UNWANTED or overweight. In some cases both.

They were overlooked by many but Parramatta gambled, and, in the case of three players, it has paid big dividends.

They were signings made under Ricky Stuart and Brad Arthur while Brisbane list manager Peter Nolan was at the Eels and the club was struggling club to recruit high quality players.

Even at a junior level, the cream of the crop weren’t keen on joining the struggling club, so the Eels started looking for project players.

Round 19

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It was four years in the making but a move which provided the Eels half of their workhorse pack.

For the first time, we can lift the lid on the secret behind the success story.

Before he was wreaking havoc on the right edge, Kenny Edwards was an out of shape park footballer running around in the Gold Coast local league.

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His skills were there for all to see but he needed to lose weight.

So the Eels backed themselves to whip his chunky bum into shape and threw him a lifeline.

It would be Edwards’ third NRL club after having his contract terminated at Manly and St George Illawarra.

Kenny Edwards on the Gold Coast before joining the Eels. Source: News Limited

His first deal was worth $10,000. That’s around $200 a week.

A few months later the club could see their investment was going to pay dividends and they rewarded his efforts with an additional two years and his NRL debut.

While Edwards was making the most of his opportunity, the club was already working on their next project.

He was a powerhouse Kiwi by the name of Manu Ma’u. The backrower was running around for the Warriors in the NSW Cup.

It was a TV game on Fox Sports where Ma’u caught the attention of Eels officials. So much so, the next time the Vulcans came to NSW, some scouts went out to watch but Ma’u wasn’t there.

He wasn’t playing the week after either.

He would disappear for weeks at a time but there he was when the Auckland-based club were back at home and had the TV game once again.

Manu Ma'u of the Eels looks on. Source: Getty Images

That’s when one official did some digging and learned of Ma’u’s criminal history.

It’s a story you all know. It’s been told several times since his NRL debut, but back in 2013 the Eels had to do some digging.

The Australian immigration department had denied him a visa to play away games.

Now the Eels wanted to bring him to ‘Parradise’. It was a project which lasted 12 months.

He and his now wife were paid $5000 in relocation fees and booked a one-way ticket to Sydney.

His contract was only worth $30,000 although he received match payments for every NRL game he played that year.

Everything was signed off on in later 2013.

Shifting to 2014 and after playing in the Auckland Nines, he made his first grade debut in the first round.

He played 13 games which means he earned an extra $39,000 and the rest is history.

With Ma’u running riot and Edwards thriving, it was onto the next project.

This is where Daniel Alvaro fits in.

A young Daniel Alvaro at Parramatta training. Source: News Corp Australia

Having been contracted with Brisbane since the age of 15, the prop would travel to Queensland on a Friday to train with Easts and play in the Cyril Connell Cup. That was 2009. He did the same for the Mal Meninga Cup the following year and won the player of the year award.

The transition to a star studded Broncos under 20s was seamless. Playing alongside the likes of Corey Norman and Jordan Kahu, Alvaro soon found himself missing home.

“I wanted to get back closer to home and my mates,” Alvaro told foxsports.com.au.

“I came back down and ripped in and was lucky enough to get an opportunity.”

While he had one more year of eligibility in the NYC, Alvaro was playing Queensland Cup.

But struggling for the form he showed in his first year at the Broncos, he decided to return to Western Sydney.

Not willing to let go of his NRL dream, Alvaro signed a deal with the Eels for $10,000 and spent 2013 with their 20s team.

While he showed promise, he spent 2014 playing with Wentworthville, juggling study and a job looking after the accounts at Fantastic Furniture.

“It was a tough slog, that’s for sure,” he said.

Eels coach Brad Arthur hugs Daniel Alvaro after a win. Source: News Corp Australia

“It’s probably harder than training fulltime. Uni and pre-season, working, it was tough but I’m glad I did it. It toughened me up.”

It was 2014 when Alvaro did his first pre-season and played in some trials before moving into the top squad the next year.

He stopped working in 2015 and footy became his fulltime job.

He’d earned his first NRL deal and his debut followed in round 12.

Aside from Tim Mannah, the Eels pack is made up of project players or bargain buys.

Most importantly, it works. Every man is doing his job and Alvaro can’t praise Brad Arthur enough for his ability to get the best out of his players.

“It’s a credit to BA and the coaches for the environment they’ve made,” he said.

“It’s hard to explain but the way they do things brings the best out of you. It gets tied into everyone wanting to play for them and we’re really lucky to have this culture.”

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