Parramatta Eels awards 2024

Ok so with the news of Moses being put around, even though it is rubbish, it is still a downer of our club being dragged through glass. Only 5 games left of the season, we are not making finals, Stevie Wonder himself can see that. So lets just do it now as not much would change from here to Round 27. So let's just give our collective awards for this dismal season.

Best player:

Rookie of the year:

Surprise player of the year

Most Improved:

Most Disappointing:

Story of the year:

Player to watch in 2025:

Rookie to watch in 2025:

Story of 2025:

 

I will start it off myself, cause of course i would do something like that.

Best Players: Reagan Campbell-Gillard: Tough one overall, as RCG has been really good this year. Not great all the time but consistently good most of the season. Not many other players that stand out. Gutho is a nice choice too with his defensive efforts alone. Had Moses played after Origin III he would have gotten it by default i feel.

Rookie of the year: Blaize Talagi: I know i am going to anger people and that is understandable. I myself wanted to be bitter too and just out of spite refuse to give it to him. But only one other rookie this year has played more than 3 NRL games, that being Jake Tago. I have not had enough of a sample size of; Sanders, Guymer, Arthur, Mulitalo, Tago and Keir to give them the award. Talagi has played 14 games, by default he gets it. He has had some nice games too. I wanted not to, but integrity as me being an NRL fan too i want to call it like it is.

Surprise player of the year: Jake Tago: Now i know some will say "You can give him this but not Rookie?" Well this is more to do with the fact that he started the year in Ron Massey Cup, no chance of seeing an NRL 22 man squad. Injuries happen, he gets consistent starts in Cup and gets a debut and has not looked out of place. Has he been amazing? No, but he has been solid. To the point where he deserves a one or two year extension as a depth player. He is reliable, under the high ball not great but overall is good. He surprised me he could get to the level and stay there.

Most Impressive: Bailey Simonsson: Before his injury, an argument could be made that he was our best back. Now not hard to be but his prescence is missing right now with the injuries in that he is needed. Beofre his injury he was hitting some nice form, 6 straight games with 100+ metres, 3 of them 150+. I would like to see hims stay on a cheap deal next year.

Most Disappointing: Junior Paulo, Joey Lussick and Shaun Lane: For hard to separate a lot of players, these 3 stand out. Paulo, for the money he is getting and his captaincy been just going through the motions most games. Coming off the bench can be argued but still he should show impact and that has been limited. Lane due to basically showing attitude problems at times which is night and day different to his 2022 self where he basically got us to the GF based on effort with a charge down. Lussick is here due to the fact i felt he could be a nice Hooker addition for us. For at least next two seasons til MA was ready. Now Hands looks like a Full-time starter compared to Lussick.

Story of the year: BA sacking: Either that or Ryles being hired, but the latter doesn't happen without the former. Whether you were for it or not, we all must agree it is the biggest story of the year at the club.

Player to watch 2025: Clint Gutherson: It is a big year for Gutho, off contract, talk of his captaincy and Fullback spot being taken off him, talk of knees being gone. He has shown glimpses of his old self, particularly against the Warriors last week. If we are to have success in 2025, Gutho has to be at least 80% of himself. Can he get back or at least close to what he used to be? Have to wait and see. To be different as i think many would say Gutho, i will give a mention to Paulo as well.

Rookie to watch in 2025: Richie Penisini: Doubt he starts Round 1, he will start slowly in either Flegg or Cup. But in time, he will get a Wing spot. He would have this year had he not torn his ACL. Tall, rangey and is an incentive to keep Will. Other Wingers are capable, like Alameddine but i feel Richie is more rated and more excitement is around him. He could also be more ready defensively. Out of this years rookies, Guymer is one for me, well has to be as hardly any left. Though, the NRL and others count that you are Rookie until 5 games or you have played over 3 years that amount of games too. If you have played 3 games in 3 years you are not a rookie. To me, once you have debuted, the following year you are no longer a Rookie, as to why i did not name Guymer.

Story of 2025: Moses re-signs until 2028: I could have gone down the finals route or something, but i feel this one can happen. Wave the options and we up his deal a bit more with the captaincy, he extends like RCG did, but waving the options and extending normally for the remaining years. Done.

 

What is everyone elses?

 

 

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  • Best player: Clint Gutherson. Been the most consistent for sure.

    Rookie of the year: Talagi. Let's move on. If Guymer didn't get injured I think I'd given it to him even for 5-6 games only.

    Surprise player of the year: Daejarn Asi's performance against Warriors.

    Most Improved: 
    Moretti or even Guymer. Guymer started cup slowly and slowly improved.

    Most Disappointing: Easy answer is Lane or Sivo. Or Paulo. But I'll go Lussick. I thought he was great for us in 2021 and it's his injury that fucked us in that semi against Penrith. He got injured 1 or 2 games before while Reed was injured for a while that period. 

    Story of the year: BA sacking is the obvious but the actual story is the club pathway's malfunction exposed as a whole.

    Player to watch in 2025: Will Penisini. Every youngster gets a dib after a couple of years first grade. Gonna say he's Dally M centre territory next year.

    Rookie to watch in 2025: Returning backs. Martin, Miller-Stephen and Richie. 

    Story of 2025: One of Lane, Matterson, RCG, maybe even Greig if he stays, is bound to have a monster year. Otherwise off field stuff, us signing someone big or something.

  •  Best player: No Award Deserved

    Rookie of the year: Not Talagi

    Surprise player of the year: Tago

    Most Improved: No Award Deserved 

    Most Disappointing: Paulo

    Story of the year: Ryles Coaching Selection Saga

    Player to watch in 2025: Zac Lomax

    Rookie to watch in 2025: Ryley Smith

    Story of 2025: Parramatta signs a player the fans are underwhelmed with.

    • Ryley Smith is a nice claim. Hooker spot is wide open, especially since MA is going, unless we sign someone for 2026.

  • Biggest Pretender - Sean Russell

    Missed Tackles - Reagan Camlbell Gillard and Bryce Cartwright

    Dumbest Decision - Ryan Matterson

    Cant Catch - Blaize Talagi

    Most Tries Bombed - Sean Russell / Will Penisni

    Most Errors - Blaize Talagi / Clint Gutherson

    Most Penalties - Dylan Brown

    Handling Errors - Blaize Talagi

    Inefective Tackles - Will Penisni

    Most Ruck Infringements - Darcy Lussick

    Give Set Restarts - Will Penisni

    Ghost Award - Haze Dunster

     

    This is more apt considering we are second last on the ladder. 

     

     

    • Darcy Lussick ...now there's a name I haven't heard for 10 years. I assume that he is related to our bloke, but what relationship is he?

      • The three of them are brothers!

      • yep my bad Joey....Lussick.

         

  • Most disappointing: Poppa 

    12761780254?profile=RESIZE_400x

     

    • Youi know what is interesting is you guys that attack the journalists for embellishing and lying and creating stories that are just not true........do exactly the same about people on this site and others within the club. You then line up behind one and other and LOL at your own silliness.

      Me thinks the problem is very deep seated (embedded) in the characters on here. Don't let the facts spoil any stories if you can feel good about each other!

      PS I have all my own teeth.

      • Thank God we  have Mrs Pops to keep you in check ✔️ lol

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