Parramatta have made their position crystal clear, with football boss Jim Sarantinos stating the club will not consent to the player signing with another NRL side unless there is an appropriate exchange of value. Speaking firmly, Sarantinos emphasised that the Eels see no reason to disadvantage themselves by allowing a release without adequate compensation, reinforcing the club’s commitment to protecting its roster and long-term interests. The stance signals that any potential move will need to deliver clear benefits to Parramatta, not just the player or rival clubs.
Replies
Pops, I know you and Randy have discussed goats, but here, there's a bit of the Duck Syndrome.
On the surface, it looks like nothing much has been happening. That’s the illusion.
This didn’t just happen. It's been happening. The seeds of a strategic shift were likely planted years ago. After the 2022 GF, through small, unremarkable decisions most people overlook: moving away from POs, sharper cap diligence, and finally refusing to get screwed over. A quiet pivot to club-first, not just being the “nice guys.”
That only makes sense in context. After the Dark Ages. Self-cannibalisation, self-implosion, and a salary-cap scandal so severe authorities had to intervene. The club had to be nice. It had to rebuild trust, credibility, and internal discipline. Slow, steady steps. Stability. Boring improvement. The stuff punters, who don't run $200m organizations, find intolerable excuses for not winning titles (aka low standards).
Now the duck’s paddling is visible, and people are asking what changed, when in reality it’s been in process all along. Sure, lots of stuff has gone wrong but the club keeps adapting and pivoting intelligently.
Getting the right people aligned matters too. Ryles, the CEO, the chairman, MON, and management are on the same page. No empire-building, no internal competition. Disagreement is allowed, vulnerability is allowed, but there’s commitment to the cause. No building one's own castles at the detriment of the club. They're All On the same bus.
And that’s the real shift. Whatever happens from here, the right foundations have been set.
A farmer doesn’t plant an orchard expecting instant fruit. Coffee takes five years just to show up.
Actually it good that you are here with the ducks, they can fly as well as paddle .......Hoey, never a truer word said!
i disagree. We have done some shocker deals and we seem to have turned the corner in that sense. I strongly think its ryles
With Paulo and De Belin nearing the end of there careers, we'd be stupid not to ask for Howarth and Blore (Blore is already looking to move back to Sydney) or Howarth and Pahulu (only to add young blood) to bolster our forwards
If Bellamy sees this season as his last shot at a final premiership with the Storm, I can see them releasing Howarth and paying us money to get Lomax.
Reality is for the Storm to trade anyone decent for Lomax shows extremely short term thinking given that Lomax is likely to jump ship again when/if R360 gets traction again.
The Storm lose a bunch of talent at the end of this season that they can't easily replace. It may be worth them going all in on a Premiership this year and then face into the rebuild from 2027.
If we can benefit long term from the Storm needing to roll the dice short term, I see this working out. If it's literally any other scenario, I don't see this happening.
Totally support the club and the way they've handled things in this scenario. We have to give them credit where credit is due. We're quick to critisise when they get something wrong, so we should be quick to give them credit when they do something right.
I would love to see Coates in an eels jersey. Imagine JAC on one wing and Coates on the other? Xavier will score every week with Mitch's kicking game.
-
1
-
2
-
3
-
4
-
5
of 5 Next