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The Eels have a sudden cap surplus…so what can they do with it? The Tip Sheet looks at the continued fall out from Zac Lomax’s departure and scheme and strategise best possible solutions for Jason Ryles and the Parramatta Eels. Sixties brings the latest from training as competition ramps up with the return of the non-International first graders. Who is making the early impressions?
We know expansion is on the horizon for the NRL – so what does it mean for the structure of the competition? Will the NRL change kickoffs again? There has been speculation that the commission will push for the scoring team to kick off, bringing the 13-man code in line with the likes of Rugby Union and NFL. The boys look at the overall NRL draw while the Melbourne Storm have announced that Eli Katoa will miss the entirety of the 2026 season in a move that should be hailed far and wide.
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I agree that Bailey is a solid replacement but his main issue has been being available and fit. He’s suffered 3 major injuries since the 22 GF as well as a few nasty head knocks, decent depth is an absolute must!
We need to use this money to sign 2 backline players. It’s possible that Tommy Talau is off contract but likely has signed with the roosters. There is also Corey Allan who has a bit of experience and has been around the NRL for a few years now. I believe the ideal signing if he’s released would be jesse mclean. He is still only 21 next year, and has a bit of first grade experience and would be behind a few players at penrith so they may be willing to release him to free up a spot?
Another spot as 60s points out is hooker. There’s 2 players available in Danny Levi and Jake Turpin. These fit the bill of what we need perfectly, good enough for reserve grade and if we need them to step in we can be confident in their abilities but if Coinaikis improves to cup level then they won’t be in his way if he’s promoted. Sure the club can’t rush into the decision with this money and spots but a decision needs to be made within the next 2 weeks as that’s when most of the squad will be back at pre-season training.
Great to hear about Kelma setting a new PB for the bronco test. It makes the second row spots very hard to pick this time in the year. We have Williams as POTY then you have to pick between the improving Kautoga and the potential of Tuilagi. I honestly don’t know how you choose between the 3, all have earned their selection for 80 minutes each week. Tough decisions will have to be made.
As for the draw, it will never truly be: what the fans want, what the NRL wants, what the clubs want and most importantly fair. Another option is to have teams 1,3,5…17,19 etc play each other twice and teams 2,4,6…18,20 etc play each other twice. This of course means it is possible rivals don’t play each other twice but in terms of fairness is probably as close to fair as you’re going to get.