Under Jason Ryles, the club has been clearing the decks at breakneck speed.
Of the 31 players that pulled on the Blue and Gold in 2024, only 14 remain contracted for 2026.
Since then, the Eels have debuted 15 players.
Given the turnover, there has been a belief that the Eels have a massive war chest at their disposal for further signings.
But is that truly the case?
Despite releasing Bryce Cartwright and Joe Ofahengaue this season, with Dylan Brown set to depart in 2026, their positions have already been filled.
Tallyn Da Silva, Kitione Kautoga, Dylan Walker and Ryley Smith have all either been recruited or promoted to the NRL squad.
Jack de Belin has been signed for the 2026 season.
Meanwhile, Shaun Lane has sat out most of the season and it's unknown if he'll return to the NRL. Ryan Matterson has been loaned to Warrington, however he will need to find a club for 2026 otherwise he'll remain on Parramatta's cap next year.
Speculation remains over the futures of Wiremu Greig, Brendan Hands and Joey Lussick. With the rise of Smith and recruitment of Da Silva, the Eels are expected to release one of Hands or Lussick.
Of the 32 players so far used this season, 28 of them remain contracted for next season.
As stated in the NRL salary cap rules, we have to spend 97.5% of the cap every season. It's unclear how Shaun Lane's situation and the loaning of Matterson feeds into this. The NRL generally provides cap relief for long term injuries, but it's unclear regarding time out of the game for mental health reasons. With Matterson departing to Super League, it's also not clear if that decision was due to a current salary cap crunch the club is facing due to volume of players used this season, or if this was simply an opportunity to get Matterson in the shop window for 2026.
The only big money player departing the Eels for sure in 2026 is Dylan Brown. Mitchell Moses, Junior Paulo, Ryan Matterson and Zac Lomax remain contracted.
Recruitment and extension of Dylan Walker, Tallyn Da Silva, JDB and Josh Addo-Carr has likely wiped out any savings there.
The upgrades and extensions of Jordan Samrani, Kitione Kautoga, Joash Papalii, Will Penisini and Ronald Volkman and Ryley Smith likely chews up another section of the cap.
To add to this was the extension of Mitchell Moses at the start of the year.
Given the Eels are close to 30 contracted players for 2026, it's unlikely they have much cap space left beyond the final couple of NRL spots.
Release of any of players such as Lussick, Hands or Greig is unlikely to furnish much more in the way of cap space and their funds would likely go towards retaining and extending juniors.
The release of Matterson may be the only way the Eels have further funds for 2026 to aggressively enter the player market.
But the age of the squad adds a spanner to the works. It's likely many of these players recently signed or extended will have ratcheting clauses in their contracts as they advance into their NRL careers, so money will need to be available to furnish those clauses.
Given all the above, could the Eels really have the funds to enter the player market for 2026?
Replies
Well Lane and Matto frees up roughly $1mil extra. Plus, not saying it is happening just rumoured, if Paulo retires there is another mil. Plus, always a chance that current players could also move on, just as they are contracted could still move on.
The idiots responsible for this must be sacked immediately.
The release of Matterson will be peanuts given we will need to chip in a large chunk to get someone else to take him at his exorbitant salary.
We will be not winning anything yet again next season.
Some people did make out we have like millions, but I think we do have about 1m in cap space free. Maybe more like 700-800.
But if Lane and Matterson leave, then that shoots o almost 2 million. And Paulo is unlikely to play in 2027. So add another 1 mil almost for that season but extensions might eat some of that up.
We have money for 1 big name and 1 medium sized name. That is for sure IMO. Which is all we need. A big name forward and medium sized back.
Tino and Averillo, say.
Tino is not going to happen, forget about that....Doehi will be the biggest payment, if we can get him.
If thats all there is I want to see a spreadsheet of the likely 30/28 or what ever to get a handle on this.
I am not convinced your sums are right Super....untill I see those spreadsheets can be analysed.
PS i have suspicions we have front load some of next year!
Yeah the names don't matter. I'd be more than happy getting a 600K prop and a 400K back and use the rest to give contracts to juniors.
I'd love Douehi. He can be long term Walker replacement.
While everyone is different, I think Ryles' appraoch to forwards is very Bellamy at Melbourne. Bellamy rarely got the big money alpha there in the props, the closest is Utoikumano this year. At least based on last 10 years say.
I also don't see us getting a Tino or Haas unless Paulo leaves or retires.
Yep sums are way off, Gutho and RCG gone before the season started.
Offa gone early, Lane on his break , Cartwright and now Matto off to England that's well over $2 million there.
Replacing them with Walker and Da Silva well into the contracted year and promoting within.
As you say Poppa , Moses and Paulo would have been front ended this year then Browns money opens up for 26.
Theres a shit load there even if you upgrade some contracts .
But how? With Brown, Ofahengaue, Lane, Greig, Lussick and now Matterson you are going to have a lot of money. Yes we have made some re-signings but only player that was added to top 30 for 2026 from the extensions was Smith, other than that the rest are just extended a further year. Maybe they did get a little extra but not enough to take up a lot of money. Plus Moses, if reports are true is taking up an extra $100k.
I just don't see us only having $200-300k left unless we are giving guys like Volkman $150-200k extra.
Penisini may have gotten more money from his option, Tuivaiti would have been the one to get a big upgrade.
Everyone talks about forwards win matches, the backs by how much, but at what point do the Eels stop pretending their current centres are going to take the team forward? Why isn't their more talk of the need for a strike centre? They picked up Lomax and left him on the wing.
I think it is a fair talking point you make. I still rate Penisni, but no doubt he has not lived up to it yet.
Russell is a good 6th choice back, and Simonsson could be a strike player but injuries have killed him a bit.
I'd happily target Farnowrth or someone like that for 2027 for example if no junior rises up.
You would happily to target Farnsworth, you and the other 17 teams and the new ones, throw in ESL and rugby union.
You do know he is a pom don't you?
If Ruseell is 6th choice, why is he second choice in todays team....hmmm !
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