2000 NRL Round 6 Parramatta Eels vs. Northern Eagles

Описание: After a 3-2 start to their existence, the new Northern Eagles club were featured in their very first free-to-air Channel Nine game and were incredibly unlucky not to come away with the two points. After trailing for the entire game, Parra got out of jail after a Luke Burt break led to Ben Custo being tackled on Manly’s 20-metre line. In the following play David Kidwell scored wide out to level the game. In the driving late summer rain, Burt was able to convert the try. It was a hell of a kick from the young winger and – off the boot – it looked as though with the wind he sprayed it to the right.

The Eagles had all the early running and with Geoff Toovey proving that age was just a number, took an 8-2 lead into the half.

Skip to 4:21 and watch the Eels backline make an absolute meal out of a last tackle play. I had to go and check where Fatty plucked Watford out of but as it turns out, they were actually playing in the Premier League in season 1999/00. They finished bottom and were then relegated. Similarly, another crazy moment occurred at 8:30 when Brenden Reeves flung the ball back to a supporting player while he was seemingly trapped in goal.

An interesting note: Channel Nine were showing 3 games a week in the early part of the 2000 season. They kept their traditional Friday night and Sunday arvo games but for some reason threw in a Saturday night game as well. This game was one of those Saturday clashes.