Dyldam Parramatta Eels forward and Club Captain Tim Mannah was on hand at the ‘Blue and Gold Heart’ Round Launch yesterday as the Blue and Gold dedicated their Round 9 game against the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs to the staff and volunteers of the club’s three gold charity partners.
Mannah and fellow teammates Beau Scott and Kenny Edwards attended the launch distributing tickets to the staff and volunteers involved, and the captain said it was a great way to give back thanks and celebrate the great work done behind the scenes.
“We are really fortunate we have some great Charity Partners that do so much behind the scenes that doesn’t get seen,” Mannah said.
“It is really great for us to be able to celebrate them and make a great occasion for them next week.”
“The Charity Partners we partner with do such a great work with the community and the best thing about what we do partnering with them, is that we can let the fans know that we are associated with these guys, and they are guys that you can trust and do some great work in the community and you should support them as well,” Mannah added.
Mannah is the club’s ambassador for Ronald McDonald House, Westmead and has a close connection with many of the patients and families staying at the home.
The forward knows he has a fortunate and rewarding position.
“I remember when I was a kid, I would always tell myself that if I ever played first grade, I would do everything I can to try and help with the profile we get,” Mannah said.
“We are pretty fortunate to have that platform where we can help make a kid smile, and it doesn’t take much for us to do it, but its definitely really rewarding for us as well.
“Whilst I am playing first grade, I will continue to make the most of it.”
And whilst frustrated to be missing the action on the field, Mannah said there is a real positive feel amongst the squad and hoped they were putting in performances the Blue and Gold Army would be proud of.
“We have a pretty passionate and loyal fan base that have hung in there during some pretty rough years recently, but we are glad we can put in performances that make them proud and make them happy to represent their jersey as well, Mannah said.
“We have to make sure we keep putting in those same performances, it has only been six weeks and we want to make sure we are doing the same thing come the end of the year as well.”
“We already had a really solid crew of boys that got along really well, and the new boys have added a lot to our team. They are obviously great players but what they have added off the field has been awesome as well,” Mannah added.
“It is a really tight bunch we have at the club at the moment and for me, that is something that excites me.”
The Eels travel to Townsville to take on the North Queensland Cowboys on Saturday 23 April at 7:30pm.
