Western Sydney Derby
The Western Sydney Derby is the rivalry between the Parramatta Eels and the Penrith Panthers in the National Rugby League.
| Location | Western Sydney, Australia |
|---|---|
| Teams | Parramatta Eels & Penrith Panthers |
| First meeting | Parramatta 5–6 Penrith (5 March 1967) |
| Latest meeting | Penrith 40–6 Parramatta (3rd September 2021) |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 117 |
| Most wins | Parramatta Eels (65) |
| All-time series | Parramatta: 65 wins Penrith: 51 wins Drawn: 1 |
| Largest victory | Parramatta 64–6 Penrith (17 March 2002)[1] |
History
Parramatta entered the NSWRL now NRL competition in 1947, meanwhile Penrith entered 20 years later in 1967. Parramatta are the closest NRL team to Penrith geographically.
Former Penrith and current Parramatta player Reagan Campbell-Gillard spoke about Penrith and Parramatta saying "As a Penrith junior, you come through the system to hate them. “I also don't like that word but it is. It doesn't matter what form you're in, it's a game you get up for".[2]
In 2002, Parramatta thrashed the Penrith 64–6, this coming after a season in which Parramatta finished first on the ladder and Penrith last. But they would not meet again until Round 26, 2003, when Penrith, in front of a then-record crowd defeated Parramatta 40–22 denying the Eels a place in the finals (Parramatta had to win by 28+ points). Penrith went on to win the premiership that year. Round 17, 2009 saw a Penrith win by 38–34 in which the lead changed several times, before Parramatta recorded a huge 48–6 win in the penultimate round of the 2009 NRL season.[3]
In the 2010 NRL season, Parramatta came from 22–0 down at half-time against Penrith to win 34–28 at Penrith Park with Parramatta player Jarryd Hayne starring with a man of the match performance.[4]
Since Penrith entered the competition in 1967, the two clubs have only met in finals twice. The last being in the 2000 season where Parramatta defeated Penrith 28–10 in the elimination final. In round 5 of the 2020 NRL season, Parramatta came back from a 10–0 deficit at the 61st minute to beat Penrith 16–10, that would be Penrith's only loss in the 2020 NRL regular season that year as Penrith finished as minor premiers.[5]
Results
Overall
| Team | Played | Won | Drawn | PS | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Parramatta Eels | 117 | 65 | 1 | 2143 | +306 |
 Penrith Panthers | 117 | 51 | 1 | 1837 | -306 |
As of 5 September 2021
Overall in NRL
| Team | Played | Won | Drawn |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parramatta Eels | 102 | 58 | 1 |
| Penrith Panthers | 102 | 43 | 1 |
As of 5 September 2021
NRL results
Finals series
- This table only shows competitive finals series matches.
| Date | Round | Home Team | Score | Away Team | Venue | Attendance | Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 September 1985 | QF | Parramatta Eels |  Penrith Panthers | Parramatta Stadium | 18,939 | ||
| 12 August 2000 | SF | Parramatta Eels |  Penrith Panthers | Sydney Football Stadium | 25,746 | ||
| 18 September 2021 | SF | Penrith Panthers | Parramatta Eels | BB Print Stadium | 6,011 |
NRL Nines
- Playing in the NRL Nines does not count as a senior first grade appearance.
| Date | Round | Home Team | Score | Away Team | Venue | Attendance | Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 February 2017 | SF | Penrith Panthers | Parramatta Eels | Eden Park | 22,000 |
Statistics
Most appearances
| Player | Team | Games |
|---|---|---|
| Nathan Hindmarsh | Parramatta | 25 |
| Geoff Gerard | Penrith Panthers Parramatta Eels | 20 |
| Raymond Price | Parramatta Eels | 20 |
| Luke Burt | Parramatta Eels | 19 |
| Steve Carter | Penrith Panthers | 19 |
| Tim Mannah | Parramatta Eels | 19 |
| Michael Cronin | Parramatta Eels | 18 |
| Michael Jennings | Penrith Panthers Parramatta Eels | 18 |
| Brett Kenny | Parramatta Eels | 18 |
| Mark Levy | Penrith Panthers Parramatta Eels | 18 |
| Royce Simmons | Penrith Panthers | 18 |
Top pointscorers
| Player | Team | Tries | Goals | FG | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Cronin | Parramatta Eels | 11 | 75 | 0 | 185 |
| Luke Burt | Parramatta Eels | 9 | 55 | 0 | 146 |
| Ryan Girdler | Penrith Panthers | 9 | 32 | 1 | 101 |
| Nathan Cleary | Penrith Panthers | 2 | 28 | 0 | 64 |
| Clinton Schifcofske | Parramatta Eels | 3 | 22 | 0 | 56 |
| Preston Campbell | Penrith Panthers | 2 | 23 | 0 | 54 |
| Michael Gordon | Penrith Panthers | 5 | 16 | 0 | 52 |
| Greg Alexander | Penrith Panthers | 5 | 15 | 0 | 50 |
| Rhys Wesser | Penrith Panthers | 12 | 0 | 0 | 48 |
| Graham Mackay | Penrith Panthers | 6 | 9 | 0 | 42 |
Top tryscorers
| Player | Team | Tries | Games |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rhys Wesser | Penrith Panthers | 12 | 12 |
| Michael Cronin | Parramatta Eels | 11 | 18 |
| Brett Kenny | Parramatta Eels | 11 | 18 |
| Luke Burt | Parramatta Eels | 9 | 19 |
| Ryan Girdler | Penrith Panthers | 9 | 13 |
| David Simmons | Penrith Panthers | 9 | 9 |
| Stephen Ella | Parramatta Eels | 8 | 11 |
| Michael Jennings | Parramatta Eels Penrith Panthers | 8 | 18 |
| Josh Mansour | Penrith Panthers | 7 | 10 |
| Jason Moodie | Parramatta Eels | 7 | 6 |
Attendances
- Highest attendance:
- Parramatta Eels at home: 54,833 – Parramatta 40 – 4 Penrith, Round 1, 2001, ANZ Stadium
- Penrith Panthers at home: 22,582 – Penrith 28 – 34 Parramatta, Round 19, 2010, Penrith Stadium
- Lowest attendance:
- Parramatta Eels at home: 507 – Parramatta 16 – 10 Penrith, Round 5, 2020, Bankwest Stadium (Attendances impacted by COVID-19)
- Penrith Panthers at home: 3,870 – Penrith 24 – 16 Parramatta, Round 22, 1996, Penrith Stadium
References
- "What is the greatest rivalry in the NRL?". foxsports.com.au. Retrieved 25 February 2014.
- "Parramatta Penrith like chalk and cheese". www.7news.com.au.
- Ferguson, Shawn Dollin and Andrew. "NRL 2009 - Round 25 - Rugby League Project". Rugbyleagueproject.org. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
- "Hayne leads Parramatta comeback over Penrith". i.stuff.co.nz.
- "Friday Night Results". www.abc.net.
- McCullough, Ian (29 March 2014). "Eels too strong for Penrith in western Sydney derby". The New Daily. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
- Boulous, Chris (26 May 2014). "NRL western Sydney derby excites the fans". St Marys Star. Retrieved 24 August 2014.