It’s been a while between Bumpers Up drinks, but Parra’s recent form and fan opinions about the roster have necessitated finding the time to put the column together.
Spoiler – there will be a mix of criticism and reality checks in this post.
So as tough as the yardage will be, it’s time for the next carry.
Bumpers Up!
The Inevitable Moses Dilemma
Hands up anyone who was expecting some sort of Origin injury to befall our superstar halfback.
The pessimistic sphere in my brain has been on overdrive in 2026, but a training injury before Moses even played one minute was not on my radar.
Mind you it should have been a concern, given that he suffered a calf strain whilst training for Origin 2 last year. That mishap resulted in Moses being absent from the Eels line up from round 15 through to round 20.
Parra’s contribution to Origin has been minimal over the last three years, but the toll has been high. Back in 2024, the club lost J’maine Hopgood for the rest of the season following a lower back injury in Game 1, and Mitch Moses also had his season ended with a bicep injury in Game 3.
Now this hamstring problem, something he has never suffered from, will result in Parra’s captain being unavailable for multiple rounds of club fixtures, but he has still been selected for Origin 2, meaning further unavailability for the Eels.
Mitch Moses
My first concern is whether the training load at Origin is the reason for such training injuries. Parramatta does a very good job at managing such loads.
Every Eels fan has been well aware that Mitch had some niggles from the start of the season. However, he had played all eleven games until Origin selection, and indeed had looked injury free in the last couple of rounds.
As someone who watches Eels training, I can assure supporters that the management of Moses training load has been instrumental in navigating the early part of the season.
Moving forward, a difficult decision might be faced by Moses. I can selfishly wish that he decides to stand down from rep duties but it’s impossible to criticise him.
Moses has achieved his representative football status relatively late in his career. He has only made three appearances for Australia and six for NSW. Apart from a one off Origin appearance in 2021, he’s only been a serious contender for selection since 2023, and even his selection then was to fill in for Cleary.
Given that Moses turns 32 in September this year, it’s therefore easy to understand why he would want to accept the honour of representing his state and country at an age when other players might consider standing down from rep duties.
Realistically, nobody should blame him. Former Origin players have stated that if you get selected you should always take it. It’s an honour.
It also easy to understand why supporters feel frustrated. The outcome of Moses playing Origin has been felt severely at club level. It has always resulted in extended unavailability for the Eels.
Moses recent seasons have featured just eight club appearances in 2024, followed by 13 in 2025, and who knows what will happen for the remainder of 2026.
The choice will be rightly left to Moses. Why wouldn’t he take up such individual honours, especially if a premiership title looks so far away for the club?
And for any suggestions that the Eels should part ways with our star half because he chooses to play Origin, let me suggest that this. There is a hyper-focus on Moses because he is the Eels only current representative player. It is not Moses fault that he is the only elite level player on Parra’s roster.
Other clubs with greater representation even choose to rest their players outside of the mandatory club stand downs.
As a supporter I might selfishly hope Moses chooses to stand down from future rep teams. But my main hope is that the club adds players of his caliber to the roster to take the focus from him.
Roster Questions
There are undeniable issues with the Eels roster. The club recognises this and it’s my understanding that they are active in the player market to try to address the problems.
For the purpose of re-stating the shortfalls, outside of specifics to recruit in key positions, the club has to add more “top of the roster” players to the squad.
Representative level players (tier one countries plus Origin) are in short supply in PARRAdise, they are indeed in short supply on the player market. But, premiership winning clubs always boast plenty. The Eels current list starts and ends with Moses.
Supporters should acknowledge that Eels recruitment has successfully found high value middle of the roster recruits over the years. Some added during the Arthur era either became rep players or reignited their rep careers – see RCG, Gutherson, Nathan Brown, Fergo, Matterson.
But, taking the club from competitive to title contenders status has required a re-think, and I expect to see that reflected in some of the 2027 recruits.
Top of the roster players don’t just improve short term prospects. They also significantly contribute to fulfilling the potential of emerging players. And for a club that hangs out the “Development Club” sign, that investment in the long term is essential.
And when the trajectory is a rising one, the club will become a more attractive destination for future targeted recruits.
Hey Spencer, are you going to sign with the Eels?
Media speculation has recently pointed to the likes of Burton, Leniu and Jenkins. There are a couple of other names floating around that I’d rather not mention because they haven’t appeared in the media and I’d prefer that it stays that way.
Regardless, it is indicative that the club that is looking to spend the coin to get certain targets.
When the task of recruiting for next season has been complete, we’ll see whether our fortunes have genuine hope for change.
The Injury Debacle That Is 2026
At full strength, the current Eels roster would be a competitive one. Realistically not title winning, but one with rightful aspirations to the bottom end of the top 8.
But fickle fate has not been Parra’s friend.
Anyone who brushes aside the Eels massive injury toll in 2026 needs to get real.
No other club, I repeat, no other club, comes within a bull’s roar of the cumulative number of games missed due to injury. The Eels hit the century mark in round 14 – see the list below. Given the long term and season ending injuries, that number will continue to grow and could well top the double century by season’s end.
Games missed due to injury to Round 14 – credit Rowan Waight & NRL Physio
Will that be unprecedented? I haven’t looked at the stats from Souths in 2025, but they might have been similarly high.
By comparison the Panthers have missed a paltry 22 missed games in 2026. That’s close to a fifth of the Eels tally! As if their squad requires any further advantage.
Injuries don’t just remove the player himself from the team, they completely disrupt combinations in both attack and defence. It goes some way to explaining disjointed attack or players not trusting the player next to them in defence.
This isn’t meant to excuse poor performances. But it is a valid reason for some of the struggles.
No Excuses Department
If we want to talk about no excuses, go no further than the Eels completion rates and missed tackles.
Against the Knights, the Eels enjoyed 54% possession to the Knights 46%. Furthermore, the Knights only completed at 73%. Newcastle’s defence was also poor – a combined missed and ineffective tally of 60.
Unfortunately, the Eels provided a “hold my beer” response, by matching the defensive frailty of the Knights (combined tally of 58 missed and ineffective) and completing at 71%.
A bright spot against the Knights as Samrani’s scores
The tale was worse against the Bulldogs.
Canterbury were inept against the Eels. Despite dominating territorially they failed to score in the first half and could only score twice in the second. Credit to the Eels scrambling defence, and for registering big on the effort metre (and not forgeting zero luck), but the stats are damning.
Parra’s completion rate came in at 73%, and the combined missed and ineffective tackles was a whopping 75 compared to the Bulldogs 38.
Somehow the Eels were only defeated courtesy of a late penalty goal, but you aren’t going to win games of footy with those numbers. In fact, it’s an indictment on the Dogs that they barely got the job done. Still they walked away with the competition points whilst the Eels registered yet another loss.
I can praise the effort, but effort is really non-negotiable in first grade. It’s time for the first grade team to improve their focus and minimise some of the low percentage plays.
Winning starts with playing smarter.
NSW Cup Shockers
The last month of football from the Eels NSW Cup team has been a huge concern.
Apart from victory against the Dragons, the Eels have registered massive losses to the Bears (46-10), Knights (56-16) and the Bulldogs (60-4)
Without question, the flow on effect of the monstrous injury toll might explain losses, but not the magnitude.
There were worrying signs from the last two losses in particular. Effort areas had massive question marks.
But the worst outcome of such performances is that it leaves almost no selection options for Jason Ryles. If he is considering a change or two for the first grade, the question becomes, “is there anyone playing better in Cup?”
The answer to that is currently quite obvious.
NRLW Season Launch
Tonight (Wednesday) the Eels are staging their official launch of the 2026 NRLW season. The event falls in the same week as the opening round of the NSW Women’s Competition, with the Eels taking on Mounties at Kellyville.
A number of Eels players are returning from season ending injuries sustained during the 2025 campaign. That injury list significantly impacted the team’s performances, and it should be a full strength side for round one.
Keilee Joseph
For mine, new signings including Maroons Origin star Keilee Joseph should provide the filip for the Eels take the next step to finals footy.
Some of that NRL squad are taking the field in Saturday’s NSW Premiership clash with Mounties. I recommend checking it out.
Back At CommBank
It seems like an eternity since we’ve enjoyed a home game, or indeed a pre-game appearance in Parra Leagues.
But this week the Eels take on the Raiders at CommBank Stadium with the kick off at 7:35pm. That means we’ll be found in Sterlo’s Sports Bar from around 5pm.
A photo from this year in Sterlo’s – Dave Liddiard, Mitch Ella in Steve’s 86 jersey, and Steve Ella.
Parra Leagues is the home of the Eels and every home game offers activations and dining options for the entire family.
We’ve had an incredible list of Eels legend guests in Sterlo’s this year, and this week will be no exception. Plus, we always endeavour to make them available for a chat and photos with the fans.
l’ll update everyone with the identity of our guest later this week.
See you there!
Go you mighty Eels
Sixties
Thanks Sixties! It is indeed a while since we had a Bumpers Up.
I wrote a little more extensively following an article by Shelley. I think she is on a similar wavelength to you.
I will make the point again but slightly differently re the banned subject, Zac Lomax. While I very much appreciate the principals and the win that happened around the saga. And I suspect that it has very much slowed down similar bad behaviour from Agents and Players … It did appear to me that Parra officialdom made it clear that they didn’t want him.
It makes it seem to me that your argument to have more Marqui players at the Eels will fall on deaf ears. Particularly with Zac but also with all the others you mentioned. We have dispensed with the Marquies. They weren’t wanted, and hence we have what we have.
I would suggest that with Zac in the side we would have had another 4 wins across the season and be contenders for a semi spot. I suspect a similar argument could be made re Gutho.
And I agree. The Knock on Effect recent results are very disturbing, particularly for retention of some of the rising stars.
I look forward to the female Eels program rolling on and rising up.
Brelogail St Boy,
I understand what you are trying to drive at re: Lomax. I agree that it seemed by a certain point Eels officials were no longer interested in having him at the club. However, I still believe that was the result of Lomax and his Agent agitating for a release so soon into a reasonable length contract. It took more than one request from Lomax before Parramatta agreed to the release, with reasonable clauses. Lomax was more interested in chasing the Saudi riyals than honouring a contract. That appears to have raised trust issues with Eels officials about Lomax. That Lomax then went to ignore the clauses in his exit deed after the R360 start date stuttered and agitate to be allowed to play for the Storm (a team that cheated a GF against the Eels) likely reaffirmed official’s thinking.
I don’t believe that scenario would deter top line players considering the Eels, as long as they are prepared to honour contracts or deeds of release. I also don’t believe the Gutherson issue would influence elite recruits. Media reporting at the time indicated Ryles wanted Gutho to play a different role and Gutho was not prepared to commit to that with Saints willing to let him play fullback. So a mutual agreement was made (with no release clauses).
I expect from your previous posts you don’t agree with me and, as I’ve stated, I understand where you are coming from.
That said, I will wait and see how long it takes before we sign a Tier 1 player from another team. If/when that happens we can both smile and go “finally”. Then we have to hope it works out.
Cheers
Namrebo, the Lomax saga was very much about his individual circumstances and issues. I won’t read more into it than that.
Agreed Sixties, and those are what I believe led to all the trust issues I’ve mentioned.
Cheers, and enjoyed the Bumpers Up edition.
Hey Brelogail,
Thanks for the reply. I guarantee you that the Eels are interested in marquee players and fully understand the importance of adding such players to the roster. Whether they can secure their targets we will see.
I feel that if the Parra trainers have a solution for managing Moses, they ought to pass this on to the NSW management, who need to take it on board. The problem is that for NSW, Moses just needs to be fit for 3 games 3 weeks apart. For Parra, he needs to be fit every week. That’s a very different set of circumstances there. I completely understand why Moses is so keen to play Origin, but NSW needs to have the player’s welfare front of mind.
Regarding the massive injury list this season at Parra, this should be a major concern for management, who need to investigate what is going on. Last season saw a lot of injuries, though to a lesser extent. I don’t think it’s purely bad luck, and maybe there is something that can be done to minimise injuries. As we know, it’s critical for the season’s success to have the best players available each week and we haven’t seen that for quite some years now.
Longfin, I can almost guarantee that the Eels would have communicated the necessary info regarding Moses load management.
If you look at a number of the injuries, Iongi, Hopgood, Simonsson, Tago were all illegal tackle injuries. Junior had a knee clean out. Moses hamstring in Origin camp. Are there any avoidable? Hard to answer, but one thing I can stand by is that players at the Eels have never been rushed back from injury. In fact, they tend to err well on the side of caution.
Thanks Sixties for your reports and ongoing coverage, I really enjoy your take on everything that is going on at the club and teams.
If I may I’d like to add a few thoughts on the current situation. Along with Moses we have JAC, Paulo and Hopgood that were rep players and of them only JAC has played consistently while the others are out. Of our first choice 17 we have more than a third out and their places are taken by reserve graders and young blokes striving to play NRL on a regular basis. Normally when a team brings a young bloke into the side they are surrounded by first graders to learn off and get to know what is the right and wrong way to do things but in our situation they are learning off others like themselves and they make reserve grade mistakes and junior mistakes.
If anyone has played a team sport and it can be any sport and you take out one third of the first grade side and replace them with juniors and regies, unless the remaining players are elite and you had a team that dominated the competition you will get the results we are getting. And while I’m not excusing the dumb mistakes and lack of effort in some cases there are mitigating circumstances.
Also for people to say we should have bought this player and that players or kept Lomax what happens if they’re also injured, same results. Thanks again Sixties and keep up the great work you and the others do.
Cheers AB. You have indeed provided reasons for the type of mistakes that the team is making. It’s also why we have to add more top of the roster recruits. They help both current performances and the development of the inexperienced boys.
Honestly, what else has Mitch got to look forward to ? There is a very real possibility that he’ll never play finals footy ever again, and even if he doesn’t acknowledge it, that thought has to have occurred to him. All he really has left is Origin, and maybe one group game at the World Cup. This will be our 4th season without finals, and realistically it’s going to be another 2-3 years before we likely get back there. Mitch isn’t silly, he’ll have done his sums like the rest of us.
Exactly Brett, and as I said, it’s unfair to hyper focus on him just because he’s our only current rep player.
Absolutely. This is all so depressing.
Great write up sixties!
I won’t go any further over the already mentioned R&R issues everyone does daily.
I will say that either by design or pure luck we are at least not paying big to be bad. You have a bunch of teams in or around us who have spent big on their rosters. They are set into those now and are still no closer to winning a comp. They will have to shift guys to bring in more.
The Dragons as an example have swung the bat big. Thrown huge money to bring in guys they need as a way to fix previous external recruits that haven’t worked out. However their list isn’t necessarily one you would think will challenge for a premiership. It’s a lot of hurt and pain plus cash spent to turn 17th into 10th.
It’s one thing to improve when you go on a spending spree as better talent should bring you better results. Eventually though you will need to develop/coach your way to improvement beyond external recruitment.
It appears that the retention side of R&R has been kicking goals. It will spiral however if some of those kids are kept beyond their current deals.
We cross our fingers. We do need some hope soon. At the very least.
I will add that the external recruits are absolutely needed to help develop the kids.
You just want to make sure it’s the right guy for the right price and right time obviously.
I don’t understand what you are saying here Luke. All teams have to spend 95% of their salary cap.
Are you saying you are happy with how we are spending our salary cap and instead of ‘overpaying’ for elite level players you are happy we are overpaying the current team of plodders and you are ok with that? Because that must be what we are doing to be actually spending our cap as required.
Absolutely not happy with how we are spending the cap but we are at least not locked in long term to this group too.
We have Mitch TDS Iongi more or less as the main group locked on long term deals.
For example and not that we are a better run club but the dragons are locked into Guth and Holmes for close to 2 million next year and they don’t want either.
I’d be shocked if we are spending 95% of our cap for next year. If it turns out we don’t bring anyone in then absolutely we need to bring new people in. Plain and simple. I’m sure they are front loading deals, well at least you hope they are.
We have the chance to recruit still and helps ourselves out of this hole the dogs for example do not.
I do agree the current admin don’t fill me with much hope but they also haven’t blown the budget yet either. It’s a shame we might have to wait until the horse is bolted to get change though.
The scary part is we have to spend 95% of our cap and this is what we have to show for it. You mention the dogs but like the dragons they have at least identified and issue and recruited already to try and fix it. We are still waiting and jumping at rumours. Our roster has gotten worse every year since 2022. This year was a huge decline. Losing two players who are arguably the best in their respective positions has been woeful.
We can only hope that the club has at least had the foresight to bring forward as much future payroll as possible to use up our current cap space. At least then we’ll maximise future cap space to target possible top tier free agents.
Just looked at the halftime score in the Bunnies Broncos game, 30- zip. What is going on there?
“… it’s my understanding that they are active in the player market to try to address the problems….”
I think everyone would presume they are trying to recruit top tier players, and have been every time they come on the market.
The reality is the only players we sign are players for whom there does not seem to be a competitive market. Like JAC, Walker, Lomax, now Sua.
So the question becomes why?
Are we too conservative with our offers?
Are we undervaluing top tier players?
Is our sales pitch poor?
Is our relationship with player agents poor?
Are we not picking up the phone?
Are we not securing relationships with potential 3rd parties?
Does the club have a bad reputation among players and agents due to a perceived lack of direction or strategy?
We know it isn’t because we have poor facilities, a small supporter base, a remote unattractive living location or bad home stadium, and our last coach and current coach, both are held in reasonable regard I would think.
I don’t know which is more disconcerting. The frustration that we do not sign enough top tier players. Or, the suggestion we are trying to, but can not secure anyone in a competitive bid process.
Personally, I actually think they’re equally worrying. But maybe the most worrying thing is it is plainly obvious what/who the problem is and we don’t have leadership at Board level willing to/ or who would care enough to, take the steps to fix it.
Sixties, I meant to mention this during the Women’s Origin…the NRLW signing of Qld forward Keilee Joseph might prove to be a real winner. Great defender, high work rate, mentally tough as. I’ve probably put the mock on her, but somehow I don’t think so.
Since Brad Arthur was sacked, we’ve spent about 90% of the time outside the top eight, and realistically our seasons have been over before Origin has even finished. We’ve become a disgrace and a genuine Western Sydney minnow.
I can’t even convince myself to be positive anymore. This club has completely drained me. If I had my time again, I honestly don’t think I would have supported them in the first place.
Instead, we just keep sinking deeper into the abyss, dragged down by a football department that has failed this club at every level.
Hey Sixties. Say we have 4 main player targets like Leniu, J McLean, Burton and 1 other. How many do you think we land? I’m not sure about Burton but would love the other 2 plus another forward to go with getting both Hopgood and Doorey back from injury and of course Sua.