Parramatta Eel Kaysa Pritchard just grateful to be playing first grade Kaysa Pritchard at Parramatta Stadium. Picture: Karly Earl Source: The Daily Telegraph KAYSA Pritchard speaks with a smile, which is a rare thing at Parramatta these days. "It's not easy to enjoy losing all the time," says the Eels rookie. But just being given this opportunity is a joy for me. I'm playing in first grade alongside the boys I grew up with and I'm just really grateful for that chance. When you're riding the wave to the big time at just 19 years of age the grim tide that's sweeping Parramatta toward back-to-back wooden spoons is easy to ignore. In truth, the baby brother of Bulldogs strike weapon and Kiwi international Frank Pritchard didn't expect to play NRL for another two years. But an unprecedented player clean-out has fast-tracked a host of teenage local juniors into the limelight, with Pritchard's former SG Ball teammates Junior Paulo and Kelepi Tanginoa also lining-up against the Panthers tonight. It's the same opponent Pritchard cheered-on as a child, when Frank started at Penrith. "I was a Panthers fan, but only because of Frank," the hooker said. I just supported him, but didn't wear any of the Panthers gear or anything like that. And I never really thought about playing for Penrith. I always wanted to play for the Eels because I was a local junior with Cabramatta. But two years ago a falling-out with the SG Ball coach threatened his dream. "There was a couple of times when (former Eels coach) Stephen Kearney took over that some of us thought we might have to play elsewhere," Pritchard said. There was actually a big shit fight in the lower grades with the SG Ball coach. A lot of people my age were leaving to play at other clubs. We sort of got together as a group and talked about what we should do. We decided to stay and now it's worked out really well because we've all made our first grade debuts this year. When he appeared in first grade, fans could be forgiven for wondering how the Pritchard brothers are related. A whopping 25kg and 17cm separates their frames and the weight gulf was even wider before last off-season, when Stuart ordered Pritchard to give up his job as a concreter and train with the full-time squad. " (Trainer) Trent Elkin helped me put on 10kg and if it wasn't for that I definitely wouldn't be playing first grade," said Pritchard, who now tips the scales at 87kg. My mum's side of the family is really tall and my dad's side is really short, so I got his genes and Frank gets his size from mum. He also stole my dinner when I was a kid. I've always been the underdog and it's made me hungrier being so small. Being roughed up by my brothers all the time, I wasn't just going to take it. I was going to give it back to them. Should Pritchard hold his own in first grade over the next fortnight, he'll get the chance to do so when Parramatta meet Canterbury in round 20. "I've had that (Bulldogs) game in the back of my mind since I debuted," he said. It would be special if I was still in the team for that one, to play against Frank. Hopefully I can stay in first grade for the rest of the year, but we (Stuart and I) haven't really spoken about it.