We all got a little lost in the sauce that is the Preseason Challenge but with a big win over the Knights and a narrow defeat against the Tigers in the books it is time to finish off our look at the pathways rookies who took part in the 2024/25 NRL preseason.
Since my write-up in part one (click here to read) young forwards like Sam Tuivaiti, Will Latu and especially Ryley Smith have turned heads and enhanced their prospects for 2025. With their counterparts in the backline now sitting in the spotlight – who is set to feature in the NRL this year and who will dominate in other grades?
Don’t forget – this article focuses on players who have progressed through the pathways at the Parramatta Eels. That means fascinating talents like Joash Papalii and Jordan Samrani are absent even though both are heavy odds-on favourite to debut for the Eels this year.
Apa Twidle – Five-Eighth/Fullback
Funnily enough, it wasn’t so long ago that Api Twidle would have been labelled a Fullback/Five-Eighth rather than the reverse. However, it is the year 2025 and Apa has featured prominently in the NRL trials as a #6 and looked pretty handy doing so.
Apa arrived at the Eels in 2023 and rose to prominence at fullback in the same year as part of the all-conquering SG Ball premiership squad. His support play and passing ability stood out as his greatest strengths from the back so his eventual transition to front-line playmaker was arguably a natural progression. He showed further growth as a playmaker in the the recent trials with some nuanced touches and an inclination to straighten the attack.
His positive showings against the Knights and Tigers in the preseason put him an interesting position. He didn’t look out of his depth in his first tastes of senior football but with Ronald Volkman and Dean Hawkins ahead of him he will likely have to bide his time in the Jersey Flegg this season. Even so, opportunities to feature in the NSW Cup will invariably come and piloting the Under 21s will still give him plenty of valuable experience.
Arthur Miller-Stephen – Winger
I will keep Artie’s write-up a tad shorter since fans got a quick look at him back in 2023 when he scored on debut in the NRL against the Dragons. Like Richard Penisini, Miller-Stephen lost all of his 2024 season to injury and is now looking to make up for lost time this year. Among the quickest backs at the club, Artie seems to have filled out a bit in his enforced layoff which should bolster his all-round game.
We got a good look at him in the Newcastle trial where he started on the left wing. Some early errors in that game could have easily knocked him on his heels but he bounced back to post two tries in his comeback game. He should be a primary contributor to the NSW Cup squad and among the serious depth considerations for the NRL throughout the course of the season.
Dominic Farrugia – Winger
The youngest member of the backline rookies, even so Dom Farrugia has all the tools in his kitbag to become a NRL starter down the line. Currently plying his trade in the SG Ball where he has posted a try in each of his 4 games this season, Dom will almost certainly graduate into the Jersey Flegg later this year with the NSW Cup not out of reach if he progresses strongly.
Farrugia has an ideal profile for the modern winger. Tall, strong and quick with some legit aerial chops to boot. He is equally at home carting the ball out of danger as he is touching down with finesse in the corner. If I had to offer a singular critique at this stage, he can be guilty of running fractionally too upright during his ruckwork and allowing the defence a shot at a larger, more vulnerable target.
One string to his bow that we haven’t seen this year is his goal-kicking as the talented Lincoln Fletcher (a name certain to feature in future Rookie Watch posts) has that responsibility in the SG Ball. Farrugia has a cannon boot and a showed a pretty good radar in the Harold Matthews so it could become a feature of his game again at some point in the future.
Dom is an excellent all-round prospect on the wing and should be ready to accelerate his development this year after the preseason with the NRL squad.
Ethyn Martin – Centre/Winger
Perhaps the single most electrifying member of this list, Ethyn Martin is as pure a footballer as you will find – when he is fit and firing. Unfortunately, Martin’s time at the Eels has been marred by some miserable injury luck but when he has been on the field – as Sade famously intoned musically – he has been a smooth operator. Martin has rare and rapid pace and changes gears with consummate ease making him a perpetual threat to the defence – especially when posted up in isolation against his opposite number or in broken play situations.
I would love to see Ethyn as part of the regular NSW Cup line-up but that will be entirely contingent on his availability. If he can get a good break of luck and stay healthy then he will be a real weapon for Nathan Cayless in the Cup and perhaps even beyond. We didn’t get to see him in the preseason trials so hopefully he is good to go in Round 1 but we will get better clarification there next Tuesday.
Josh Lynn – Halfback
Another central member of the 2023 SG Ball Premiers, Josh Lynn is the steady hand in the #7. Lynn has quietly accrued 12 caps in the NSW Cup across 2023 and 2024 and is one of the most seasoned juniors in the system as a result.
One of favourite traits from Lynn’s time in the pathways was how adaptable and in-sync he was with his other spine members. Whether it was short side raids with Matt Arthur or outside-inside plays with Ethan Sanders – Lynn was always heavily involved with his fellow playmakers as opposed to just camping on his side of the field.
Like Apa, he has both Volkman and Hawkins ahead of him currently but he profiles considerably more to Volkman’s role as the organising half. It puts him firmly in the mix to start 2025 in the Jersey Flegg where his organisational skills and kicking game will be crucial to the squad’s push for a strong start to the year. Given his prior experience in the grade, he will almost certainly be called upon to help guide the NSW Cup around the park throughout the year where you can expect him to do his job well.
Richard Penisini – Centre/Wing
Following in your big brother’s steps is never an easy act but Richard Penisini is on track to forge a path to the NRL. Taller and leaner than his brother Will, Richard is nonetheless an easy athlete just like his elder sibling. Primarily a centre, although with some junior experience on the wing, Richard is snuggled into an intriguing pocket in Parra’s depth charts. He is a very reasonable chance of making his NRL debut at some point this year but will definitely benefit from a good run in reserve grade.
Richard made his long-awaited comeback from an ACL injury in the NRL trial against the Knights where he looked extremely composed in defence while also contributing solidly through the ruck. It was a terrific return game for the young back but he would go on to miss the following week against the Tigers and didn’t feature in the Cup or Flegg trials. We will have to wait until next Tuesday to see if he is right for Round 1 and if he is good to go he will spend a week in the Flegg given the Cup have a first up bye. Beyond that though I expect him to be a part of the reserve grade roster.
An underrated trait that won’t really translate to television is Richard’s gift of the gab. He is a prolific talker and quickly became the protégé to Josh Addo-Carr throughout the preseason. Yapping is one thing but strong communicators are the backbones of good defences it could be a key differentiating factor for Richard in his pursuit of a NRL debut and more.
Forty
Great reading. Look to have so m e talent coming through,
They’ve thrived during the preseason Ken
It’s good to see we have some serious credentials in the junior ranks this season. The trick will be to retain the ones we want to keep – no doubt other clubs also have their eye on these guys, especially the halves which we have found difficult to retain behind Moses and Brown. We still seem to have a lack of depth for quality wingers though. Good to see Dom in that space, but he is some way off NRL at a young age.
If the Foxx and Bailey Simonsson end up being the first choice wingers, it means a very handy player like Shaun Russell has to play Cup. It also means Jake Tago plays Cup.
Really like the way Josh Lynn has progressed and now is a far more organising half and just feels like he may make it to NRL level. R Penisini and Api Twidle seems to have good futures looking at how they have improved coming through the junior reps.
If Bailey and the Fox are our wingers , then AMS should be a cup winger over Tago, he is bigger, speedier and better returner . Tago was signed I assume as a back up/ fill in where needed player. AMS seems to have more potential and should be encouraged, may not be what happens but prefer to push younger players where possible.
There are some interesting selection calls that will need to be made at Cup level B & G
We will we are going to need someone because if the reports are true about 2 clubs offering 1.2 million over 10 years to Brown, he would have rocks in his head to stay.
What’s Galvins number ?
10 year contract? He’d be mad to take it and mad not to. As for the two clubs, they are mad as well.
I’ll back Dylan to stay.
I’m hearing that he’s more likely to leave. The offer is massive. He’d be silly to say no to a 10 year deal. I reckon Galvin long term would suit our side more and may be enticed with the funds reserved for Brown.
Seriously…
I’ll pay him 900k to just go.
Next.
Mr Sixties, I hope you are correct but it is an enticing lure. Will he follow the money or does loyalty count. It is a big call. Two clubs – Newcastle and????
I think Newcastle is a sinking ship. East are after KP. O’Brien is one you would not regard as a top coach. Always on edge – demeanor tells me his blood pressure is through the roof.
And, any club paying that much for him is definitely paying overs.. That situation seems to create resentment among team members. Remember Tony Williams signed on big money at the Bulldogs and come game time they would cut him out in running the attack. I hope Dylan recognizes the devil he knows against the devil he doesn’t.
Mate if Dylan Brown turns down this money he has rocks in his head. I want him to stay but this is one time when I can’t get upset for losing someone.
Look after yourself Dylan – take the money and run !
Josh Lynn and Richie looked amongst the most impressive in the trials games and both looked to have future nrl potential you could just see they have a high ceiling of growth potential.
What I thought was really interesting was that Richie looked confident and not rusty after his knee injury and seemed to attack the game with no signs of fear.
It’s really refreshing to see some nice quality young halves coming up through the club, it will provide us hopefully with some additional inside club options in a few years time for when Moses possibly gets injured more often as he plays on into his 30’s.
Also a side note: Having an ace half like Moses at our club and Nathan brown coaching our young halves should help us produce more quality halves internally and also hopefully build a consistency of playing style which young halved & backs are familiar with which can hopefully help them translate into first grade a bit smoother over time. 🤞
Tim Mannah did a podcast once and said his first grade transition was almost easy because they trained with and like the first graders coming up, so they already knew all the ins & outs of how the eels NRL team played and was training with them and already completely on the same page in terms of systems and coaching consistency. He didn’t say it in those words exactly, but that was the message.
Muz, I can’t speak highly enough of the work Nathan Brown does with the halves.
We’ve been pretty good at developing halves recently. Including Dylan Brown these players either have or had some sort of first grade contract: Dylan Brown, Bailey Biondi-Odo, Jakob Arthur, Ethan Sanders, Blaize Talagi, Josh Lynn, Apa Twidle.
There’s a few pathways halves that may join that list in the not-too-distant future
Ham are you highlighting what you see as a possible future shortfall?
Not at all. I think we’ve been decent at developing halves good enough for a first grade squad and in the case of Brown an elite half. We have a few halves currently in the pathways I can see being good enough for a first grade squad in the future. I won’t make grand statements saying they’ll be elite or better than what we currently have, just stating where I think we are