Rookie error: Why Ryles' decision to knock King Gutho from his Eels throne is asking for trouble
Everyone assumed Jason Ryles would need to make some uncomfortable decisions upon arriving at Parramatta, but nobody expected a heart transplant and regicide.
By ending Clint Gutherson’s time at the club, not only has the new coach started his time at the Eels by slaying King Gutho, he’s also ripped out the club’s heart, soul and lungs in the process.
In terms of statement arrivals, Ryles has essentially burst through the front door brandishing a chainsaw and headed straight for granddad – and it could be a loose carry of a decision that returns to haunt the club.
After a career at the Blue and Golds spanning nine seasons, 206 games and 34 varying hairstyles, the image released last week of Gutherson in a Dragons polo shirt was as incongruous as a vege sausage.
Thats because the ironman fullback is an Eels legend who will go down in history alongside Nathan Hindmarsh as a tireless servant who arrived as a fresh-faced youngster before departing almost a decade later looking like a withered hernia after carrying the joint the whole time.
Whatever Ryles’ vision for the salary cap or the game plan, him and the Eels needed to mildly bend on their blueprint and find room for a warrior like Gutherson – and his remains thereof.
But by letting him go, Ryles has not only snubbed a mulligan, he’s also gifted the critics a readymade brickbat should his tenure begin in a funk, which lets be honest, is more than likely at a theatre of nightmares like Parra.
While nobody denies a rookie coach’s right to stamp his imprimatur, first-time coaches like Ryles need all the help they can get – and help like Gutherson is a rare commodity.
Firstly, the fullback provides a valuable conduit between the coach and the playing group, mainly because he is a pathologically driven lieutenant who marshals his teammates with the same deputy principal-like aggression he saves for the refs.
But most importantly, what makes Gutherson so irreplaceable is that he’s a set-and-forget prospect for a new coach that requires no directive or inspiration, namely because he’s a starving hungry competitor mad enough to play through pain and sell a kidney just to get a repeat set.
Sadly these days, Ryles’ decision to cut adrift serviceable players like Gutherson and Reagan Campbell-Gillard is an all-too common example of a forbidden apple many rookie coaches cannot resist.
After years answering to a boss, the intoxicating rush of autonomy can lead a first-year coach to overlook easy wins in favour of overthinking and over-tinkering.
Some try to prove their mettle by clearing the decks in favour of raw materials they can fashion in their own likeness, when instead they should be exploiting the unsexy resources at their disposal and blaming everything on the halfback if it goes wrong.
But in Ryles’ defence, this bloodless murder of the King wasn’t entirely of his own doing.
Gutherson was off contract at the end of 2025 and free to negotiate elsewhere from November 1 anyway, a siren song scenario for an early release when the player is overtired, overwrought and over 30.
And yes, Gutherson wasn’t exactly frogmarched to the exit door either.
But stripping the skipper of his fullback position and offering ‘the carrot’ of a shift to hooker was hardly a ‘money or the box’ proposition designed to compel the fullback to stay and fight.
Add the fact there is no obvious fullback replacement in the wings – with untested rookie Isaiah Iongi earmarked for the role – and the decision becomes even fishier.
Put simply, what Ryles has done to Gutherson is an ageist exercise in how you don’t treat a favourite son.
When managing a bare-knuckled bull-ant like Gutherson who’s carried 150 times his own weight while playing with a water bottle full of espresso, you need to afford them the respect they deserve.
And the respect they deserve is to wring every last drop of energy from their withered body until they’re lying half-dead on the locker room floor looking like a punched lasagne.
Make no mistake, being driven in to the dirt through sheer over-exertion is the only way Gutherson would’ve wanted his time to end at Parramatta – not in a milky press release thanking him for his time at the club.
Dan Eldridge, The Roar
Lifetime sports enthusiast, but mainly just the funny bits. Author of 'The TRUTH about Rugby League' and 'Facebook Rugby League's 2022 Digest', two stories showcasing the unhinged ramblings of a disturbed troll regarding The Greatest Game of All. Rorts, conspiracies and NRL paranoia, all wrapped up in tight burrito of Boomer Outrage. Out now!
Replies
Ryles might be a rookie but he has more understanding of what to do than a journalist, what an embarrassing swipe at a person who has studied their craft and completed an extensive apprenticeship
Agreed
fails to acknowledge Gutho's offer earlier in the year, to switch position to accomdate a younger fullback.
he writes for the roar lol hes as much of a journalist as anyone on this site aha
Seems Dane Eldridge has a poster of Gutho above his bed.
Nah, don't be silly mate.
He has a Gutho anime body pillow he cuddles up every night with (among other things 🤔)
Time will tell, difficult circumstances but I also fear we have lost something irreplaceable. Especially when you look at the new signings so far.
What a ridiculous article..Sadly these days, Ryles’ decision to cut adrift serviceable players like Gutherson and Reagan Campbell-Gillard is an all-too common example of a forbidden apple many rookie coaches cannot resist.
After years answering to a boss, the intoxicating rush of autonomy can lead a first-year coach to overlook easy wins in favour of overthinking and over-tinkering.
What a load of BS...the only person overthinking the situation is the journo..
Gutho has been an amazing and pivotal part of the eels for many years but his value now based on the current era of fast footy has diminished. The "heart and soul "of a club is not one player but a collective of a team balancing skill sets and team unity- Ryles understands this
And pray tell me what have our results been for the last few seasons. Something had to change drastically . I agree with others this so called jurno pull your head in . With Ryles there seems a to be a bit of fresh air around the joint and as has been stated before the place was smelling a bit stale
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