The Eels great, the Queen and the Parramatta Stadium conversation
AFTER 30 years, Parramatta Stadium will play host to its final game on Monday night before the stadium undergoes a $300 million redevelopment.
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PETER Wynn remembers the time he struck up a conversation with Queen Elizabeth regarding Parramatta Stadium. The unusual turn of events occurred after Wynn was invited to meet the Queen at the then Sheraton Wentworth Hotel as a member of the Kangaroos squad.
“We were standing in line,” Wynn recounts. “I said to her ‘you’re opening up our stadium on Friday’. She asked ‘Do you play for the Parramatta Eels’? And then asked ‘was it a new stadium or had it been played on before’? When I told it was new she said she was ‘excited because a lot of times I open things they are already in use’.”
Wynn would be on hand to watch the Queen and Prince Phillip open the stadium two days later on March 5, 1986. He would also take to the field when Parramatta Stadium — known now as Pirtek Stadium — was first used when the Eels thumped St George 36-6 on March 16 in front of 26,870 people.
One of Wynn’s opponents that day was younger brother Graeme, with Steve Sharp scoring the first try at the venue.
“I’d played reserve grade that day and come on off the bench,” Peter said. “The crowd was huge. I got on and I put Ray Price away for a try down the blindside. I pushed my brother off and popped the ball up. That brought the crowd to life.”
After 30 years, Parramatta Stadium will play host to its final game on Monday night before the stadium undergoes a $300 million redevelopment. Ironically it will again feature the Eels and the Dragons.
Wynn still remembers how plans of the original Parramatta Stadium development were used to entice him to join the Eels.
“When I first signed for Parramatta in 1978 they were talking about building a stadium,” Wynn said. “(Then Eels coach) Terry Fearnley showed me the plans of the new stadium. It was all covered with the ground in the middle. It took until 1981 for them to burn the old stand down to get it going.”
The celebrations of the Eels 1981 premiership win against Newtown turned wild when fans burnt down the grandstand at Cumberland Oval — the site of Parramatta Stadium.
The Eels used Belmore Oval as a base while the stadium was redevelopment. The new ground brought instant success with the Eels winning the 1986 grand final — their last premiership. Wynn and the likes of Eels legends including Peter Sterling, Ray Price, Brett Kenny, Mick Cronin Nathan Cayless and Nathan Hindmarsh were among the standouts in the 343 games the Eels have played at the stadium, for 189 wins.
Hindmarsh (43) played the most games at the venue with the Eels biggest win coming in 2003 with a 74-4 victory against Cronulla.
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