Eric Grothe Sr. (born 6 January 1960), also known by the
nickname
A nickname is a substitute for the proper name of a familiar person, place or thing. Commonly used to express affection, a form of endearment, and sometimes amusement, it can also be used to express defamation of character. As a concept, it is ...
"Guru", is an Australian former professional
rugby league
Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...
footballer who played in the 1970s and 1980s. A
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
and
Australian representative , he played club football for the
Parramatta Eels
The Parramatta Eels are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Sydney suburb of Parramatta that competes in the National Rugby League.
The Parramatta District Rugby League Football Club was formed in 1947, and their ...
with whom he won four
NSWRL premiership
The New South Wales Rugby League premiership was the first rugby league football club competition established in Australia and contributor to today's National Rugby League. Run by the New South Wales Rugby League (initially named the New Sout ...
s. Since retiring, Grothe has been named amongst the nation's finest footballers of the 20th century
Background
Grothe was born in
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
,
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
, Australia.
Career highlights
Grothe's size, speed and trademark ability to break a tackle through sheer strength enabled him to perfectly book-end Parramatta's star studded backline of the early 1980s outside
Brett Kenny
Brett "Bert" Edward Kenny (born 16 March 1961) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s. He was a and for the Australian national team and New South Wales Blues representative sides, and ...
,
Mick Cronin,
Peter Sterling and
Steve Ella
Stephen John Ella (born 28 July 1960) is an Australian former rugby league footballer who played in the 1970s and 1980s. He was a utility back for the Parramatta Eels, New South Wales and Australia, playing in 4 Tests for Australia between 19 ...
. Along with dual
union
Union commonly refers to:
* Trade union, an organization of workers
* Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets
Union may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
Music
* Union (band), an American rock group
** ''Un ...
, and league international
Ray Price, these stars formed the nucleus of a side which dominated the
New South Wales Rugby League premiership
The New South Wales Rugby League premiership was the first rugby league football club competition established in Australia and contributor to today's National Rugby League. Run by the New South Wales Rugby League (initially named the New Sout ...
between 1981 and 1986, playing in five Grand Finals, winning four (
1981
Events January
* January 1
** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union.
** Palau becomes a self-governing territory.
* January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...
,
1982
Events January
* January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00).
* January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street bridges, 14th Street Bridge in ...
,
1983
The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call.
Events January
* January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to Internet protocol suite, TCP/IP is officially completed (this is consid ...
,
1986
The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles.
**Spain and Portugal ente ...
), as well as finishing runner up in
1984
Events
January
* January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888.
* January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...
, and third in
1985
The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** The Internet's Domain Name System is created.
** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...
.
Known as "the Guru" due to his long locks and beard in his playing years, as well as his hobby of meditation, he all up played 150 first grade career games for Parramatta, scoring 78
tries. Unfortunately, his club and representative career was restricted by recurring knee injuries.
Grothe represented for Australia in eight Tests between 1982 and 1984 and made the 1982
Kangaroo Tour
Kangaroo Tour is the name given to Australian national rugby league team tours of Great Britain and France, tours to New Zealand and the one-off tour to Papua New Guinea (1991). The first Kangaroo Tour was in 1908. Traditionally, Kangaroo Tours to ...
. He had nine
State of Origin
A State of Origin competition is a type of sporting event between players representing their state or territory. State of Origin began in Australian rules football on 8 October 1977 between Western Australia (WA) and Victoria, at Subiaco Oval ...
appearances for New South Wales between 1981 and 1986.
Year by year
1978 Rookie
Grothe graduated from Liverpool Boys High School, the same school as another Australian international,
Geoff Gerard
Geoff Gerard (born 10 July 1955) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1970s and 1980s. An Australia national rugby league team, Australia international and New South Wales rugby league team, New South W ...
. He played his junior football for East Mt. Pritchard, alongside Steve Ella. In 1978, Grothe was named as Parramatta's Rookie of the Year at age 18, scoring 16 tries in 17 matches in the Eels Under-23 Presidents Cup team.
1979 1st Grade
He débuted in first grade
1979
Events
January
* January 1
** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...
, however after a promising start which included three tries in one game against
South Sydney, a succession of injuries meant that he was not able to show his full ability until the 1981 season.
1981 Premiership & Origin
Grothe showed his class in Parramatta's first premiership title year in 1981 and launched his representative career in the sole New South Wales v
Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, established_ ...
game played that year under the
State of Origin
A State of Origin competition is a type of sporting event between players representing their state or territory. State of Origin began in Australian rules football on 8 October 1977 between Western Australia (WA) and Victoria, at Subiaco Oval ...
rules. He scored two tries in his début for the Blues at
Brisbane
Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...
's
Lang Park
Lang Park, also known as Brisbane Football Stadium, by the sponsored name Suncorp Stadium, and nicknamed: 'The Cauldron', is a multi-purpose stadium in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, located in the suburb of Milton. The current facility co ...
, including a 90-metre effort, scooping up a wayward pass by Maroons hooker
Greg Conescu
Greg Conescu (born 24 May 1960) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer. An Australia national and Queensland State of Origin representative , he played all of his club football in Queensland with Norths Devils (with whom he ...
, and sprinting down the touchline before breaking a desperation tackle from
Mitch Brennan
Mitch Brennan (born 30 October 1954) is a retired Australian rugby league footballer and former coach. A Queensland State of Origin representative three-quarter, he played club football during the 1970s, and 1980s in Queensland for Souths and ...
to score crawling into the corner.
Grothe figures in a moment which has since made its way into Origin folklore. Queensland fullback
Colin Scott fielded a kick near halfway and split the defence in a 45-metre charge that ended just short of the line thanks to a despairing tackle by Grothe who had made almost 10 metres on him. Grothe clung to Scott's ankles as he waited for his teammates to get back but in a now famous image,
Chris Close
Christopher "Choppy" Close (born 5 February 1959) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. A robust three-quarter back, he represented Australia internationally and Queensland in St ...
backhanded Grothe out of the way, picked up the ball from
dummy half and placed it over the line for a try.
1982 Kangaroo
The Guru was member of Parramatta's victorious premiership side in 1982, but didn't play in any of the
1982 State of Origin series
The 1982 State of Origin series was the first annual three-match series between New South Wales and Queensland to be played entirely under "state of origin" selection rules. After the matches in 1980 and 1981 that trialed the concept, 'Origin' w ...
games.
He was selected for Australia on the
1982 Kangaroo tour
The 1982 Kangaroo tour was the fifteenth Kangaroo tour where the Australian national rugby league team played a number of matches against British and French rugby league teams, in addition to the Test matches. The Australia national rugby league ...
, the squad whose record earned them the title of "
The Invincibles". He made his Test début in the first
Ashes Test against
Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...
at
Boothferry Park
Boothferry Park was a football stadium in Hull, England, which was home to Hull City A.F.C. from 1946 until 2002, when they moved to the KC Stadium.
In later years, financial constraints forced Hull City to allow Kwik Save and Iceland superma ...
in
Hull
Hull may refer to:
Structures
* Chassis, of an armored fighting vehicle
* Fuselage, of an aircraft
* Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds
* Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a ship
* Submarine hull
Mathematics
* Affine hull, in affi ...
, where his blockbusting runs saw him saw a try on début in a 40-4 win for the Kangaroos. Grothe was injured in the second test win at
Central Park
Central Park is an urban park in New York City located between the Upper West Side, Upper West and Upper East Sides of Manhattan. It is the List of New York City parks, fifth-largest park in the city, covering . It is the most visited urban par ...
while scoring a try, and missed the final test win at
Headingley
Headingley is a suburb of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, approximately two miles out of the city centre, to the north west along the A660 road. Headingley is the location of the Beckett Park campus of Leeds Beckett University and Headingle ...
. He then played in both winning tests against
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
(the first from the bench), scoring two tries in each game. He also played in 14 minor games on tour, scoring 21 tries (including five tries in the match against
Roanne
Roanne (; frp, Rouana; oc, Roana) is a commune in the Loire department, central France.
It is located northwest of Lyon on the river Loire. It has an important Museum, the ''Musée des Beaux-arts et d'Archéologie Joseph-Déchelette'' (Fren ...
in France). Grothe also kicked one goal on tour in a club game in France.
1983 3rd Premiership
In the 1983 Final against
Canterbury-Bankstown
Canterbury-Bankstown is a customary region of Sydney, Australia, in the south-western suburbs. The area is located around the Bankstown railway line, to the west of the St George region and to the south of the Inner West region. The suburbs o ...
, Grothe scored a phenomenal first half solo try beating man after man - six in all, to get to the tryline.
He was prominent in the Eels side that won their third successive premiership, figuring in the 18-6 Grand Final victory over
Manly-Warringah
The Manly Warringah Sea Eagles are an Australian professional rugby league club based in Sydney's Northern Beaches. The team colours are maroon and white, while their namesake and logo is the sea eagle. They compete in Australia's premier rugb ...
when in the 13th moment he steamrolled his way over burly Manly fullback
Graham Eadie
Graham "Wombat" Eadie (born 25 November 1953), is an Australian former rugby league footballer who played in the 1970s and 1980s. He has been named amongst Australia's finest of the 20th century. A New South Wales State of Origin and Australian ...
to score.
Grothe played in both Tests of the 1983 series against
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
scoring tries in each game.
1984 Ashes
In a club match that year against
Western Suburbs he equalled a then club record he had set in 1982 of four tries in a game.
He played in the second and third Tests of that year's domestic
Ashes series against Great Britain. The third test victory at the
Sydney Cricket Ground
The Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) is a sports stadium in Sydney, Australia. It is used for Test cricket, Test, One Day International and Twenty20 cricket, as well as, Australian rules football and occasionally for rugby league, rugby union and as ...
would prove to be his last Test appearance. He finished his Test career with the phenomenal record of scoring a try in every Test he played.
1985 UK stint
In 1985 Grothe had a season with English club
Leeds
Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...
where he scored 14 tries in 16 games, including a hat-trick on début against
Leigh
Leigh may refer to:
Places In England
Pronounced :
* Leigh, Greater Manchester, Borough of Wigan
** Leigh (UK Parliament constituency)
* Leigh-on-Sea, Essex
Pronounced :
* Leigh, Dorset
* Leigh, Gloucestershire
* Leigh, Kent
* Leigh, Staf ...
on
New Year's Day
New Year's Day is a festival observed in most of the world on 1 January, the first day of the year in the modern Gregorian calendar. 1 January is also New Year's Day on the Julian calendar, but this is not the same day as the Gregorian one. Wh ...
- then only the third player to score three tries on début for the club. In the Australian season he suffered from knee problems that prevented his selection for the
mid-season tour of New Zealand, but he was superb in Parramatta's end-of-season surge until they lost 0-26 to Canterbury in the Preliminary Final.
His chronic knee-ligament problems would plague the rest of his career,
1986 4th premiership
In 1986 Grothe played in Parramatta's tryless grand final win made his final State of Origin appearance in game III.
However injury restricted him to playing less than half the season, and while he was originally selected for the
1986 Kangaroo tour The 1986 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain and France was the sixteenth Kangaroo tour in which the Australian national rugby league team (known as the Winfield Kangaroos due to sponsorship) plays a number of tour matches against British and French te ...
ing squad, and indeed he was involved in pre-tour promotional photo sessions with the team, Grothe was controversially ruled out with a knee injury before the team left for the tour and he was replaced by young
Penrith Panthers
The Penrith Panthers are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the western Sydney suburb of Penrith that competes in the NRL. The team is based west of the centre of Sydney, at the foot of the Blue Mountains. Penrith ...
halfback
Greg Alexander
Gregory Peter Stephen Alexander (born 4 March 1965), also known by the nickname of "Brandy" is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s, who has since become a radio, television commentator an ...
. The 1986 Kangaroos, coached by
Don Furner
Don Furner (26 December 1932 – 24 February 2020) was an Australian rugby league footballer and coach. As a player, he represented Queensland on nine occasions and also toured with the 1956–57 Kangaroos.
He began his coaching career as a pl ...
, and captained by Queensland captain
Wally Lewis
Walter James Lewis AM (born 1 December 1959) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, and coached in the 1980s and 1990s. He became a commentator for television coverage of the spo ...
, emulated the deeds of the 1982 Invincibles by remaining undefeated on tour, earning themselves the nickname of "The Unbeatables". Teammates Peter Sterling and Brett Kenny, were surprisingly the only players selected from the 1986 NSWRL premiers.
1987–1990
After being selected for
City Origin
The Sydney Rugby League team, known as the City Rugby League team, or Combined Sydney, or Sydney Firsts, or Sydney Capitals, is a representative rugby league team. From 2021, the men's team is to consist of players selected from the New South Wa ...
during the
1987 season, his knee injury recurred and he did not play at all in the second half of the season. When he returned in
1988
File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Australian ...
it was clear he had lost considerable pace even before injury also ended that season.
1989
File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress Street Viaduct, Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxo ...
saw Grothe initially used from the reserves bench and then briefly playing in the unfamiliar position of centre. He was selected again that year for City Firsts but injured in a match at
Brookvale Oval
Brookvale Oval (also known by the commercial sponsorship name 4 Pines Park) is a sporting ground located within Brookvale Park at Brookvale, New South Wales, Australia. The ground is owned by Northern Beaches Council and is primarily used by th ...
when he had come on as replacement for the injured
Peter Sterling.
After efforts at treating his knee failed, Grothe retired on 13 April 1990.
Accolades
When a best Australian team of the limited tackle era was named in 1995, Grothe shared with prop
Arthur Beetson
Arthur Henry "Artie" Beetson OAM (21 January 1945 – 1 December 2011 the distinction of being a unanimous choice of every judge.
In 2005 he was named one of the 25 greatest ever NSW players.
He stands at equal sixth with Ray Price on the Parramatta all time try tally list with 78 scored in just 152 games.
In February 2008, Grothe was named in the list of Australia's
''100 Greatest Players'' (1908–2007) which was commissioned by 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 ...
and
ARL
ARL may refer to:
Military
* US Navy hull classification symbol for repair ship
* Admiralty Research Laboratory, UK
* United States Army Research Laboratory
* ARL 44, a WWII French tank
Organizations
* Aero Research Limited, a UK adhesives compan ...
to celebrate the code's centenary year in Australia.
Origin father and son
Grothe's son
Eric Jr. began to play for Parramatta in 1999 and himself represented for New South Wales in 2006. They are thus one of several father and son pairs to play State of Origin, including Wayne & Mitchell Pearce and Steve & Josh Morris/Brett Morris, all for NSW.
Post football and personal life
Grothe currently plays in a band, ''Eric Grothe and the Gurus''.
Eric Sr. is the son of
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
immigrant parents.
Sources
* Whiticker, Alan and Hudson, Glen (1998) ''The Encyclopedia of Rugby League Players'' 3rd ed Gary Allen Pty. Ltd, Smithfield, NSW.
* Middleton, David (ed) (1996) ''Rugby League 1996'' HarperCollins Publishers, Pymble, NSW
References
External links
*(archived by web.archive.org
Eric Grothe at stateoforigin.com.auVideo of Growth's 1983 try - the greatest solo try ever?
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grothe, Eric Sr.
1960 births
Living people
Australia national rugby league team players
Australian rugby league players
Australian people of German descent
Parramatta Eels players
New South Wales Rugby League State of Origin players
City New South Wales rugby league team players
New South Wales City Origin rugby league team players
Leeds Rhinos players
Rugby league players from Sydney
Rugby league wingers