Eels Blogs

I strongly believe that Jason Ryles is the correct man for the job. Whilst we have struggled over the past 2 seasons, the roster which Ryles inherited is a major contributing factor. Outside of Mitchell Moses and Jack Williams, the Parramatta Eels have no individuals who are walk-up starters in all NRL sides. In comparison to the bottom 3 sides in the NRL (Tigers, Dragons & Titans), I personally believe they all host at least 3. The Tigers have Luai, Api and KPP who I believe are genuine walk-up starters at any club in the competition. You could even make a case for Twal slotting into most starting lineups. Over at the Dragons, the Couchman Twins are automatic selections, with Hamish Stewart and Dylan Egan not far from it. Add in Keaon, Drinkwater and Metcalf into the mix next season, and they have at least 5. In terms of the Titans, Tino & JC are 2 bona fide NRL starters, with Kini, Jojo Fifita and Fermor not too far out of consideration. Conversely, the roster Ryles inherited was well-below competitive and fastly aging. He has shown he is not afraid to move on experienced players over the hill for the youth, which is evident through the development in ongi, Samrani, Volkman, Tuivati, Brown, Kit Kat (for the most part), Ryley Smith & TDS (unpopular, but I am likely what I am seeing). He has also shown an ability to sign players previously unwanted players and bring them to a solid level of consistent first grade, most notably Jack Williams, Dylan Walker and Brian Kelly. I think with the signings of Luai, Jayd'n Sua and potentially 1-2 more consistent NRL starters, coupled with the continued development of our youth, next year will be the year were results need to be seen, and a top 8 finish occurs.

The incompetency of our Recruitment & Retention department is no secret and is only becoming increasingly evident. For years now, we've watched our club's name float around every transfer rumor mill in the NRL. We've been "in the mix" for seemingly every quality player on the market and landed not one. A very notable miss was Keaon, who from several reports wanted to come to Parramatta. However, the club balked at an extra year on his contract. He was essentially ready to sign had the club offered him 1 extra year, yet they decided to say no and with Junior Paulo and Dylan Walker both departing with no confirmed replacement, it spells disaster for our forward pack next season. This is further reiterated with Tom Jenkins, who stated on the Josh Mansour Podcast that he was extremely close to putting pen to paper with the Eels, and was convinced at the last minute by Penrith.

I am a fan of the style of footy we are play, I think it is genuinely attractive and unpredictable for the most part. Defensively, I think there are solid improvements all around - We are significantly better at defending goal-line pressure than we were during the Brad Arthur era, and we rarely get caught short on the wings as we did prior. This is evidence that the structures in place are effective and working. However, our defensive efforts are being sabotaged by individuals through the form of ill-discipline and questionable decision making. Kelma and Kit Kat have had some absolutely mind-boggling moments in defense that you simply can't have at NRL level, and even Moses has had head-scratching defensive reads this season that expose us when we should be solid. In terms of attacking play, we are spreading the ball with genuine speed and a variety of shape. The movements are fluid and the options are varied whether it be hitting the backrow, fullback, centre or wingers. Furthermore, we are not afraid to be expansive even when pinned against our own goal line which shows confidence and a will to play exciting football. Dylan Walker's involvement in the middle cannot be understated. He is a crucial connector between our spine and our forwards, linking play in a way that opens up genuine attacking shape. Again, if we can reduce the unnecessary errors such as the Tuivati and Kit Kat incorrect play the ball, it would allow us to further improve.

Leadership is a major issue. Mitchell Moses is a highly talented player, but he falls catastrophically short as a leader. When you wear the armband, you hold standards. You lead by example—both in execution and in how you carry yourself. It's not just about what you do on the field; it's about how you conduct yourself when things go wrong. I strongly believe Moses is struggling on both fronts. At virtually every game, there's a consistent pattern of Moses visibly sulking when teammates make errors or poor reads. Whilst setting high standards is essential, Moses has been far from great this season himself and cannot demand perfection from teammates when delivering shocking performances and head-scratching decisions. This is evidently seen in the Souths game where he essentially invited Souths to score on multiple occasion and yesterday's performance, where Moses executed three short drop-outs that were, quite simply, a disgrace.

I am satisfied with the individual development of the overall squad under Jason Ryles. Ryles has not just thrown youth into the fire and hoped for the best, but rather shown genuine faith in developing players. Iongi is becoming a player you can genuinely build around. Samrani is establishing himself as a reliable presence. Brown is displaying the kind of upside that genuinely excites about the future. Tuivati has progressed. Ryley Smith has shown the ability to be a consistent performer week to week. And TDS has undeniable development trajectory. In addition to this, Luca Moretti and Kit Kat are two players who can easily slot into this category if they could reduce the errors. Furthermore, Jason Ryles has shown the ability to take already established NRL players and progress them, which is seen in Brian Kelly, Jack Williams and Dylan Walker. This is what sustainable success looks like. Ryles isn't chasing quick fixes or short-term band-aids. He's patiently developing a squad architecture where young talent is being nurtured alongside experienced players still performing at high level.