Ex-Eel Ethan Parry continues his search for redemption

Blowing out blood from his broken nose after the Northern Tigers' 64-18 Country Championships loss to the Western Ram at a sweltering John Simpson Oval at Farrer, the 23-year-old was suffering for his cause.

The former Parramatta flyer hoped that the round one match, which resulted in the Tigers being eliminated from the annual competition, was another step towards his redemption: a second shot at the NRL.

Some 700km away, at Raiders Belconnen at Canberra, Parry's 18-year-old brother, Cody, was also licking his wounds. His Parramatta Eels had suffered their first loss of the SG Ball Cup season, going down 42-18 to the Raiders.

Cody, however, had kept his try-scoring streak intact: his 11th-minute touchdown was his 10th for the season, and he has scored in every round in 2023.

Cody is following the exact same path his elder brother blazed years earlier, when his intoxicating combination of speed, power and footballing ability propelled him through the ranks at the Eels and on to Brookvale Oval on a glorious winter Sunday in 2019.

His NRL debut on that day included a scintillating winger's try.

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Parry lined up for Parra the following round, but that was his last NRL game. The following year, the Eels released him.

Last month, the former Oxley High student fought back tears as he told the Leader how alcohol-fuelled poor choices had resulted in his self-destruction and the derailment of his NRL career.

Following the loss to the Rams on Saturday afternoon, tears welled in his eyes when he was reminded of his younger brother's enviable position in life: Cody also trained with the Eels' NRL squad in the pre-season just gone.

"It's good to see him doing well - I'm so proud of him," Parry said of Cody, who possess the traits that had served his big brother so well as a footballer in Sydney.

The Tigers No 4 added:

It was a difficult subject to discuss, the Kooty Rooster explained, because of the "position" he was now in. "How I lost everything I worked so hard for.

"To now being back playing at this level compared to where he [Cody] is at the moment, it sort of hurts.

"But my goal in the next two years is to get back in a reserve-grade side [in the NSW Cup], at least, or a system somewhere [that is] a bit better than Group 4."

"I have not felt this driven for a long while," he added.

On Saturday, Rams No 4 Jeremy Thurston posted five tries. He was almost unstoppable in the first half, crossing four times.

When the solidly built centre scored twice early in the contest, the Rams had established a dominating posture that they never relinquished.

Parry said the Rams "were very good".

"They've played together for a few years now," he said, adding that the Tigers had a lot of new faces.

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