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Eels in the media

Johnny88

Johnny88

Juniors
Messages
1,469
Barely 12 months on from his Maroons debut, J’maine Hopgood has revealed the extent of an injury plight that threatened to derail his career, and how his father’s passing fortified him.
The Parramatta Eels lock has played on reduced minutes in 2025, limited to a few weeks of preseason after two surgeries.
That didn’t stop the Hervey Bay product earning a State of Origin squad recall for game three, having played in the series opener last year before succumbing to a back injury.

“I had a herniated disc, and it was hitting a nerve in my back that was cutting off power to my foot and big toe. So for about three months I couldn’t flex my big toe and couldn’t run,” Hopgood said.
“For a bit there, it was ‘wow, this is pretty serious’. Then as I had the surgery and they took that disc out, within two or three months I had all that feeling back.
“Then I had a knee op before Christmas as well and only had a few weeks of preseason into round one, and we were sort of pushing the body there.
“It’s been an interrupted last 12 months for me.”
The 26-year-old’s story of pain captured national attention upon his maiden Maroons appearance, when he spoke of his father Dale’s passing from a heart attack an hour after playing a game for the Hervey Bay Seagulls.
Hopgood was just 13 at the time, and moved to Caloundra three years later.
The star forward reflects on that experience as “character building”, and a heartbreak he draws on when life throws him a curveball.

Hopgood garnered his Origin cap on his ability to produce 80-minute stints – averaging 121 running metres and 38 tackles a game, while making 77 offloads across his first two Parramatta seasons.
Under new coach Jason Ryles, he has settled for just 48 minutes and 72 metres an outing.
But as he prepares to line up at prop against Brisbane, he insisted there was no bad blood regarding his reduced time, adamant the form of mid-season recruit Dylan Walker and starting middles Junior Paulo and Jack Williams made the decision obvious.
“We’re all sharing minutes. As long as we’re trending in the right direction ... I’m more than happy to do whatever the team needs,” Hopgood said.
“I’m not one to whinge about minutes, it’s whatever the team needs.”

www.smh.com.au

‘My pops learnt the hard way’: This Maroon’s dad died after a game. More pain was to come

A childhood tragedy ultimately built resilience in a one-time State of Origin star – a trait he needed in spades as new surgeries threatened his NRL rise.
www.smh.com.au www.smh.com.au
 
Gronk

Gronk

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
79,872

'Impressive' Parramatta Eels executive Andrew Mikhail named boss of PFL Pacific​



The Professional Fighters League have landed their man to head up their latest bold expansion with Andrew Mikhail appointed the managing director of PFL Pacific.

Mikhail has been lured to the fight game from the Parramatta Eels, where he worked as the club's chief commercial officer.

Mikhail will report to Peter Murray, the CEO of PFL International, and will oversee all league operations, commercial growth, and talent development in the region.

Murray had been impressed by Mikhail's six-year tenure at the Eels.

He previously held senior commercial positions with American Express and Singtel Optus.


www.nine.com.au

'Impressive' Eels executive named boss of PFL Pacific

'The most accessible and elite MMA product'
www.nine.com.au www.nine.com.au
 
JokerEel

JokerEel

Coach
Messages
17,491
Johnny88 said:
Barely 12 months on from his Maroons debut, J’maine Hopgood has revealed the extent of an injury plight that threatened to derail his career, and how his father’s passing fortified him.
The Parramatta Eels lock has played on reduced minutes in 2025, limited to a few weeks of preseason after two surgeries.
That didn’t stop the Hervey Bay product earning a State of Origin squad recall for game three, having played in the series opener last year before succumbing to a back injury.

“I had a herniated disc, and it was hitting a nerve in my back that was cutting off power to my foot and big toe. So for about three months I couldn’t flex my big toe and couldn’t run,” Hopgood said.
“For a bit there, it was ‘wow, this is pretty serious’. Then as I had the surgery and they took that disc out, within two or three months I had all that feeling back.
“Then I had a knee op before Christmas as well and only had a few weeks of preseason into round one, and we were sort of pushing the body there.
“It’s been an interrupted last 12 months for me.”
The 26-year-old’s story of pain captured national attention upon his maiden Maroons appearance, when he spoke of his father Dale’s passing from a heart attack an hour after playing a game for the Hervey Bay Seagulls.
Hopgood was just 13 at the time, and moved to Caloundra three years later.
The star forward reflects on that experience as “character building”, and a heartbreak he draws on when life throws him a curveball.

Hopgood garnered his Origin cap on his ability to produce 80-minute stints – averaging 121 running metres and 38 tackles a game, while making 77 offloads across his first two Parramatta seasons.
Under new coach Jason Ryles, he has settled for just 48 minutes and 72 metres an outing.
But as he prepares to line up at prop against Brisbane, he insisted there was no bad blood regarding his reduced time, adamant the form of mid-season recruit Dylan Walker and starting middles Junior Paulo and Jack Williams made the decision obvious.
“We’re all sharing minutes. As long as we’re trending in the right direction ... I’m more than happy to do whatever the team needs,” Hopgood said.
“I’m not one to whinge about minutes, it’s whatever the team needs.”

www.smh.com.au

‘My pops learnt the hard way’: This Maroon’s dad died after a game. More pain was to come

A childhood tragedy ultimately built resilience in a one-time State of Origin star – a trait he needed in spades as new surgeries threatened his NRL rise.
www.smh.com.au www.smh.com.au
Click to expand...


Hopgood is 1 tough SOB.. He dislocated his finger last game and continues to make tackles with his finger pointing back to Parramatta..

Hopefully he has a very good off season and comes back in 2026 100%
 
Johnny88

Johnny88

Juniors
Messages
1,469
Parramatta Eels’ shock victory over Brisbane Broncos shows Jason Ryles’ plans in motion for the future
It was one of the shock wins of the season as the Eels trumped the Broncos, but for Jason Ryles it was more than just two points. It was proof that his vision is coming to fruition and the young side is on the right path.

Parramatta’s shock win against Brisbane will give Jason Ryles’ young side belief about the path they are heading, according to the Eels mentor.
Ryles has been steadfast on what he wants his side to look like and has taken a long-term approach with the rest of the season.
Despite having one eye on next year, Ryles’ side sprung an upset following Mitchell Moses’ return with a 22-20 win against the Broncos on Friday night.
“Individuals are getting better each week,” Ryles said on Saturday.
“The only way they can get better is being put in that situation on the field. We’ve got some younger players that are learning on the job in the NRL. It’s good to see they got a bit of reward. It’s a small step.
“It’s a good reinforcement of how they are going and the direction the club is going. It’s good for them to have evidence that everything they are working on is leading us in the right direction.
“We’re looking to continue to build consistency on what we are doing for longer periods. That’s the biggest thing for us.”

HALVES PAIRING
The Eels looked a different side in Moses’ first match since round 14. Ryles has made it clear that he is planning for next season after opting to overlook Dylan Brown in recent weeks with Dean Hawkins partnering Moses on Friday night.
“The plan is to stick with Dean and Mitch,” Ryles said ahead of their clash against the Storm on Thursday
Things will pop up in the meantime but we will keep on working on them for the time being.
“It’s good for Mitch (to be back). He genuinely loves playing the game, loves the club and loves to help his teammates. He gives the boys confidence when he is in the team.”
RELIEF FOR PAPS
Joash Papalii finally had a crack at his preferred fullback spot in the absence of fellow young gun Isaiah Iongi who will miss about a month through injury. He had his heart in his mouth when he fumbled a grubber kick in the dying stages which looked to have handed the Broncos a win only for the bunker to rule Reece Walsh off-side.

He is a really good kid that can wash his errors quickly,” Ryles said.
“He just plays what he sees and has great anticipation. His first thought would’ve been to pick up the ball and go the length. He would’ve got a good lesson (if the result went the other way). I would’ve given him a cuddle and we would’ve moved him.
“He did a really good job.”

FULL OF HOPE
J’maine Hopgood has also returned to his best in the past couple of weeks after a slow start to the year. Ryles’ shifted him to prop in the past two games with the ex-Maroon thriving in the slight positional shift.
“He has had his best couple of games in the last few weeks,” Ryles said.
“He does all the little things really well. He has had a few moments in games that haven’t gone his way and they’ve been highlighted because they are big moments. But his effort, fight and detail – it’s good to see him put all together.”

EMOTIONAL ROLLERCOASTER
Ryles thought his side had suffered a heartbreaking last minute loss after watching Walsh scoop up the loose ball with just seconds left on the clock before the bunker intervened.
“We were a bit shell-shocked from the effort the boys had put in,” Ryles said after thinking they had lost.
“Our analyst in the back of the box said Walsh was off-side. We went back to have a look at it. We thought ‘wow this is getting overturned’ but you don’t believe it until you see it … It was good to get away with that one.
“Honestly it was disbelief at first. Then relief when the kid was off-side.”

 
Johnny88

Johnny88

Juniors
Messages
1,469
ROUND 21 LIKES
EELS REVEAL BRONCOS BLUEPRINT
Rookie Parramatta coach Jason Ryles has the blueprint to sinking the Broncos.
If Brisbane’s so-called soft underbelly can be exposed, then Michael Maguire’s men can be rolled.
In recent seasons Brisbane has garnered a reputation for being unwilling to grind out a win.
When the blow torch is applied the star-studded outfit starts looking for short cuts, and the big play, rather than getting in the trenches with their opposition.
Ryles’ game plan to take down Brisbane banked on old habits dying hard – it worked.
Parramatta came with a clear tactic – kick the Broncos into submission.
Mitchell Moses’ kicks, whether on the last or 4th tackle deep into Brisbane territory, came with an enthusiastic kick-chase.
Parramatta’s kicking game not only turned around Brisbane’s forwards but forced them into one-out carries.

That limited the Broncos’ ball movement and in turn blunted their attack.
Frustrated, Brisbane pushed passes rather than relying on patience.
But Ryles also had the answer for superstar fullback Reece Walsh.
Walsh failed to contest the kick that led to Sean Russell’s try in the first half.
He then simply refused to take on the Parramatta defence at one-point, simply flopping to the floor for a voluntary tackle.

“I think Parramatta has shown a blueprint of how to attack Reece Walsh on the kick chase,” Cooper Cronk said on Fox League.
“Kick early, isolate him and just get your chasers down there and ready to be physical. Reece Walsh should have taken down on the Parramatta defence.
“But he just surrendered.”

It was just another indictment of the Broncos’ unwillingness to take on the contest at different stages.
Parramatta’s upset win won the Eels plenty of admirers but put Brisbane’s finals hopes in the balance.
The Broncos need to win at least three more games to lock in a spot in the top eight.
Brisbane should have too much strike for a depleted South Sydney outfit this week, but a Rabbitohs side that won’t simply fold before tough clashes against the Dolphins then Melbourne.
Skipper Adam Reynolds has pledged to reign in Walsh and help his side find the composure and patience it clearly lacks.
Brisbane’s finals hopes are dependent on it.
RIGHT EELS CALL
It’s not every day a coach is praised for parking $800,000 on the sideline but Ryles’ brave call to bench Dylan Brown is the right one for Parramatta’s future.
Many thought the injury to fullback Isaiah Iongi would earn Brown a recall and Joash Papalii would be shifted to the back.
Instead, Ryles put his faith in Dean Hawkins, who will be at the club in 2026, alongside halfback Moses.
While Moses stole the show in his return from a foot injury, Hawkins repaid the faith Ryles had shown in him.
Parramatta is improving across the park, from veterans Josh Addo-Carr and Junior Paulo to rookies Charlie Guymer and Ryley Smith.
It’s a sure sign the players are buying into Ryles’ rebuild of the powerhouse club.
The Eels are in a battle to avoid the spoon and their run home includes the Storm, Cowboys, Roosters and Warriors.
Fans will be heartened by the positive signs and even let themselves dream that Parramatta has the ingredients to push for a final berth in 2026.

 
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