Clint Gutherson and Dylan Brown. Two of the stars of the Eels over the Brad Arthur era.
Gutherson, a talented Manly junior who was recruited by Arthur and Brown, an Eels project developed from a teenager.
Plenty has been written about both players' contract decisions.
Gutherson departed of his own accord when told he won't play fullback and a longer term deal wouldn't immediately be on the table.
Brown took a lifetime deal at Newcastle that was virtually impossible to turn down.
Yet for all the talk about Parramatta losing their heartbeat in Gutherson when he departed for the Dragons, it became somewhat clear that his talk about "I've always said I'll move if the coach thinks it's right" appeared to be something of a tall tale.
The above quote was said by Gutherson when asked about Parramatta's attempts to retain Blaize Talagi.
Gutherson was the full time Eels fullback from 2019 onwards, but had previously spent time at the back in 2017 and 2018.
When new head coach Jason Ryles sat Gutherson down and explained that Isaiah Iongi would be getting the number 1 in 2025 and that an extended deal wasn't on the table immediately, Gutherson looked for a way out.
Where was the player that had bled blue and gold for nearly a decade?
A suggestion of him moving out of his preferred position, once actually made rather than asked as a hypothetical, saw the club captain decide he wanted to play fullback for another side.
Contrast that with Dylan Brown.
The talk about his contract value and length is no longer an issue. He's going.
But when Brown was asked to play hooker, he slotted into the 9.
When asked to play in the centres, there was no complaint.
And now, in his final match in the blue and gold, Jason Ryles has seen fit to let he and Moses have one last ride together in the halves.
It seems that when it came down to it, only Brown was truly prepared to shift positions for the betterment of the team rather than his own ego.
Replies
Torn ACL do not come "right". They remain torn, you strenghten around them but if you keep placing extreme loads on 'em, it's a gonna blow...I'll go Rnd 11 next yr
Gutho fought hard everytime he put the jersey on for blue n gold so I've not a bad word to say.
Much like Mahoney when they represented the club it's was all in I'll never fault a player for that especially when they delivered more than they didn't.Never cared for all the other stuff it's what they did between the lines that I counted for more so than anything.
DB I hate seeing our best and brightest leave i hate it.The fact we left the door open for someone else to offer the biggest deal in nrl history to get him I guess is some solace but it didn't have to be that way and imo DB would have stayed if circumstances were different.
We won't know what really was said between Ryles and Gutho, but it seems Ryles was cold on Gutho, as he didn't provide that long term solution he was looking for. Look at the players Ryles has brought into the team this season - all players with potential, led by a captain who is one of the best halves in the game, and who still has a number of good years in him.
So he moved on to a club that could use his experience. I have no problem with that, and it's pretty clear he would have struggled to keep a first grade spot at Parra. Kudos to Brown though, he could have spat the dummy, but stayed the course.
I do agree with the general spirit of the OP. Dyl clearly did not want to leave.
Gutho was part of that seige mentality that BA created. The core of the playing group were close to each other but that's where it ended. It was shown at contract time when they made sure the club outbid 16 other teams. I said previously Gutho was a competitor, he'd have swapped jerseys at half time and played his arse off for the opposition if he was asked to. I'm not sure the jersey meant all that much.
As for Dylan I'm not sure he's putting the team first. It's simply that his future is secure now. 10 years x $1.3 million. Life is just fantastic. Play or not, swap positions or not, be the ball boy who cares? Whereas as Gutho had more to risk so went and secured his future elsewhere. A win for both parties no doubt.
Muttman Nicely summarised Mutts.....Ilike the win for both parties and maybe us getting lucky with Dyllan and the success of Ilongi means the club as well.
Very rarely you can get a result like that....especially down Parramatta Way!
Great blog Super, the title says it all - Green Bay packers absolutely suck lol
Gutho gave it all on the field.
Away from it he comes across as a flogging and anyone who has had a kid ask for a Autograph can show how cold he was.
His contract saga's were not the stuff of a leader.
Brown i feel has been burned by expectations and salary and never really lived up to that its only going to get harder for him.
Thought just put this in . My Granddaughter he Husband and three little great grandchildren came down from Queensland the week before last and being Eels supporters ( imade sure of that from an early age for all of them ) wanted to see our new centre of excellence . I told them where to . They were having a look around sure Ryles do a press conference. Then saw Dylan Brown walk out and to their great joy he saw the kids gave gave them a huge smile and waved to them .Now the little ones are true Eels fans so thank you Dylan i wish you all the best
Beautiful story, Hector. Like your grandkids, I've got a soft spot for Dylbags.
Collectively, King Gutho & Dylbags gave us around 350 NRL games & 16 NRL seasons. Really, say around 20 plus if you count Dylan’s teenage years. Kudos, thank you, and good luck.
Were they perfect? No. But as I’m neither in the inner sanctum nor married to Gutho or Dylbags, I’ll leave the downsides to what’s already been said. I've largely emotionally moved on and settled down lol.
They got their security with the best offers on the table, and we got Iongi and hungry rookies. Win-Win. Would’ve been nice to see Dylan stay for less and chase his ceiling here, or send Gutho off at Commbank, but you can’t have everything. Overall, it’s a happy ending that opens a world of possibilities.
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