Both he and his dad have made the Grothe name synonymous with the Parramatta Eels, but it seems the current Grothe legacy has come to an end with Eric Grothe Junior announcing his retirement from the NRL.
Having initially signed a new 1 year contract with the Eels a few months ago, Grothe felt that his chronic knee injury wasn’t healing properly, and that it was best for him to step aside.
Whilst it is a sad day for the winger, Grothe insists that he is looking forward to the new opportunities in his life including his band Shinobi, as well as his cafe in Cronulla.
“I’m going to miss the Club and especially the boys, but I feel it is the right time to move on,†he says.
“I‘ve had many injuries throughout my career and it’s getting harder to recover from them. I loved my many years at Parra but I have other things I want to concentrate on now.â€
Grothe, who made his debut with the Eels 1999 against the North Queensland Cowboys, also had a 2 year stint with the Roosters before returning to the Eels in 2004.
Grothe also played for the City team, as well as Origin in 2006, and for Australia.
The talented winger played 142 NRL games and scored 268 points from 67 tries.