Promise and potential, those two “p” words can be the greatest pitfalls for those identifying future NRL players. So many talented individuals in rugby league pathways look the goods, but for many their potential, and what they promise to be, is just never realised.
That could have been Sean “Rusty” Russell. A product of the Rouse Hill Rhinos, he rose to play Junior Representative football for the Eels and captured the attention of the club and supporters alike as he progressed through the grades.
Coming into the 2021 season, Joey Johns was engaged by the Eels as a specialist coach. He worked with the club’s spine players, both first grade and the emerging talent.
This was a challenging time for those fringe and emerging players. Due to COVID, the 2020 NSW Cup season was abandoned after just one round, whilst the 2021 competition only lasted ten rounds.
After a session with Sean and other young players, Joey was walking near me, heading to where the NRL team was training. I enquired about how the young players were progressing, and he replied, “What can you tell me about that Sean kid? He’s a talent.”
At that point in his development, it appeared that Sean was being groomed as a fullback. Perhaps a locally produced heir apparent to Gutho.
Despite the COVID disruptions, an NRL debut as a winger came soon enough. Just a month after his 19th birthday, Sean scored two tries on debut in the Eels 2021 round 15 victory over the Bulldogs.
With the NSW Cup abandoned for the second successive year, Sean’s next appearance would not be until round one of 2022, when he scored three tries in the first half against the Titans. But there was a heavy price to pay.
As Rusty crossed for that third try, Jayden Campbell slid “knees first” into Sean’s ribs.
Sean reflected, “They had to reflate my lung while I was awake. They put a tube in through my ribs and then had to reflate my lung to get all the blood and air out of there.”
That tackle
The broken ribs and punctured lung put him out until round 9, but he could not force his way back into an NRL team on its way to the 2022 Grand final.
By the time Rusty made his return to the top grade in round 6 of the 2023 season, the team had lost four of the opening five games of the season. He crossed for nine tries in his 17 NRL games that year, with 13 of those appearances being on the wing in an Eels side that only missed the finals by two points.
Prime Ministers 13 selection
In 2024, Russell consolidated his first grade spot, though Parra spent the majority of the season anchored near the bottom of the ladder. In his twenty-one games, he played fifteen on the wing and six at centre. His reward was selection in the Prime Ministers 13 at season’s end.
Though he’d been a fixture in the Eels first grade team for the previous two years, and though his first representative jersey was freshly hanging in the closet, Sean entered the 2025 season with most pundits expecting him to be the odd man out in an Eels backline which had added star outside backs in Zac Lomax and Josh Addo-Carr.
Physically he was up to the challenge – his 188cm and almost 100kg frame being ideal for an outside back. Furthermore, Sean is deceptively fast and importantly he has toughness in spades. His recovery from that horrific ribs injury was evidence of that.
This season, Rusty went on to defy popular opinion to become “Mr Consistency” in an Eels team on the rise. Opportunity may have initially arrived via suspension and injury to others, but he grabbed it with both hands. That eventual rise in his stocks also arguably coincided with a shift to the centres for fifteen of his twenty games.
Don’t bother looking at the 2025 stats to find Sean’s value to the team, though the return was solid. Five tries, five try assists, five line breaks, 28 tackle breaks, and an average of 104 running metres.
Ryley Smith and Sean Russell celebrate
Instead, Rusty earned the respect of supporters with the old eye test. It came on the back of a dangerous attacking combination with Josh Addo-Carr that became increasingly reliable in defence.
Furthermore, when the bombs spiralled up in the air towards Sean, fans developed a confidence that he’d take the catch AFL style to defuse any threat.
To my way of thinking, in 2025 Sean Russell became Parra’s version of the Storm’s Nick Meaney. He might not ever receive the superstar accolades, but his versatility and professionalism gets the job done. It might even make him one of the first selected each week.
As an example, when Sean broke his hand late in the season, it was expected that he would not return until 2026. Getting him back on the field wasn’t critical to a team that was well out of final’s contention, and after all Dylan Brown was filling in admirably at centre.
However, when he declared himself ready to go for round 26, coach Jason Ryles didn’t hesitate in rushing him back into the team.
Getting in the face of Turuva
It was hard to argue with the decision. Just prior to his injury, Sean provided a personal season highlight during the Eels Round 21 defeat of the Broncos, setting the tone for the victory with an outstanding individual chip and chase try. The Eels would go on to claim the scalps of the Warriors and the Knights after his return for the final two rounds.
Just on the subject of coaches, I reckon that Eels assistant coach Scott Wisemantel deserves credit for helping to take Sean’s game to the next level.
From the preseason through to the regular season work on the training teack, Wisey dedicated time to improve the skills of all of the outside backs, and Sean thrived in the learning environment. And why wouldn’t he, given that he only turned 23 in late May.
No matter the label attached to Rusty’s 2025 season, be it “break out year” or simply “much improved”, it will be interesting to see where his confidence and new combinations with team mates takes him in 2026.
I also reckon that nearly all Eels supporters will be selecting him in their best 13 when round one rolls around.
Eels forever!
Sixties
I’m not sure any centre got the better of Sean this season?
He was so impressive with his defence and his attack improved as the season went on.
He is the first centre I would pick next season and reminds me of how reliable Tom Opacic was for us.
I reckon the Tom Opacic comparison is a fair one To y.
Probably the game I fully went in on him and his development this season was the broncos game. The chip and chase was insane and I didn’t realise he had it in him but the big thing was probably beating kotoni staggs in the centre battle, staggs had just hit his season best form which had people putting him in the convo for aus at the end of the year.
Really hoping we can look back in another year or 2 and see him as one of the high calibre centres of the comp in conversations outside of eels dominated talks. Hopefully a return to the top 4 in the next few years will let players like him get into those convos.
Sean’s form in that game in particular was a measure of his confidence. He went after the Broncos which was a big factor in the win.
Great piece Sixties. I have always had high hopes for Sean and I am glad he is starting to prove up his potential.
I agree with all your comments in this story of Sean. I would also like to add that I think Sean has benefited greatly by the inclusion of the Fox.
JAC is experienced enough to mentor Sean and he is young enough to listen. The combination is working well.
Agree about the Foxx John. You can tell that those two enjoy the combination they’ve developed too.
Nice piece Mr Sixties. I have to say he was not included in my first 13 at season’s start. If Bailey wasn’t injured he might not have got a start. No doubt the coaches have been of great assistance in passing on their experience. However, I believe you overlooked one important and positive contributor. JAC. Addo-Carr has nurtured Sean particularly with his defence. I might be incorrect but I have a feeling that left side was the best defensive pair in the competition. Sean still has a lot to learn and his passing to JAC at times left him no where to go. It was either too early or too late. Having said this there were discernible improvement towards the later part of the season. I did write halfway through the season Sean had earned his place in the top 13. I believe he will get better and become, hopefully, a Rep center and while his early 2025 games were not his best overall for the season I believe he was better than Willie P. Another season beside JAC along with the preseason to come will see Sean fully realize his talent. Let’s hope we have locked up.
“ Instead, Rusty earned the respect of supporters with the old eye test. It came on the back of a dangerous attacking combination with Josh Addo-Carr that became increasingly reliable in defence.”
I think I did make reference to it Zero. Now it could be argued that I didn’t credit Addo-Carr enough in those words. I’ll accept that, though I reckon I’ve praised his influence on the team and on Sean innumerable times on podcasts and in comments during the season. The Foxx has been a great addition.
Thanks Sixties!
I’m in complete agreement with you on this one. And while we might still look, recruitment wise, for another back or two, Sean will be very much in the mix next season, as far as I can see.
The deft passes to JAC would be in my comments file.
Thanks for the insight on “Wisey”.
Thanks Brelogail. Assistant coaches don’t always get the accolades but we have three very good ones in Brown, Wisemantel and Moa. And given Caylo’s full time role you can throw him into the conversation too. I enjoy watching the work that each does out on the training paddock.
Great read Sixties, thank you.
It’s so easy to forget Sean is still only 23.
Who would’ve guessed Sean would start the season considered only a handy backup to being missed when he was injured.
And I remember most fans, me included not being all that fussed when Sean’s contract was extended. It was brushed over as depth signing and nothing more.
One thing that stood out to me was Sean’s willingness to get into the push, shove and the niggle with higher profile players. That’s a confidence thing, he believes he belongs and is no longer intimidated by big names.
He’s become the player you can trust, trust defensively and towards the latter part of the season, trust in his attacking decisions. He’s safe under the high ball and trucks the ball hard off our line.
Like you said Sixties, Sean has good size and deceptive speed. 2025 was the beginning of his breakout season, I think 2026 will be year Sean puts himself on the map.
I rate him above a Meany type player and predict Sean to be that elite defensive centre we’ve been looking for and had all along.
Well done to the coaching staff, he could have easily been thrown out with the bath water.
Cheers Joseph. It was possibly unwise for me to compare Sean to Meaney in an article titled “Finding his Identity”.
I get the impression he’s a Jason Ryles personal favourite. Every coach has one. I suspect Rusty is his. He’s the kind of player that everyone wants to see do well.
Brett, I said late last year that Ryles needed to make his cuts early before he developed any favourites. Why? Because all coaches have favourites. It’s human nature. They are the players that they trust to carry out their instructions. He’s pretty much got the job done in record time.
My statement wasn’t meant as a criticism, just an observation. Personally I’ve never agreed with most of the criticisms around Sean Russell.
I didn’t suggest it was a criticism. I’m agreeing with you.
Re Russell, I’ve thought for some time he would be our best Ex Rhino. Prior to his “Campbell” incident he was looking the goods well and truly.
Although he has decent top speed, his speed off the mark is average. Id love to see Ryles get someone like Fabri on board. Agreed, the remainder of his game is progressing nicely
It’s a fair call regarding top speed vs early speed. And yes, someone like Fabri can work on technique with someone like Sean who is already fast. But they can’t make slow players fast.
He definitely improved this year. – defensively any way. I appreciate fans have an affinity to him because he is a local junior, and has had a disrupted development path. I hope he continues to improve.
I think to be a first choice centre in a premiership contender you need to either be very fast, very powerful or an exceptional ball player. I don’t see any of that in “Rusty”. I don’t see how he develops speed at this stage of his career and he certainly isn’t a ball player. Maybe he develops some power, but that would seem unlikely also. And given his football IQ doesn’t seem to be amazing, though that can probably develop and improve, i just don’t see what those with rose coloured glasses, and the romance of the local kid, see. Maybe I am wrong. Hope I am wrong. But we need something more if we are going to run out an elite finisher on the wing and an inexperienced 5/8 on the other side of the left centre, and … well who knows who plays on that edge as a line runner next year…
As for comparisons: Maybe i am taking that too literal but i can’t imagine a single supporter base that would prefer Russell over Nick Meaney. I think best case would be for him to become a KL Iro type one day. But to get there he has to eliminate a ton of errors and be a smarter player. That would be a win for the Eels..
You also need to be a very good defensive player and I don’t think any centre Sean marked gor the better of him.
He may not be the fastest or the most powerful or the best ball player but he is tough and his hit ups from the back end coming out of trouble are very strong.
Give me Sean over Timiko who can’t read in defence and I would take him over Brunson Xerri as well.
You have to stop tries as well as score them and his footy IQ in defence is elite, he reads opposition lines very well.
In his first full season as a nrl centre I thought he was great.
He copped flak did not always passing to the fox but 9 times out of 10 if he did Fox would have been put over the sideline and we know who would have been blamed for that!
I would rather have a defensively strong centre with limited attacking prowess than a brilliant attacking centre who struggles to make the most basic defensive reads. The role of the modern day centre is all about defence. Any attack you get from them is just gravy.
Nick Meany was a pretty average utility coming down from the Knights to the Bulldogs. Never really impacted as a player and it only since spending a few years at the Storm he becomes a better player but certainly not elite. And there is an age difference. Personally I would prefer “Rusty” over Meany. Send Rusty to the Storm and in two years he will be a Rep player.
We persevere with Russell and with tge right training and mentoring he will become a fan favorite.
BA, I reckon you’re a hard marker on Sean and also overestimating fans’ affinity with him being a local junior. I can assure that many fans took the polar opposite stance with Sean. They considered his background with the Rhinos as giving him an undeserved leg-up into the NRL side. There were always far more supporters of your stance preferring the addition of someone else to Sean.
In contrast, I don’t believe myself or others have hyped him here. There’s simply recognition of a season of growth evidenced by consistent performances. The Eels will probably need to recruit an outside back or two because I don’t think the NRL backline depth is strong enough. But if they are looking for a strike centre to replace someone like Sean, he’s forced them to raise the bar.
Tough assessment there B.A
Sean’s error stats are very good, I thought he was dependable in that department.
Our left edge has been defensive joke for a while, Sean solved one of our biggest weaknesses, his defensive reads were enormous, footy smarts are a prerequisite in the most difficult defending position.
Sean is still learning to use his power and size, he has “young Gutho” type pace so he’s no slug.
I agree that he’s not there yet, I’m expecting Sean to open space for the Foxx and learn to use the threat Foxx brings and make his own line busts with an offseason learning his trade. I thought he and the Foxx started to click towards the end of the season.
Of course I wouldn’t be offended if we signed a Crichton or a Staggs, but right now, there are many established centres I wouldn’t trade for Sean.
Like Sixties said, Sean has raised the bar.
Appropriate recognition sixties. After that bad rib injury setback, Sean had to re-establish himself at a time when upheaval slammed the team. I reckon this period impacted others too, no substitute for all the good things that came with being in a successful club. When he knows week in, week out that he belongs in NRL, he will have high value as a centre plus utility back.
BDon, the suspension of lower grade football during COVID and that rib injury were two massive hurdles for Sean. Plenty of talented younger players disappeared or simply never progressed as expected during those Covid years. Credit to Sean that he’s building his career and is only 23.
Your complimentary comments on Sean is defintely deserved I reckon. I just love the way he applied himself this season. Hopefully can only go up a notch next year. What a year he had. Some great heavy defence and some fantastic scrambling desperation in D as well, most pleasing
NS, I reckon none of us are over-hyping him. It’s just noting things like his application to defence, because his reads were very good this season.
He’s definitely found his groove at centre and was never for me a winger. His body shape is strong and he just needs the consistency around his pace. I’m happy for him tbh and glad he’s found his place.
Agree with Brett, he would be a Ryles player. Strong / no nonsense
Milo, it’s surprising how big he is when you are face to face with him. The ideal frame for a centre.
Not sure how many times you suggested it was “the opinion of the fans” but at the end of the day it’s subjective isn’t it?.
He isn’t anywhere near an elite centre in my opinion. I back Ryles 100% and so if Russell is his man, then I hope he continues his upward trajectory. One thing is for certain in my opinion – he is a lot better than penisini.
Let’s hope for some key signings in the off season. I can sense a top 8 appearance next year with teams like dogs and warriors on the slide. Enjoy the football.
Josh, it could be argued that fans now rate Sean higher than Will. Do the Eels have enough NRL outside backs to win a title? Probably not. Those below have a bit to learn so recruitment is necessary. But given that Sean probably didn’t start the season in the depth charts for centre, it’s been an incredible season of growth for him.
I agree with you there sixties – big growth year. How do we convince Matterson to sign elsewhere? It seems we have no cap space!
His situation is critical for cap space, yes.
Always been a Russell fan since I saw him in Matts. He was always skilful and had a certain elegance when he was given space. With a more settled left side with Papalii, Williams and JAC hopefully we see Sean continue to grow as a player.
There were some Brett Kenny type qualities in how he moved as a young player. I’m not in any way suggesting a comparison. Ham used the word elegance. I’d used the word effortless. He seemed to glide when given space. Next season could be interesting.
Thanks for an interesting article Sixties. It has been pleasing to watch Sean’s steady improvement over the time since his serious lung/rib injury from an NRL “nothing wrong here, hands first tackle”. Mostly this year I have enjoyed the defensive resolve and improvement. While the coaches have been contributors to this, as others have noted JAC has also played a huge role in helping. Particularly positional awareness and decisions. Hopefully the two can build on this budding partnership.
I know there are differing opinions among supporters but I feel confident when Sean plays that the Eels will get a solid first grade performance at a minimum.
Don’t start me on the NRL’s take on that tackle. If Campbell had been wearing a Parra jersey I wonder what the outcome would have been? Anyway, I think the situation is that Russell has earned more respect from supporters this season. Note I said earned.
Go Sean! Nothing better than to see and EELS Jnr being a stand out defender in the NRL team at just 23 years of age, in ARGUABLY the hardest position to defend in.
And For anyone who was critical of Sean.. join the club. I was too.
With that being said… defence and consistency are FAR more important than just being a flashy player or a player who only shows up once every 3 games…
Or sucks a fortune out of your salary cap like it would if we externally recruited any top 3-5 centres. Farnworth is on 700k and dolphins are upping it to $1m per season to retain him.
Sean is apparently on about $300 odd K.
The storm and panthers rosters are stacked with these reliable young club players who have loyalty to their club and DO NOT require large chunks of the salary cup to keep them.
I heard a rumour once and I don’t know if it’s true so I cannot confirm as it was second hand chat through a friend who works for a sports brand that sponsors several NRL players across multiple clubs.
Apparently the storm especially and even Panthers are so methodical about who they invest time + resources into long term that they’ll actually pick players they believe have more character & loyalty (AKA they won’t just spring board for cash asap)
The talk about “character” Bellamy talks about is not only about work ethic it’s apparently because he hates training up gun young players only for other clubs to poach them.
The Panthers apparently also pick based on fitness and character. You’ll notice their roster never really has any ultra quick or X factor players like Ponga or Marky Mark, or a Reece Walsh.
There’s apparently strategy here at play where they (both panthers and storm) believe that a player with slightly less talent BUT has the character (loyalty + work ethic) is seen being a better long term investment for them… because they can RETAIN them.
I personally thought top teams just maybe got the best talent? … and that’s largely why they were the best. I now look at realistically the top 2 sides (panthers and storm)…
See their team lists? There’s loads of Sean Russel type players on both of their respective team lists on a weekly basis..
Many are Just hard working club players who would honestly seem average if they played for manly, the dragons, Newcastle. How many times have we seen Storm or panthers players leave then look average at other clubs?
I personally think Jason Ryles knows all of this and his judgement on picking Sean Russel over Bailey is only only about Sean’s better defensive habits….
Jason’s actually rewarding the most loyal players are our club who are showing that character. Loyalty isn’t just about “loving the club” it’s who does actually what the coaches want.. and puts the team and club first.
From my understanding Sean Russel is a club / team first guy. He is a parra Jnr.
Centres in today’s game need to be strong defenders first and foremost..
Sean Ticks that box. And we’ve needed stronger defence out there at centre for years. We have always needed better defence our wide.
Well noted Muz. The Storm have long recruited “club standard” players and turned them into great contributors to their systems. Some have even gone on to rep level footy or bigger contracts elsewhere (see Hynes). Maybe the exceptions have been Coates and Utoikamanu who were a bit above that level, but on the whole their strategy has worked. It’s how you make the cap work as best as it can.