- 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
Daz,
NOS, I'll address in turn.
1) If you have evidence of your claim, provide it. The burden is upon the one claiming evidence exists. If I say there is no evidence Santa exists and you claim there is, the burden is yours. I'm happy to stand corrected if in 2024 everyone says Brown was a crap 5/8. I'll wait.
2) I read by previews. They're on my desktop. I never made Brown the scapegoat. You can go check them. They're public. Or assume I would not lie about something so verifiable? You really think THAT would be my evidentiary standard?
3 & 4) really the same. We disagree about the inference from what Brown has said. Evidence in favour of my inference is surely that you're dead wrong about Brown NOT having the 7 on his back. He has played with the 7 on his back each game this year. Check the record. Has he played LIKE a 7? Before Ponga and Brown were injured in the same game, Ponga was most often first receiver, and it looked to me like Brown still played a wide running 6 role. But then Brown was kicking half the time too and first receiver if Ponga tackled. But he has 7 on his back!
5) I don't know. Proof is in the pudding? He left. So he certainly considered it. There were only two bidders and he rejected removing the clauses. If he left for money - let's not buy his mag mate wasn't money BS - what is to say he would have accepted a long contract from Eels 5 yrs before he left without clauses? The fact Brown had the power to leave also means he had the power to stay, but he did not, so concluding he never wanted to leave seems to ignore that he had that second power (to stay)
Hey Daz,
1) - You want me to go through 2 years worth of blogs & comments to show you the Dylan Brown criticisms didn't 'exceed his value as a potential halfback' -something you claimed? I didn't say 'everyone said he was a crap 5/8th', lets not move goalposts.
We both know, as does everyone on this site, that the criticisms of Dylan Brown far exceeded his potential as a halfback & were relentlessly about him as a 5/8th. You just don't want to admit fault here. Have a look over any game day blog in 2024 / any DB blog - around his Knights deal there were heaps of them.
2) - If you don't feel you were in the DB scapegoat army, I apologise Daz, i'll have a look at the previews if I get a chance - but no, I'm not saying you were lying & wouldnt question your credibility like that, more that perhaps you hadn't realised the 'scapegoating' with the constant 'stand up' nonsense - but happy to look over your 2024/2025 previews when I can.
3/4) - Nope, you have shown nothing that speaks to 'hype as a 7' from DB. Refer to your first point around the burden is upon the claimer. Secondly, again nope, you have made assumptions that don't align with any facts whatsoever. Apologies, I thought Smith had been named at 7, you are right DB was named there. Sorry, I have no issue admitting getting something incorrect & admitting fault - Dylan has worn the 7 this year.
5) Fair points, for sure. But firstly we do have to look at the ridiculous contract the Eels gave him, and personally, I believe he would've stayed had he never gone to market - it might have cost us $$ (like with Moses) to remove clauses, but just IMO, he never needed to go to market.
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.
Sing it loud.
There are only so many 'effort' wins in a season. We just had one against the Dogs. But you can't win a comp on effort alone, you need talent. And when you're lucky enough to obtain or grow elite talent you don't let it walk out the door. If you do that you're not going anywhere as a club.
Muttman, spot on with effort wins. Its not sustainable and you get found out. Talent and effort wins comps neither one on its own can win a comp. We need both and then so much more to go right.
100% agree on all, Coryn.
Sorry boyz and Daz I don't mean to have a go here but it infuriates me that we lose the best player we developed in a decade infuriates me it's just not a winning move.
Especially when we lose him and don't have a plan after losing him fail in the Galvin chase use the rent a player in Pezet and now it's pray Talataina is the second coming when in all essence the time frame with DB and Moses was there to be exploited but we manage to fark ourselves.It does my head in.They don't want fans to throw stones but don't give them stones they give them god damn rocks to throw in there glass house it's unbelieveable how inept that move was.
With Moses & DB and a team round them we went to a god damn GF has everyone forgot that bit now look at us trying to stay out of the bottom 6 and still don't have an answer at 6 for yet another year.God knows what's in store next year god knows.
All while Mitchell gets a year older and more mileage on his tires tick tock.
Absolutely fair, Coryn.
This was the issue facing us 14 months ago, and this is where we are.
https://www.1eyedeel.com/forum/topics/the-dylan-brown-conundrum
NOS, I just burned through that Feb 2025 blog and did not find a single comment saying Brown is a bad 5/8. Some criticisms were his inconsistency and off-field behaviour. Also that he is not a 7 but no biggie he is a 6.
My favourite comment in the blog though was Muttman's vociferous attack on Brown for how Brown handled the saga. Now of course Muttman is saying it was the contract and thus the club. I just dig it when the hypocrisy is laid bare
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