Now we are nearly half way through the season what do people think of Ryles and who is willing to admit they thought Madge was what the club needed and there were many here who did.
Ryles has the eels playing a better style of football then we have played for years despite our average players. We have some good players but the quality of our side vs competition heavyweights is still a big mismatch. We can see some of what Ryles has put in place and some players just aren't good enough, but are the young kids we have going to grow into the players Ryles needs them to be. Another positive is the defensive systems have clearly changed and the team is buying in with our defence the past month amongst the competition best.
The next hurdle for Ryles is how to attract top quality talent to the club. This is something not helped by our front office so he has gone down the youth road finding good young players to develop and can play his style. We probably still need to add quality in the centres and forwards but considering our recruitment issues for years I don't see who we can get.
Would anyone want Billy Slater now we have seen what Ryles offers and considering how poor the Qld side played. I admit I thought Slater would be good coach but don't think he will ever take up head coaching. I have since changed my mind on his coaching after he was out coached by Laurie Daley in game 1. There was some who wanted to throw everything at Slater and appointed him the next super coach.
If we threw everything at him like we have done to potential star players in the past, it could have been a long few years. He was out coached by Laurie who targeted Harry Grant and the small qld small pack. The side didn't seem to have direction or a plan B, so was it coaching or the players. He may succeed as a head coach as it is different to rep coaching but the lack of direction and energy was a major concern. If NSW win this series with an easy win in either game 2 or 3, I think it will show how over hyped Slater was on 1 origin series.
How about Madge, many said we needed the hard nose approach but I think the player clear out and push for young players from Ryles will work out better than trying to keep what we had and get the best out of aging players through a discipline approach. The broncos have not improved and by all accounts have no salary cap space to add players and Madge doesn't seem to know what to do other than yell louder and work harder. The broncos are not playing to potential but Ryles is getting the best out of players at Parra, even Sean Russell who we all thought had no place in first grade. We still need better centre than him but with his improvement in such a small period, it makes you wonder what he would be as a player if we had a coach similar to Ryles 5years ago instead of BA. He would be the type of back up player you can rely on who doesn't take much cap space.
Ryles has also transformed Junior who looks like a new player despite nearing retirement, and we haven't had as many players debut in 1 year for a long time. I am excited for the future but realistically think we miss the 8 this year. We might scrape into the 8 next year but if Ryles can land a big signing or a young player can really step up we may be amongst the contenders in 2027. It will need the front office to improve and better recruitment, but I think the improvement and level of change in 6 months ths is more impressive than what Ciraldo managed over his first year
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The ladder might not show it, but the difference is night and day this year when compared to 22-23. Seeing the glimpses is great and so far from what Ive seen it looks like those instances are starting to be more frequent week on week.
One thing that I think gets missed is when Ryles got started. I think the extra few months he had at the end of last season to get to work. If he hadnt had that extra time, I think we'd be staring down the barrel of another 2024 season. The releasing of the BA army has breathed new life into the team.
said this before when the Ryles discussion came up. Im backing him until he demonstrates a reason not. My only concern is him getting the support from the org to be successful and not scapegoated
When this side clicks, it will be very, very tough to contain. Ryles definitely has a vision as does Wisemantel, Moa and Nathan Brown. I heard Ryles say in the presser after Manly that he knows what he needs his players to do, some players can do it, some can't and 'we're sorting through the roster'. This gives me a lot of hope.
Coryn wrote that Jack Williams is the kind of urgent athlete we need. I agree and you can see the style this team is trying to play supports that. 3-4 more Williams style athletes and our team would be a nightmare to play against. Fast feet, good hands, very solid defence and goes all day. Finding those players is possible once you know what you're looking for. It also means not bothering with some high profile players too. An important distinction.
I haven't seen our attack so expansive but also so smart in over a decade. Russell's opening try was the definition of how JR is wanting the Eels to play. Let's get those players we need. (And please include Sandon Smtih)
Talking JR I'd like to give some credit to his assistants Moa especially if he's in charge of the defense as the last month of footy this team hasn't given up 20 in a game and that's real progress.
Secondly Wisemantel I heard the name in union circles but the attack also has turned around hugely in that month also.Definitely good signs and coaches doing a sterling job.Not all the way there but the arrows pointed in the right direction.
I've heard great stuff about Wisemantel too through rugby guys I know. Apparently very smart and well liked.
Isn't it nice to see us defend our line and not get predictablly pulled apart on the edges. Moa is doing a great job too. As you say it's getting there.
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Fake, I never wanted Madge. But, I was anti-rookie and a McDermott fan (still).
However, I've moved on, and am on the Ryles bus. He's one of us. And will give it time, expecting plenty of hiccups and challenges along the way.
To date, he seems to have a positive effect on players and the club which is aligned for the first time in a long time.
We just need some more astute moneyball R&R to push it along - Ryles seems has a good nose for it.
Ryles is going good. Our recruitment is not. as you said, we still don't have the right roster to effectively execute his game plan and style. Until we get some forwards that can bend the line and eat big metres and centres and edge rowers who have the speed and strength to break into the defensive line, then Ryles effort will still not be enough.
I wanted cheik because I would have been a visionary. Ryles has proved that he is. Playing the players and the style he wants to play. Exactly what I thought cheik would do. I am hoping we make a few signing b4 june 30th. Fingers crossed.
Our footballing front office, the brass, are not the worst IMO, but they are quite conservative all said and don't make brave moves, and not necessarily in terms of throwing the cash around at big players, but also in their risk taking with youngsters or trying new things.
Hence, the new coach needed to be someone with a bit of a long term vision, the personality to ask for it and stamp it, and with not just a winning mentality but winning it with style, and have a team you wanna watch every week.
We can either get the Cleary's and Bellamy's to provide one playing style, the fit, active style with quick closing down and tough tackling (what Penrith showed on Sunday). The fact we even offered Bellamy the role is quite the throw of the dice. I don't think any other coach with deep NRL experience was worth the chase for us (Not even Bennett for me).
So what does that leave? A rookie. And with rookies, we don't know much as fans apart from how pundits and such talk. And Ryles has been the highest rated rookie for a while. But that doesn't mean much.
I didn't want any of the "Tough Blokes" who'll make everyone vomit or whatever crap like Flanno or Madge. Not what we need, or want, now. And it needed to be someone who can change the culture and inject some energy into the whole club, which I don't think the Madge's of the world, still good coaches, would've done.
We ended up with Ryles And So far I quite like it. Why? I mentioned a few things above:
1. It took us a few rounds to get our style going, but once we did, you can say exactly how we want to play. Ball movement, flexible forwards, taking a bit wide even early in the set, and using the ball movement to move defences around. It is an attractive and a bit of a swashbuckling style, and to impose it on a team that was spoon-worthy shows balls and conviction, and the fact we are seeing it already is testament to good coaching....
2. Implementing and showing with a raft of rookies and juniours is even more impressive. We are improving week on week. Changing some of the recruitment strategy of the club was needed. Our "punts", which every club needs to make in a salary cap environment, are no longer on your Morgan Harper and Jack Murchie's and Momoisea, who all were 25+ if not older when signed. But rather on unpolished 20-21-22 year olds on even lower money that can be worked with. This is what you fill your roster with, players with a huge ceiling and then you trust your coaching to make enough of them reach their ceiling.
3. He's been just calm, collected and not sensationalist. When we were getting smacked early on he was OK and saying it as it is but not making any big statements. I was really impressed with him last few weeks over the Galvin thing. He said if he's available, we have a 6 jersey available, so we will try. Then he said we tried, did what we can, he said no, we move on. Just might not seem like much, but it just exudes relaxation. And it reverberates to the entire club players and fans.
Next season is when the real test start for him. So nothing is yet written, but the signs are excellent.
Great summary
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