Behind the Parramatta Eels’ endless search for the next Peter Sterling

His last game for the Eels in 1992, after 228 appearances and four premierships, was a key moment in the club’s history. But like all rugby league clubs must do when a GOAT retires, they moved on. Found some new blood. No one could be Sterlo, but surely there was a new blue and gold halfback to emulate his accolades.

The man himself (alive and well) went onto his successful commentary and TV career, before retiring in 2021 to play golf and breed thoroughbreds on the Central Coast.

But somehow, he still remains firmly entrenched in Sydney’s west.

We all know how it’s gone since the club’s last premiership in 1986. Yes, there have been glimpses of magic; key signings of favoured sons, talented in their own right but for some reason they couldn’t make it work at the Eels.

Their current general, Mitch Moses, is as close as they’ve come (more on that later). As they prepare for their first grand final since 2009, here’s a trip down memory lane of some of the Eels’ significant No.7s.

The heavy-hitters

Jason Taylor (26 games at halfback in 2001)
One of the game’s best goal-kickers, Taylor was left without a club at the end of 2000, let go by the Northern Eagles. Legend has it he wrote a letter to then-Eels coach Brian Smith asking for an opportunity, and he joined the club for their incredible 2001 season. The sharpshooter had an incredible season himself, but unfortunately couldn’t lead them to a premiership as the underdog Knights shocked the league world with their grand final win. Taylor went on to have several high-profile coaching stints post-career – including guiding the Eels to the finals in 2006 – and has had his fair share of off-field headlines.

Tim Smith (71 games at halfback between 2005-08)
Peter Sterling famously “handed over” Parramatta’s No.7 jumper to Smith when the much-lauded youngster started his career with the club in 2005. He did have an excellent year, leading them to a minor premiership, a preliminary final, notching up a record 40 try assists and winning the Rookie of the Year at the Dally Ms. Unfortunately, several off-field incidents in the years following – one involving cricketer Michael Clarke at Northies – sullied his career and ultimately led to a drop in form. In 2008, he went on indefinite leave, telling his teammates he had bipolar disorder. He played in England and for Cronulla before being terminated by English Super League side Wakefield in 2015 after he and former Warrior Kevin Locke were involved in a car crash.

Jeff Robson (52 games at halfback between 2009-11)
Clean-cut Robson was called up from reserve grade by Eels coach Daniel Anderson to play halfback for the club during their incredible 2009 ride to the grand final. They lost that game narrowly to the Storm and he remained at halfback for the next two seasons. Unfortunately their slide down the ladder began, and he ultimately went to Cronulla, the Warriors and back to the Eels before retiring in 2017.

Chris Sandow (71 games at halfback between 2012-15)
Dally M Rookie of the Year in 2008, Sandow was a big signing coup for the Eels in 2012. A dedicated half, he was bought from South Sydney to steer the team out of the doldrums and back to premiership glory. A mix of off-field issues and poor form followed, punctuated by a solid year for the team in 2014. They finished wooden spooners twice (2012 and 2013), 10th and 12th in his years at No.7. He went to the English Super League and then played one year for Norths Devils in the Qld Cup before falling off the radar.

Kieran Foran (8 games at halfback in 2016)
Though he didn’t play anywhere near as many games as the rest of this group, Foran is included because he was once again brought over on a big-money deal to hopefully lead the club to glory after strong years (including a premiership) at Manly. He was named captain before he had played a game. He missed round one in 2016 due to injury, and things didn’t get better. A host of off-field issues came to light and he was ruled out for the season with a shoulder injury by round 12. He split with the club at the end of the season.

The stopgaps

Jason Bell (26 games at halfback between 1989-1992)
An Eels junior, Bell was a preferred five-eighth who filled in when Peter Sterling was struggling with injury prior to retirement. He played his best football at South Sydney and retired in 2000 after a season with the Warriors.

Stu Galbraith (38 games at halfback between 1992-1994)
In tough circumstances for anyone, Galbraith was given the task of following Peter Sterling directly after his retirement in 1992. He left the sport in 1994.

Tulsen Tollett (12 games at halfback between 1993-1994)
Of Great British heritage, Tollett moved to Australia with his family as a youngster. He could play a number of positions so never really nailed down halfback. He went on to have a very successful broadcasting career.

Chris Lawler (26 games at halfback between 1994, 95 & 97)
Played mostly five-eighth but halfback when needed. After a few years with the Eels, he moved to the Gold Coast and played one season with the Chargers before retiring.

John Simon (43 games at halfback between 1997-98)
A memorable 1998 preliminary final against the Bulldogs was unfortunately the beginning of Simon falling out of favour at the club. He missed two field goals and was hooked by Brian Smith during the match – and the Dogs fought back from an 18-2 deficit to win 32-20 in extra time. He was granted a release to join the Warriors in 1999.

David Penna (35 games at halfback between 1998-2000)
Penna started his career at the Eels in 1990 and returned to the club in 1998 before repeated concussions forced him into retirement a couple of seasons later. He has been involved in coaching since, including a stint with the Italian national team.

PJ Marsh (15 games at halfback between 2000-2001)
Marsh played mostly hooker during his 158-game career and played for the Eels during their 2001 grand final loss. He sustained a serious neck injury in 2003 and though he played until 2008 (including games for the Maroons), he said he didn’t consider himself the same player as he was before the incident.

Andrew McFadden (17 games at halfback in 2002)
Another player who went into coaching, McFadden had one unremarkable year with the Eels in 2002. Post-career he coached the Raiders’ lower grades and was Warriors’ head coach from 2014-16.

Adam Dykes (12 games at halfback between 2002-2004)
Dykes is mostly remembered for his time at the Sharks but he spent three seasons with the Eels in the early 2000s. He was plagued with injury for much of the time and asked for (and was granted) an early release by the club to rejoin Cronulla.

Michael Witt (22 games at halfback between 2003-04)
An exceptional pointscorer, Witt brought a spark to the Eels when he debuted in 2003 and narrowly lost the Dally M Rookie of the Year award to one Billy Slater. In the year that followed, he fell out of favour with coach Brian Smith and was told to look for another club for 2005. He played with the Sea Eagles and Warriors before stints in England and rugby union. He signed with St George Illawarra in 2014 but was injured after four matches and ultimately retired.

Daniel Mortimer (15 games at halfback in 2010)
Though he had a famous Bulldogs name, Mortimer played 48 games total for the Eels, debuting in 2009 and going on to play in the grand final at five-eighth. He was mostly a fill-in halfback who played predominantly at five-eighth/hooker.

Luke Kelly (23 games at halfback between 2013-16)
A promising junior who starred as the captain for the Storm’s under 20s premiership-winning 2009 team, Kelly struggled with the step up to first grade. He was among the infamous group of 12 players who were told by Ricky Stuart they had uncertain futures in 2013.

Corey Norman (18 games at halfback between 2016-18)
Norman’s off-field exploits have been well-documented, but there’s no doubt he had talent. Playing mostly at five-eighth, he slipped into halfback for a handful of games at the club, and also experimented at fullback. He played quite a few games at No.7 when the Eels made a surprise semi final in 2017, but missed the finals in his four other seasons with the club.

One-hit wonders

There were plenty of options, but here are just a selection of blasts from the pasts who donned the Eels’ No.7 jersey.

Paul Kent (1 game at halfback in 1989)
Noteworthy due to his long, continuing career as a rugby league journalist and commentator, Kent famously lined up for the Eels for one game in 1989.

Brad Drew (6 games at halfback in 2002)
Journeyman Drew usually played hooker but played some halfback for the Eels in the early 2000s. He tried coaching but is now a real estate agent in the Blue Mountains.

James Webster (1 game at halfback in 2003)
Webster had a short career in Australia for Balmain and Parramatta before making a name for himself at Hull Kingston Rovers between 2005-08. He also coached Wakefield, Hull KR and Featherstone.

Paul Green (7 games at halfback in 2003)
The late Green was most well-known for his playing career at the Sharks, but he had a short season at the Eels that he started at halfback but ended with a fractured cheekbone that ruled him out for the rest of the year.

Chris Thorman (7 games at halfback in 2004)
Thorman’s stint at the Eels was short – 11 games to be exact – as he spent most of his almost 300-game career in the English Super League. He also had a coaching career, most recently with Workington Town.

Casey McGuire (9 games at halfback between 2011-12)
McGuire was most well-known for this time at the Broncos, but the utility also plugged plenty of gaps in his two seasons at the Eels.

The standout

Mitch Moses (128 games at halfback from 2018-current)
We all know how the story goes. Wests Tigers’ favourite son Moses began to get itchy feet at the club he debuted at in 2014 – by 2017, he had signed with the Eels for 2018 onwards. The Wests Tigers eventually allowed him an early release, and the rest is history.

No doubt Moses has had some rough times as halfback for the Eels – the 2018 wooden spoon the most notable – but for the past four years he has steered them to the finals, and now a breakthrough grand final. He’s one of the premier No.7s in the competition, this year finishing the regular season with the most try assists, the most kick-metres, and as second-highest pointscorer. He will also likely rank highly in Dally M.

Moses has emerged as his own player in the past few seasons. He’s not Sterlo, no one can be – but he may be the man to bring glory back to Parramatta.