There is some good news for the beleaguered Parramatta Eels this week with Jaydn Su’A expected to sign with the Blue & Gold. It is a significant and quality long term addition to the Eels’ forward pack but it comes amidst an almost impossible deepening of the present injury crisis for the club. Sixties and Forty20 discuss what Su’A brings to the Eels and whether he could be an immediate addition to the team.
The injury news gets even worse this week with multiple players downgraded to worst-case recovery schedules while Kitione Kautoga and potentially Sam Tuivaiti are set to miss a chunk of playing time. We are well past breaking point now, how much do the Eels have left in the tank? At least there was some positive news from the Jersey Flegg and the Junior Representatives as the Eels moved to the top of the ladder in the Under 21s while all four pathways grades have progressed deeper into the finals.
The boys also go around the grounds in the NRL to see the latest from across the code.
Some very interesting additions. Saxon Pryke is superb positionally. Is he up to it physically? We’re about to find out. I’ve been a Toni Mataele fan for a long time and have suspected that he has suffered from some sort of bias. Am I right? We’ll learn that too.
Have some of our management been in communication with young Tonga at The Dragons? I suspect so. If so, we’ll watch with interest where that goes.
Sort of a vital weekend for the club. If there’s another abject capitulation I suspect that a fan desertion will massively affect the annual budget
Saxon Pryke is very similar to Cameron Murray. Just doesn’t stop.
I do wonder if he is up to it physically though. It will be a huge step up.
Congratulations Saxon.. I hope he kills it!
Comparisons should be banned with our juniors, I read here that Matt Arthur was like Cameron Smith.
Matt Arthur is like Cameron Smith in that they both have an M in their first name and an H in their last name.
That’s pretty much where the similarities end, but on those 2 letters, they’re VERY alike.
If Sua comes in 2026 because he has been released by the Dragons, that is one thing.
If the Eels approach the Dragons to induce them to break Sua’s contract and release Sua to the Eels early, then it makes “standing up” to the Storm and Lomax a complete waste of time and lost money and lost opportunity.
You may spot differences, but the overarching good will the Eels got from the broader rugby league community will be laughed at as hypocrisy.. so they may as well have tried to get something. (or even better, never allowed the release in the first place).
As for the Sua signing in general – clearly better than what we have. But he is another former rep player, not current or aspiring and he is another signing of a player who no one else was trying to sign which, like our many other signings, shouldn’t fill fans with any hope that anything changes in terms of results. So does he make us better? Yes. Does he move the needle much in terms of likelihood we become competitive? Probably not.
Nonsense. There was never any issue with the Storm approaching the Eels to acquire Lomax, the issue was when the Eels said no or gave the Storm their asking price, and the Storm threw a tantrum. That was the issue. I have no problem with clubs approaching each other regarding players, provided it is done under established guidelines and in good faith. The Dragons are within their rights to say no, or to negotiate a trade of some sort.
Probably more significant than the performance of Su’A is the destination of Toga. He’s got the goods. Why Saints aren’t using him in NRL and thereby giving him the dirts is one of their little mysteries. I like to imagine that his management has been in touch with our people before requesting his release.
I tend to agree – it was about how Melbourne didn’t negotiate in good faith and tried to exert pressure and lie about repercussions from the nrl if Parra didn’t accept their terms (not merely commercial bargaining for early release). They could have taken matto and lomax but chose not to meet the asking price
In my opinion, that bears no similarity to one team approaching dragons and offering a player and/or cash that is acceptable to dragons (commercial bargaining for early release)
It is also different from Galvin as Gus was making public comments to woo Galvin and get him early – another form of pressure applied which is not merely commercial bargaining for early release.
Fair enough everyone – Just don’t be surprised if the broader NRL public see it different.
Have to pile on BA, I think you’re in false equivalence territory there. Lomax got himself into a half-baked field of dreams and riches then entered an acceptable, legally binding release agreement to avail of the perceived benefits. The dream world and the real world didnt gel when ‘things changed’. The Eels were placed in a position of damaging their rights by accepting what then transpired. Unfortunately we didn’t get to hear the full monte of discovery. The Sua situation appears transparent and normal to me, if things are done under advice to ensure correct and lawful procedure.
Can anyone explain why we simply released ,Zac Lomax, a recent international, without, apparently, any compensation of any kind from this new Rugby competition he was supposed to be joining?
Been asking that question for 4 months and still don’t have an answer.
I had no real beef with the Eels Management digging their heals in with the Storm, as i understood where they were coming from on some level. But i have beef with Management for allowing the release in the first place and contributing to creating a situation where you no longer had your second most impactful player. He wasn’t unhappy (nothing that was reported), there was no personal circumstances that would warrant compassion. He was just chasing more money. Are we just going to release every player when they feel like they can get more money elsewhere?
For what it’s worth, my take was:
1. He didn’t want to be at Parra and thus lost the coaching staff confidence
2. Because he was going to another code, there was no one to swap in
3. We spent the money on other recruits (or some of it)
4. He probably did more than just ask politely
Hindsight is a wonderful thing, and obviously with current state of roster you’d have kept him every day of the week, but no one had a crystal ball at the time. Not saying I would have made the same decision or agreed with it, but no doubt it seemed a good idea at the time.
Loko Pasifiki Tonga is on the Bulldogs radar, as is Sam Tuivati.
They are quietly confident of landing Bula, plus one or both of these highly touted bookends according to my source.
Big Sam is siigned for 2 more years at the Eels fortunately
We also get to have a look at some of our younger brigade on Sunday, which is the upside of a somewhat bleak prospect. In particular, Toni Mataele gets the chance to make case that his contract be extended; I’ve suspected for some time that he is a better player than the opportunities would suggest.
He is available to talk to other teams November 1, unless there is a contract extension that hasn’t hit the news yet? Hopefully he extends, he has a huge future in the NRL.
Can talk to rivals in 6 months. Do you trust o’neill to sign him before then ??????
We have as much chance of signing a stand out talent like Pasifiki Tonga as Sixties has of being the next space shuttle astronaut. Let’s just concentrate on Connor Watson, he’d suit our style. Whatever that is.
Gee it will be sad if we come just to accept that. Might as well give up and take up bowls.
Thanks Noel , aren’t you the bloke who said Mitch Moses is a better half back than Peter Sterling. After nearly 80 years of supporting my colours I’m allowed to blow off steam. Get yourself a life.
Why do people feel it necessary to react with angst to what is most likely a throw away comment?
I have already responded to Seth to write that I intended no disrespect to him in my remark; I simply believe that it’s important that we don’t lose belief that The Eels can compete to achieve excellence.
Whether you accept it or not I think it is quite factual looking at the recruitment u der taken in the last 5 years. Our squad has gotten progressively weaker each year. As our squad gets weaker and our results on the field get worse we will find it harder and harder to attract talent without paying overs.
The other adverse effect of this is we will also struggle to retain talented juniors. I mean Seeiously what manager looking out for the best interest of their players is going to encourage them to stay with us if it means going into first grade and playing with niftiest and getting belted and beaten up each week?
I do not blame Ryles this rests with our recruitment team (the reject shoppers) and MON.
If we continue like this our catch cry will have to change from”there always next year” to “theres always next decade.”
Spoke to a coach and Lorima SeuSeu has huge wraps on him think he is best back we have had for a while anyone vouch for him?
Also isnt Ryda and Sam our next prop duo for future do we need Loko?
Loko is a couple of years older than Ryda; Ryda, I think, is fast enough to play lock. I’d certainly compete hard for Loko if The Dragons released him.
Can someone please explain to me why Matto is still on the books, why haven’t we paid him out and moved him on? Why is he still occupying a spot on the top 30? Help me understand
Matto still on the books; Lomax released without any form of compensation; Brown released without contest and then not chosen for weeks because he was moving on; Pezet signed for one year and chosen ahead of longer term prospects; Russell developed from a crude kid to a very promising NRL outside back then released next season to a club that doesn’t exist yet?
I’m sure there’s a cunning winning strategy behind all this
I’m too unintelligent to see it.
Yes there’s a lot to work through there, I would like to focus on Matto and get a top 30 spot back.
Forties, any idea why the club is not paying Matto out to get the roster spot back?
He has a contract and even if you “pay him out” the payment is included in the salary cap and still counts as a spot in your top 30.
This is effectively what is happening anyway as he is not playing anywhere.
It’s appalling roster management
Anyone who’s being honest wouldn’t be surprised by where we are right now. Coming into the season, the cracks within the club and squad were already visible — we just hoped they wouldn’t be exposed this quickly. We finished last year strongly, which gave the impression we were building momentum and heading in the right direction.
The 2025/26 season was a genuine opportunity to transition and strengthen the squad. Instead, we’ve gone backwards from a recruitment standpoint. We lost two international-quality players and replaced them with Brian Kelly, JDB, and an untested Jonah Pezet on a loan deal — hardly moves that inspire confidence or signal progression.
One of the more puzzling decisions was the appointment of the S&C coach. He came from a Newcastle side that struggled with injuries and lacked physical intensity. Now, we’re dealing with 16 long-term injuries and another 3–4 players pushing through issues. Some of that is bad luck, sure — but it’s hard to ignore the pattern. Are the players actually being prepared for the demands of the modern game, or just ticking fitness boxes?
That appointment stands out as one of the most confusing of the off-season. Strength and conditioning is a critical role in any professional club, and based on what we’ve seen, the credentials and recent results simply didn’t stack up.
Looking ahead, there are elite, four-time premiership players coming off contract in 2027 — Martin, Cleary, and Yeo. These are proven winners who define what success looks like at the highest level. We talk a lot about “culture,” but in professional sport, culture is built on winning. Right now, it’s hard to see that standard being set within the club.
If you want to build a winning environment, you surround your young talent with players who know exactly what it takes. Penrith won’t be able to keep all three — so why not be bold for once and make a serious play for one of them?
I would take Cleary and maybe Yeo, I don’t mind paying huge overs for an elite halfback that plays more than a handful of games a year
A+ comment.
I wouldn’t be seeking Liam Martin though. I think the writing is on the wall there that his best days are behind him. I get that he might bring something from the Penrith winning culture, but we sign enough guys who are on the wrongs ide of their career trajectory – in fact it is about the only type of player we sign.
Agreed. Brian Kelly gave Liam Martin an absolute belting when we played The Panthers; it made Kelly’s effort in the last twenty minutes against The Titans even more disappointing.