods | Wests Tigers | [26] |
| CE | Michael Jennings | Sydney Roosters | [21] |
| PR | Alex Twal | Youth | |
| FB | Bevan French | Youth | [27] |
| CE | Tyrell Fuimaono | Youth | |
| HB | Jeff Robson (mid-season) |  New Zealand Warriors | [28] |
Out:
| Nat. | Pos. | Name | To | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CE | Beau Champion | Retired | [29] |
 | CE | Ben Crooks |  Castleford Tigers | [30] |
| HB | Zach Dockar-Clay | Penrith Panthers | [31] |
 | PR | Richard Fa'aoso | Retired | |
 | SR | Fabian Goodall | Manly Sea Eagles | |
| SR | Tui Kamikamica | Rugby union | |
| PR | Darcy Lussick | Manly Sea Eagles | |
| FE | Ryan Matterson | Sydney Roosters | [32] |
| FE | Adam Quinlan |  St. Helens | [33] |
 | FB | Reece Robinson | Rugby union | [34] |
| HB | Chris Sandow |  Warrington Wolves | [35] |
 | LK | Joseph Paulo | Cronulla Sharks | [36][37] |
| SR | Josh Aloiai | Wests Tigers | [38] |
| WG | Halauafu Lavaka | Manly Sea Eagles | |
 | PR | Eric Newbigging |  Illawarra Cutters | [39] |
 | SR | Pauli Pauli | Newcastle Knights | [40] |
| CE | Ryan Morgan (mid-season) | Melbourne Storm | [41] |
| FB | Kieren Moss (mid-season) |  Bradford Bulls | [42] |
| SR | Junior Paulo (mid-season) | Canberra Raiders | [43] |
| HK | Nathan Peats (mid-season) | Gold Coast Titans | [44] |
| FE | Kieran Foran (mid-season) | Released | [45] |
Representative call-ups
Domestic
| Player | Team | Call-up |
|---|---|---|
| Semi Radradra | World All Stars | 2016 All Stars Match |
| Beau Scott | World All Stars | 2016 All Stars Match |
| Clinton Gutherson |  NSW City | 2016 City vs Country Origin |
| Nathan Peats | NSW City | 2016 City vs Country Origin |
| Michael Jennings |  New South Wales | 2016 State of Origin Series |
International
| Player | Team | Call-up |
|---|---|---|
| Semi Radradra | Australia | 2016 Anzac Test |
| Manu Ma'u | New Zealand | 2016 Anzac Test |
| Brad Takairangi (18th man) | New Zealand | 2016 Anzac Test |
| Vai Toutai | Tonga | 2016 Pacific Test |
| Peni Terepo | Tonga | 2016 Pacific Test |
| Junior Paulo | Samoa | 2016 Pacific Test |
| Kaysa Pritchard | Samoa | 2016 Pacific Test |
| Kaysa Pritchard | Samoa | v Fiji, 8 October 2016 |
| Manu Ma'u | New Zealand | v Australia, 15 October 2016 |
| Manu Ma'u | New Zealand | 2016 Four Nations |
| James Hasson | Ireland | 2017 World Cup Qualifiers |
References
- ^ "Parramatta Eels avoid four-point NRL penalty over governance issues". theage.com.au. 2 March 2016. Retrieved 3 March 2016.
- ^ Gabor, Martin (3 May 2016). "Eels breaches must stop today: Greenberg". NRL.com. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
- ^ Brunsdon, Simon (3 May 2016). "Parramatta Eels players will not be forced out amid cap drama, promises RLPA". Fox Sports Australia. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
- ^ "Parramatta Eels docked 12 competition points by the NRL for salary cap breaches". ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation). 3 May 2016. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
- ^ "Parramatta final determination". NRL.com. 9 July 2016.
- ^ "Kieran Foran back with his partner but confides he may never play league again". www.stuff.co.nz. 16 June 2016.
- ^ "Souths comeback breaks Eels hearts". www.nrl.com. 13 May 2016.
- ^ "French bags three as Eels thump Warriors". News.com.au. 2016-09-04. Retrieved 2017-03-30.
- ^ a b "Eels crowned Auckland Nines champions". 7 February 2016. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
- ^ "Green stars as Storm beat Eels - NRL.com". www.nrl.com. Archived from the original on 2016-02-06.
- ^ "Eels steal late win over Roosters". 6 February 2016. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
- ^ "Eels top Waiheke pool". 6 February 2016. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
- ^ "Eels eliminate Knights". 7 February 2016. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
- ^ "Eels qualify for Nines decider". 7 February 2016. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
- ^ "Couriermail.com.au - Subscribe to The Courier Mail for exclusive stories". www.couriermail.com.au. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
- ^ "Eels down Panthers in full-strength trial". 20 February 2016. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
- ^ Ferguson, Shawn Dollin and Andrew. "NRL 2016 - Parramatta Eels - Rugby League Project". www.rugbyleagueproject.org. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
- ^ a b c "Eels sign trio for 2016 | NRL". Zero Tackle. 21 October 2015. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
- ^ "Top coach headhunted, veteran Titan retires and Bulldogs back re-signs". Foxpsorts.com.au. 23 September 2015. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
- ^ "Eels Confirm Foran Signing". Parramatta Eels. 3 July 2015.
- ^ a b "Eels Sign Michael Gordon". Parramatta Eels. 18 June 2015.
- ^ "Eels sign Hasson, re-sign Kelly". NRL - Zero Tackle. 6 August 2015. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
- ^ "Eels announce two new signings". 13 August 2015. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
- ^ "Eels re-sign duo and sign prop". Zero Tackle. 26 August 2015. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
- ^ NRL (20 April 2015). "Eels sign Beau Scott - Eels". Parraeels.com.au. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
- ^ a b "Eels sign Gutherson and Woods". Zero Tackle. 4 July 2014. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
- ^ "Eels re-sign seven players". Zerotackle.com. 11 July 2015. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
- ^ "Parramatta Eels sign halfback Jeff Robson as Kieran Foran replacement". Fox sports.com.au. 1 July 2016. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
- ^ "Beau Champion retires from NRL". Zerotackle.com. 19 August 2015. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
- ^ "Castleford Tigers sign former Hull FC centre". BBC Sport. 27 June 2018. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
- ^ "Panthers sign Quartet of Young Guns". penrithpanthers.com.au. 10 June 2015. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
- ^ SMH.com.au (2 August 2015). "Interest in late-bloomer O'Brien". Zero Tackle. Archived from the original on 2 April 2016. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
- ^ "Parra's Quinlan signs with Super League". Sbs.com.au. 2 July 2015. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
- ^ "New South Wales Waratahs sign NRL journeyman Reece Robinson in Super Rugby". Abc.net.au. 15 October 2015. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
- ^ "Chris Sandow released by Parramatta Eels effective immediately". abc.net.au. 31 December 2017. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
- ^ "Parramatta release Joseph Paulo". Zero Tackle. 22 June 2014. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
- ^ "Sharks sign Paulo on two-year deal". Zero Tackle. 13 March 2015. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
- ^ "Wests Tigers sign Junior Kiwi". Zero Tackle. 11 November 2015. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
- ^ "Cutters Announce Squad For 2016". St George Illawarra Dragons. 19 January 2016.
- ^ "Knights sign Pauli Pauli". Newcastle Knights. 29 January 2016.
- ^ "Morgan signs with Storm". Zero Tackle. 5 May 2016. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
- ^ "Bradford Bulls snap up Parramatta full back Kieren Moss". Telegraph & Argus. 3 June 2016. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
- ^ "Raiders confirm Paulo deal". Zero Tackle. 29 August 2015. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
- ^ Proszenko, Adrian (11 May 2016). "Parramatta Eels to play for points after hooker Nathan Peats signs with Gold Coast Titans". Retrieved 14 October 2018 – via The Sydney Morning Herald.
- ^ "Parramatta Eels confirm club grants troubled star Kieran Foran release from contract". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 29 July 2016. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
