1981 1982 1983 1986 
Post by Electric Eel on May 15, 2020 17:18:17 GMT 10
Round 16, 1983: Canberra 8 d Parramatta 0
The Greenhouse
David had it easy against Goliath. The 13,578 fans at Seiffert Oval on June 12 1983 saw a real upset.
At that time, the Parramatta Eels were the undisputed kings of the rugby league world. They'd won back to back premierships in 1981-82 and would go on to make it three in a row later that year.
In the three previous games against the Eels since their inception, the Raiders had been beaten by a combined total of 137-24. In fact, Parramatta's 54-3 defeat of the Raiders in 1982 ranks as one of the club's biggest losses.
To further highlight the mismatch, Parramatta had more Australian Test players in its side than the Raiders had had victories so far in the 1983 season.
So it is that Canberra's 8-0 victory over the Eels that day will never be forgotten.
"I don't remember who coined the phrase but we called that one the 'Bobby Sands win'" hooker Jay Hoffman recalled, referring to the Irish republican who famously starved himself to death in a 1981 political protest.
"That's what it was - we shut them out. I don't think there would have been too many better wins from a club point of view. It wasn't luck, it wasn't because they were missing their stars, we just played better footy."
Stand in captain for the injured Alan McMahon that day, centre Ron Giteau, scored all Canberra's eight points - a try and two penalty goals.
Up 4-0 at half time, Raiders' coach Don Furner asked his team if they could keep the pressure up for a full game.
"To a man, they all shouted 'yes'" Furner said.
The only try was scored seven minutes into the second half and it was the first time a Parramatta side had been kept scoreless for 18 years.
It was described as the upset of the decade, some being as bold to declare it as the greatest upset in rugby league history.
Sydney headlines portrayed the shock.
"Eels stunned" wrote The Sun.
"Eels humbled by discards" was The Telegraph's headline.
A Raiders original who went on to enjoy the club's later success Chris O'Sullivan, rates the win highly.
"That would be the pick of all of them in the early years" he said.
"We just went out and got stuck straight into them. We knocked them around severely, we really gave them a bashing. We were in their faces. They didn't cross our tryline and never looked like it either."
The Greenhouse
David had it easy against Goliath. The 13,578 fans at Seiffert Oval on June 12 1983 saw a real upset.
At that time, the Parramatta Eels were the undisputed kings of the rugby league world. They'd won back to back premierships in 1981-82 and would go on to make it three in a row later that year.
In the three previous games against the Eels since their inception, the Raiders had been beaten by a combined total of 137-24. In fact, Parramatta's 54-3 defeat of the Raiders in 1982 ranks as one of the club's biggest losses.
To further highlight the mismatch, Parramatta had more Australian Test players in its side than the Raiders had had victories so far in the 1983 season.
So it is that Canberra's 8-0 victory over the Eels that day will never be forgotten.
"I don't remember who coined the phrase but we called that one the 'Bobby Sands win'" hooker Jay Hoffman recalled, referring to the Irish republican who famously starved himself to death in a 1981 political protest.
"That's what it was - we shut them out. I don't think there would have been too many better wins from a club point of view. It wasn't luck, it wasn't because they were missing their stars, we just played better footy."
Stand in captain for the injured Alan McMahon that day, centre Ron Giteau, scored all Canberra's eight points - a try and two penalty goals.
Up 4-0 at half time, Raiders' coach Don Furner asked his team if they could keep the pressure up for a full game.
"To a man, they all shouted 'yes'" Furner said.
The only try was scored seven minutes into the second half and it was the first time a Parramatta side had been kept scoreless for 18 years.
It was described as the upset of the decade, some being as bold to declare it as the greatest upset in rugby league history.
Sydney headlines portrayed the shock.
"Eels stunned" wrote The Sun.
"Eels humbled by discards" was The Telegraph's headline.
A Raiders original who went on to enjoy the club's later success Chris O'Sullivan, rates the win highly.
"That would be the pick of all of them in the early years" he said.
"We just went out and got stuck straight into them. We knocked them around severely, we really gave them a bashing. We were in their faces. They didn't cross our tryline and never looked like it either."
