The 2005 Parramatta Eels season was the 59th in
the club's history. Coached by
Brian Smith and captained by
Nathan Cayless, they competed in the
NRL
The National Rugby League (NRL) is an Australasian rugby league club competition which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory and New Zealand. The NRL formed in 1998 as a joint partnership ...
's
2005 Telstra Premiership. The Eels finished the home and away season on top of the ladder to claim the
minor premiership, but were knocked out in the preliminary final, going down 0–29 to the
North Queensland Cowboys.
Summary
The 2005 season marked a resurgence of the Parramatta Eels; after two years in the wilderness, the club were back into premiership contention after ending the season as minor premiers on 36 points, ahead of the
St. George Illawarra Dragons
The St. George Illawarra Dragons is an Australian professional rugby league football club, representing both the Illawarra and St George regions of New South Wales. The club has competed in the National Rugby League since 1999 after a joint-ve ...
on points differential. The first week of the 2005 Finals Series saw a comfortable 46–22 win over the
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles, who were in their first finals campaign since the creation of the National Rugby League in 1998. Following the week off, Parramatta were beaten by the
Johnathan Thurston-led
North Queensland
North Queensland or the Northern Region is the northern part of the Australian state of Queensland that lies just south of Far North Queensland. Queensland is a massive state, larger than many countries, and its tropical northern part has been ...
at
ANZ Stadium, 29–0, ending another season in disappointment.
Adding further salt to the wound, Parramatta's inspirational forward
Nathan Hindmarsh missed the entire finals series and popular cult figure
Fuifui Moimoi was suspended in the final round of the season, also missing the finals. Parramatta had also defeated eventual premiers the
Wests Tigers twice throughout the season, defeated St. George Illawarra and also recorded a 50-12 victory over North Queensland earlier in the year.
Standings
Awards
The following awards were awarded in the post-season:
*Michael Cronin Clubman of the Year Award:
Mark Riddell
*Ken Thornett Medal (Players' Player):
Nathan Cayless/
Timana Tahu
*Jack Gibson Award (Coach's Award):
Glenn Morrison
Glenn Adam Morrison (born 28 May 1976), is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer and coach. He played for the Parramatta Eels, the Balmain Tigers, the North Sydney Bears and the North Queensland Cowboys in the National Rug ...
*Eric Grothe Rookie of the Year Award:
Tim Smith
References
{{2005 in rugby league
Parramatta Eels seasons
Parramatta Eels season