Eels Blogs

With November 1 approaching, teams can now talk to rival players in order to sign them for 2024 and beyond. Last year was quite disasterous for us, this year is not as bad, as not as many players that are must re-signs on here.

Mitchell Moses: Quite frankly the most important of the bunch, no matter what anyone tells you Moses is the most important player at Parramatta period. Put it this way, what player in our current squad automatically makes us long odds to win if they are ruled out? It is Moses. Lose Brown and well JA is a raw option at the moment but better than having JA and Brown. Gutho would be a big loss but Moses is still there to guide team around. Moses is the one we must keep and i think we will keep him. This is his team, he is the face of this franchise at the moment. He has worked well with BA; as well Brown, Gutho, JA even. Why leave to say Wests where they are in a 5 year plan, they wont see any results til 2024 at the earliest and even then it is a stretch. Moses is heading into the later years of his prime, so i doubt he would want to pack up and go elsewhere with only roughly 4-5 years of his career left, considering he was able to get us to a GF this year. He would want to cross the $1 million mark, he deserves it and i am happy for him to have it. If Wests offer say $1.2 or $1.3, is it worth a few years of hard work? 

Prediction: Moses re-signs until 2026, $1.1 mil per year.

Dylan Brown: If he can reach his full potential he would be a top 5 player in the league, easily. But he has not reached his potential yet, jury is still out as to whether he will reach his potential or not at all. He is still 22 years of age, already played 82 games, represented NZ and played in a GF. That is impressive, will he get $1mil a year? I doubt it, i do not even see the Warriors pitching in that much. I see his ceiling in the open market being 900k, maybe 950k if a club like Recliffe or Wests are desperate enough. I think we will offer him around 800k, i feel it is a little overvalued but for halves you have to pay to keep them. The issue for Brown moving forward is, if he takes the coin he will be going to a team where he will be the face. He will go to a struggling team, when that team is struggling mid game they are going to go to Brown and say "Go on Dylan, do something" I doubt he will be able. Brown latches off a quality half that allows him to roam and do his own thing, in attack he relys a quality back-rower running routes in order for Brown to dummy and go or to simply give a short ball for a break or to back-up. It is hard to pick as i see Brown being unprdictable in how he sees the game, he is a family man and seems to love the game but also being 22 and that talented the money can be enticing. 

Prediction: Brown re-signs until 2027, $850k per year.

Will Penisini: A player who had a bit of a sophmore slump of year, then regained confidence in the back-end and had a decent finish to the season. Played in every game, which is incredible considering he was only 19 for three quarters of the season. Coming off a world cup playing two pool matches will help his development. At 20, he has already played 3 tests for Tonga, 33 NRL games and a GF apperance, best is yet to come. A local junior also, has been in negotiations for a while so i think he will extend easily.

Prediction: Penisini re-signs until 2027, 350-450k per year.

Maika Sivo: Hitting 30 this coming year, he is a first grader but he is not the player we thought he would become in 2019. Sivo is an odd one as we have Russell and Dunster coming through to possibly take over. He is on 450K for 2023, that money could be used elsewhere as other options in the club would be cheaper. But our backline is so inexperienced and lean in build for now that Sivo is somewhat a necessity to have, due to his try scoring average alone. I can see French or Japanese Rugby calling with big coin, making him get a massive pay day before he gets too old, not sure if Parramatta will go all out for Sivo to stay.

Prediction: Sivo signs with Rugby.

Waqa Blake: I am certain this is his last year with the club, he is now not trusted as a centre and wouldn't even say as a winger due to how he was hidden in the GF. Blake is on big coin, with Penrith pitching in, we would want to use that on a strike centre say a Farnworth for example. Blake i think will end up at say Wests or Newcastle, a struggling club looking for a bit of experience. Is Blake a bad player? No, but i think he is starting to decline and he's to rocks and diamonds to be trusted at either wing or centre consistently.

Prediction: Blake signs elsewhere for 2024.

Mitch Rein: Two hookers over 32, what a time to be alive. Rein is a nice, experienced player to have at the club. Does he stay past 2023? Not sure, as Matthew Arthur will be 18 turning 19 and heading into contention to be the back-up for 2024, then taking over starting in 2025. I think the club may keep him for 2024 just so Arthur isnt thrown to the wolves at 18 if Hodgson goes down, or they may sign another back-up for that year.

Prediction: Rein re-signs until 2024.

Bryce Cartwright: My lord talk about a player in a bad fit. When Cartwright was signed, i got excited for a few reasons. Firstly, we had a habit of taking players who had fallen out of favour with their previous club despite being great players in the past, getting the most out of them. Secondly, we signed a player that was different to what we usually sign, we normally sign back-rowers that can go between the middle, edge and even centre if need be. We like our back-rowers a hard working, Cartwright was more of a flamboyant back-rower, an impact player that can create out of nowhere. Different to what we usually go for, it seemed to wore off quick for BA as he quickly shafted Cartwright away from the 17 to reserve grade. At the end of 2021, we extended Cartwright until 2023, which surprised me as i feel 2022 would have been justified. Anyway, unless he has a breakout year, or we get injuries and he gets a start and impresses, then i could see him maybe getting a year or two added. But with Murchie and Hopgood signed, along with El-Zakhem and Matele coming through, i doubt Cartwright has much pull beyond 2023.

Prediction: Cartwright signs elsewhere for 2024.

Bailey Simonsson: I know what some are saying "He signed til 2024?" He has an option for 2024, which needs to be activated by the club. Simonsson went from villain who was hated by fans, to being a steady contributer in the Prelim and GF at Centre. Unless we sign someone before round 1, you would think Simonsson would have first crack at the no.4 Centre spot. I think Simonsson's option relies on his start to 2023, if he gets that centre or a wing spot and holds it he will be activated for 2024. Now there are different reports it's a player option, others its a mutual option. Either way he could be off-contract.

Prediction: Simonsson's option is taken up for 2024.

Wiremu Greig: What a shame, a player who i thought would be a constant factor in the 17. Only 3 games in 2 years. He is a big bopper and something we are lacking off the bench, but for whatever reason he just did not seem to get the trust of BA, despite his decent form in NSW cup. With Ogden, Rodwell and Makatoa signed til 2024, Momoisea brought in for 2023 & 2024 and talk of us getting a middle forward like Taupau, i do not see where Greig fits in within the rotation. He is taking up a top 30 spot which could be taken by a young player like Larry Muagatutia or upgrading Toni Mataele.

Prediction: Greig gets release mid 2023.

Nathan Brown: He is off-contract technically, so i will add him even though it seems done he is off to Concord with Papali'i in 2023. Brown has been a wonderful servant but the way we need to play doesn't suit Brown anymore. Wish him luck but his time is up and time to go into the future.

Prediction: Brown signs with the Wests Tigers for 2023.

Josh Hodgson: He has a mutual option for 2024, so technically he is off-contract. It all depends on two things; 1) if he stays healthy, 2) there is top cover at the club or another option to cover him in 2024. If Hodgson gets through 2023 reletively unscathed, his option will be picked up, quite simple. But it of course depends on his fitness, which makes me wish we had a 19/20 year old hooker who is just shy of being a full-time 9, can sit at 14 and wait to take over either 2024/25. Matt Arthur we will not see until mid 2024 the earliest, so fingers crossed Hodgson can get through or else it is Rein for the season, which is better than say late 2021 but still not ideal.

Prediction: Hodgson's option is picked up for 2024.

So hopefully post World Cup there are another 2-3 signings. there are still roughly 5-6 spots left in our top 30. Ideally another Prop or two and a strike Centre. Let's see how my predictions are, they could be wrong for all we know but had a bit of fun writing these and let's see how these players fare in the market.