The teenage son of Parramatta legend Nathan Hindmarsh has been snapped up by arch rivals the Penrith Panthers, beating the Eels to the punch.
Buster Hindmarsh, 17, is a rangy second-rower — much leaner than his dad — who has signed for two years with the Panthers.
“Penrith gave us an invitation to go and check out their facilities and they were really impressive,” Nathan said.
“The Bulldogs did the same thing. The Dogs were very close, too. They’ve got a great set up.
“All Parramatta did was send us an offer in an email and didn’t show the same interest.
“He was keen on the Bears too, where he played SG Ball this year, but we decided the Panthers were the best option at this stage of his career.
“They’ve got such a great record bringing kids through and looking after them so professionally.”
It will be upsetting for Eels fans in that Nathan Hindmarsh is such a club legend.
The family has a rich history at Parramatta where Nathan played 330 NRL games for the club and his brother Ian played 164 matches.
“It was a bit weird when he came home the other day in the full Penrith kit,” Hindmarsh said.
“But we’ll get used to it.
“He loves the game and he’s very happy to get the opportunity with the Panthers.
“This is just the start. He knows he’s still got a lot of hard work ahead if he’s to play NRL.”
Penrith CEO Matt Cameron has high hopes for the youngster.
“He’s a beautiful young kid,” Cameron said.
“Our pathways manager Lee Hopkins has been tracking him for a little while.
“We’re really pleased he’s chosen to come here.
“We’ll get him into the building and get him started and see how he goes.”
Another Eels legend, former skipper Nathan Cayless, has a son also playing at a rival club.
Eddie Cayless played in the Roosters’ grand final winning SG Ball team this year.
Both Cayless’ and Hindmarsh’s sons started in Parramatta juniors but left for rival clubs to get better opportunities.
Eels CEO Jim Sarantinos has defended the club’s junior league position.
“The success of our pathways was evident by three of our four teams making grand finals this year,” Sarantinos said.
“The SG Ball team was undefeated until losing the grand final.
“It’s an area we’ve put a lot of work into and we’re proud of it. Buster Hindmarsh was in our juniors but moved to Norths. We wish him well.”
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