The 2003 Parramatta Eels season was the 57th in the club's history. Coached by Brian Smith and captained by Nathan Cayless, they competed in the National Rugby League's 2003 Telstra Premiership.
| 2003 Parramatta Eels season | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NRL Rank | 9th | |||
| Play-off result | DNQ | |||
| World Club Challenge | DNQ | |||
| World Sevens | Champions (Won 48–18 vs England Lions, Grand Final) | |||
| 2003 record | Wins: 11; draws: 0; losses: 13 | |||
| Points scored | For: 570; against: 582 | |||
| Team information | ||||
| CEO | Denis Fitzgerald | |||
| Coach |  Brian Smith | |||
| Captain | ||||
| Stadium | Parramatta Stadium (Capacity: 20,741) | |||
| Avg. attendance | 11,262 (Home) 14,762 (Home & Away) | |||
| Agg. attendance | 135,142 (Home) 354,283 (Home & Away) | |||
| High attendance | 17,175 (28 March vs Newcastle Knights, Round 3) | |||
| Top scorers | ||||
| Tries | Jamie Lyon (14) Matt Petersen | |||
| Goals | Michael Witt (45) | |||
| Points | Michael Witt (104) | |||
| ||||
Summary
editAfter reaching the Finals Series every year for the last six years, Parramatta could not make it a 7th year running as they finished 9th in the 2003 Season. Needing to beat runaway Minor Premiers the Penrith Panthers by over 30 points in the final round, the Eels were comprehensively beaten away, signalling the need for changes at the club should they continue to be successful.
Standings
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | B | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Penrith Panthers (P)
|
24 | 18 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 659 | 527 | +132 | 40 |
| 2 |  Sydney Roosters
|
24 | 17 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 680 | 445 | +235 | 38 |
| 3 |  Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
|
24 | 16 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 702 | 419 | +283 | 36 |
| 4 |  Canberra Raiders
|
24 | 16 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 620 | 463 | +157 | 36 |
| 5 |  Melbourne Storm
|
24 | 15 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 564 | 486 | +78 | 34 |
| 6 |  New Zealand Warriors
|
24 | 15 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 545 | 510 | +35 | 34 |
| 7 |  Newcastle Knights
|
24 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 632 | 635 | -3 | 32 |
| 8 |  Brisbane Broncos
|
24 | 12 | 0 | 12 | 2 | 497 | 464 | +33 | 28 |
| 9 |  Parramatta Eels
|
24 | 11 | 0 | 13 | 2 | 570 | 582 | -12 | 26 |
| 10 |  St George Illawarra Dragons
|
24 | 11 | 0 | 13 | 2 | 548 | 593 | -45 | 26 |
| 11 |  North Queensland Cowboys
|
24 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 2 | 606 | 629 | -23 | 24 |
| 12 |  Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
|
24 | 8 | 0 | 16 | 2 | 497 | 704 | -207 | 20 |
| 13 |  Wests Tigers
|
24 | 7 | 0 | 17 | 2 | 470 | 598 | -128 | 18 |
| 14 |  Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
|
24 | 7 | 0 | 17 | 2 | 557 | 791 | -234 | 18 |
| 15 |  South Sydney Rabbitohs
|
24 | 3 | 0 | 21 | 2 | 457 | 758 | -301 | 10 |
Awards
edit- Michael Cronin clubman of the year award: Dean Widders[1]
- Ken Thornett Medal (Players' player): Daniel Wagon
- Jack Gibson Award (Coach's award): John Morris
- Eric Grothe Rookie of the Year Award: Michael Witt
References
edit- ^ "Honour Roll". parraeels.com.au. Parramatta Eels. Archived from the original on 25 February 2014. Retrieved 19 February 2014.