There's a growing segment of historians who demonstrate that empires do not rise and fall through a single, decisive event.
Instead small, incremental, sometimes unnoticeable changes are made until the result has already occurred.
The challenge for Jason Ryles lies in changing not just Parramatta’s personnel, but their attacking and defensive styles.
A change that is being made incrementally instead of all at once.
For so long under the Brad Arthur regime, the focus was on sending large bodies through the middle to lay the platform before spinning it wide.
That method now lies outdated as the smaller, more mobile forward we once saw in the early 2000s are preferred.
Penrith built their 4 time premiership pack around suffocating defence and a forward pack built for speed and intensity, rather than pure brute force.
Bookends James Fisher-Harris and Moses Leota both weigh less than 110kg with JFH starting his career as a lock, while the 13 in Isaah Yeo made the transition from outside back and the edge into the middle as a ball player.
They were rolling with this middle, while the Eels carried heavyweight props in Reagan Campbell-Gillard and Junior Paulo. Effective when having the ball, but too heavy to handle when possession tipped against them.
So far Jason Ryles has clearly demonstrated a focus on a more mobile forward pack. Paulo has dropped weight, Jack Williams has shifted into the front row, while the likes of Luca Moretti and Matt Doorey have been part of the middle rotation when fit.
Perhaps most telling has been the recruitment and immediate impact of Dylan Walker.
The former centre and five-eighth has become key cog coming off the bench where his versatility and skill allow the Eels to go at the edges in attack.
Walker tips the scales at around 100kg, the same as former Eels lock Daniel Wagon.
In many ways, the game is heading towards the style once spearheaded by Brian Smith.
Unfortunately for Jason Ryles he will not have 4 internationals fall into his lap courtesy of the Super League War to try and drive home his changes.
As the weeks have gone in the 2025 season, Parramatta has gradually shown more confidence in their ball movement.
The return of Mitchell Moses and the recruitment of Dylan Walker have been key factors here. Once Walker enters the fray, the Eels seem to attack more towards the edges with Junior Paulo popping up wider where his size and footwork create more headaches for defenders.
Looking at the backline and Isaiah Iongi has shown that he was more than ready for NRL football following his recruitment last year.
The speed, agility and underrated ball playing of the fullback has slotted into an Eels backline that was crying out for a more creative custodian last year.
While Clint Gutherson was everything and more for the Eels throughout his tenure, by the end his lack of speed was glaringly obvious and a key issue for a very slow backline.
Combined with the recruitments of Josh Addo-Carr and Zac Lomax, Parramatta is starting to craft a powerful and speedy backline.
Yet to fully realise their full strength back 5, it’s clear what Ryles prefers. And that’s either a speedy back, or a powerful one.
Like many of their more fancied opponents, Parramatta is looking to their back 5 to take on more of their metre-eating workload than they did under Brad Arthur.
Lomax and Bailey Simonsson have led this change with their combination of size and strength allowing them to win first contact. It’s a shame neither have managed to really be on the field together with Sean Russell continuing to feature in first grade.
That being said, Russell, JAC and Will Penisini haven’t shied away from their workload.
What is clear though, is the change underway for the Eels.
What they could do with though is an emergence of a Nathan Hindmarsh-like backrower on an edge and a powerful bench prop capable of flipping the momentum after the 20th minute. Sam Tuivaiti was starting to show that ability until his injury.
The Eels are far from the finished product and there is unlikely to be a game where it all “clicks”.
But the Ryles era continues marching on as it looks to rebuild from the ashes of 2024.
Replies
Well probably why we are getting the money earlier to spend. Thankfully the 2 clubs (PNG apparently could be post poned til 2029) are a hard sell.
27 is the year Parra will do something if they do.
By then the style of play will be solidified we should also see a few more pathways candidates make there way into FG if we are doing our jobs correctly with regards to development.
But I do agree recruitment is going to be difficult because of expansion and some will say there's talent out there but it's a toss the coin type talent the sure things are locked up.
This is why pathways are so very important especially in the next few years.
Why do you think we have a warchest LB?
It was all JR's doing. It was by design, not fluke. He has cleaned house in record time. That alone is a massive achievement. We as suffering fans always want things fast tracked for success, I don't know what you or others were expecting in his first year? He is trying to reshape the salary cap, off-load and sign new players and the big one.... changing the decade long bad culture, standards and poor coaching from his predecessor.
We are improving, we have salary cap freed up, we have had a terrible run of injuries and setbacks. For a first year coach who inherited this mess he is ticking all the right boxes for me.
BA was given a decade with multiple rebuilds, let JR have one before he is hung out to dry.
Yes i know he did it, as i mentioned in my post he created it and instead of just letting the players deals run out and build the team slowly he got a head start and got his warchest a year earlier. I also said with warchests come expectations and that can be his undoing.
I am not sure where you think, if this is what you are saying, that i am knocking Ryles as i have not ever really i am backing him. Just saying he has chosen to get his own team quicker by sweeping the broom in year 1 where other coaches start in year 2. But it is a risk as it puts the pressure on him to succeed based on him eliminating excuses of had no cap, hasn't got his own team, has ageing players, is bringing juniors through. All those get eliminated with a warchest in year 2 and spending it to 90%
LB , you miss the point of this blog completely. It has nothing to do with money and signings, it has all to do with what Ryles has had to work with and the improvements in attack and defence which we've seen of late.
Against the heavy hitting Sharks we were right in it, and again against the Dogs. The Dolphins can score from any position yet we matched them 3 tries all. 2 of our spine have a dozen games between them. Mate, you need to calm down, and all the sacking by 2027 talk by others is just panic talk.
The expectation talk because he let certain players go is total nonsense
I'd like to know which player he let go which some of the knockers would have kept, and i understand you are supporting Ryles
Add to that beating the Tigers with 11 men
Chief you getting defensive over Ryles. I am supportive of him. I understand that blog, but was mentioning the most important step for him moving forward. I am all for him moving this players on, did you not see me comment about how Gutho and RCG losses weren't that big of a deal?
I am simply saying, he needs and will sign players but it is going to be a test of him as a coach and roster builder. He is doing it earlier than expected let's hope he does it.
It's not expectation of players he let go, expectation of who he signs. I think a lot of people here will understand him moving on the players he has, when losing it gives them ammo to blame it on that. But majority will say we needed to get younger. It's who he signs with the money where the expectation comes in.
Plus the talk of sacking I am just saying if he gets a some decent names in 2026 and we don't improve rapidly, he will be on hot seat whether we think he should be or not. Thats why I am saying it's a massive risk what he is doing so quick but good on him for doing it.
You seem to be riding me a lot lately and yet I am a Ryles defender. But I also see it in realistic point to if something can be defining for him. Please do not tell me to calm down, if anything Chief I feel you are getting a little to defensive if anyone slightly knocks Ryles. That's fine but I was just stating thw risk and reward of his plan. Let's be fair here, if BA had a war chest and signed decent players and we missed the 8 most here would call for him to be sacked just saying and i was calling for BA to get sacked.
Good blog, Super. Bert, very well said.
As long as the club stays internally aligned and is repairing relationships damaged by our dysfunctional past, I'll have hope in this new era.
I still feel R&R over the next year or so, especially in the pack and six, could prove critical.
PS: It took the Dogs with Gus four (4) years to rebuild the squad and its attitude and get into the finals (2024). Five (5) years (2025) to get consistency and be where they are now. And that's with the wiliest and most connected individual in the game with fifty years of networking and loads of sugar daddy help to rort the cap. We're in our first year.
Great post, Bert. It's great to see you back a bit more often.
HOE (and anyone interested), not sure if you listen to the SC Playbook Podcast at all? They had Adam Driussi (Bulldogs Chariman) on the Podcast this week and it was really interesting hearing him talk about the turnaround at the Dogs.
Definitely worth a listen.
Summary from what I can remember:
- The Bulldogs wanted to be top four at everything, so they looked at every single detail - team, medical, strength & conditioning, coaching, staff, every aspect they looked to improve on.
- There wasn’t one thing that turned them around, not one team session, pact, moto or anything else. It was the ensemble of every .5% / 1% improvement across every single aspect at the club. Everything changed, everything improved.
- They invested heavily in pathways & coaching across all grades, not just first grade, and Gus is meticulous & works his ass off, as does Ciraldo who is a ‘very good coach’.
- Adam mentioned players used to turn up in Murrays busses to games, Ciraldo budgeted for the busses to get Bulldogs logos attached, to feel & look more professional on arrival. A small thing, but its just details focused, everything was looked at.
- Bulldogs targeted certain personalities - Players who are team players, that other players want to play with, players who work their asses off on & off the field, effort players, and players that enjoy being together (camaraderie).
- Stephen Crichton. Apparently has been huge for them. They knew early on he would be captain by the way he addressed the group, his professionalism & character.
- One story he gave about Crichton was after the Dogs were flogged by Brissy, Adam, Crichton & a few others were up to 1am just having drinks at the hotel, and when they decided it was time to call it, Crichton got up and started cleaning the room. Again, sounds like a small thing, but, this is a very well paid 24 year old ’superstar' footballer, yet, he took it on himself to clean (without thinking) and not leave the room messy for housekeeping. It just speaks of character, imo.
I know we are supposed to hate the Dogs, but you cant help but admire what they have & are achieving.
Which is why we need to back Ryles who is, like Ciraldo, looking at every aspect of the Eels, not just the line up, & that will take time.
We question his selections, but, he had months watching the Eels in 2024 meticulously before starting working at Parra, and he clearly found certain issues that may not make sense to us, that he is unwilling to accept moving on regardless of results.
Ryles has a team right now that is probably 2-3 million under the salary cap, and we are showing connectivity & grit defensively that we’ve not seen in years, and we are seeing attacking shapes & plays (and from within our own end) that again, we haven’t seen in years.
Its a hard watch, its hard being patient (again), but once Ryles can build a team with the talent & personalities that he is after, these lessons, these details, drilled in on & off the field from these times, could change everything.
Ryles is following a similar blue print to the Dogs, and the evidence speaks for itself. It may not work without Gus, but, it might?
Unfortunately, we won't get near top 4 in anything until our GM of Football is punted and replaced by someone who actually knows what they are doing, and not off on some PR charity crusade every other month. I'm still asking myself what MON has actually achieved in his entire time at the club that makes him indispensible??
Have felt similar about MoN, but maybe there is a lot we just aren't seeing? I don't know, its hard to see what that could be when there are such blatant holes in the roster that seemed preventable.
However he has survived, surely this is the last stand now with all this cap space?
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