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Steve Edge is asked how his mob would go.<\/p>\n
If the great Parramatta three-peat side he captained had enjoyed all the benefits of sports science that go with being a professional athlete today, how would they fare against the current Penrith outfit?<\/p>\n
\u201cThey would certainly give them a shake,\u201d Edge said of the champions of 1981-83.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou only have to look at the back line: Peter Sterling, Brett Kenny, Eric Grothe, Steve Ella, Neil Hunt, Paul Taylor at the back \u2013 all great players in their right.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe forward pack is equally as tough. Even Penrith would be happy to swap a few of the players.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sterling, the great Parramatta halfback, offers this.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Peter Sterling, Mick Cronin, Nathan Cleary and Dylan Edwards.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Illustration: Marija Ercegovac<\/cite><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d fancy our chances,\u201d he said. \u201cIf we had everybody healthy, I\u2019d love to take our healthy side against theirs.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019d have similar qualities and maybe on the day it might just come down to a bounce of the ball or a bit of luck.<\/p>\n \u201cI would fancy our chances, as I\u2019m sure if you would ask Nathan Cleary, even though he wasn\u2019t born and wouldn\u2019t have seen too much of us, he would fancy his chances as well.\u201d<\/p>\n Their long-time Eels teammate during those halcyon blue and gold days, Peter Wynn, goes a step further.<\/p>\n \u201cWe would beat them by a few points,\u201d Wynn said. \u201cI mean that, I\u2019m serious. We would have adapted.<\/p>\n \u201cThey are full-time professional footballers now, back in the \u201980s \u2013 if we were faced with the same conditions \u2013 we would achieve [now] what we achieved then.<\/p>\n \u201cWe had Sterlo, Kenny, Ella, Cronin, Grothe, Pricey [Ray Price] on the inside. They were pretty lethal players in their day, so to compare them with modern players shows an enormous amount of respect for that team in the \u201980s.\u201d<\/p>\n It is, of course, the stuff of fantasy. The game in the 1980s was very different to today, but the enormity of the three-peat is highlighted by the fact it hasn\u2019t been achieved for 40 years.<\/p>\n The numbers highlight how dominant each team was during their respective regular seasons.<\/p>\n The Eels had 10 Origin stars in their 1983 team \u2013 Cronin, Grothe, Kenny, Sterling, Price, Wynn, Edge, Stan Jurd and Chris Phelan. The Panthers had only six in 2023 \u2013 Stephen Crichton, Brian To\u2019o, Jarome Luai, Nathan Cleary, Liam Martin and Isaah Yeo. However, it should be noted that many of Penrith\u2019s Polynesian stars have also played at Test level.<\/p>\n It is said premierships are won on defence, and both teams were outstanding in this department. Penrith conceded an average of 12.89 points per game over their period, while Parramatta, during an era of lower scores, let in just 10.55 (tries were changed from three to four points in 1982).<\/p>\n Ray Warren, whose commentary career spanned more than five decades, has happy memories calling both sides.<\/p>\n \u2018Oh, we would beat them by a few points. I mean that, I\u2019m serious. We would have adapted.\u2019<\/p>\n \u201c[Penrith] won the last match I ever broadcast [the 2021 grand final win against South Sydney] and it was obvious then that they were heading to a wonderful future, that I was looking at something very special,\u201d Warren said.<\/p>\n \u201cBut then again, I can\u2019t forget the past, with that ball floating across the back line from Sterling to Kenny to Cronin to Ella and to Grothe. It\u2019s a very difficult comparison for me because that was a special decade when Parramatta and Canterbury ruled the world.<\/p>\n \u201cThat Parramatta back line was something extreme.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd now I look at [Penrith] and they are a treat to watch. I was thrilled and amazed to watch a team win three grand finals back to back. It will come as no surprise to see Penrith join that band of elite sides.<\/p>\n Nathan Cleary celebrates after the Panthers\u2019 win over the Storm on Friday.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Getty<\/cite><\/p>\n \u201cI won\u2019t try to separate them; I\u2019ve got beautiful memories of Parramatta and I have equal memories now of Penrith.\u201d<\/p>\n None of the Panthers players were born when Parramatta ruled the world. However, they are aware of the enormity of the achievement, should they beat the Broncos to claim a third straight title. It\u2019s why the club\u2019s mantra this season is \u201chunting history\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cI haven\u2019t watched too much of their success just because I wasn\u2019t even born,\u201d Panthers back-rower Liam Martin said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s such an honour, they\u2019re absolute legends of the game and [it\u2019s flattering] to be compared to them.<\/p>\n \u201cBut we haven\u2019t done it yet, so we need to bring ourselves back to reality. We\u2019ve got another game now.\u201d<\/p>\n Sterling was 23 years old when he steered the Eels to the 1983 grand final win. \u201cSterlo\u201d won the last of his four premierships three years later. Cleary, 25, may yet surpass him.<\/p>\n \u201cHis best football is yet to come,\u201d Sterling said of Cleary.<\/p>\n \u201cThat is a scary proposition when you consider what he has already achieved at 25. As a guy who played in the same number as him, I love to sit back and watch his understanding of the tempo and momentum of the game, how to regulate that.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s always at you.\u201d<\/p>\n Warren, for so long the voice of rugby league, knows special teams when he sees them.<\/p>\n \u201cI was absolutely thrilled to be able to broadcast Parramatta and thought, \u2018This won\u2019t happen again for a long time,\u2019 \u201d Warren said.<\/p>\n \u201cI was right, it\u2019s taken 40 years for a team to even have a shot at it.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/b>Watch the NRL Grand Final Exclusive Live and Free on Channel 9 and <\/i><\/b>9Now<\/i><\/b>.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n Sports news, results and expert commentary. <\/i><\/b>Sign up for our Sport newsletter<\/i><\/b>.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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