The TIp Sheet is also available on Spotify and iTunes!
There is no such thing as an off-season when you love your footy and Sixties and Forty20 are all about that business! With the Parramatta Eels linked recently to a raft of players in both official and speculative capacities, the boys take stock of where the Eels’ recruitment drive has the club positioned heading into the 2021 preseason.
With the club formalising a deal with the mercurial Bryce Cartwright, Sixties offers his thoughts on why he thinks the acquisition of the polarising backrower could potentially be Parramatta’s best signing. Forty20 is more reserved in his assessment of the former Panther and Titan but explores the opportunity cost of signing Cartwright and why the Eels are right to roll the dice.
The duo revisit the club’s three announced recruits in Isaiah Papali’i, Joey Lussick and Tom Opacic, gauging how the fit into first-grade calculations in 2021 before taking shots at how many of the the four players (including Cartwright) could feature in the Round 1 line-up next season.
This week’s podcast is rounded out by some intriguing rumours linking Parramatta to former juniors star Bevan French and Warrior’s utility Nathaniel Roache. Sixties lays out why a reunion with French makes sense for both parties while Forty20 muses on the value and risk that Roache offers.
Closing comments this week feature a quick look at the overhaul of the junior pathways system as the Eels adjust their youth programs in light of the COVID-era. The boys also have some fun well-wishing Clinton Gutherson and Junior Paulo in their upcoming State of Origin debuts and looking at the last time multiple Eels represented NSW…and the answers might surprise you!
I too am of the opinion that signing Bryce Cartwright could be an astute addition. He went to Titans on a 4 year deal worth $3m. So he must have some ability. He will see the Eels as the “Last Chance Saloon” and I reckon he will give good value. I have seen Carty plucky a ‘winning play’ from nothing to send the Eels to an unlikely loss in the closing minutes. One at the old Parramatta Stadium, and the other at Penrith Park. Give the bloke a go…Might prove to be as outstanding addition to the squad as Nathan Brown was when he was a much maligned player at the Rabbitohs..How about when Fui Fui signed on….how many were laughing at that signing? And he gave GREAT value..And even when King Gutho first joined from Manly, many many people were decrying his signing as a joke.
The Club’s retention committee are doing a great job. Let’s give em encouragement – they know what’s going on more than us…(or at least I hope they do)…
Low risk recruitment with potential high upside. At his best a highly skilled impact player. If he can’t reproduce it, the main cost is a top 30 spot, not coin. I’m now on record as declaring it a terrific signing – potentially a game changer for us.
Great discussion fellas, thank you! To me the possible signing of Cartwright may mean we are not looking at Asiata form the Cows, and that would be a shame, and I hope I am wrong. I would rather bank on a younger guy coming through BUT am happy to be wrong. His defence is my major concern along with his consistency.
if we do sign French then it needs to be for modest coin I think, and Roache i have to say i have not seen much of him and hope if true he can be viable. Does this mean No Smith?
We need an astute signing at centre and another good middle player and second rower. Interesting times, and we need to be stronger on the park, and tougher between the ears…..for 80.
I believe that Asiata was looking for good coin and a starting role. Our younger players like Hollis and Hughes will be good but are more likely to get blooded later in the season. The outcome for Jenko will be critical
Sixties I’m sure john asiata played with the eels in the jrs
I have always been a Bevan French fan and my advice would be don’t come back yet.
I think ESL was always good for him after the problems had in his last season with Parra which really sapped his confidence. He has been offered increased money to stay and I do not think we can match that and do justice to it.
If Guth was prepared to give up fullback and play right centre on a preconceived strategy that he was comfortable with then so be it.
Seems like Wigan blew the Eels out of the water with their offer to Bev. Can’t blame him for taking it.
I thought that Ray Stone had not signed for 2021 yet?
I am fairly certain he was locked in to an extension during the year.
Hope he is stone is our next brown. Simple as that
Great perspective on what is developing for the club, the most obvious hurdle to overcome is the centre position likely to be left vacant by Mennings. Doesn’t appear to be a lot of options available for 2021 , maybe Corey Allen could be the best out there.
Overall 2021 presents good opportunities for the young players coming through, and that’s something we will need to watch for. BA has done a great job previously on restoring players, Gutho signed after a knee reconstruction, Nathan Brown regarded as a hot head, even Manu Mau and then the manner in which Maratha was allowed to mature before being exposed to NRL.Despite what we read in other places, the coach has done a very good job in bringing young and reclamation projects to the NRL, 2021 basically has to see ongoing Improvement and that’s the measure of both the coach and the club.
Yes Derek, we only have to look at the players Parra has in Origin to see what BA has done for their careers. The young group of pathways players set for preseason will be worth keeping an eye on. They’ve come through pathways together, are talented, and will add that enthusiasm of youth to the group.
i think we need a significant backline signing given the shadow over Jennings and the injury concerns with Fergo.
I understand that the Jennings and Fergo issues have probably come up a bit faster than planned, but I think this is where the club needs to be a bit better. If you look at Melbourne, they identify key positions and have a few players waiting in the wings for their opportunity. Look at Smith & Grant. They now have a ready made replacement for Smith, and someone who is on the cusp of playing Origin.
We have known for some time that Jennings career is coming to an end sooner or later, and Fergo is not far behind (one significant injury away, even before the current sagas). Other than Dunster I’m not aware of any outside backs the club has at their disposal to blood into the NRL. I’m hoping the rebuilt pathways project has addressed this, if not we will always be chasing our tails.
Longfin, we have a group of talented backs who will do the preseason, but they are only just hitting full time training, not NRL selection. They will be NRL players in the future, but probably not 2021. When Jenko extended for two years, he stated that his goal was to help nurture the young players as they transitioned through the grades.
Any hints on the 27th squad member Sixties?
It wasn’t Bevan 😁 – I’m keeping it at that number still.
Could it be a representative backrower?
No.
How many of our latest signings will be named in the top 17 come round 1? I’m suggesting all four are a chance at the moment, with two very likely.
I think we need to get josh mansour. Ferguson is done n we can release sivo n have dunster on the other wing. While we are at it we need 2 props who can continue with rcg n jr do.
You can’t have both Mansour and Fergo, so if your thoughts are true, they’d have to part ways with Fergo before signing Mansour. How many years do you think Mansour has in him?
2 at best. Ferguson is done.
Mansour can play outside waqa. After all they did at Penrith.
Tje Ferguson n waqa combination us not working. No communicating at all between this pairing of waqa n Ferguson
This is just my thoughts, but I couldn’t see us recruiting Mansour with Fergo still under contract.
Personally I don’t think we have wingers who can put pressure on Ferguson and Sivo. That’s why I think they can take it easy in Games knowing to well that the club doesn’t have the top level player’s to push them for their spots.
I think that the lack of reggies last year made it more difficult. If we have reggies next year and others are performing, I don’t believe they will be so assured.
Sixties, I can jump on board with your thoughts on Cartwright, you don’t just lose natural talent. Only aging, bad injury or some loose wires between the ears can put a dent in it. I hope Cartwright concentrates on football and allows the media no room for play on disruptive broadcasting of beliefs.. The risk is real, no point in ignoring and hoping.
He will need to understand, as will the club, that he will be a target. They will look to open up that can of worms. It will be massive click bait too. It if he gets the footy right, huge upside.
I’ve removed this comment due to its poor grammar, poor spelling and complete absence of intelligence. – Sixties
Mikey, maybe add a thoughtful view then.
On Cartwright still no signing News on him coming to the club. Do you know any more about it sixties ?
It’s done.
Well there is a lot going at the Eels, Hipgrave, Carty, Roache, Oldfield, Opacic, Lussick, and Papali’i. These are all pretty good low cost signings and some handy replacements of the outgoing. With all of this said, I think the departure of Anthony Field is going to hurt us, particularly how it has unfolded, he did a lot of good for this club, an unsung hero!
Field gone? that’s very bad news – how many of our current juniors can we expect to lose because of this decision?
I don’t have an answer to that. I can hope none, but it might be a question of how deep into our pathways the individual is. I said above that relationship building was a big part of what Fieldsy brought.
Very disappointing to say the least. Best of luck to him in future, I’m sure this will come back to bite the Eels on the proverbial! Any word on his replacement Sixties?
There is a new appointment to the recruitment department, though it is an executive one. Whether someone is brought in to replace Fieldsy or his role is absorbed, I’m not sure.
We are certainly sad to see Fieldsy depart. He’s been a critical part of Parra’s pathways and we got to know him quite well over the years. I was always amazed at the relationships he formed with young players and their parents. I spoke to quite a few parents who were full of praise for him, and I watched him in action educating groups of players. I could go on with individual examples of what players and parents have said about him. He certainly has the respect and gratitude of TCT.
To answer the unsung point, from a current NRL perspective he was responsible for securing Dylan Brown and he recruited Ray Stone and Reed Mahoney.
Sixties.
Any particular reason he is leaving.
Better opportunity?
It’s not my place to get into it Rocket.
Any truth in the rumor that Will Chambers could be an Eel, in 2021?
A. He wants to return to Australia
B. He’s an experienced, premiership winning centre
C. Parra is likely to lose an experienced premiership winning centre.
He is the same age as Jenko. I would like to assume that we have at least made enquiries as he could be an immediate fix and provide guidance to young players emerging at the club.
Sixties, random stuff. Did you read the NZ article on the All Blacks approach to mental conditioning? I think the same bloke has run their psychology program for 10 years. Fascinating read, if we’re looking to improvement on the mental side, people probably want to know what this magic is all about, is it hocus pocus? what exactly is it? how is it implemented? etc etc. It seems to work for the All Blacks, they have convinced all and sundry they play hard but fair when in fact they get away with blue murder and win stacks of games. They don’t whinge and they don’t bash referees, it’s all a carefully crafted approach injected into their DNA by programs other than running, passing,tackling. It’s rarely talked about, but when they lose, their media wants Royal Commissions. Apparently their loss the other night had all the signs of a mentally poor performance measured against their psyche programs, not their football programs.Dark stuff. And there’s an ex-All Blacks coach at the Bulldogs now.
BDon, hope you’ve got a link. You’ve peaked my curiosity.