When Clint Gutherson was selected in Brad Fittler's game three NSW squad, he would miss just his second game for the Eels since returning from an ACL injury in 2018.
Gutherson has been a constant in the Eels side ever since taking over the fullback position and being appointed captain. His fitness and availability has become indispensible for Brad Arthur.
His selection for NSW was greeted indifferently by Blues fans especially after Fittler admitted he didn't know how he was going to use him, while Eels fans cursed the three minutes of action Gutherson saw as Parramatta crashed and burned against the Warriors without their custodian as well as halfback Mitchell Moses and prop Reagan Campbell-Gillard.
Gutherson's record of 125 games including representative football since 2019 is impressive. But there is a teammate who has turned out more than the Eels fullback.
Junior Paulo has taken the field in 131 matches across the same period of time. That's an average of 26 games a year to Gutherson's 25.
The major difference though is 19 of those games for Paulo have come in the representative arena for either Samoa or NSW.
As a prop forward, that is a huge number of games to be playing every year. Even front row teammate Reagan Campbell-Gillard has played fewer games with 110 over the same period, averaging 22 games per year.
While RCG did play four matches in Australia's world cup campaign late last year, he has only played the one Origin match and no mid-season internationals.
If you were to ask any Eels fan, they'd say Junior hasn't looked himself this season. While he's actually running for more metres per game than he did in 2022 and 2021, he's also playing more minutes.
His 53 minutes per game places him equal fourth among NRL props this season. Only Payne Haas, Addin Fonua-Blake and Joe Tapine are ahead of him.
It's a significant increase on the minutes he was playing last year with Paulo averaging only 44 minutes per game.
Brad Arthur has long maintained that Junior and Reg play big minutes because they earn the big bucks and that's their role.
But could this focus on churning out big minutes be hurting Parramatta's Samoan wrecking ball?
As we've already established, no Eels player has played more football in the last five seasons than Paulo and he plays in the most physically demanding position on the field.
You also couldn't necessarily blame Parramatta's middle forward injuries as a reason for Paulo's huge minutes given he has played in excess of 50 minutes in a game 10 times this season from round 1 all the way to round 22.
When the Eels have had plenty of available middles, Paulo has still churned out big minutes. It just seems like the plan is to play him for extended periods.
One other factor we haven't properly discussed is the impact of the world cup.
Junior didn't return to Eels training until January. It resulted in a very condensed pre-season for a player who usually undertakes additional conditioning through November and December. In the 2021/22 off-season Paulo spent time in the boxing gym dropping weight and building his endurance. 2022 was one of his best seasons.
Is it little wonder then, that a middle forward that has played nearly constantly at both club and representative level over a five year period, who has not had a full pre-season and is playing more minutes than he ever has before is struggling?
Junior's importance to the team cannot be underestimated, but when Reagan Campbell-Gillard returns from suspension, perhaps Arthur needs to manage the minutes of a player who can hold the key to unlocking Parramatta's best football in the final weeks of the season?
Replies
Bloke in a bar, rugby league guru and Tim spoke about this on their podcast. Paulo could just be burned out for playing so many high minutes games. They spoke about how Matto hasn't been playing enough minutes especially since he has missed game this year with suspension and injury.
8. paulo
9. lussick
10. Rcg
11. carty
12. Lane
13. Hopgood
14. Hands
15. Matto
16. Greig.
17. Ofa
with a full strength bench, Greig gives Paulo a breather so they are never on the field together. Matto plays big minutes and rotates his role depending on who Hopgood, RCG and Lane(if needed since returning from injury) need a break. Ofa helps with giving Paulo and RCG a break
Matto is averaging 63 minutes per game which is the third most of any Eels forward behind Bryce Cartwright and J'maine Hopgood. I don't understand how they think Matto isn't playing enough minutes.
I want Matto playing 70min on the left edge and hopgood playing 70min at lock moretti to take 10 min off both of the for 20min total.
OFA greig, RCG and Paulo to split 160mins between them
Well those stats are obsucred by the fact Matto has played a couple 80min games at backrow. When you just focus on the stats of Matto in the middle, his averge minutes is much lower than that. Matto can be an 80min player in the middle if we really needed. Personally, I would be using Matto for 60minutes a game in the middle.
We went into this year knowing we needed to prioritise a 3rd Prop, we nearly got that with Taupau. Then due to not getting a 3rd prop in early, Greig and Makatoa needing to prove their worth also, Paulo and RCG played big minutes early. Then Greig showed up and started meeting his potential now we have a good 3rd Prop. Now have Ofahengaue and we have a good 4th Prop also once he has a full pre-season with us.
Yet to have a game with all four players; Paulo, RCG, Ofahengaue and Greig, in the same 17. A good break in the off-season is needed, though i still contend that if i was BA, get Paulo to do boxing training pre-season, he did that in 2021 i believe and it was the fittest i have ever seen him.
Whoever wrote that visits this site.