It is up for debate whether Rudyard Kipling would approve but with the Eels, Bears and Tigers all converging this week we have something of the rugby league equivalent of The Jungle Book playing out in real time. The Tip Sheet looks at the latest happenings from Parradise and the NRL as the Perth Bears table an eye-watering offer to Junior Paulo.
Parramatta go big cat hunting for the second week running as they look to bring down the drama-laden Wests Tigers in the NRL. It is Magic Round in the NRLW as our girls look to try and build on a heart breaking loss to the Warriors in what was a greatly improved team performance. The boys break down all of the big news from TLT across these grades and all the way down to the Jersey Flegg.
The Tigers have dominated the news cycle in the last week following the sudden feud between coach Benji Marshall and top player Adam Doueihi. What is it all about and where has it left the joint venture? Newcastle are reeling from a devastating loss that cost them both Dylan Brown and Dylan Lucas for the season. Is it time to put the red line through them?
The discussion on recruitment is, unfortunately, more of the same that many of us have had issue with over the years.
We are reactive, slow and ultimately ineffective in the recruitment market. Our current roster issues are completely of our own doing and we are gathering momentum to enter 2027 with more holes in our roster than previous years.
Additionally, we are appear to also be heading to November with several key players unsigned (Tuivaiti, Williams, JAC to name a few). How our R&R team continue to make the same mistakes year after year and remain in position is baffling.
So many of our roster issues could have been easily avoided with competent, decisive management – what is it going to take to get this part of our club in order???
Very well said. Seems those in charge of recruitment are a “protected species”. We are the laughing stock of the NRL behind the Tigers. Constant failures in this department but tolerated by a large portion of the fan base – 40 years of failure will do that to a club I guess. I guess we will just wait for change, and continue to tolerate the results in between.
When you talk about 40 years of failure – in what perspective? We had a golden period of ten years when we played seven grand finals and won four. The Riff have won four straight and most likely will get there this year but their run has not yet matched the Eels of those times. The last ten year’s have been monopolized by a small number of teams. The Storm, Easts and Penrith. No other team except Brisbane has busted this monopoly. The Sharks have won one grand final in fifty nine years. Now that is a poor performance, no a failure. The last grand final win by Souths took forty three years to break their drought.. The Raiders haven’t won for thirty plus years. Parra has played in three grand finals since 2001. How many teams can match that. Not a lot. Sure, we are going through a rough period with a poor winning record. In three years that’s about seventy plus games how many games has Moses (our best player) played? Most likely less than half at a guess. And, I get R & R has been asleep at the wheel with some very questionable signings while clearly looking past our best juniors. We are rebuilding and that takes time under a new coach with a very young and inexperienced battle hardened roster.. So we wait a little longer and hope things fall into place. I have followed the Eels for sixty eight years and seen the best and the worst. In the 19 fifties Parra had six straight wooden spoons. Inexperience has cost the Eels badly over the past two years and to some extent we have gone backwards this year. When you hit the bottom the only way to go is up. We are not on the bottom but are rounding the lower part of the “J Curve”. The infux of new teams has not helped plus the TPA’s have contributed to the acquisition of players to certain teams that always seem to be near the top,
So please reconsider your word failure in a better context because compared to other teams we have done considerably better over the years.
No one is denying the 80s was our golden period, I would like to isolate the 23 season onwards which is pretty much 4 seasons of bad decisions- I would call that a failure, in any normal private sector there would have been people fired long before now so please enlighten me why we are ment to just cop it sweet that the R&R department and up are in cruise mode when we are watching the Dragons (Dragons FFS) recruit Nikorima, Keaon Kaloamatangi, Scott Drinkwater, Luke Metcalf, Connor Watson and Phillip Sami? Who have we recruited? Luai on a 1 year transit deal, really??that’s it? Piss weak are the words you are looking for
No excuses, heard enough of them.
Hi Big Bob. The expression was “40 years of failure” not four years. Your are correct – it’s not a good look. You might recall the Dolphins were coming and 22 was a grand final year. The average Joe were calling for retention of a number of players that fitted the style of BA game plan and then the game changed under PVL direction which made a number of those signing obsolete. But, they were signed for a number of years that spread over into JR’s tenure. In other words we were stuck with them. That some from that time wanted to leave for more money we could not match because of other retentions. 24 was right off the players were not responding to BA’s style when the game changed. In come Ryles.who moved certain ones on and we fielded a very young and inexperienced team. Results did not match expectations. This year we again experienced injuries that impacted the team. We are building it takes time. And, yes the R&R team need to justify their decisions. I wonder if the club is still scarred from the salary cap scandal. Then again looking at the top 30 where exactly is our salary cap? Whatever, the club should respond to the concerns of the fans. There was an article last week in the media questioning the R&R. So it’s not exactly something that’s missing the spotlight. Can we, as the fans fix it? What the members should do is organize a petition – get numbers and signatures and present it to the club. How long can they ignore a mass petition that would attract Headlines?
They haven’t even released the top 30 for this season yet, why the secrecy (that’s what it is)
Just frustrates the heck out of me every way I look at the moment
And we didn’t have enough cap space for Spencer? That’s what I heard, not sure if it’s correct but who knows
Where’s the cap going, we only have 1 six figure player, the club needs to look at how East’s or Penrith organize their top 30 because we don’t have a clue
The answer is for Sarantinos and o’neill to fall on their swords. Recruitment has been stagnant for many years and they’ve failed to forecast the new TV deal into what we can offer as many other teams are doing im hearing big Sam will go to Nov 1 also
How can fans, sponsors and backers put up with the failures those accountable are dishing out?
Id like to know how sixties and forty feel about the rumour Shane Richardson could be talking to the eels – its a rumour
Sarantinos o’neill out. We’re stagnant and not improving roster wise. Extremely disappointing
People need to have a look at Jim’s background. It is with a company that is all about helping solve complex finanical issues – usually around debts and liquidation. So he worked in a place where you evaluate what something is worth and then try and negotiate 50c in the dollar out of it. Not establish a talent and try to out bid and pay for something – maybe over pay for something if there is intangible gains, or a long term benefit to be had.
O”neil had basically 6 months experience running a football operation.. 6 months… at the Tigers. They might be nice guys, Jim might even be an Eels fan. They might have a purpose and value, but it isn’t in the positions they are holding. They are hurting the club and need to be stood down.
IMO.
Forty if you are going to do pod casts you need to control the live tantrums when others express their opinions
Another year of mediocrity and another year of our best talent being off contract soon without resigning. Tuivati and Williams should have been resigned on 2-3 year deals at the start of the year – before the new tv rights deal. Instead we are almost at end of year, after showcasing our best young prop, and other clubs are circling. A Development club that can’t retain its own juniors… go figure
We best Wests with solid defence all game and hold the ball. It’s as simple as that – no doubt they will play with all the BS emotion.
Just beat them over 80 mins.
As for the other stuff – I’ve said my bit here and will see what eventuates. The crickets are getting bigger and louder
Sorry meant Beat
I see Dearden is possibly up for grabs, the Eels should grab him and trade Moses to the Dragons for Drinky + Atkinson
There’s still value in Moses, if we want to be top 8 this decade I can’t see us doing it with Mitch, he’s too busy with rep footy and when he is available for us he’s never 100% fit or in form.