Eels Blogs

Coming into the season Ryan Matterson was viewed as a starting player in the side. A strong, powerful backrower with good hands and good defence, he's the type of backrower Parramatta likes and is needed in today's game.

However, after starting the season in the backrow, from round six onwards he has found himself coming off the bench. It's a tactical decision from Brad Arthur who last week explained that Matterson coming off the bench saves an interchange as he can play 60 minutes straight either in the middle or on the edge.

And since that shift to the bench, Matterson's numbers have begun to skyrocket. In his three starting games this season (a small sample size), he averaged 121 running metres from 12 runs. Since shifting to the bench, he's averaged 180 running metres from 17 runs per game.

Now there is a discrepancy here, in that two of three of Matterson's games starting have been in the backrow, where he naturally receives less ball. When he enters the fray from the bench, he's replacing a middle forward and the clear message he's been given is to run hard. 

But that hasn't blunted his attacking skills either. He managed three offloads across the first three rounds. Since then he's thrown 21 over the following seven weeks, tripling his per game output.

One of Parramatta's biggest problems over the last few years has been replacing the impact of Parramatta's starting middle forwards when they get their initial rests between the 20-30 minutes mark.

Nathan Brown, Junior Paulo and Reagan Campbell-Gillard are all current or recent Origin players. Replacing them isn't going to be easy and while the likes of Oregon Kaufusi, Makahesi Makatoa, Keegan Hipgrave, Ray Stone, Tepai Moeroa and Wiremu Greig have tried to fill the roles, they haven't really been able to.

Makatoa is a hard worker who brings aggression to his defence, Kaufusi brings leg speed and can be difficult for defenders to dominate, but none possess the ball playing abilities of Brown or Paulo.

None, except Ryan Matterson whose days as a junior five-eighth now see him acting as Parramatta's middle ball player.

A quick look at the stats proves he, and Nathan Brown who is also now being deployed from the bench, are being used to spread the ball against tiring defences. Matterson is level with Paulo when it comes to general play passes with seven each per game. Brown is close behind with six per game.

Matterson is also simply running his socks off. He possesses the ball more on average than any other Eels forward, getting his hands on it 21 times per game while also managing 10 runs per game for more than eight metres. Only RCG posseses the same number of 8+m runs.

It's an important addition and evolution to the way Parramatta plays and actually sees them emulating what Penrith does with Isaah Yeo.

Yeo plays 80 minutes, and among non-hooker players touches the ball on average third most for Penrith. He averages 25 touches per game, which is beyond only Luai and Cleary.

As stated above, Matterson is handlong the ball 21 times per game, which sits him fourth in the side behind Moses, Brown and Gutherson (Jake Arthur removed from those states due to small sample size).

Cast your mind back to some of the best attacking Eels sides of the modern era, and in each you'll find a player coming off the bench, raising the tempo and changing the way the side would play.

You go back to 2001 and the Eels could call David Solomona and PJ Marsh from the bench. In the 2005 side it was Marsh and Dean Widders before Feleti Mateo came along.

In the current iteration of Parramatta Bryce Cartwright has provided the odd highlight but Ryan Matterson is producing high quality performances from the bench on a consistent basis that is adding plenty to the way Parramatta are finishing games.

It was Matterson's injection against Penrith that saw the Eels take the lead, it was Matterson who helped spark a comeback that fell short against the Roosters, against Manly Matterson was nigh on unstoppable and his work ethic kept the Eels rolling down field while against Canberra Parramatta's attack really came to life once Matterson entered the fray.