“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
R360 saves money by piggyback riding & picking the eyes out of long-held RU/RL markets, infrastructure & grassroots.
It reminds me a little of IPL T20 & SL. Making the Sport Sexier. More Entertaining. Big Pay Packets. Compact competition. Glitz'n'glamour.
Who knows where it will land? But IPL has been going on for almost 20 years. Key differences : IPL was sanctioned by governing bodies in 2008 — R360 is on the outer — and they do develop players.
Joash Papalii will never be a consistent 6 at NRL level. What is everyone talking about.
He is a good fullback that is about 2 seasons away from a permanent role there.
He is a great option to have on the bench as a cover all and energy lifter type player.
It's clear he loves the club, he won't leave, we are in a really good place stop panicking.
TDS is the intriguing one, I think he will spend some time at lock next year and work between covering 9 and filling in for Walker. It cannot be understated how good Walker has been.
We have built an incredible top 30.
Joash may want to play week to week FG though and the opportunity may well have just closed here would you blame him for asking for an early release if an opportunity arose for himself somewhere else.
I like joash with our hookers who runs when Moses is out ,actually if Moses and joash is out who runs at all ,iongi dosnt do broken play .who's replacing paulo
Well Hawkins would do that job if Moses is out and we have no other recruits. Joash would have a bigger role just the same.
Hawkins can still play 7 if Moses is out and a 5/8 like Burton would come into his own as the organiser away from the ruck.
Pops, great points. This year, Hawkins held his own at 6 or 7 when Moses was in or out, so I’d keep him. But two points stand out:
Bellamy trusts Pezet at 6. Why?
We drop from 54%-->27% when Moses was in or out. Why? That gap shows that while Hawkins was solid, there is a difference a superior halfback, a field-general with superior kicking game and spatial awareness makes. Who would you take at 7: Hawkings or Pezet?
Risks aside, Pezet’s upside at 22, although not elite yet, offers more than Hawkins 26, Galvin, Little Pap (doing okay at 6) or Brown in those skill-sets. A strong kicking game with field-general-skills is not just about field position, spatial awareness, controlling the game and the grind, it's little things like managing fatigue levels, momentum, team confidence, the speed of the game and so on.
Currently, we don’t have supremely talented game-breakers with athletic skills of Walsh, Haas, or even a Mam, so a Moses–Pezet pairing could give us the x-factor one-two punch — a point of difference — we’re currently missing and few teams have. Or that missing one-punch when Moses is out for half the season. Winning a few extra games can be the difference between making the eight or not. An important step for Ryles IMO.
Rumour has it we've signed Pezet and missed out on Cody Ramsay to another Sydney club.
Ramsay has gone to the chooks
You think it'd be easier to get on the field with the Eels than the Roosters. Oh well good luck to him.
Nah. Roosters dont have a backup fullback whilst we have Papalii and Twiddle.
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