There is an element of mystery to our 2017 Holden Cup squad with Luke Burt and the club keeping their cards very close to their chest as far as the extended squad is concerned. Fortunately, I have a slight advantage in having followed the progressions of most of the squad over the last few years!

After turning over a number of their senior players from 2016, the Eels will be fielding a quite a young squad this year. Usually that would indicate a down year for nearly any club in the Holden Cup, where the difference between 20-year-olds, 19-year-olds and 18-year-olds can provide a heavy impact to your placement on the ladder. In the case of the 2017 Parramatta Eels however, I am actually relatively optimistic that they can mount a serious push for the post-season.

The Eels have of course augmented their Holden Cup Squad with a number of external signings but until we have official confirmation of precisely who has joined the club for 2017 we will instead focus on the returning and promoted talent already at the club.

Outside Backs

Anthony Layoun (Fullback/Utility) – Layoun is has struggled for game time in the Holden Cup purely because a string of bad luck with injuries. Primarily a fullback, Layoun has played at wing and centre for the Eels in the NYC while also spending time at five-eighth in the Ron Massey Cup. Now entering his senior year in the competition, Layoun is expected to feature heavily in the backline for the Eels and is in prime contention to assume the custodial duties.

John Fonua (Fullback/Wing) – Fonua is one of several SG Ball eligible players that will form the young nucleus of the squad in 2017. An extremely well-balanced player, particularly at fullback, perhaps the ‘jack-of-all-trades’ moniker is apt for Fonua. Equally at home at running the ball or chiming in on either edge, Fonua simply does everything extremely cleanly – even if he doesn’t jump out as brilliant in any one particular field. Given his youth his ceiling in honestly intriguing. One to monitor.

Dane Aukafolau (Centre/Wing) – Easily one of the most impressive physical specimens in our Holden Cup backline, Aukafolau is set to make a massive leap forwards in 2017 after spending a full pre-season with the first-grade squad. Whereas most athletically superior outside backs in the NYC build a name for the explosive ability in offence, it is his potential in defence that has earned him plaudits from those that matter. Given how aggressive the club has been in prioritising development over results it would not surprise me in the least to see Aukafolau spend considerable time in the Intrust Super Premiership (ISP) this year.

Tui Afualo (Centre/Half) – Bold words incoming. There are few players as enjoyable to watch across any club as young Afualo. Another one of our SG Ball eligible players, the only thing stopping Tui from being a 4-year tenured NYC player is an eventual promotion to ISP or beyond. I can see him drawing comparisons to NRL wrecking balls Konrad Hurrell and Solomone Kata in the near future but there is an understated elegance to his brutality that may let him surpass either. One area Afualo will be looking to improve on is his ability to read the game in defence. Willingness is far from the problem as Afualo is one of the most enthusiastic (and hardest hitting) defenders I know of but he will need to pick and choose him moments on the edges better in 2017.

Ethan Parry (Wing/Centre) – At this point it is becoming increasingly clear that the Eels have a pretty handy backline at their disposal this year. Yet another SG Ball eligible talent, Parry possesses elite measurables and is a heck of a footy player to boot. His 2016 campaign was derailed by a nasty leg injury and it has taken until the weekend only just past for him to make a full return to the game. Equally effective at wing or centre, just which position he ends up calling home will be one of the interesting story lines in 2017.

Noel Aukafolau (Centre) – The younger brother of Dane Aukafolau and would you know it? Another SG Ball eligible player. It is a real theme of our Holden Cup squad this year. Noel isn’t quite the same athletic prospect as his big brother but he doesn’t lack for size by any means. Surprisingly powerful through contact and tidy otherwise, Noel is the sort of back that will rarely let you down.

Haze Dunster (Wing) – Another winger who possesses ideal length and athleticism for the flank, Dunster’s big advantage in the backline logjam is his speciality as a winger. Like N.Aukafolau, Parry, Afualo and Fonua – Dunster is also SG Ball eligible. We will find out in two weeks’ time just how the Holden Cup backline will shape up when the Round 1 SG Ball team is named.

Halves & Hookers

Troy Dargan (Half) – 2016 was an interesting year for Dargan. His play through the first three-quarters of the season deservedly earned him plaudits and ultimately a spot in the Holden Cup Team of the Year but a late season lapse in form culminated in the Eels crashing out of Week 1 of the finals. Dargan had his share of woes in defence and his aggressive play-style in attack backfired at times in that home stretch last year but he has rebounded positively this pre-season.

Entering his final season in the Holden Cup, Dargan will be looking to elevate his game through greater consistency of play. Like Dane Aukafolau, I would not be shocked if he got a healthy run in the ISP. One of the key members of the squad without a doubt.

Dean Matterson (Half) – One of the quiet improvers in 2016, Dean Matterson really came on in both temperament and play-style last year. While the younger brother of ex-Eel Ryan Matterson doesn’t share the same freakish build of his big brother, he is still well built for a half and takes on the line well. Matterson played nicely off Dargan last year and gave him a reliable foil to work with. Look for their partnership to flourish in 2017 with Matterson perhaps taking on a greater responsibility.

Michael Doolan (Half/Fullback) – Doolan had his position in the halves usurped by Matterson in 2016 and faces an uphill battle to wrest it back into his grasp this year. There is little denying his talent, backed by an ideal frame to excel and even dominate games with, but Doolan has failed to establish himself as a consistent force in the Holden Cup to date. Talent obviously isn’t a question with Doolan but does he have the drive to force his way back in?

Denzal Tonise (Hooker/Lock) – One of the returning mainstays for the Eels, Denzal Tonise is a fascinating extension of the hybrid hooker/lock position we have seen in the NRL in recent times. Tonise is a high motor player with the ability to lay the wood in defence while providing clean service from dummy half. Perhaps one criticism of his play at hooker is a lack of a running game but given how heavily the team has leaned on him in that hybrid role it can be excused. A senior player and one of the true leaders of the team, expect a big campaign from Tonise in 2017.

Reed Mahoney (Hooker) – Mahoney joined the Eels as a mid-season acquisition in 2016. If Tonise is the hammer that bludgeons the opposition, Reed is the dagger from the bench – cutting our opponents up with incisive darts around the ruck. Look for Mahoney’s role to expand this year, which is to be expected given his lack of a pre-season with the team last year.

Forwards

Steve Dresler (Prop) – Dresler was a blockbusting tour de force in the 2016 SG Ball. His ability to offload and the threat he presented in the red zone made him a nightmare matchup in the ruck for every team the Eels played. His late-season transition to the Holden Cup wasn’t seamless though and he ended up playing a handful of games from the bench where he didn’t quite have the same impact. Props are one of the biggest beneficiaries between seasons in the Holden Cup and I am of the thinking that Dresler will be hungry to hit the ground running in Round 1.

Frank Salu (Prop) – Salu is one of the real project players in our system. He earned a call up to the Holden Cup team in 2016 during the latter parts of the season but if he has pieced it all together in the pre-season, 2017 could be a legitimate break out year for him.  Salu possesses the prototypical size of a modern prop and is powerful even for his robust frame.

Filia Utoikamanu (EDGE) – The first of our SG Ball eligible forwards, Filia Utoikamanu is a veritable powerhouse on the edge. The young backrower is a hardnosed line-runner that often requires a committee of tacklers to bring him down. Never one to shirk his workload in defence, the eldest Utoikamanu (with younger brothers Stefano and Nuku [sp] also in our system) brings immense physicality to every facet of his game. You needn’t worry about Filia falling behind in the new era of limited interchanges either, this young bull can play all day.

Salesi Faingaa (EDGE) – Salesi Faingaa, pencil the name down folks…he is one worth keeping an eye on. Faingaa was a scratch for the entire 2016 SG Ball campaign with a long-term shoulder injury but he seems hell-bent on making up for lost time in 2017. He has returned from the setback in career best shape and will be looking to terrorise opposition edge defenders. A natural-born wrecking ball in attack, the biggest question mark will be if he can hold his own in defence on the edges. If he proves to be competent in that regard we might just be sitting on a good’un.

Sean Keppie (Lock/Prop) – A tireless presence around the ruck with the ability to push up into the engine room, Keppie possesses both the size and character to feature prominently in the middle for the Eels. 2016 was a breakthrough year for Keppie as he filled out his frame and subsequently elevated his game (MC4020 over here spitting fire), capping off his year with selection in the Australian Schoolboys team. Keppie now has a great chance to continuing building from 2016 by becoming a core player for the Eels this year.

Beni Valu (Lock/Prop/EDGE) – Valu was a standout performer for the SG Ball squad last year, utilising terrific footwork and strength through contact to plunder teams through the ruck. I feel that Valu’s best position may be lock but he possesses the build and athleticism to play right through the pack in a pinch. A starting calibre player but given his versatility, Valu could be genuine weapon from the bench for the Eels.

Jye Challenor (Prop) – Like Mahoney, Challenor was a mid-season acquisition for the Blue & Gold in 2016. Challenor only played 8 games for the Eels and will obviously be looking to add to that in 2017. A no-nonsense bookend that plays a tough North/South game, Challenor will be a solid presence in the ruck for the Eels.

Oregon Kaufusi (Prop) – The seventh and final SG Ball eligible player in this preview. Wowza. Kaufusi was a revelation for the Eels in the SG Ball and he stands a very good chance of making a noticeable impact in the Holden Cup this year. The young tearaway runs with intent and is relentless on both sides of the ball.

Michael Tupou (Lock) – Tupou is disturbingly light on his feet for a man of his size and build. He is a constant threat around the ruck as a result, picking off retreating defenders and slipping through arm-tackles with ease. Tupou is a genuine point-of-difference forward and a natural fit for the bench.

Tangi Hokai (EDGE/Lock/Utility) – To finish up this preview we have one of the most interesting forwards in our young stable in Tangi Hokai. Hokai is not too dissimilar from the likes of Filia Utoikamanu and Salesi Faingaa in his single-minded philosophy of running into the defensive line as hard as he possibly can, as often as he can. What sets Hokai apart is his ability to cover some surprising positions, including hooker in a pinch. The Eels have often favoured two genuine hookers in the Holden Cup but the versatile backrower might be able to mount a convincing case to claim the utility spot for his own.

That will do us for today and likely until we have an official squad list for the Holden Cup, at which point I will revisit the 20s and begin to piece together a team in another post. There is a Holden Cup trial next weekend but unfortunately it clashes with the Auckland Nines and the subsequent coverage that TCT will running over said weekend. From there on though, it is non-stop junior footy action with the District Representatives kicking off and the final trials of the Holden Cup taking us home to their Round 1 kickoff.

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