With the 2026 season now underway I thought I would provide an overview of how the site is tracking both in numbers and in overall feedback we've been receiving.
Analytics
2025 built on the 2024 season and 1 Eyed Eel continues to grow. Numbers-wise we were very similar to 2024 with 3.8 million views, 41,000 returning users and 163,000 users overall.
December was our busiest month which is a clear break from the norm as it's normally the quietest month. The Zac Lomax contract issue saw nearly 15,000 users online on the one day.
2026 has started strong with 600,000 views, 8,500 returning users and 41,000 users overall.
January was very busy compared with last year - most likely again attributed to the Lomax saga.
New initiatives
I have kicked the 1 Eyed Eel newsletter off again. Time last year was not something I had, but there are now regular newsletters going out via our Substack. Why the newsletter? Not everyone who follows the Eels wants to join another website. Substack also uses an algorithm that surfaces our newsletter with other NRL fans outside of the Eels.
The newsletter links back to the site and enables people to find the site who wouldn't otherwise visit. We currently have over 200 subscribers on the newsletter.
As you likely saw last week, we started the 1 Eyed Eel podcast after receiving feedback in 2025. We are still iterating this but we have so far settled on a weekly preview/review show. We're not aiming to cover every bit of Eels news, rather focusing on a handful of main talking points from each game.
We have got a few confirmations from interview subjects. I will be organising those interviews soon to add to the podcast.
We have been asked about video for the podcast. It's not something we are looking at right now mainly due to the additional tech we would need to make it look professional. For now the focus is on ensuring audio and content quality. Video may be something we investigate in the future.
https://open.spotify.com/show/4VqHGpoOvweadlgvenSBwn?si=408a5e6d4f1c452b
With both the above, if you have friends or relatives who are Eels fans but aren't on this site, you can send them to the podcast or newsletter. The newsletter lands in your inbox and the podcast is on Spotify.
Moderation
As explained towards the end of 2025, we have tightened up moderation across the board to ensure the site remains a welcoming place for all Eels fans. We have suspended a very small number of members due to Code of Conduct breaches. They aren't permanently banned and we remain in contact with them. One member will be returning next week after understanding the approach we are now taking with moderation and agreeing to this approach.
We will continue along this path with respected to socio-political blogs. These blogs continue to be an issue that drags the site down and has earnt it a poor reputation on other NRL supporter platforms.
As I said last year, vigorous debate related to the football team is always welcome here. That is not changing. The only thing we will keep an eye on in relation to the football discussion are personal attacks on other members, players, staff or coaches.
One of the key differences for 1 Eyed compared to many other supporter platforms is the ability for any member to sign up and post discussions. This comes with a level of responsibility for all site members to abide by the Code of Conduct.
Sponsorship
I am continuing to investigate and reach out to brands and companies to find sponsors to replace the Google ads that are currently on the site. Somehow site hosting costs have increased 10% in the last 2 years so I require some form of advertising to cover these costs and maintain the site.
The main stumbling block has been without a previous sponsor campaign, I can't demonstrate an effect to a prospective sponsor (i.e. click through rate, sign ups etc.).
If you have any contacts who may be interested or you want to contact me about any matters related to administration of the site, email me at supereel22@gmail.com.
Replies
Ad blockers are a thing. Without the ads the site doesn't survive.
I still long on but the adds kill me so I log off very quickly.
Would love to be on more but the number of adds make it really hard / annoying to navigate around the site.
I understand you need to have adds to keep the site afloat so.
I miss Fong.
Thanks for the update.
Aside from the analytics learnings you mentioned, is there any high-level data you could share on where most site visitors are logging in from? Nothing too intrusive. Just broad insights like whether the majority are coming from Western Sydney, Queensland, or elsewhere.
It would also be interesting to know what portion of traffic is overseas, and which countries that tends to be from.
Again, nothing intrusive. Just geeking out on the data a little.
Sydney is the highest and then second is Brisbane. It's a little hard to really trust that data though given VPNs and the like.
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