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Daily Telegraph
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Telegraph
High Steaks: How Hindy dines out on one Eel of a career
Don't miss out on the headlines from NSW. Followed categories will be added to My News. Nathan Hindmarsh knows it's coming. He can't escape it. Even 13 long years after retiring as a Parramatta Eels legend – 330 games, 60 tries, 17 Origin matches and 23 Tests – it's the one thing he wasn't able to achieve that is continually brought up. That elusive premiership. Seemingly reminded of it on an almost weekly basis by his TV colleagues on the Matty Johns Show, surely Hindmarsh is bitter at not being able to shake off those two agonising grand final losses? His hearty laugh suggests otherwise. 'Look, if they didn't bring it up I wouldn't be on the show,'' he chuckles. 'That's the only thing keeping me in a job pretty much, either my weight or not winning a premiership.'' Nathan Hindmarsh at Kyubi restaurant at Campbelltown Catholic Club. Picture: Richard Dobson Oh, and the bagging he regularly cops for 'flopping'' throughout his career. 'The flops shit me a little bit,'' he concedes. 'I've definitely flopped on a few people, but there's an art to it because you (need to avoid) being penalised. There's a split second between being a flop or being a third man in, so I made it an art.'' Nathan Hindmarsh on the attack in his last game. But, try as he might to convince others – including his four sons – that the ribbing he cops on-air is just good television, he admits it can be difficult to make his case. 'I try to tell my boys at home that I did have some sort of decent career, playing the game, but they don't believe me because they're too busy listening to those other dickheads I go to work with on a Thursday and Sunday.'' Hindmarsh, who retired as a one-club player at the end of the 2012 season, has been fortunate in his post-footy life, and has his fingers in several pies – literally. Along with his TV and radio gigs, Hindmarsh is also an ambassador for the Your Local Club Perfect Plate Awards, for which he travels around sampling some of the best club restaurant meals in the state. The Schottlander's Wagyu steak striploin with yuzu kosho, gai lan, yakiniku sauce at Kyubi restaurant at Campbelltown Catholic Club. Picture: Richard Dobson One such meal will be crowned the winner when the competition ends next Sunday. It has led us today to the Campbelltown Catholic Club's Kyubi restaurant, where we are dining on its signature dish – and one of the hot entries in this year's awards – the Schottlanders Wagyu steak. As we savour the tender, medium rare striploin, the conversation turns to the other meaty subject on today's menu – Hindmarsh's record-breaking career at Parramatta. His journey to becoming one of the club's all-time greats began in the backyard of his family's home at Robertson, in the NSW Southern Highlands, where he made the switch from soccer to rugby league at age 12 at the behest of his parents, who feared for the safety of their daughter. 'It was my mum and dad because I kept beating the shit out of my younger sister playing footy in the backyard. I was getting to that age where I was getting too strong for her.'' It was at his junior club, the Moss Vale Dragons, where Hindmarsh was 'discovered'' by then Parramatta talent scout Daniel Anderson, who would later coach Hindmarsh to the 2009 NRL grand final. '(He) came down to watch (former South Sydney prop) Scott Geddes (but) I had a good game and they offered us both a scholarship to Fairfield Pats,'' he recalls. Nathan Hindmarsh received the Jack Gibson trophy in 2012. Picture: AAP Image/Action Photographics, Robb Cox Hindmarsh had a short stint at the college, admitting 'it wasn't for me'', but later trialled for Parramatta SG Ball and made the squad. Rising through the ranks, he made his NRL debut under coach Brian Smith in 1998. A Bulldogs fan growing up, Hindmarsh was suddenly training with his heroes – Jim Dymock, Jarrod McCracken, Jason Smith and Dean Pay, who had joined the Eels during the Super League war. 'That was a massive highlight for me. My first training session, I've walked in and they're all there and they scared the shit out of me. Especially Jimmy and McCracken, they were scary blokes. I was just in awe. I just did what I was told to do and that was it.'' Hindmarsh got his first taste of finals heartbreak later that year, losing to Canterbury in one of the most infamous defeats in Parramatta history – beaten 32-20 in extra time, having led 18-2 with just over 10 minutes to go. Many fans put the loss down to mistakes made by teammate Paul Carige, but Hindmarsh doesn't agree with that view, saying: 'I reckon that's a bit harsh. Everyone made mistakes in that game. He dropped a ball and put his foot on the touch line, and all that sort of stuff, but we had enough of a lead. We blew that as a team.'' More finals torture came the next year, losing to Melbourne after leading 16-0 at halftime. Nathan Hindmarsh is tackled by the strong Newcastle defence in the 2001 NRL grand final. Picture: AAP Image/Dean Lewins But those two losses were just the entree to the main course of finals disappointment for Hindmarsh. In 2001, after a record-breaking point-scoring season, Parramatta went into the decider – the NRL's first night grand final – as red-hot favourites against Newcastle. Ambushed in the first half by the Knights, who streaked out to a 24-0 lead, it proved too difficult for the Eels to rein in, resulting in a devastating 30-24 loss. '2001 for me is the one that got away, with the side we had,'' Hindmarsh laments. 'No disrespect to Newcastle (but) we were a really good side that year, and we stuffed it, we stuffed it on game night … but that's all it takes. Newcastle just got the jump on us and we didn't have enough time to get it back.'' Of his two grand final losses, 2001 'hurts the most'', Hindmarsh admits. Not that he didn't feel the anguish of losing his second – and last – grand final in 2009. That year, a thrilling late season run – on the back of Jarryd Hayne's scintillating form – catapulted the Eels into eighth place before they swept through the semis to face the Storm in the decider. 'The things we saw Haynesy do in that era, you won't see ever again. He was a freak,'' Hindmarsh recalls. 'We talk about other freakish players at the moment, but I think he's still another level above them. When it came to individual brilliance, some of those tries he scored were just phenomenal.'' Nathan Hindmarsh looks dejected after the 2009 NRL grand final loss to the Melbourne Storm. Picture:But it ended in more grand final heartbreak for Hindy. And it was compounded the following year with revelations the Storm had cheated the salary cap in order to field their star-studded team. 'They cheated the cap, they did,'' Hindmarsh says. 'But you can pay a player a million bucks a season, you've still got to play well. 'Yeah, they got to stick together by cheating the cap, but they still had to play well on the day and they played better than us, and that's all there is to it. 'People say do you want the trophy? No, I don't want to be handed something I didn't win. It's all about that feeling when the full time siren goes and embracing those blokes who you busted your arse with all season, that's the feeling you want to have.'' The year after that loss was the only time Hindmarsh came close to leaving the Eels. 'I was pretty much looking at going to the (English) Super League. I was either going to Leeds or St Helens,'' he says. 'I was very close (to leaving). I had a few conversations with my wife, a few conversations with other people who had been over to the Super League. But we decided we were happy to stay and see out my career with the one club.'' In his final year with the Eels, Hindmarsh captained his team to the wooden spoon. 'You captain a club to a spoon, that's something that sits with you, and doesn't sit well,'' he laments. Which leads us to the current crop of Eels and their bid to avoid the spoon in 2025. 'I'm hoping they will (avoid it),'' Hindmarsh says. 'With the Origin period now, losing Mitch Moses and Lomax, two of the better players in the side ... it will be close. 'But hopefully not … we've had a few.'' As for Parramatta's premiership drought, 2026 will mark 40 years since the club last celebrated winning a competition in the golden '80s. But Hindmarsh believes new coach Jason Ryles could be the man to return premiership glory to Parra. 'He's a fresh coach, he's a new coach. He's never been in charge of an NRL side before, so give him a chance,'' he says. 'I think his credentials, who he's been under as an understudy, put him in good stead. 'But it's going to take some time. If you're an Eels fan, you'll understand that. The majority of us do. It's going to be a bit of a rebuilding process. 'I've got full faith in Rylesy that he's going to do it.'' Do you have a story for The Telegraph? Message 0481 056 618 or email tips@
The Age
01-06-2025
- Sport
- The Age
NRL Highlights: Panthers v Eels
Penrith Panthers take on the Parramatta Eels in Round 13 of the 2025 NRL Premiership at CommBank Stadium, Sydney.
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Galvin sold on Belmore vision, opts to join Bulldogs
Lachlan Galvin is set to make a switch to Canterbury after the Wests Tigers prodigy was sold the vision of joining the Bulldogs over Parramatta. Days after meeting with both clubs, Galvin made the long-awaited call over his future this weekend in a decision that will have ramifications across the NRL. The five-eighth could be released from the final 17 months of his Tigers deal as early as this week, with a six-figure transfer fee still needing to be negotiated between them and the Bulldogs. Galvin's move will put a full stop on the lengthy saga surrounding his future, which began when he requested a release from the Tigers before his debut last season. The 19-year-old officially informed the joint-venture last month he would not re-sign beyond the end of 2027, before he was given permission to talk to rivals. Parramatta had been favourites to secure his services, given he played juniors for the club in the Harold Matthews competition. Galvin met with officials from the Bulldogs and Eels in the past week, but Parramatta had come to the realisation this weekend they were likely to miss out. It's believed the club did not want to get into a bidding war with the Bulldogs, who viewed Galvin as a crucial piece in their premiership push. Where Galvin plays at Canterbury remains a point of interest. Halfback Toby Sexton is off contract at the end of this year, and negotiations are yet to begin around a new deal. Galvin remains untested as a controlling halfback, while Canterbury five-eighth Matt Burton has only played nine games in the No.7 jersey. There is a suggestion Galvin could play as a lock or in the backline, but Canterbury would be unlikely to make significant changes given their start to 2025. Playing together in the halves, Sexton and Burton have taken the Bulldogs to their best start to a season in a decade, their 9-2 record putting them on top of the ladder. Bailey Hayward is also seen as a future star at Canterbury, having filled in everywhere from the back row to the halves this year. Galvin's decision means Parramatta must continue their search to replace Newcastle-bound Dylan Brown. The Eels had pushed hard to sign the teenager, with Mitch Moses selling him the vision of leading the club within four or five years. Galvin is managed my Mitch's uncle, Isaac Moses. There remain other options on the market, with clubs keeping a close eye on Melbourne's Jonah Pezet if Jahrome Hughes recommits to the Storm for 2027 and beyond. Meanwhile, Galvin's eventual exit from the Tigers will end a sorry chapter for the club, given the Campbelltown junior represented one of their best young talents. His final act could well be dropping a ball over the line late in last week's loss to the Rabbitohs, effectively costing the Tigers the game. Fellow teenager Latu Fainu is expected to be available to return from a hand injury against North Queensland next week, and will now have the chance to become Jarome Luai's long-term halves partner.
Daily Mail
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
NRL bombshell as prodigy Lachlan Galvin switches to rival club effective immediately
Lachlan Galvin is set to make a switch to Canterbury after the Wests Tigers prodigy was sold the vision of joining the Bulldogs over Parramatta. Days after meeting with both clubs, Galvin made the long-awaited call over his future this weekend in a decision that will have ramifications across the NRL. The five-eighth could be released from the final 17 months of his Tigers deal as early as this week, with a six-figure transfer fee still needing to be negotiated between them and the Bulldogs. Galvin's move will put a full stop on the lengthy saga surrounding his future, which began when he requested a release from the Tigers before his debut last season. The 19-year-old officially informed the joint-venture last month he would not re-sign beyond the end of 2027, before he was given permission to talk to rivals. Parramatta had been favourites to secure his services, given he played juniors for the club in the Harold Matthews competition. Galvin met with officials from the Bulldogs and Eels in the past week, but Parramatta had come to the realisation this weekend they were likely to miss out. It's believed the club did not want to get into a bidding war with the Bulldogs, who viewed Galvin as a crucial piece in their premiership push. Where Galvin plays at Canterbury remains a point of interest. Halfback Toby Sexton is off contract at the end of this year, and negotiations are yet to begin around a new deal. Galvin remains untested as a controlling halfback, while Canterbury five-eighth Matt Burton has only played nine games in the No.7 jersey. There is a suggestion Galvin could play as a lock or in the backline, but Canterbury would be unlikely to make significant changes given their start to 2025. Playing together in the halves, Sexton and Burton have taken the Bulldogs to their best start to a season in a decade, their 9-2 record putting them on top of the ladder. Bailey Hayward is also seen as a future star at Canterbury, having filled in everywhere from the back row to the halves this year. Galvin's decision means Parramatta must continue their search to replace Newcastle-bound Dylan Brown. The Eels had pushed hard to sign the teenager, with Mitch Moses selling him the vision of leading the club within four or five years. Galvin is managed my Mitch's uncle, Isaac Moses. There remain other options on the market, with clubs keeping a close eye on Melbourne's Jonah Pezet if Jahrome Hughes recommits to the Storm for 2027 and beyond. Meanwhile, Galvin's eventual exit from the Tigers will end a sorry chapter for the club, given the Campbelltown junior represented one of their best young talents. His final act could well be dropping a ball over the line late in last week's loss to the Rabbitohs, effectively costing the Tigers the game. Fellow teenager Latu Fainu is expected to be available to return from a hand injury against North Queensland next week, and will now have the chance to become Jarome Luai's long-term halves partner.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Walters snubs Bulldogs in call on Galvin's future amid $2 million 'clip' for Tigers
Former Broncos coach Kevin Walters reckons Lachie Galvin would be better to choose Parramatta over Canterbury, with a decision over the wantaway Wests Tigers star's NRL future imminent. And Michael Ennis says the fact Galvin appears willing to sacrifice $2 million to leave is another massive 'clip' for Benji Marshall's side. The Bulldogs have emerged as favourites for Galvin's signature, following reports he's been granted an immediate release from the Tigers, despite being contracted for one more season. However, the Eels are also right in the hunt for Galvin's prized signature, with both clubs tabling offers this week worth around $750,000-a-season. reports that Galvin's representatives met with both Parramatta and Canterbury officials on Wednesday, and an announcement about his future could be made this weekend. It's understood the Tigers will allow him to leave immediately, if a rival club pays a $165,000 transfer fee. Galvin grew up in the Parramatta area and supported the Eels as a kid, with a move to Jason Ryles' side making a lot of sense. The Eels will have a vacancy at five-eighth next season when Dylan Brown moves to Newcastle on a 10-year, $13 million deal. And Galvin could form a lethal halves partnership with Eels skipper Mitchell Moses if he chooses to go there. Galvin also has links to the Bulldogs with his former Westfield Sports High School teacher Luke Vella one of coach Cameron Ciraldo's assistants at Canterbury. But the 19-year-old's chances of playing in his favoured position of five-eighth are far less straightforward at the Bulldogs, with Matt Burton unlikely to vacate that role. The most likely scenario would be Galvin taking Toby Sexton's No.7 jersey at the Dogs, with GM of football Phil Gould only fuelling that speculation after failing to guarantee the future of the off-contract halfback. However, Walters says the Eels would be a better move for the youngster and allow him to continue to develop in his natural position alongside one of the game's best halfbacks. 'Parramatta, it makes more sense for him to go to Parramatta... if you're a young five-eighth and you're looking for someone to tag up with, (it's) Mitchell Moses,' Walters told Fox League. "I'd be leaning towards that.' However, former Bulldogs premiership winner Michael Ennis says he has a "gut feeling" the teenage playmaker will end up at Belmore, under the tutelage of Canterbury coach Ciraldo. Ennis pointed to Gould's comments that Galvin was the best teenager he'd ever seen, despite the Bulldogs supremo initially declaring they had no interest in signing the youngster. 'Gus (made that claim) a number of weeks ago, then you go 'he's going to be a chance of ending up at the Bulldogs' and here we are,' Ennis said on Fox League. 'My gut feeling says he is going to be at Canterbury. I think he may end up at Canterbury and I think it will be a huge signing. 'Canterbury at the moment (are) leading the competition... doing so many things on and off the field so well. Cameron Ciraldo a terrific coach and you are seeing players play their best footy under him. Players who were elite are finding improvements in their game." RELATED: Legend's Origin call backfires as Manly flops expose grim DCE truth Fresh calls for NRL action after Bulldogs robbed by 'deadset farce' Staggering new twist after Billy Slater snubs Queensland player Galvin's current deal with the Tigers is worth around $350,000-a-year and the reported contract offers from the Dogs and Eels would represent a massive upgrade for the youngster. But it's still well short of the $6 million, five-year offer he turned down to stay with the Tigers long-term. And Ennis says the fact Galvin would be willing to sacrifice around $2 million to leave the Tigers is another massive blow to the joint-venture club. 'That leads it all back to the original decision, which I thought was such a clip for the Tigers, that Lachlan Galvin didn't take up a $1.2 million deal from the Tigers for five seasons," Ennis said. "Because he, I am paraphrasing, wanted to develop his game. To then go to Parramatta or Canterbury for $750,000, a $2 million difference just to leave. This story is enormous and it looks like it is going to come to a head in the next 24 or 48 hours.'
