Earlier this year I opened a blog asking for your feedback on how the club can better engage with supporters and provide more for members.
The SGA has continued to meet on a bi-monthly basis to provide feedback and gain clarity on issues from the club.
A key point many raised here was around membership packs and how they're organised.
We had it clarified that the club enters a multi-year deal with a supplier and our current supplier is contracted for the 2026 season. The SGA has put forward a desire for the club to investigate other suppliers for 2027 onwards as there is a preference for a more flexible membership pack. Examples brought forward include other clubs and sports that offer a build your own membership pack that allows supporters to select exactly what goes into their pack to a certain dollar amount based on the level of their membership.
We will be discussing this in our next meeting in August.
There was feedback on this site about member access to the Centre of Excellence. The club is looking at making tours available during the off season but more planning is needed. Tours can't be held in-season due to the presence of football staff and therefore a lack of access to football areas. Expect more to come on this later this year.
We have had discussions about cheerleaders and their contribution to the club in the past. The club did say they would be looking into this later in 2025 and exploring some different options. The club was open to feedback that for some women cheerleading presented a way for them to support the club through their own passion, and was also receptive to the idea that perhaps it was a chance to look at greater involvement of local dance and cheer groups as part of community outreach. We'll be asking for an update at our next meeting.
At our August meeting we will be bringing forward a discussion on the 40th anniversary of the 1986 premiership. Next year is the anniversary. I felt our celebration of the 2021-23 anniversaries was lacking, partly due to COVID. With the club's renewed focus on recognising our past we will want to see a strong recognition of what was accomplished in 1986.
If you have any ideas or feedback you'd like me to bring to the next meeting please comment below or you can send me a message.
Replies
What a mentality PG, your a natural leader of MEN......
PS What will you actually do if we win a premiership....my guess is you will find something to whinge about.
What do you do to enjoy yourself PG.....Come to the nursing home, we have all sorts of fun!
My only query , like I'm sure many others share , would be around recruitment and how we mange to miss out on 99% of the players we chase ?
I guess it'd be good to understand the context of these meetings and what's deemed a suitable question? Are questions asked around team and employee performance , or is it more about what keyring they could add to the Easter show membership bags ?
As an example , can you ask if MON and Ben Rogers are on a contract term similar to a player that gets renewed or if they're simply salaried employees ? I'm also sure everyone would like to know a bit more about the seemingly big hole we have in our cap spend this season ? Even a tiny bit of clarity here I'm sure would give fans some idea of where we are heading.
Good questions, but they are not going to show you their hole.....not even a pic of it
I dunno, MON does like to get his privates out at club events. A couple of Balters and ya never know what he'll show us.
Maybe we could get Carlo in attendance to fluff him up a bit.
Our remit is mainly fan and member engagement along with community outreach. We do get an opportunity to ask about football operations and Mark is there and very open to questions, we just don't have input if that makes sense. For example, we asked about Talagi and Sanders and Mark gave us some insight into how those negotiations went. He also gave us a better understanding of the Gutho and RCG decisions. At our June meeting Jim actually had a football ops presentation for us to go through team performance, areas of focus and some goals Ryles has set over the next few seasons.
We can ask for further clarity around squad make up and how the cap works. I do have my own questions around Lane and Cartwright given they were top 30 but Carty has left and Lane is on a break so do we get that money or not?
One thing I would push back on is the missing 99% of players we chase. Not every player we're reported to be interested in are we actually negotiating with. Aside from Galvin the club has signed virtually all the targets they have approached. And players are only targeted if they're going to suit Ryles' style of play, so I doubt we'll see us chasing some massive middle forwards, but I wouldn't be surprised to see a centre, hooker or back rower.
Hey Super.
just reposting my question here for next time
Does the club ever question the validity of charges or choose to fight them when there is evidence of an unfair bias between teams? Or even question the lack of consistency of calls? Ask for clarification of why one offence is a suspension and during the same game the same offence isnt even charged?
Especially when one week, teams cop a suspension for an offence, yet the following week there isnt a charge for an offending player for the exact same thing? They cant say that it is the refs, the MRC have the benefit of not being in the moment and review specifically citing -
Luai and Brown and contact with Ref (same round)
Tuilagi crusher - suspended Flannagan crusher no charge at all? (Same game)
If the penalty is the same thing, the repercussions should be similar, barring repeated offences, no?
Thank you for the update on the SGA’s efforts to engage with supporters. While I appreciate the focus on membership packs, Centre of Excellence tours, cheerleaders, and the 1986 premiership anniversary, there are burning questions about the club’s on-field performance that demand answers. These issues cut to the core of why Parramatta Eels are languishing, and they deserve urgent attention at your August meeting.
How Long Until We Win a Grand Final?
It’s been 39 years since our last premiership in 1986, the longest drought in the NRL. Fans are starving for success, yet the club seems content with mediocrity. What is the realistic timeline for winning a grand final? We need a clear plan—specific recruitment targets, coaching strategies, and performance benchmarks—not vague promises. The 2022 grand final loss to Penrith (28-12) showed we can get close, but close isn’t enough. What structural changes are in place to ensure we don’t just reach a grand final but actually win one? Fans deserve a concrete answer, not hope.
Why Was Brad Arthur Not Sacked Sooner?
Brad Arthur’s 11-year tenure, ending in May 2024, was a slow-motion disaster. He oversaw a 51.89% win rate and took us to the 2022 grand final, but failed to deliver a premiership, leaving us mired in a 38-year drought. His sacking came after a 3-7 start to 2024 and a humiliating 48-16 loss to Melbourne, which he himself called “embarrassing.” Why did the board wait so long to act when signs of stagnation were clear years earlier—like missing the finals in 2023 or the 2018 wooden spoon? Players loved him, but that loyalty blinded management to his inability to end our drought. The delay in sacking him allowed a culture of complacency to fester, destroying our competitive edge. Who takes responsibility for this catastrophic oversight?
Where Is the Accountability for 40 Years of Failure?
The club’s performance over the last four decades is a disgrace. Since 1986, we’ve reached just three grand finals (2001, 2009, 2022) and won none. The board, management, and past coaches have escaped scrutiny while fans endure endless disappointment. The 2016 salary cap scandal, which cost us 12 points and our Auckland Nines title, was a low point, yet Arthur was praised for “holding the club together.” Holding together a sinking ship isn’t success—it’s survival. Where is the ownership for these failures? The board’s pursuit of Wayne Bennett in 2024, while Arthur was still coach, shows they knew change was needed but lacked the guts to act decisively. We need names, not excuses—who is accountable for this era of underachievement, and what is being done to ensure it never happens again?
These questions aren’t just feedback; they’re a demand for transparency and action. The SGA must push the club to address these at the August meeting. Fans are done with anniversary celebrations and membership perks masking a rotting core. We want a premiership, and we want it now. Please raise these points and report back with real answers.
Thank you for the update on the SGA’s efforts to engage with supporters. While I appreciate the focus on membership packs, Centre of Excellence tours, cheerleaders, and the 1986 premiership anniversary, there are burning questions about the club’s on-field performance that demand answers. These issues cut to the core of why Parramatta Eels are languishing, and they deserve urgent attention at your August meeting.
How Long Until We Win a Grand Final?
It’s been 39 years since our last premiership in 1986, the longest drought in the NRL. Fans are starving for success, yet the club seems content with mediocrity. What is the realistic timeline for winning a grand final? We need a clear plan—specific recruitment targets, coaching strategies, and performance benchmarks—not vague promises. The 2022 grand final loss to Penrith (28-12) showed we can get close, but close isn’t enough. What structural changes are in place to ensure we don’t just reach a grand final but actually win one? Fans deserve a concrete answer, not hope.
Why Was Brad Arthur Not Sacked Sooner?
Brad Arthur’s 11-year tenure, ending in May 2024, was a slow-motion disaster. He oversaw a 51.89% win rate and took us to the 2022 grand final, but failed to deliver a premiership, leaving us mired in a 38-year drought. His sacking came after a 3-7 start to 2024 and a humiliating 48-16 loss to Melbourne, which he himself called “embarrassing.” Why did the board wait so long to act when signs of stagnation were clear years earlier—like missing the finals in 2023 or the 2018 wooden spoon? Players loved him, but that loyalty blinded management to his inability to end our drought. The delay in sacking him allowed a culture of complacency to fester, destroying our competitive edge. Who takes responsibility for this catastrophic oversight?
Where Is the Accountability for 40 Years of Failure?
The club’s performance over the last four decades is a disgrace. Since 1986, we’ve reached just three grand finals (2001, 2009, 2022) and won none. The board, management, and past coaches have escaped scrutiny while fans endure endless disappointment. The 2016 salary cap scandal, which cost us 12 points and our Auckland Nines title, was a low point, yet Arthur was praised for “holding the club together.” Holding together a sinking ship isn’t success—it’s survival. Where is the ownership for these failures? The board’s pursuit of Wayne Bennett in 2024, while Arthur was still coach, shows they knew change was needed but lacked the guts to act decisively. We need names, not excuses—who is accountable for this era of underachievement, and what is being done to ensure it never happens again?
These questions aren’t just feedback; they’re a demand for transparency and action. The SGA must push the club to address these at the August meeting. Fans are done with anniversary celebrations and membership perks masking a rotting core. We want a premiership, and we want it now. Please raise these points and report back with real answers.
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