Players Vote Eels No.2 Club, Behind the Panthers

“The Panthers are extremely proud to be number one ranked in this year's RLPA survey (2025), ” Panthers CEO Matt Cameron said as reported by The Australian.

“Our position within the league is a direct reflection of Ivan Cleary's attitude toward player development off the field, and the relentless work of our wellbeing and education staff.”

The Eels did not make the top four for men in 2024, but have surged to number two in 2025 under Ryles and reflects an improving alignment in management, culture and environment.

The metrics, based on the 2024 report (official 2025 to be released) are in five key areas:

High Performance Staffing: Head Coach, Medical Staff, Assistant Coaches, CEO Support, Football MGMT
Services & Support: Nutrition Services, Family Support & Facilities, Wellbeing & Education Management
Environment: Club Culture, Psychological Safety, Cultural Safety
Load: Workload & Balance, Travel
Facilities: Match-Day Facilities, Training Facilities, Recovery Facilities

"And to think we asked for Howarth for Lomax, they said no and now are wanting him gone 😂😂😂. Actually would have been better Lomax went there and this happened."

"Good blog, Hector. Ivan Cleary had similar thoughts to you about increasing the bench and interchange. There are too many six agains this year. It's pedantic, and it's not just they can decide a game in a 10-15 minute period. Or lead to more fatigue…"

"Hopefully, Parrafan. I just wonder whether we'll be flatter after the significant mental and emotional investment last week, following this year's trend. The ref is another buggery factor."

Replies

Joel K December 7, 2025 at 7:49pm

Mostly off-field stuff like facilities, coaching and player mental health but it's still nice to rate highly
- Eli Stephens > Joel K December 7, 2025 at 7:52pm
  
  Seems like Ryles has a lot of respect from just the nrl players in general, prob the link to storm/roosters gives him a good base for that haha.
  - LB > Eli Stephens December 8, 2025 at 12:18am
    
    Those i know who work with James Galvin mentioned he raved about Ryles when they met up with him for Lachy. Said he was very impressive as a man. Even when Lachy rang him to say he was going to Canterbury, how he approached it was first class.
Adam Magrath December 7, 2025 at 7:50pm

Randy was telling me only the other day that no one respects us:)
Randy Handlinger December 7, 2025 at 8:15pm

For the life of me I cannot make sense of this
RB December 7, 2025 at 8:18pm

Yeah we have the best facilities in the comp. Problem is, beside the fan base, that's all we offer aha
Flow Basket December 7, 2025 at 9:08pm

That needs to change and asses need to be kicked
LB December 7, 2025 at 9:33pm

But still can't seem to get them here.
- Wild_Eels > LB December 8, 2025 at 10:43am
  
  Exactly
Muttman December 7, 2025 at 10:58pm

Massive fan base.
Best stadium in Sydney with great home crowds.
Eels HQ is one of, if not the best in the NRL. It's seriously impressive.
'There is a very positive culture throughout the organisation. It's inclusive involving players and their families. Former players are welcomed.
The club has excellent engagement with charities and community. It has excellent engagement with members and fans.
It's not perfect but there is a lot to like about the Eels nowadays.
R&R is our weakest link as we can't seem to sign anyone who is in demand. This includes retaining our best. I can only speculate that we lack 3rd party buying power.