“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to play NRL every week. As a kid you grow up and that’s what you want to do." Gosford-born, now 22 year old, Jonah Pezet told The Queenslander last year.
This could be a make-or-break signing or a missed opportunity for the Ryles era. Pezet has divided some Eels fans, and there are plenty of “ifs” and moving balls. And until a signing is confirmed this is all hypothetical.
Cons & Threats
Two generals in one team? Too many cooks? Mitchell Moses is a dominant seven, and Pezet appears to want that role long-term, though he could compromise to play full-time NRL.
Pezet is a risk, for sure. All signings are. Maybe he’s not yet the superstar we’d pay him to be. He's still getting his body ready, after some significant injuries (another risk) for the gladitorial week-to-week grind of NRL. And also every young half goes through dark nights of the soul; even gets dropped. Sam Walker. Ash Taylor. Tim Smith. Next Big Things.
It’s an expensive risk. Beyond the Raiders, Pezet won’t be short of suitors. He’d likely be number three on the Eels’ salary cap after Moses and Junior Paulo. Number two not long after. (Refer Salary Cap Blog)
If it's really a loan deal, while waiting-on-Munster, we would be a pit stop of convenience, doing more service to the Storm than our club. How did the Harry Grant loan deal work for the Tigers? In that case, we should stick with Ryles’ “The Future is Now” philosophy developing project players like Joash Papali’i, Dean Hawkins, or Lorenzo.
Pros & Opportunities
Pezet could provide a short,mid, and long-term spine solution. The heir to Mitchell Moses. A spine that could grow together for the next 10 years plus, building around it.
In the short term, he could ease our over-reliance on Moses and his fitness, as has missed large Turbo-Ponga-esque chunks of games in recent seasons. This year, the Eels have a 54% win ration with Moses, 27% without.
Why couldn't Pezet play six for a while? He has 15 games at six, 20 at seven, and 15 off the bench at Cup and NRL levels. The Broncos won a grand final with a two-sevens in the halves (Reynolds-Hunt), while Storm have succeeded with three fullbacks and a Grant spine.
In 18 NRL games with the Storm, Pezet has scored two tries, kicked five from six goals, and maintained a win ratio of almost 85%.
He has also shown he’s team-centric. “I’m confident in my ability to play 80 minutes at halfback,” he said, but he’s willing to play six or off the bench. "What’s best for the team.”
And who better to mentor him than Moses? A win-win. Moses spent the first half of his career at six with the Tigers, and the second half at seven with the Eels. On the Sixes and Sevens podcast, Moses said he wished he had a senior seven to guide him.
Bottom Line
In the bold V'Landys Universe of Attack, Attack, Attack, we don't have the supreme x-factor talents like Reece Walsh or Payne-Haas tanks through the middle to compete in a gunslinging, power shoot-out. We'll need to continue to build resilient systems with some creative enterprise. Winning on guts and pressure and nuance. A strong kicking game will be critical. Pezet provides added points of attack and opportunities, reducing pressure on Moses. His utility value to play both six or seven or off the bench is a plus, not a negative. His game-changing kicking game and footy IQ as a bona-fide half, gives us a rare one-two punch in Moses. We talk about x-factor, well there it is.
In the end, Jonah Pezet could be a luxury we can’t afford or the cornerstone we can’t afford to miss. The Ryles era is just getting started and this decision could define it. Will history remember it as bold brilliance or a missed opportunity, a Waterloo moment?
Source of Johah Pezet quotes: The Queenslander
Related blogs: Eels' Salary Cap Study, Where Do We Fit in the New Era / V'Landys Universe?
Replies
Let's hope lomax isn't leaving
Good point LB, I never saw it that way regardless .....but it seems a few on here wanted to make themselves more comfortable in losing Lomax and replacing him with Pezet.
I am hoping for our luck to continue and retain Lomax and lose Pezet.
Could work. We probably have spare dosh left aside for mid-season purchases, need to offload Matto/Hands (freight) & squeeze in more min.salary spots. It also depends how much we got back from the 25-26 Lane contract. If any.
Depends on how much Pezet wants & how badly Ryles wants him. Pezet has options. Won't be cheap.
Another possibility is Hoey that the new broadcast deal is going to have a significant effect on the cap.....do you overspend on some players on the basis of the cap increasing substantially in their 2nd year?
Pops, definitely mate. PLV is bold & fast-moving when he wants to be. For now, the cap increases are set at 150K per year for 2024-27. Miniscule. Progressively Regressive.
Source: www.nrl.com/operations/integrity/salary-cap/
Yep even Sami is a big step back from Lomax though and I guess a lot will find flaws with players I to have been guilty of that over the years.But I agree it's why the whole Pezet decision success or fail lies on the coach as I have no doubt he has his fingerprints all over this signing if it comes to fruition.
Yep which it should be. I don't want anyone holding back JR from making decision. He deserves every opportunity to create the team he wants. How it turns out we shall wait and see but I am optimistic of JR
Lomax would be a loss. He's part-Haas, part-Coates on the wing. His yardage relieves a lot of stress on our middles.Tackles busts. Killer offloads. Sure, occasionally he has defensive lapses, and is confidence player & goalkicker but I wouldn't be letting him go easily.
I Find it strange that the 6 Parra really need is playing 7 at the dogs, and the 7 that the dogs really need will be playing 6 at the eels.
This is the exact point I was making the other day re Pezet (Bulldogs?) that no one seemed to pick up on. The arguments people are putting forward for us getting Pezet make no sense to me and I hope we aren't going down the same path the dogs are with Galvin.
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