In 1987, Erickson was an outstanding Parramatta junior and schoolboy three-quarter.

Virtually every club in Sydney wanted his signature.

Parramatta were the defending premiers and in the previous five seasons had won four premierships and made a grand final and semi-final.

A brilliant crop of Eels junior backs had been part of that success, including Peter Sterling, Brett Kenny, Steve Ella and Eric Grothe.

It was expected Parramatta would just keep producing brilliant juniors.

What to do about brilliant junior Erickson?

Parramatta paid as much as it took to outbid the rest, but in retrospect it had taken too much.

Erickson had an honourable career as an Eels first grader.

He played 102 games and scored 31 tries but was never the player to reach the Kenny/Ella stratosphere his junior career had portended.

Nor did any of his young contemporaries reach the heights that Kenny and Co did.

It can be seen now that Kenny and co were a once in a lifetime crop.

Plenty of clubs are interested in Kelly, who plays at half and at five-eighth.

He scored his now-famous try after nine seconds and added four others in his outing with Wentworthville in their recent NSW Cup win over Newtown.

Kelly, a cousin of Greg Inglis, has been virtually a try-a-game player for Parramatta in the Toyota Cup.

The Eels have made him an offer.

The Wests Tigers are rumoured to have trumped everyone with a $150,000 offer.

Should Parramatta do an Erickson and pull out everything for a player yet to make his NRL debut?

Once upon a time such a question mightn't have arisen.

Parramatta spotted Kelly at Kempsey and brought him down to attend Blacktown Patrician Brothers, which he left at the end of last year.

School was just an interregnum before his real, imagined life as a football star.

He has reportedly had problems with Toyota Cup coach David Fairleigh after being placed on the bench.

If loyalty is a factor, then Kelly will at least start his senior career with Parramatta.

If it is not, should Parramatta make their offer a take it or leave it one?

Kelly has been named in the NSW under-18 team for the curtain-raiser match for Origin II next week.