Team first: Who put their money where their mouth was

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.

You need to be a member of 1Eyed Eel to add comments!

Join 1Eyed Eel

Votes: 0
Email me when people reply –

Replies

  • Im always going to have a level of respect for Gutho cause he helped drag the club out of the cellars. He was a good leader for the club in his time here but Ryles made the call to go young instead of stick with the older players. I'm sure if Ryles wanted to extend gutho deal he'd play any spot on the park but it was just best for both parties to split. 

  • Gutherson is naturally a person who won't quit no matter what the situation .  But as a clubman, especially off feild,  I've said for ages that he didn't give two stuffs about the club, and did everything to make sure he sucked every cent available, no matter because when it came to money, he absolutely treated Parramatta like we meant nothing to him

    I was very glad to see the back off Gutherson, and judging by his family's theatrics in burning all his Parramatta gear, selfishness obviously passed down a generation 

    If it wasn't for Gutherson the leader's theatrics in putting himself before the club, i don't think the Matterson situation would have happened.   Like Ryles said the culture needed to change,  and it started with the head of Gutherson 

    • he has every right to get as much coin possible

      • Yes, but  not by going to the media and demanding what he should be paid.  And also his management calling our club an embarrassment in order to create more media pressure and a better money outcome for his client.

        Fuck that.  For mine,  as a captain, he single handedly destroyed the club's culture.  

        This is why he was one of the first to be fckd off by Ryles 

        • And for taking so long and bragging it out for as long as he could 

      • He does have every right Adnan, just as we have every right to hate on him for it....Randette has every right to leave me and seek a better gig elsewhere, but if she did i would be v.annoyed and the spite would flow.

        Everyone has rights. It's about how you exercise them

         

This reply was deleted.

More stuff to read

Poupou Escobar replied to Cʜɪᴇғy Mclovin 🐐's discussion Issac Jim - 198cm 120kgs set to make NSW cup debut
"No they don't Mick. EA had the right of it. Jim was selected on the NSW Cup bench with the intent to play minimal (in this case zero) minutes, because they had to pick 17 players and they didn't want to weaken the Flegg team."
1 hour ago
Poupou Escobar replied to Cʜɪᴇғy Mclovin 🐐's discussion Issac Jim - 198cm 120kgs set to make NSW cup debut
"Well predicted. Jim played zero minutes."
1 hour ago
Michael W. replied to Yeah Man's discussion Sign Pezet Asap
"We would be no different to the dogs and Galvin if we chase Pezet. Galvin is a 5/8, trying to turn him into a 7. Pezet is a 7, and everyone wants to turn him into a 6."
10 hours ago
Gaz Nelson replied to LB's discussion Reflection blog
"Keep it coming LB, for mine this site would have struggled through some of the off seasons in recent years without you. I'm not a big fan of long blogs, you seem to have the balance right these days. With offseason on us, I'd  like to hear more…"
13 hours ago
More…