Hindmarsh to farm out future

THE drought was responsible for Parramatta signing match winner Ian Hindmarsh, but at the end of the season he says he will quit and tend to his ailing farm.

Hindmarsh is the toast of Sydney's west after kicking his first field goal and adding a rare try in the 27-14 triumph over Penrith at CUA Stadium.

But yesterday he was on the road to his property, where he will be devoting all his energies from 2008.

"I'm not playing next year,'' he said. "I have a farm. With the drought and everything, it's not going too good.''

It was the rural blight that led to him walking into the club offices at French club Catalans last year and say: "I want a release. If you don't give me one, I'm retiring.

"I spoke to the coach and he encouraged me to come back and play NRL. I just had to come back to Australia really,'' he said.

But then the Perpignan-based club demanded $40,000 compensation, which they later reduced to $16,000. Hindmarsh's career was again at the crossroads.

Retiring again became "a real possibility''.

He said: "I would have had to find that money. I'm not flush with coin at the moment and the club couldn't pay it because it would have been a salary cap issue,'' he said.

"(But) I was always pretty confident that I was going to get off. I have a farm.

"With the drought and everything, it's not going too good. I'm heading out there (on Saturday).''

Hindmarsh received a rousing reception when he entered the Eels' rooms on Friday night after the "spontaneous'' field goal, which he followed by a try.

"My brother Nathan's got three tries in the past two weeks, I didn't want him to get too far ahead,'' Ian said.

"He hasn't got a field goal.''