You may have seen this discussed by Gus on Channel 9. Apparently the Parramatta Eels only have 5 players contracted for 2026 and they are Charlie Guymer, Zac Lomax, Mitchell Moses, Junior Paulo, Bailey Simonsson. (Source - https://www.zerotackle.com/nrl/teams/parramatta-eels/)
There are a few others such as Dylan Brown, Penisini, but they have player options for 2026 so I'm not including them as they really don't mean much.
Initially, I thought it wasn't a big deal to only have 5 contracted players for 2026, maybe it was common and just the Media beating up on Parra because it's the thing to do these days? So I looked at every other club in the NRL and this is how many each of them have contracted for 2026 (excluding any player options).
- Melbourne Storm = 12
- Penrith Panthers = 20
- Sydney Roosters = 16
- Cronulla Sharks = 11
- Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs = 13
- Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles = 16
- North Queensland Cowboys = 11
- St. George Illawara Dragons = 13
- The Dolphins = 17
- Brisbane Broncos = 10
- Newcastle Knights = 10
- Canberra Raiders = 19
- Gold Coast Titans = 14
- New Zealand Warriors = 15
- South Sydney Rabbitohs = 15
- Wests Tigers = 18
So as you can see, Parramatta are very much the odd one out here. With the 18th side coming into the NRL in 2027, no doubt clubs will be locking in their players as soon as they can to safeguard them from the Western Bears poaching their players. For me this is pretty concerning, but on the other side, is it a good thing? We've seen new Coaches inherit a team with players they do not want. With only 5 players contracted for 2026, is it a good thing that Ryles will have more autonomy over the roster? For me, it's a big risk. Sure, Ryles may have more autonomy, but I think signing players is going to prove to be very difficult. This just further emphasises how poor Mark O'Neil has done with this roster. There is no forward planning, just short-term. There's a good chance our 2026 side will be full of NSW Cup standard players. Parra need to move now and it's difficult because we have so many players on Player Option deals, so you can't really recruit until you know who's going to be here in 2026.
These are the current players with Player Option Deals for 2026:
- Dylan Brown
- Ryan Matterson
- Will Penisini
That's money that is basically frozen for us because we don't know if we can sign players with this money or not.
Keen to hear everyone's thoughts on this.
Replies
I dont see this as a concern.
Its a great situation.
This is what we want.
Other clubs fluctuate in and out of coverage in the near future.
Ive flagged other teams in the past, some clubs look 'full' but hire and fire and completely shift the trajectory of their roster. A recent example is the Raiders, a couple years ago they were completely out of shape, they now balanced our their roster with youth and positional versalitliy and coverage.
Look for us to promote half a dozen juniors, sign 3-5 veterans and extend some middle tier players.
Appreciate your opinon on this.
I can definitely see the benefits but I think it's a big risk if we miss out on our recruitment targets. As I've mentioned, with an 18th team coming in, there's a good chance we won't get the players we want.
Also a big red flag that we are literally the only club in the whole NRL that are in this situation.
I see these player option contracts to be re-written, especially for the players we want to keep, ie Brown. I also think there was some degree of players wanting to align their contracts with Brad Arthur. They knew something was brewing there and wanted some security to either stay or leave. Now that future looks set, it's up to the players to either commit or leave. On the flip side, external players can either buy in to what the club is building or not. It's really too early to tell whether players will be attracted to playing under Ryles, and they may want to see how we start the season next year. That's going to be critical for our future success and we need to get the attitide and culture right from day 1. If we continue with our recent form of backing up a win against a top team with a loss to a low ranked team, then that is going to make attracting players more difficult.
I think this is great for a new coach. Offers him spots and salary to build the squad he wants. Gives them no excuses too.
That is what i reckon enticed Ryles to come here when everyone is saying this job is harder than St. George Illawarra.
As Gus pointed out what top talent will be available for 2026?
Then you need to ask if top talent is available how are Parramatta going to compete for this top talent with better resourced and better run clubs?
You can't keep paying overs for players or offering ridiculous contracts with 101 player options.
If you are going to get rid of players the goal it to replace them will better ones and nothing less .
November 1 this year is the last chance before Perth come in to get some decent talent. Are there superstars? No, but we need just great players. Once we hit the time where Perth can start signing players, the market will dry up quick and we are left with pay overs for the sake of it to fill a squad and use up the cap as we are legally obligated to.
Go get staggs put him in the centres for 26.
I don't see this as a concern at all, it's just the result of us sacking our coach and having our new coach take over.
It's actually a benefit for Ryles to walk in and create a team that fits his style, then we'll find out quickly if it will work or not. Otherwise we wait a year or two to get rid of those players before he can even begin the transition.
This is a good thing imo.
This is not a concern by any means. If anything, it can be seen as a positive as Ryles can get a squad he wants quicker. How long would you say it took for BA to get 100% the squad he wanted? 4-5 years perhaps? Ryles could have 85-90% his squad by year 2.
Plus you do not need to offload too much drift wood and have some salaries lingering over the cap. Ryles will try to fill certain spots this year but overall gives him so much room to move as oppose to thinking "I really want a Hooker, but we have no cap space needed to get quality due to this player still being here when we do not want them".
Look at Wests, having 18 contracted when the squad as a whole is not overly great. Marshall does not have a lot of room to work with there.
As for Ryles having autonomy over the roster, isn't that something some complained about BA not having? I am in the middle where the coach should have a say on who we sign and re-sign but within reason of what is best for the club. Working with MON, if Ryles wants a player and financially does not work, MON can offer a new option or two and Ryles picks what he wants.
As for MON not planning for future, i do not feel it was coincidental that the player contracts coincided with BA's deal. It happens across the league, you cannot force players to sign for any amount of time, if they want 2 years you cannot force 3. He has not done a good job getting players in, but at least we are free of most of the deadwood to start signing players in November. Once November 1 hits, there is no excuse for MON and Ryles to sit on there hands, they need to attack. If the approach to Holmes and Iongi is any indication, Ryles will be like a vulture flying around a dead body waiting for November 1.
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