The NRL stars the Parramatta Eels let slip.Source: FOX SPORTS
PARRAMATTA’S season review will partly focus on the club’s pathways in a bid to stop juniors leaving their system for rival NRL clubs.
And a scan of each club’s roster has revealed an impressive line-up of players who could be Eels players today.
The Eels started their reviews well before their horror season ended with a 14th wooden spoon.
Their year began high expectations after a promising 2017 season where they were knocked out in the semi finals.
But after just two of their first 13 games, the club fast-tracked their review to address the issues behind their faltering side.
Two months later and the review is still going, according to Fox Sports chief NRL reporter James Hooper.
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It’s been another season to forget at Parramatta.Source: Getty Images
“There’s a lot of self-reflection going on at the Eels at the moment,” Hooper told The Big League Wrap.
“The review will finish in a couple of weeks. This review, it’s been a never-ending story — it started about eight weeks ago and it’s still got another couple of weeks before it’s wrapped up.
“I think what we’ll discover is (coach) Brad Arthur is safe. He’s signed until the end of next season so his position isn’t in question. He hasn’t lost the dressing room which was alluded to earlier in the year.
Corey Norman and Mitchell Moses are on big money but have failed to fire in 2018.Source: News Corp Australia
“What it will point to is that they desperately need a general manager of football. They’re trying to get someone as high profile as possible from in the game into that position. They’ll have autonomy over recruitment, retention and those sorts of issues.
“They want to pump a heap of money into their juniors and get their pathways system reignited again because at the moment there’s so many local young gun Parramatta kids who are slipping through the cracks.”
Eels legend Peter Sterling has been critical of the club’s recruitment strategy this season, particularly after the club decided to bring back Junior Paulo in 2019 on a four-year deal, worth a reported $3 million.
Blake Ferguson and Shaun Lane will also join the club next season.
But perhaps the club wouldn’t need to fork out big bucks for players at other clubs if they had a prospering junior system.
It’s been a tough season at the Eels.Source: Getty Images
It’s been well documented the Eels have been letting junior stars slip through their fingers for years with rival NRL clubs taking advantage.
In fact, the amount of Eels juniors playing elsewhere could virtually fill a starting 13.
PARRAMATTA JUNIORS AT OTHER CLUBS
Luke Keary (Hills Bulls)
Daniel Tupou (Guildford Owls)
Paul Gallen (Wentworthville Magpies)
Jorge Taufua (Toongabbie Tigers, Wentworthville Magpies)
Trent Hodkinson (Cabramatta Two Blues)
Blake Green (Cabramatta Two Blues)
Jamie Buhrer (Hills Bulls)
John Asiata (Wentworthville Magpies)
Matt Eisenhuth (Wentworthville Magpies)
James Maloney (Wentworthville Magpies)
Ryan Matterson (Wentworthville Magpies)
Will Skelton (went to rugby) (Wentworthville Magpies)
David Klemmer (All Saints Toongabbie)
Alex Twal (Parramatta City Titans)
The team of current players the Eels let slip.Source: FOX SPORTS
Replies
What is never said Mac is the amount of money that players were offered when still in the junior ranks based on their potential.
Somewhere in the archives is a story on Klemmer, where the headline photo was taken from the ground looking up at his tall body, in the interview he was saying how he was looking forward to becoming an eels player as he wanted to play for them, a year later he was at the dogs, and saying the same thing regarding the dogs.
What is the age of that list of players and looking at Gallen how long back do we go with the lost juniors and should that list be published of other clubs as well? Realistically it probably has a few missing, nothing also about the other Matterson who went to the chooks and even read where the chooks are trying to offload Ryan Matterson. Souths are looking at him as are other clubs.
The drama that surrounded the loss of Maloney and Hoddo when the club had to make choices with them or another couple of junior halves and they made a choice that was wrong and one being Daniel Mortimer as the dogs were circling him at the time owing to him being of dog bloodlines proved us wrong.
That sadly is still going on with other clubs who do nothing to promote Junior league in their own districts and states, and are trying take over more of the eels junior areas makes it hard to keep many of the players, Manly is one such club which has taken over Blacktown and the Dogs wanting in at Cabramatta.
Other aspect is that many juniors also have rated themselves better than they are and gone elsewhere as a result, and its not something out of recent years either/ Tupou is 27 now, Taufua is approaching 27, next month and likely Twal is the youngest at 22 but he got a big offer from wests that the eels were unable to match, Sadly.
In fact Parra offered him $100000 contract before he even debut but he rejected us.
It's going to get worse. I was involved in the Parra district for over 10 years as a coach & Club president & recently was at a BBQ with some friends that are still coaching. Apart from the fact that there are now age groups with only 4 teams in them, the numbers are dropping at an alarming rate. As for Juniors we have a few strong clubs playing in the Parra district however are they classed as Parra juniors when Mounties are feeders for the Raiders, Blacktown Sports are feeders for Manly & as of 2019 Cabra Leagues will be feeders to the Bulldogs. These are all strong clubs backed by a leagues club which means parents that want their kids playing league are busting there guts to get their kids into these clubs while the smaller clubs just try to field a team. The pool is getting smaller every year. I remember watching the Eels V Bulldogs a few years ago & there were 7 players on the field that were all Cabra juniors but we just let the Dogs grab that club.
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