The NRLW has arrived for season 2026 and while hopes are high for the Eels this year – they have hit an early hitch with a trio of recruits already in the injury ward. The Tip Sheet looks at how the girls are shaping up ahead of Sunday’s clash against the Tigers and how long they could be without the services of Keilee Joseph, Layne Morgan and Jayde Herdegen.
Sixties and Forty20 wrap up a rather ordinary weekend for the fellas – although the NSW Women’s Premiership squad delivered an excellent victory. Bronson Xerri is the latest missed signing for the Blue & Gold as pressure hits a critical threshold on roster building heading in 2027. The Eels were pipped by the Storm for the left centre’s signature and there are serious questions about where the next impact signing is now going to come from. And while head coach Jason Ryles might be struggling to put out spot fires at the Eels, he turned real-life hero on the weekend as he saved a woman from a burning car in the wake of the club’s loss to the Rabbitohs.
Well that escalated quickly! There was little dilly-dallying with the new broadcast deal as Fox and Nine successfully retained the rights with a mammoth five billion dollar package securing the code’s future for the next 7 years.
Sounds like a tricky start for the Eels, injuries are always a setback. Hopefully they can get everyone fit and firing for the season.
Sixty and Forty 20
I haven’t been so excited during the pre-season than I was this year thinking about our Parra Eels. I told anyone that would listen that we would be in the top four. The way we finished last year was not only winning footy but also extremely attractive attacking footy. Coach Ryles looked like he had us humming in attack and improving in D. I liked what i saw in Joash P, Ryley Smith, Iongi, Addo Carr, Tuivaiti, Williams, Moretti and Kautoga. And Moses surely wouldn’t be injured again. How could we go wrong????
And then it did and apart from the odd resurgence we have never got back there. I must have misread the team we had. Lomax leaving didnt help. i thought he was one of our best last year. The problem is I cant see the way out right now. Where are our young Eels. We need them more them ever pushing through and fast!!
I’m a former Mitch Moses fan, on his day he is an elite kicking and running threat with one of the longest boots in the game, that being said I’ve cooled off a bit in the last few years
Hear me out, if Moses doesn’t retire from rep footy after origin 3 we need to move him on this year while he’s still worth something (probably not much)
It’s just a bad deal for the club with 33 games played out of 63 (2024-2026), most absences the result of origin and with the money he is on would be better used on Strange or similar.
He’s getting on and seems to have club priorities well down the order, I believe this is impacting on team culture when the rest of them get drilled on getting up for the privilege of representing the legendary club.
Anyone confused why so many people are on his case can rest assured we don’t want to be, we just want our team to be successful and see an obvious issue with our star player that looks like his ego is well out of control and urgently needs a reality check.
I don’t want to see Moses captaining the team again either, his Emmy quality performances with the refs has been getting us offside with the officiating.
Looking forward to some decent signings but we need to fix our senior players attitudes towards the club before we will attract star players
We cannot do this reform alone. We need you the fans now. To go to the games, We need to do this together, okay. So I thank you, in advance, for your help. Thank you.
Other news of the week was the decided exit at the end of the season of long term second rower, current pro Toni Mataele. A couple of comments on that, maybe my last:
Understandable; including Junior he is currently ranked (by selection) as our sixth most senior prop.
Apparently many of us feel that Jack Williams gives more valuable service as a second rower than prop and that our pack lacks size; some feel that our regular second rowers are dangerous with the ball but are vulnerable in defence and that defence is the major area of concern for the team; our starting props are Jack and Luca Moretti
Toni is recorded at 188 centremetres (6 feet two inches) and as weighing 108 kilos. He has played in 5 NRL matches with a recorded tackle efficiency of 98%.
He hasn’t spent enough time in NRL for his metres there to mean anything; his average metres in Cup is 120 per game.
I don’t know as much about Rugby League as our current leadership. I do find some of their decisions difficult to understand – they obviously didn’t value Toni very highly. I’ll be fascinated to see how he goes at Manly.
Thanks fellas,
I don’t really see the point in selecting Pezet any more this season. We have ten rounds of the season left and, while a mathematical chance to still make the finals, the reality is that we again have to look towards the next season while the current one still runs.
Pezet won’t be at the Eels for 2027 and like Dylan Brown last year should be left out for someone who is. Pezet’s signing was a gamble, one that has unfortunately failed. Time once again to look to the future.
I also note Noel’s comments on Mataele. I’ve read some articles suggesting Parramatta didn’t want to lose him. What to make of that?
I wrote that, based on selection, Toni was number six on our props’ pecking order in the eyes of club leadership.
He was number 7. I forgot Doorey
No wonder he wanted to leave
No wonder we let him.
I wonder if Keiran Foran is interested in Doorey?
Noel,
As I said I read an article suggesting we wanted to keep him. Given the things you have point out over the last while I’m not surprised he is reportedly leaving. Why from the club side it has happened would be interesting to find out.
Cheers
So the club has promoted a player from within to fill a top 30 spot but doesn’t consider that newsworthy enough to share with the fanbase? I find that very dismissive and disappointing.
As for Moses Leota, he’s just turned 31 and I’d imagine should it come off it would be a 2 or 3 year deal which if the latter he’d be 34. Kolomatangi has just turned 28 and if the noise around his non-signing was hesitancy about committing to a 5th year that saints offered, money of course a factor, but he’d be 33 at that stage. Another chin scratcher or maybe not as he was likely privvy to what other signings saints had in the pipeline vs. what the eels have in the pipeline and it becomes a no-brainer for him.
As to Leota, maybe get very interested when a signing officially is announced; I note that the confidently-predicted announcement of a Spencer Leniu signing has not eventuated.
As to Moses, at his age clearly we’re not going to build a dynasty around him but he’s a wonderful footballer in a very demanding position- we would be a stronger club with him than without him so clearly he would be a valuable recruitment if we can bring it off.
I was less than devastated that Bronson Xeri signed with Melbourne, As it is for next year, Sean Russell goes west after a solid contribution to us, Kelly moves to left centre, Simonsen, hopefully fully recovered plays on the right wing, Samrani at right centre and The Fox make up the three quarters. Xeri would have added depth without necessarily adding much to the quality.