- Rising Apa Twidle will leave the Parramatta Eels at the end of 2026 after agreeing to a three-year deal with the new Perth Bears (joining in 2027).
- The deal is in a cooling-off period, but he’s expected to go ahead with it because the offer is significantly better.
- Twidle burst onto the scene with a standout debut (2 tries in 3 minutes), which attracted strong interest from multiple clubs.
- Parramatta reportedly only offered a low-value development contract (~$80k), while Perth provided better financial security and opportunity.
- A key factor: the Bears are offering him a chance to play in the halves, rather than being used as a utility/backline option.
- He becomes one of the early signings helping build the Bears’ inaugural squad under coach Mal Meninga.
Bottom line:
Parramatta unearthed a serious talent, but underpaid and under-positioned him—Perth stepped in with money, role clarity, and long-term security, and likely pinched him.
Replies
The problem isn't keeping the right players it is thier developement. There seems to be flaws in our developement as to why many don't make it. Defense is 1 of them, look how many are poor in defence that come through. Tailagi for 1 was terrible yet when went to panthers his defense has improved quite alot. This is only 1 example but we need better than the pathways deliver and that comes back to the coaches in those pathways.
Talagi's defense is still terrible. It's just that Panthers can hide him better than the Eels could. Until good halves target him and Talagi leaks like a sieve
Agreed and that is the thing Daz, these guys are quite young - and I know Apa is about 21; i would rather have developed him albeit with Lorenzo, than bring in Pez, who is here for a year. Blaize started in our team in 24, when we had some issues. I was undecided about Pez tbh and would have hoped he played for the year but even his defence was at times avg. All young halves will be worked over, as Saints will know this weekend with Reed starting at half. I get we cannot keep them all, but as some have said you would prefer to keep a developed junior.
But it seems memories are conveniently short, in all these critiques of club mgmt. Talagi accepted a 3-year offer from Panthers in July 2024. Reports at the time show Eels had offered a multi-year deal and said he was their long-term fullback. Talagi had Gutho in front of him at FB and Brown in front of him at 5/8. BA had just been sacked in May 2024 and Luai had announced he was leaving Panthers at end of 2024. If I'm Talagi I'm opting for Panthers, a much clearer path to 6 and more stability and current success at team-level.
With all the talk inferring straight from players staying or going or switching to Eels or not, to club mgmt and R&R, I'm just saying it's just not credible to imagine there is a deterministic and linear relation from club mgmt to outcomes of all those choices.
The Talagi example shows so many other factors involved. The more examples we dig into the more complicated those outcomes probably become.
It does and we are all guilty of being fickle at times Daz.....I still come back to the club with their D Brown contract and this for me messed up the backflow of players coming through. Talagi made a call i am assume on the better organised club top 8 / 4 chances and also development.
Russell had a stellar year in 25 and we were keeping him but Perth got in a good offer as they should as they had no-one nd need to pay more.
It would not be an easy job at all with the lists and kids in Flegg / Reggies but I feel the club pre-Ryles made a bad call on the Brown contract, and I satnd by that and ask we he did to be offered that.
It is about keeping the right ones people mention how poor Talagi is and forget how Moses used to be it's just a continual moveable narrative by fans.Every player is flawed in some manner or another everyone of them.Thats the trick here if you can live with the flaw and improve it like the above example then your onto something.Making FG doesn't mean a player is a finished product all it means he's reached Basecamp and there's still the mountain to climb.
Talagi had FG potential written all over him the issue is fans are living in the right now where if he's good enough you project what he can be work on the flaw and then you have a player it's much like the DB critiques now everyone understands the hole he's left now he's gone I'm like SMH.
The critique of Dylbag$ was NEVER that he was not a great 5/8. It was that he kept promising to "step up" to be a 7 if Moses was out but never did. Now Brown is at Knights with 7 on his back and billions of dollars, and the Knights have played Ponga, Smith and Sharp at 7 (effectively). Go figure. Knights swallowed Dylbag$ self-hype about 7 and their experiment to see if it pans out has begun.
Talagi had Brown in front of him at 6. Luai left 6 vacant for him at Panthers. It's a no-brainer and using Talagi to impale club mgmt is a fools errand IMO
Daz, respectfully, the criticism of Dylan Brown on this site was absolutely ridiculous, and far exceeded some 'promise' of stepping up as a halfback. It was relentless.
DB said he needed to 'step up' wth Moses out, which he did in spades, his effort areas in 2024 were off the charts, he’s just not a game manager / halfback - when did he claim to be? Where was his 'self-hype' as a 7, can you show quotes?
You mentioned scapegoating previously Daz, you should read over some of your previews & comments around Dylan Brown - were you not scapegoating?
NOS, as I say to my students, if you make a claim you must a) back it up with confirmatory evidence, and/or b) ensure it is immune to contrary evidence.
First, of course there were critiques of Dylbag$ that exceeded his promises to step up. But did those critiques deny he was an excellent 5/8th? No, the vast majority critiqued him for not playing to the potential they (rightly) believed he possessed.
Second, Dylbag$ spent most of the back third of 2023 suspended for being an idiot in a night club, so if you claim I was scapegoating Dylbag$ in previews I assume you mean in 2024? I wrote three reviews that season, because I was overseas much of the year on sabbatical. So we have a small sample in which I must be scapegoating Dylbag$. But I am WFH today, so voila, easy to open those files! The R1 preview basically showed that without Moses and Brown the Eels were in trouble. The R4 preview suggested this was an opportunity for Brown to show on-field leadership. I googled and easily found early 2024 media articles where Brown criticizes himself for being "consistently inconsistent" and promised to assume more on-field leadership and direct the team like a half. So I wasn't saying anythying Brown didn't say. In the R5 preview I did not critique Brown, instead noting Talagi had defensive issues and that BA had much to answer for in not getting the team to adjust strategy without Moses.
So where is this scaepgoating of mine, of Dylbag$? You can't be meaning 2025, because once Dylbag$ left for billions at the Knights, it's fair game to say the club put alot into him and stuck by him and then he up and left so we owe him no social niceties in the end?
Did Dylbag$ then hype his 7 capacity? We know in 2019 he admitted to being off with the fairies on the field and that Moses organized him on the field. No hyping 7 going on there. But we know going into R1 of 2026 Brown was saying he knows he is playing 7 and that comes with added responsibilities to playing 6. And when asked about why he left, he talked about the security of 10 years, that he had said to Knights they were taking him as he is now (6 not a 7) but he believed in their vision. Add those together and there is no way Dylbag$ sold himself as the mercurial 6 who is gonna be off with the fairies and they should hire a 7 to let him do so.He very obviously said he could be the main man, hence why he is running about with 7 on his back.
Anyway, my point in earlier posts was simply to deflate these 1:1 critiques of on-field-form and club mgmt and R&R. I say they are scapegoating, which is why I'm happy to refute a counterclaim that I am scapegoating! And gee, even if I was, the object was different (players not playing to potential versus 'the club'). As for Brown leaving, I shared everyone's disappointment that we let the best 6 the club has bred since Brett Kenny go. But if we listen to Dylbag$, it was "security". Even though in Feb 2024 when he signed with Knights he was still contracted to 2031 with Eels. It was money FFS.
See this is the thing much like Moses DB potentially could grow into being a 7 but because fans wanted to see a finished product right now it was automatically assumed DBs not a 7.
I always said it's the reason why the club gave him that long term deal as I thought he'd do what Moses did grow into the position much like he could well do at Newcastle.That's the problem with all players there not finished products so why all of a sudden when the mantle was thrown to DB he all of a sudden needs to be upto Moses level when he'd never played 7 or given the mantle of running the team at nrl level.I'm not even going to mention structure the left and right BS the fowards getting beaten every other week injury and alike and DB is supposed to hop into the phone booth and go from Clark Kent to Superman tha imo was the issue.
I've always said this he has the traits to be a 7 he just has to be entrenched in the position not roll bowel and arseholed like he was here those last 2 years that was the real issue.You look at Moses even he struggles under similar circumstances and he's the #2 or 3 #7 in the game.
But look at him at the spooners and pacific cup they have now bet on DB we straddled the fence on him and now look 2 years he's been gone for and we still haven't got a replacement.It's so farken infuriating because if we had DB and Moses for the next 3-5 seasons I'd give us a real shot at ending this drought now we are back to square one with half a spine and burning our best players prime because of a poorly constructed contract structure.
Jesus that's seriously the issue everyone's buying the JR magic dust BS but make no mistake JR isn't winning a premiership with out real talent it's ok to have the worker type talents but in key spots you need real talent and we lost a good one in DB potentially a great one.
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