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2025 kicks off with The Tip Sheet welcoming in a new guest host as Chris Ricketts joins the show. Sixties and Forty20 get straight into the action with Chris as they look at all the new recruits for the club and nominate who is going to make the biggest difference for the Eels. Between the likes of Zac Lomax, Josh Addo-Carr, Isaiah Iongi and Jack Williams it is a loaded class and it makes for a cracking discussion. Naturally the boys follow it up with a chat about which incumbent player improves the most in 2025 and why?
The Canterbury Bulldogs dominate an otherwise quiet news cycle with their monster signing of Leo Thompson. How much does the Newcastle bookend improve Canterbury’s pack in 2026 and do the Dogs make a push for an early release? Another piece of roster news out of Belmore comes with the rumours linking young talent Karl Oloapu to the Dolphins while the Dogs take a blow off the field with asbestos and heavy metals found in the soil of the site of their Centre of Excellence.
Good podcast fellas. Also agree it’s silly the media reports of lack of lack depth in forwards. We still have a lot of middle forwards depth. Even our back up middles are solid. It’s the lack of NRL quality wingers / outside backs you could argue is our weakness area. The media claiming pack depth are an issue are clueless. We still have a solid list of forwards in our roster. I actually prefer it now, because it’s no longer almost 100% reliant on Paulo & RCG. We often used to collapse in the middle the moment they came off. I would argue we now have a far better balanced middle forward rotation than in previous years. Matto, Joffa, Jnr, Lane, Guymer, Luca morretti. That’s a solid list of players who can fulfil middle rotation duties. Not to mention Hopgood an origin forward. The media clowns are back at it again with their silly talk. Lol
Yes agree. Really the only forward we lost was RCG and have added some quality so there is no dearth of depth. Actually our depth now in every position was fixed in a few months after years of roster imbalance with someone who, within a short time, identified our problems. Lack of depth (particularly in back line), speed, junior pathways and defence was identified and being fixed tells me that Ryles is the right person for the job. I’m confident that’ll be transformed into a top 8 finish this year and with the experience a top 4 finish the year after. Eels onwards and upwards.
Good points Glenn, I like our list of forwards. I’m also confident in a top 8 of just outside of it. I think we just need better luck on injuries this season. Like the fellas mentioned on the podcast.
Muz, I am somewhat surprised you are thinking just outside top eight. I have been saying for two months we are a top eight. I will even goes as far to say coach of the year will be between Ryles and Maguire.
All we need is to be relatively injury free in key positions which is hard but we now have some quality depth. I like Hawkins and Volkman. The main concern is wingers – we have two promising boys but they are coming back from acls. And our forward depth is looking better than last year.
Muz, keep the faith. If you are a punting one put something (affordable) on Parra top eight. I don’t gamble at all but, if I was inclined that’s where my money would be. The odds are worth it.
Top eight Muz – top eight!!
And, we have two top class goal kickers. You will be surprised at the difference that will make. How many times we lost because of poor goal kicking? Too many times.
I agree 58 but I am even more optimistic, I have already backed us to beat Storm in the first round. Win the minor premiership and finish top 4.
People talking about fringe top eight amaze me, there is no optimism in such a statement.
People,,,, go back to last year, the injuries we put up with not to mention an unbalanced team and who could we not have beaten during that year.
Now tell me the side’s that have improved by way of signing that we could not beat last year?…..so why in all sense’s going into this year should anyone even consider not finishing top 4.
I said over 2 months ago I believe we can be minor premiers.
Tell me why Penrith and Storm who are the two favourites this year after playing in the GF last year cannot be beaten by Parra.
I’ll be more concerned about a team with an equivalent of Parra’s natural improvement ending up as a danger to us.
Please note I have stopped short of winning the GF only making it…..disgusting negativity I know?
Come on you guys, time to get on a high horse and stop acting like donkey’s.
Gday Zero, mate I also have us top 8 if we don’t have any injuries to our main key players like Moses, Lomax, fox hopgood brown, etc. It’s the injuries and bad luck really after last year that cloud my mind. I’m very optimistic about this side at full strength, I have commented i believe this is the best roster we’ve had since the 22’ GF. I am holding a slightly conservative expectation due to the fact our best player moses had had injuries during last few years. But I love parra. I’m my mind we are still the best team. But I’m trying to remain calm. Lol
Poppa I also think this is a top 8 side. Maybe even top 4 with every key player healthy. But I was being conservative as moses has been injured a lot the last few years. If he stays healthy we have a completely different season Imo.
Muz, I can’t believe that our forwards are identified as an area of weakness. It doesn’t mean that they can’t be strengthened but there would be other priorities in the roster.
Thanks for the update fellas. Jack Williams is also the one that came to mind during the discussion of new recruits and their prospective importance to team. He will rip in.
Re: parra looking at Eli Clark: I watched his nrl debut in 2024 and I did not rate him at all. Clearly dogs don’t either given they have released him. Their other young winger Jonathan sua is someone with much more promise and is stuck low in the pecking order. There must be others at sharks, Brisbane etc that are more promising juniors
Ron we tried hard on the likes of Wilson and possibly others we have not heard about. Most high quality outside backs are extremely hard to get. The good clubs swoop them up or lock them in. The most important positions for defence (in my view) are out wide. The same place we always lack quality and depth. Probably the same reason our defence has been weak out there for years. The Top clubs do not skimp on outside backs investment. So I don’t think it will be easy for to fully fix this area in 1 year. Buckets said they are after another nrl level back if i remember correctly? Clark may just be seen as a cup depth / project player and cheap. I personally feel we are waiting to swoop on a quality outside back that will come up but it might be even mid season like how we got Lomax. Buckets hinted that we have left a bit of cap space for potential opportunities that arise. Agree too mate, Jack Williams is a good signing. Not on huge money, has rock solid defence and work rate. Fast legs. Big heart. Should add intensity and line speed. Him and joffa are quality forwards. Will take some pressure off a ageing Paulo.
We should be chasing someone like Sam Stonestreet who is behind Katoa and Multiado at the sharks.
Apparently Montoya is the favorited to win the dogs wing spot vacant with Fox leaving. Bet Wilison signed with us instead. Still a chance maybe?
Clark looked pretty small from what I’ve seen of him. Hope he has speed to burn if we do pick him up.
Williams is definitely going to have a major impact
I would have thought we signed the premium outside back available in Zac Lomax. Does that make us a top club? If you don’t dominate the middle of the field in defence go back in the sheds, that’s where the platform is laid. Panthers have done it for the last 5 years.
We signed Lomax before his stock completely rose and saw him become the best outside back of the whole comp possibly last year. I believe we signed him before all the origin & rep games. If
If we tried to sign Lomax after him being one of NSW’s best players, the best winger of the year, possibly one of the best rep players in all of 2024, we would of had to pay overs for certain. Or roosters would have gotten him with their limitless brown paper bags, lol.
Knights were my spoon pick. Dolphins also a good shout. Like anything, Bennett being a great coach doesn’t mean he’s a great teacher, so jury still out on Woolf.
Our roster and depth looks good on paper. But we’ve looked good on paper since about 2021. Hopefully some joy this year.
Any word on what’s happening with Taylan May? Obviously a quite a bit of baggage if he’s even allowed to have a contract registered. Putting that aside, he’s a good footballer and would give the coaches some real selection headaches.
Would you chase Taylan, Mick?
Direct answer to the question – I’m not sure. If I was in R&R, I’d at least look into what transpired.
From the limited info I’ve read, his behaviour has clearly been pretty grotesque, but the line gets blurry pretty quickly – take Ezra Mam for example, there’s a strong case for him to be de registered, but he will be playing by round 10. Isn’t that suspension shorter than the one Leniu got for being racist? I know in the context of those 2 incidents, which one I find to be more egregious.
It seems funny to me that we can accept some players reforming, but others not. There’s a real lack of consistency on many fronts and this is just another.
Also to be clear, I’m not trying to justify or excuse any of the 3 players mentioned and their behaviour. All this stuff should get stamped out.
Mick, the Mam scenario is absurd. Comparing it to Leniu, and I’m not downplaying Leniu, the length of suspension makes no sense.
I think May has a pattern of behaviour which is highly problematic. He’s young enough to have significant time away from the game to get himself sorted before he thinks about any return.
I love it Poppa, truly I do!! I wanted to say top six but felt I might be a little too ambitious for the team. They had a shocking run of injuries and suspensions last season and they should have persisted with Murray over Blaize just on his experience alone. Murray was not a good signing particularly when the club should have chased Connor Tracey.
Any, I agree with you – I think the storm will finally come undone in their first game of the season. I don’t bet but for those who do top eight offers good odds. Cheers Poppa
True if any team can upset storm and take away their first game win streak, it would be parra. We’ve taken away their huge win streak before during regular season too from memory.
It’s a free shot game in round 1.
Thanks for your support 58.
Continuing on the negative theme is the contingency approach from some of our supporters.i.e. they want to qualify their opinions by exclamation’s of injuries, bad luck etc, anything that can excuse them from being wrong. the reality is they are responsible for/or too no one, so go out say what you think or hope. Be a Unicorn or a pessimist, but you cant be both with qualification.
If you are wrong, so be it, your not responsible for optimism, your on social media…..if we end up on the bottom people may say, that Poppa is a dickhead. Poppa will be losing no sleep over what they think, but he will over finishing bottom….. so lets not get too protective of our ego’s, no glory in saying I told you so!
The reality is you cannot control or plan for the uncontrollable, this includes injuries and decisions in play, BUT you can but create depth and backup plans for the unexpected.
My opinion is that he can do no more at this point than what he has, and if he manages to do so, then more strength to him.
One further thing I want to say is about Blaize Tulagi.
I am sick of hearing from journalists about Parra’s massive loss of players which always includes this young fella.
If journalists do read these posts and I suspect they do, go and have a look, not of his highlights package (it shows he is a very good hole runner) but his commitment to defence and positioning and his very obvious lack of true pace is not shown up!
I could not imagine any position that I would like to see this young man having in our side, the way the team is shaping up.
So if a journalist want’s a good and interesting story about Parramatta, do so with the emphasis away from his loss.
Its nothing like its been written up to be!
Poppa consistently criticising people of “being negative” is being negative in itself. you complain consistently about people who are sharing an opinion that isn’t the same as yours.
In fact, the comments “injuries, bad luck” are “excuses them from being wrong” is stupid.
We’ve had bad injuries each year lately.
I would rather be realistic and consider it’s a possibly that Mitch moses, Dylan brown, Lomax, the fox go down possibly at some point.
Going off every year we’ve had moses, data suggests we lose more games than we win.
So having a balanced thought & realistic expectation of our squad isn’t negative at all. A top 8 prediction is still more bullish than 99.9% of NRL media pundits & nrl pages are on the eels.
I still think we make the finals. That’s a 10x more optimistic prediction than most media pundits and former players are giving us.
Instead of bashing fellow eels supporters who think we make the finals, but do not share your exact perspective
Go let off some steam against the 99% of media clowns who claim we will get the spoon.
Sorry I meant to suggest data shows we lose more games in moses absence, and in recent years it’s been a recurring theme. But hopefully Hawkins who’s solid can help us a lot if Mitch misses games.
Tks team. There are 2 Origin players in the top signings, plus another 5 if Matterson is included. Maybe I can’t separate individuals but that must spell improvement. Junior’s weight is areal statement, I recall BA whittling him down to 116-118 kgs which didn’t last long, This is one Origin player who can deliver massive upside if the physical and mental output can match the weight commitment.Go get’’em Junior!
I see Junior having a huge year BDn.
Fantastic show fellas, Chris, you were awesome mate, straight to the point, knowledgeable and articulate. I hope to hear more from you throughout 2025.
Your wife must be a very patient lady but if she ever loses patience, you know it would be much easier to part with one woman than it would be to part with 1200 jerseys.
I honestly think the big four teams will be Melbourne, Penrith, Brisbane and the mighty Eels.
Forty, you made a great point about signing with the Dogs, all clubs need to make tough decisions but the Dogs are next level when it comes to disposing players. Young players especially should be cautious before singing with this grub of a club.
Who’s going to make the biggest difference? Great question. There is a good argument for all the players mentioned but if I had to pick one, I’d pick JAC. We haven’t had elite pace since Bevan French, Moses and Brown finally have a weapon they can launch from anywhere on the field. Young Bevan didn’t have elite halves to take advantage of his pace but JAC sure does.
No effing chance we get the spoon, you boys nailed it, that battle will be between Newcastle, the Fins and I’m going to throw in Souths. I don’t rate their squad, my gut tells me Bennett will have a Newcastle type of stint this time around. Bennett has gone one stint to long and will end his career on a low. If any player has enough dickhead power to end a mighty coaching career, it’s Latrell Mitchell.
Good points Joseph. Dogs are a “grub of a club” lol. South’s roster is not good. JAC will thrive having two elite halves spoon feeding him try scoring opportunities
Hey Muz, Sixties mentioned during the podcast if listeners were interested in being part of his bench rotation on the tip sheet. You’re the first listener I thought of, you strike me as someone who would bring raw energy off the bench. Have you thought about throwing your hat in the ring?
Thanks Joseph. I appreciate the thought.
Maybe getting cranky Old poppa or avenger might be an even better idea? Lol.
They both have some good points to say, whilst also generating some controversy. Which makes for interesting discussions, lol.
Poppa and Avenger are both fantastic contributors, I have a lot of respect and enjoy their wise contributions as I do for many of the great contributors on this site.
I thought of you because I feel you could bring a point of difference with your enthusiasm and energy combined with your footy knowledge.
The guys do an awesome job, I loved Clint and was super impressed with Chris. But, if the lads do go down the path of a rotating bench, then I feel you could be the PJ Marsh of the show.
Joseph, Chris was outstanding and he’ll definitely be back. In the meantime, don’t forget his Off The Cumberland Fence columns. If you saw the Foxx at raining you’d be even more convinced about his potential impact.
Thanks fellas for another enjoyable podcast.
Welcome to a speaking role Chris. I enjoyed your insights on all things Eels and admire your dedication in trying to watch all their games at whatever o’clock in Austria. But I have to disagree with you about that all gold/yellow outfit – horrid and I reckon Mick Cronin gives anyone who brings that picture of him into the Gerringong pub a free beer so he can confiscate and destroy it.
When it comes to new players making a difference JAC is the obvious with the speed factor. It was embarrassing when you were discussing speed that very few names from the past really entered my mind. I had to go back further than Oudenryn to think. That is a bit of a shame for the Eels.
More so than the Foxx, I’m interested in how young Ryley Smith develops throughout 2025. From what you chaps have been saying I suspect I’ll need to tune in to the Reggie’s and the like to see. And while Forty has noted the hooker role may have reduced in dollar value it remains a vital one. Good, clean, quick service out of dummy half gives Moses and the like that fraction more time to do their thing.
Furthermore the hookers defensive role seldom seems to get mentioned across many media. But it remains an area/position many attacks look to exploit and it has been an Eels weakness for a while. Even Mahoney wasn’t great at it, he tended, and still does even more so now, to be the third man in flop. The chap at school everyone hated when playing stacks on the mill.
I was interested in Chris’s take on impatient young players and the NRL. Probably a wider generational thing than just NRL, although some recent studies suggest the latest generation coming through are starting to return to valuing stability and security more than promotions. I also wonder how much Agents are influencing this – get the young ones a better contract = more commission dollars. A cynical view I know but I tend to rate Agents with some other occupations. I fear for what may happen to young Sanders at the Raiders and another year or two learning under Moses before switching clubs would likely have benefited him more. Who knows.
Anyway, thanks again, enjoyed the podcast as always.
Cheers Namrebo. I’m really keen to see how Ryley progresses this season. Along with a number of other pathways players, a year consolidating in Cup will be terrific for their development. Mind you, if the opportunity for higher honours comes, if Ryles gives them his faith, they’ll repay him.