Nathan Hindmarsh says he can’t bear to watch the final five minutes of the 2001 and 2009 which ended in heartbreak for the Eels great.
The 330 game backrower suffered defeat at the hands of the Knights and Storm, losses he revealed still haunt him to this day.
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“It isn’t sour grapes, it is just a difficult one to answer, because I love grand final day and I love having the Eels and Penrith in there,” Hindmarsh said when asked how he felt about grand final week.
“But it is the celebrations that I tend to not watch too much, so I will remove myself from the TV or the game without about five minutes to go.
“It does sting, it stings, because I have been in two and lost them both.”
Hindmarsh also explained he still cops it from members of the public about his grand final record — and even his own children.
In 2001 the Eels won the minor premiership with 20 wins, three more than second place, but eventually lost to Andrew Johns’ Newcastle 30-24.
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Eight years later, Parramatta made an unlikely surge from eighth place to reach the grand final against a red-hot Storm outfit, going down 23-16.
That premiership was later stripped from Melbourne due to salary cap breaches.
“It stings… obviously everyone knows that, the kids down the road know that, I walk past them and they go ‘show us your grand final ring’, bugger off you little bastards,” Hindmarsh said.
“And that is my own kids, when we are walking to school.
“It does sting, but again it is that moment in time, it is just the celebrations, I love the game, the build-up to the week.
“It is just that when the final siren goes, it is a little bit envious, I am happy for the boys that win it, good on them, but it hurts.”
