The deal is done. At first glance, it seems to be a bad idea. Real bad. Weird too. Like we’ve betrayed the Future Is Now mantra and sold out the Parra Badge for a short-term fling with the future Broncos bride walking down the aisle in 2027. How could we help the Broncos? Like they need our help. It almost feels like we’ve been, well, done over. Cuckolded. But then I stopped to think. To consider the idea further. It made sense. Still, the continued fan backlash intrigued me. Some supporters have gone personal, calling Ryles a liar or a con man of sorts. Maybe I shouldn’t be surprised? Social media mob mentality, mixed with forty years of galvanised cynicism with that old loser-victim complex forty-year-title-drought albatross we wear, created the perfect storm. I’ve worn the cynic badge plenty of times. We all have. And it usually ends in muddied swamp lands if not gutter trash. Even TCT and 1EE were Siamese Twins for once: united in a majority vote against the idea.
But that’s only because it hangs on three naughty assumptions.
One, Papali’i is the future, right now.
Two, New faces on short-term deals can’t fight for the badge; sending mixed messages that might compromise culture.
Three, Ryles is the sort of coach who rigidly sticks to treasured fan ideologies set in stone over winning.
The Future is Now, It really Is
Let’s start with Papali’i. He has shown passion and defensive application, no doubt, but he’s still only played four NRL games at six. That’s not exactly “case closed.” If he goes down, or form drops, who’s next? Lorenzo isn’t ready. What happens if Moses goes down? Hawkins did not leave because of Pezet. He left because his path was blocked by Moses, Papali’i, Lorenzo and Lincoln (the future), well before Pezet came into the equation. So Pezet gives us something the spreadsheet currently doesn’t: depth and competition. That aids winning possibilities, not undermines them.
Fighting for The Badge
And this old chestnut about “outsiders not fighting for the badge”? It’s fiction. Passion isn’t linked to postcode or contract tenure. Matto’s long-term. How is that working out? Lane had two years left on his contract before he realised he was burnt out. Meanwhile, the new kids on the block either juniors or developed elsewhere — Iongi, Lomax, Walker, Williams, Fox, Kautoga, Papali’i, Samrani, TDS, Ryley — breathed new life into the joint. Moses, our most important players, was developed at first grade by the Tigers. If we’re only signing players we developed, or naive enough to believe some of our juniors won't leave, we’re on a one-way trip to Spoonsville. Permanently. Players come and go. Ryles’ job isn’t to run a finishing school. It’s to build a squad that performs.
Ryles clearly rates Pezet’s character and competitiveness, saying he "gravitated" towards him, and that matters more than where he did his juniors or where he is going next.
Competition in Pathways
Which brings me to “competition”. Did anyone have an issue when Hawkins was pushing Papali’i for the six? No. Papali’i won that battle. So why the meltdown now that Pezet’s arrived to do the same? That’s sport. It’ll test Papali’i. Maybe sharpen him. Competitive people get jealous. They respond. If you’ve ever played chess, you’ll know you only get better by playing stronger opponents. Papali’i might just pick up a few tricks from Pezet and become our permanent six solution, which is still up for grabs.
Cuckolded
Now, about this so-called "we lost the deal" to the Broncos. The cuckold theory. If it were judged purely on optics, sure, it holds. But Reality Check: we couldn’t offer Pezet the long-term future he wanted.
Pezet wants seven. Ryles knew it. The Club knew it. He wasn’t going to wait four years behind Moses, or Hughes at Melbourne for that matter. It’s why he had that PO get-out clause at the Storm in the first place. What does that tell us about those yelling “good clubs” like the Storm, not losing promising juniors and players through POs or the front office? Ponisini is highly respected.
Now, also go back to the point about post-code and the imports developed elswhere. Before we get too hung up on this idea we're helping the Broncos, let's face reality: NRL talent developed is recycled throughout. Storm's development, far more than ours, will benefit us for a year and Broncos longer, assuming Pezet lives up to the hype.
Long-term vs Short-term: which camp?
As for Ryles, I used to wonder which camp he’d fall into when backed into a corner: the culture-first, long-term ideology guy, or the winning pragmatist?
Turns out he’s gone the way that keeps head coaches as in the game: the winning way. Sure, he wants to rebuild the Parra culture with Parra people who fight for the badge. But he's also got to build a squad, right now, that has the most potential to win right now. And sure, there are a few holes to sort out, like the long-term six.
And honestly? Thank God. Ideologues don’t last in first grade. He will be judged on wins, not how the pathways might look in ten years or how Pezet might be temporarily on the nose for some. We have others working full-time on that. He can’t juggle both simultaneously nor please everyone. Not really. If the first-grade team wins a spoon next two years? Bennett said it best in the documentary The Rise of the Dolphins: “I’m in the performance business.”
So no, signing Pezet isn’t a betrayal. Sure, Pezet could flop and be the next Brody Croft and struggle. Time will tell. But either way, it’s a reminder that the badge is earned, not inherited. Depth isn’t betrayal. It’s survival of the fittest. Adapting. And if a few temporary outsiders help us climb further, I’m all for it.
Fox: Ryles on Pezet: A Win-Win All Round
Who could forget the start of the season when we lost five on the trot? Ryles was criticised and people questioned his 'rebuild' for going too far, and for letting go of Gutho, RCG, and what was happening with the likes of Matto and Carty.
Optical illusions: Which square is darker, one or two? If you're "sure" it's one, you're not alone. That's what I thought when I first looked at it. But reality, the truth, tells a different story.
Replies
Haha Will would have to do a lot right this season.... But, its too late Frankie, i've just glued Isaiah's face over Dylans on the poster above my bed.
I bet you didn't need any Clag ....
I called time on Gutho every year since he fucked us around with his contract and million dollar demands which was mid 2021. He left in 2024.
Go back and have a look , I claimed his antics would create a negitive culture with negotiations and contracts , which it did. Other than 2022 , he was mostly shit. A few highlight try saves here and there , and a bunch of dumb pressure cooker manufacturing errors at the wrong time either side of his highlights. Myself a a few others were bang on about Gutherson. We kept him at minimum 2 seasons too long.
Phuleese , Ryles admired Dyldo so much he sat him in the stands . He didn't budge one dollar when Brown requested a pay rise , long before Newcastle came into the picture.
Oh ..l been good ta !
Your fuckwit Wiz, a wizard of lies. They made a movie about you.....you have no objectivity in your critiques, just blinded by the poison that surrounds your intellect.
We are understand your intelligence and your wit....but unfortunately it bends more to the fuckwit than anything clever.
NOS is exactly right in exclaiming what the coach did as right....your hide to say he fucked them off is about as inaccurate as the other garbage you ply.
I really find it difficult to accept someone with your intellect can be such a mean spirited bastard.
It just so happens that DB's performance this season completed was totally unacceptable at times (most of the time). I think JR was exiremely kind in not dropping him outright. in saying this as a critique I do believe he was burn't out by the gut busting season in 2024 and the final nail of the ACL tear.
Just to repeat Brown and Guth were not "fucked off" they left of their own accord and the blessings of everybody, an accolade for Jason Ryles again in his leadership.
I hope with a full rest he does well as newcastle, although I suspect they have made a monumental mistake in employing him as a play maker but time will tell.
Gutho continues to bust his guts and it is so typical of you in criticising him as a non leader whereas just about everybody outside of the 1EE myopic haters group ......sees him as a wonderful leader. You take exception to him haggling over contracts, but anybody else that does the same are politiely ignored. Your obsessions of hatred with players is not healthy Wizard, try and do something to curb your sociopathy!
I'm pretty much in complete disagreement with this entire blog. I don't see any worthwhile outcome in pezet coming to the eels. From a club perspective, there's no good outcome in this signing.
I agree 100% Adam.
This benifits Pezet and the Broncos.
I think some people are that starved of success that they believe Ryles can do no wrong.
Pezet is a halfback, not a 5/8.
The Storm knew this which is why Wishart covered for Munster and Pezet didn't.
Pezet gets to learn from Moses for a year before taking that knowledge to his real club.
Pezet isn't playing for the club.
Pezet isn't playing for the fans.
Pezet isn't playing for the Eels emblem.
Pezet is playing for tuition from Moses and for first grade experience to take to his real new club the Brisbane Broncos.
Adam/ BEM,
Totally understandable, gentlemen. The majority of Eels fans feel the same: against the idea.
All R&R decisions are calculated risks. Between the Storm, Parra or Broncos there will either be one winner or two. In hindsight.
The Blame Games will occur then too.
AS has been said before many times, the benefit is that we get an NRL-ready backup half if a first choice half goes down. Throw in Volkman, and that makes 2 backups. Not sure what other options we had to be honest. Throw in a 19 year old who isn't ready for NRL and risk damaging his career? I would be much more upset if the club did that.
I'm not buying it, sure there is the potential short term benefit to the eels if pezet lives up to the hype ( many haven't) and helps guide the eels to the finals.
But what comes after that? The broncos will be getting a half-back with a full season in first grade playing alongside one of the games best 7's, the eels will he going forward with either a 6 with very little first grade experience and very little experience as a 6 in joash or they will be throwing a young player with no experience in first grade into the deep end and hoping to improve on the 2026 season. Seems like a lot of hoping in that plan.
Enjoy what success the eels have in 2026 because 2027 might be another season we slip.
Cuckolds convince themselves watching another man pleasure their wife is good because she is moaning in ecstasy, a goal he can't achieve.
It's done now just have to make it work to our advantage as best we can.
It'll be interesting once all these internationals are concluded to see what other player movements are happening.
There's a lot of activity in clubland I reckon there'll be a few surprises in the transfer market.
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