* 6 man bench will be implemented from R1 2026
* Any of the 6 players can play at anytime.
* maximum 8 interchanges
* Although any of the 6 can.be called upon, only 4 of the 6 will play unless there's hia issues.
I think this will advantage a club like Parramatta as we have good depth especially in the forwards.
The bench will cover for injuries, and teams will now carry outside backs on the bench. The times where teams would have to throw a second rower in the centres will be history,
The concern will.be how much.game time will some players receive. Players like Joash Papalii may not get much game time in reserve grade as he may now become a specialist bench player who can play multiple positions.
My bench would be
14. Walker
15 Moretti
16 Tuivaiti
17. Da Silva
18. Joash
19. Russell
Replies
Also suits our forwards who can play longer minutes. Hopgood JDB Paulo Williams can all play heavy middle minutes. Ryles building his pack with that in mind
Most likely bench for Eels has been TDS. Walker, a 2nd rower and a prop.
Now Papalii and an outside back/utility like Samrani might be 18 & 19?
Yeah it will vary, Joash would be 18 most of the time and likes of Simonsson at 19 or Samrani or unless we have one Hooker might name another as 19 with 4 forwards and Joash.
I just wonder how it works with the likes of Joash every week, he will miss some NSW Cup game time you would think. Is that key? Plus if we decide to play him in Cup for some minutes but that will be the week we need him most.
NRL
NSW Cup
In NSW Cup I would refrain from putting promising players like Lokeni and Funa-iuta if they will only be 18/19th man. So they can just play JF.
This is the thing EA, bit awkward if Ryles says to say Funa-Iuta "Hey mate, you might be making your debut this week" haha. Are we all assuming that the norm is 14-17 are the main players and 18-19 are emergencies or tactical?
Like the 17th player usually gets limited minutes anyway, so maybe Joash hanging there and adding speed around the middle of a tired defence could really work in our favour and for a game Ryles may sit Guymer or Tuivaiti and they back-up in Cup if they play the next day or two.
Haha. Got to tell players familys to keep attending games till they are actually needed off the bench lol. Plus jersey presentation how do you plan that lol? Cause their eels number may not be right by the time they make theri actual debut lol.
I think our forwards depth is so great that we will have the opportunity to rotate our forwards between NSW Cup and NRL extended bench without much drop of in performances. Like right now, it is fair to say Doorey, Tuivita & Guymer deserve to be on the NRL bench not NSW Cup like I have listed them.
However, I feel if we want give someone like Papalii or Russel game time in nsw cup, the players we would put on the extended bench to replace would cause a drop in performance if they were required to come on the field. A lot will depend how many times we have NSW cup games after the NRL game.
It is a very interesting balance to get right between rotating squad (giving players gametime) and not hindering development. I got no idea what the correct answer is.
Agree with your thinking EA, I would like to see a squad picked of players that will more than likely play First Grade during the course of the year, that would exclude players who are only marginal FGraders at this stage.
It is important they feel part of the "first"team going forward, specifically this means Guymer, Doorey,Moretti, Taiviti,Taulagi and Kautoga.....of those 6 all are worthy (whilst that excludes some like Mataele and and any boderline backs). Walk on forwards, even if they don't start are Paulo, Hopgood, Williams, JDB and Smith and TDS as one and Walker. Backs that will play are Joash, Simmo and Russell with only one of them plus Joash in any 19.
Probably only 3/4 of those forwards will be in the 19 but they all need to belong as well as the missing out back.
Injuries change this but Moses and Pezet as starters are covered, centres are covered by the utility value of 3 of our 4 three quarters and Illongi can be replaced by anyone, starting at Joash and ranging with Simmo and Russell have full back experience and even JAC would not be out of place there.
Tricky isn't it and yes we have fantastic depth (backs excluded), but of those forwards mentioned I would hate to lose any of them but it will be defining for Doorey, Moretti, Guymer and even Taulagi in circumstances we don't want to see.
Revolving some players may even eventuate assuming that we are not stricken with injury.
We also have potentially Paulo and JDB in the last 2 years of their playing, but who know's in that regard, they may still be there in 3 years time if they can stand up against the kids.
This is real task for the coaching staff, my only fear is that all this forward power presents as the most even I have seen at Parramatta in recent memory, my one proviso is yes they are even, but does that or is that enough to be better than the opposition.....there is no Ray Price, Cameron Smith or Payne Haas or super player in that pack that can drive them to a dominance, only them perfectly acting as a completely synchronised unit....Let's hope so as the backs are only ever going to be as good as the platform created by our "pigs".
Well backs and most halves would start so they know they are actually debuting.
But that is the thing, most of our cup games are before NRL. Can be good or bad. I am surprised RLPA agreed to this where what if a team like Cronulla, who play an 80min Hooker, have Berrell back-up from Cup on the bench playing 80mins and has to play another 70-75mins in NRL if Brailey goes down early?
Maybe it is a case of one week we have Papali'i and say Tago, Then the next week have Russell and Volkman or something so there are mins in lower grades but you are not naming your best for 18 and 19.
Every week i believe Ryles would name his best option at 18. Now the opinion would be what is the difference between Joash sitting on the bench as 18th man last year. He was not expected to play and the process to have him play was much harder. If Ryles feels the need to use him in someway and can just put him on he will.
You state you'd put Papalii at 6 in Cup if he can back up (which I am neither for or against) but how will Talatiani develop into our 6 if he isn't playing there?
Surely the club has to play him at 6 in cup on a regular basis to gauge how he fits in from 2027 on.
If Papalii returns to cup, I would move Lorenzo to 14 in cup. However, I assume most games Lorenzo would start at 6 because Papalii will be on the NRL extended bench and therefore unable to feature in cup.
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