And on the 13,153rd day, Parramatta Jesus rose again.
But the possible resurrection of one of rugby league’s most famous characters on Sunday — when else — comes with a caveat. Having retired his blue and gold vestments almost 15 years ago, John Ryan will only slip back into his Parramatta Jesus robes if the Eels pull it all together against Penrith and win their first premiership since 1986.
“They’re in the closet, those fuzzy memories of too many beers,” Ryan, aka ‘Parra Jesus’, told the Herald.
“If we get up I get some mates over, have some drinks and I will pull them out and we will have a bit of a dance.”
Parramatta have had some lean years since the glory days of the mid-80s and Ryan has endured them all as a faithful supporter. For most of the first decade of the 21st century his alter-ego became as well-known as many of the players. Ryan would don handmade blue-and-gold robes, and with his long hair and beard, lead his flock in praying for Eels’ wins.
“It was pretty simple, get a bit of cloth, fold in half and sew down the side, you have got yourself a robe. Minimal effort,” Ryan said.
Sermon on the Hill …. Parramatta Jesus prays for the Eels in 2003. Credit:Craig Golding
Parramatta Jesus made his debut on the same night as 17-year-old Luke Burt, when the Eels beat the Dragons in Stadium Australia’s opening in 1999, in front of 104,583 fans. He retired the robes in 2008 but still gets recognised, even without them.
“Without tooting my own horn, I guess it was memorable. And that’s what it is all about,” Ryan said.
“What is the game about if it isn’t the fans? That’s supposed to be what it is all about, and when someone is a little bit memorable, they remember the real ones like Laurie Nichols, everyone knows him. I am not in that league.
“It does jump out, it is very random. You will be just walking down the street, without any (Eels) gear on and someone just stops you.
“My brother is the responsible, mature side of the league community, and I am the idiot. I am the other bookend – it’s kind of perfect.”
“It’s funny because many people don’t know my brother was [a] first grade ref, mostly a touchie. He is the responsible, mature side of the rugby league community, and I am the idiot. I am the other bookend and it is kind of perfect.”
Ryan has resisted all calls for a second coming of Parra Jesus in the years since. He didn’t rise again when Parramatta made the 2009 grand final, and he’ll be in standard Eels kit in the Accor Stadium stands – deep inside the Eels fans section – on Sunday.
“I am not young and drunk anymore. I am not 24 and hammer the piss all night and make a fool of myself,” Ryan said. “I am old and mature, apparently.”
John Ryan posing in his blue-and-gold vestments in 2001 at an Eels function with players and fans.Credit:Dallas Kilponen
Ryan, who works in logistics and lives in the Blue Mountains, is a season ticket holder and has been to every Eels game in recent memory. He is “quietly confident” a premiership victory could be just days away but Ryan’s passion as a Parramatta fan won’t fade without it. In fact, it would probably only grow.
Call it the suffering of Parramatta Jesus.
“It is a bit weird but my favourite era was that post-86 era. It is easy when you win, and when you’re the best. But it’s tougher when it’s hard, that’s when you see guys put in,” Ryan said.
“Even a few years ago when we got the wooden spoon, and we were losing, that’s when you could see the guys [players] going ‘I am still turning up for this club’. And I appreciate that.”
Ryan gives his blessing to Parramatta coach Brad Arthur, who he believes has shifted the Eels from a team who fades near the finals to a team who will peak in the last game.
He didn’t fancy playing Souths in a grand final, but takes great heart in Parramatta beating Penrith twice this year.
“I don’t think everyone understands Parramatta. You look at them the last few years, you jump out of the gates and you’re running first or second,” Ryan said. “Then you run out of steam and you fall away at the end.
“This year is different. We get up for the big games.
“People say, “But Penrith are the best team in the comp”. Not when they’re playing us. We have the wood over them.”
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