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Post by Electric Eel on May 24, 2020 17:54:34 GMT 10
Round 26, 2010: New Zealand 26 d Parramatta 12
By Daniel Lane
September 5, 2010
PARRAMATTA'S winter of discontent finally ended last night under the gloom of a starless sky, and it formed a fitting backdrop to the emotion-charged farewell for the club's warrior-leader, Nathan Cayless.
Cayless, the longest-serving captain in the NRL and a 14-year club man, bade farewell to arms last night after the Eels lost 26-12 to the Warriors, and while he was disappointed it ended so abruptly after Parramatta couldn't replicate last year's surge to the grand final, there were no regrets.
''It was a very long day,'' he said. ''A lot of thoughts going through my head; by the time I got on the field I was buggered. When you have a lot of build-up there's a lot of emotion in you, and you have to ensure you play as well as you can as a professional.
''It's something I never experienced before - obviously I played in a lot of big games but you only play one last game, and it was very emotional.''
Cayless said in the build-up that it was easy to play tough and hard when things were going well for a team, but it was a true test of character when they weren't. He followed that creed to the death and was rewarded with five minutes remaining on the clock with his first try in 80-odd games.
It was an ugly try; he bellyflopped onto a bouncing ball, and when the video referee awarded it, the crowd cheered it as a beautiful moment.
''Mortsy [Daniel Mortimer] just gave me the nod and said he'd put a kick in,'' said Cayless. ''I thought I'd better chase it as hard as I can and I just dived for it. Thank God for that new torso rule. It's outstanding.
''I knew I didn't touch it with my hands, I got it down with my stomach. You're never sure of those things. I just hoped they'd give it to me - a bit of sentiment there.''
It even made coach Daniel Anderson, who first saw Cayless play when he refereed him in a schoolboy competition, forgot the scoreline momentarily to celebrate Cayless's moment with a smile.
''He was very talented schoolboy, a very talented young player,'' said Anderson. ''He has always been a skilful bloke.
''To play 300 first class games as a front-rower who has battled to play over 100 kilos is a real testament because this is a big man's game now.''
If Cayless ever needed proof that his career meant something, it was there last night when Eels greats including Peter Sterling and Ray Price formed a guard of honour for him, when his wife and kids ambushed him with kisses and hugs as he ran onto the ground, when the fans young and old hurdled the fence to see Price present him with a statue and by the way his teammates played with passion for him.
When the curtain closed, many feelings swirled about Parramatta but the one that resonated loudest was that a rare piece of the team's tapestry would be missed.
By Daniel Lane
September 5, 2010
PARRAMATTA'S winter of discontent finally ended last night under the gloom of a starless sky, and it formed a fitting backdrop to the emotion-charged farewell for the club's warrior-leader, Nathan Cayless.
Cayless, the longest-serving captain in the NRL and a 14-year club man, bade farewell to arms last night after the Eels lost 26-12 to the Warriors, and while he was disappointed it ended so abruptly after Parramatta couldn't replicate last year's surge to the grand final, there were no regrets.
''It was a very long day,'' he said. ''A lot of thoughts going through my head; by the time I got on the field I was buggered. When you have a lot of build-up there's a lot of emotion in you, and you have to ensure you play as well as you can as a professional.
''It's something I never experienced before - obviously I played in a lot of big games but you only play one last game, and it was very emotional.''
Cayless said in the build-up that it was easy to play tough and hard when things were going well for a team, but it was a true test of character when they weren't. He followed that creed to the death and was rewarded with five minutes remaining on the clock with his first try in 80-odd games.
It was an ugly try; he bellyflopped onto a bouncing ball, and when the video referee awarded it, the crowd cheered it as a beautiful moment.
''Mortsy [Daniel Mortimer] just gave me the nod and said he'd put a kick in,'' said Cayless. ''I thought I'd better chase it as hard as I can and I just dived for it. Thank God for that new torso rule. It's outstanding.
''I knew I didn't touch it with my hands, I got it down with my stomach. You're never sure of those things. I just hoped they'd give it to me - a bit of sentiment there.''
It even made coach Daniel Anderson, who first saw Cayless play when he refereed him in a schoolboy competition, forgot the scoreline momentarily to celebrate Cayless's moment with a smile.
''He was very talented schoolboy, a very talented young player,'' said Anderson. ''He has always been a skilful bloke.
''To play 300 first class games as a front-rower who has battled to play over 100 kilos is a real testament because this is a big man's game now.''
If Cayless ever needed proof that his career meant something, it was there last night when Eels greats including Peter Sterling and Ray Price formed a guard of honour for him, when his wife and kids ambushed him with kisses and hugs as he ran onto the ground, when the fans young and old hurdled the fence to see Price present him with a statue and by the way his teammates played with passion for him.
When the curtain closed, many feelings swirled about Parramatta but the one that resonated loudest was that a rare piece of the team's tapestry would be missed.
