Eels in the media

[Johnny88]

Eels turn to homegrown trio led by Charlie Guymer as club’s injury crisis worsens​

Where are they now? The guns Parramatta lost from their 2023 SG Ball premiership winning side, and the ones now propping up the ravaged NRL team, led by future captain Charlie Guymer.

In the midst of an injury crisis, Parramatta are turning to a homegrown group of mates who won it all almost three years ago.
Led by the newly-resigned Charlie Guymer as captain, the Eels took out the SG Ball premiership against Newcastle in 2023 with a stack of young talent now flooding into first grade.
Fullback of the side Apa Twidle starred on his NRL debut against the Wests Tigers in round 5, while Guymer and Sam Tuivati have been earmarked as future stars of their forward pack.
Rising winger Mohamed Alameddine has been named on the extended bench to face Gold Coast, while Blaize Talagi, Matt Arthur and Ethan Sanders have all moved on to play NRL at different clubs - a sign of how hard it is to keep the best talent together.
But for Guymer, who just inked an extension with the Eels through to the end of 2028, those memories of 2023 will live forever.

Charlie Guymer captained the Eels to an SG Ball premiership. Credit: NRL Images.
“I remember probably just how close we were as a playing group. We were all best mates,” he told this masthead of that season.
He scored a try in that 28-22 grand final win over the Knights.
“Most of us (also) played in the Harold Matts grand final together (in 2021).
“We didn’t win that, but then we all sort of just played together for a few years and then we ended up winning SG Ball.
“And there’s been a fair few blokes from that team that have gone on to play first grade.
“It’s exciting. We’ve still got me, Sam Tuivaiti, Apo here, Saxon Pryke as well.
“As a mate, it’s exciting watching people like Ethan and Blaize and Matt Arthur go on to other clubs as well and perform well.
“But as a core group of us group to still be here at Parra since the juniors it’s very cool.”

Gulmer has been a gun since his high school days. Picture: Jonathan Ng
TEMORA TO PARRA
Guymer is one of the special finds the Eels have invested heavily in.
From Temora, he was sent away to boarding school at St Gregs and was spotted by an Eels scout while playing a trial game in Wests Tigers heartland.
Plucked from under their rivals’ noses, Guymer has been with the Eels since 2020, and was handed his NRL debut by interim coach and fellow Temora product Trent Barrett in 2024.
With 19 NRL games under his belt since, he’s still developing.
“I’ve learned a lot since Rylesy’s come in and from the older players, we’ve got a lot of experienced players, especially in the position I play in, Jack de Belin, Dylan Walker, Junior Paulo,” he said.
“Everyone that I look up to is very experienced here and I’ve learned a lot.
“(Re-signing is) very exciting for me and my family. I’m confident in where the club’s at at the moment and where we are going forward.
“I love playing under Rylesy and I love the group of boys here at the moment. And I’ve learned a lot and I can’t wait to be here for the next few years.”
PATHWAYS ON FIRE
The Eels have a team in all four junior reps competitions across the first week of finals this weekend.
It follows a bumper season last year where the Tarsha Gale Cup and Lisa Fiaola teams won the premiership, and the SG Ball side made it through to the grand final.
They ended up losing 33-26 to Sydney Roosters.
There’s also hype around rising backline star Lorenzo Talataina, who is still eligible for Jersey Flegg, but has been identified as future NRL playmaker.
The development player is signed until the end of 2028, and is a smoky to make his NRL debut at five-eighth on Sunday.

The Eels pathways continues to produce stars. Picture: Warren Gannon Photography
“It just shows how much talent we have here at Parramatta and we’re starting to filter all those boys through the NRL system and now you’re seeing them debut,” said Will Penisini, who’s brother Richard was part of the 2023 SG Ball winning team.
“They’re special kids, special players, and that’s what you want, kids who grew up loving the club and wanting to play for it. And we want to keep them here as well.
“It’s a credit to what the club is building.”

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/eels-turn-to-homegrown-trio-led-by-charlie-guymer-as-clubs-injury-crisis-worsens/news-story/4aaa6319367fc749ccd4acecf39e16e1?amp

 

[Johnny88]

State of Origin return not on Mitchell Moses’ radar​

Fans booing their team off the field, eight injured first-graders glum on the sideline, and the club’s worst defensive start in their history.
It’s an NRL horror story even Stephen King would be proud of.
And it’s also why - on the same weekend incumbent NSW five-eighth Jarome Luai returns from injury - Mitchell Moses isn’t fantasising about an Origin return.
After this round, there will be just four games left for Blues hopefuls to make their case to be selected for Game I of this year’s State of Origin series.
And with Luai’s Tigers flying high and Moses’ Eels struggling, the next month will be crucial for NSW coach Laurie Daley as he ponders who to partner Nathan Cleary at halfback.
Cleary is all but certain to wear the No.7, particularly after his heroics in Friday’s clutch golden point win over the Dolphins in Darwin.

Moses says his focus is not on Origin selection. Picture: Matt King/Getty Images
However the Penrith star will head into his eighth Origin series under mounting pressure to help regain the shield, with his record for NSW standing at eight wins and nine losses.
Which makes Daley’s decision on who lines at five-eighth even more significant.
Moses’ 29 average running metres this year is his lowest since his second year in the NRL, while he also has just three try assists from six games - low by his standards.
Luai also has three try assists, but has appeared just twice before getting injured in Rd 4.
“I just have to put my full focus into Parramatta,” Moses told this masthead.
“If I’m winning games for the Eels, the rest will sort itself out. If they think I’m the right man for the job, I’ll put my best foot forward.
“I have done it before, so if I’m there, I’m there.
”If I’m not, I’m not.”

Will this be the NSW halves pairing again? Picture: Justin Lloyd.
Moses already has enough on his plate with the Eels, admitting that he has also struggled to find form in a team that is off to the worst defensive start in club history.
And their long-suffering fans have begun to let them know - booing the team off the field last week and firing heavy criticism towards replacement five-eighth Ronald Volkman.
Moses fiercely defended his teammate, who is standing in for the injured Jonah Pezet.
“If you start listening to all the outside noise and the fans and their opinions, you end up sitting with them,” Moses said ahead of Sunday’s crunch clash with Canterbury.
“I think he knows how we feel about him inside the four walls.
“We know how valuable he is for us and he knows that.
“It’s not just him, it’s every player. Every player hasn’t been good for us, including myself. We have to put ourselves in good positions to be able to compete in games.”

Volkman is being mentored by the Eels star. Picture: Matt King/Getty Images
And Moses has put the onus on himself to lead the squad out of their despair, especially with coach Jason Ryles forced to blood a handful of rookies given their injury crisis.
Saxon Pryke and Teancum Brown have been named to make their NRL debuts, while Lorenzo Talataina, Jezaiah Funa-Iuta and Mohamed Alameddine are on an extended bench.
“I have never experienced this as a player,” Moses said.
“This many injuries, having I don’t know how many players from our round one team completely decimated.
“It’s football so it is what it is, but you just got to get on with it.”

​

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/state-of-origin-return-not-on-mitchell-moses-radar-despite-clash-with-positional-rival-jarome-luai/news-story/364ad7f55e0b3fdeb4788a0cfe660b19?amp

 

[Johnny88]

‘We don’t want the halcyon days of our club to be four decades ago’: Why 1986 reunion is bittersweet for Eels​

For those only familiar with the modern, points-a-plenty, supercharged version of rugby league, it would be difficult to grasp that perhaps the greatest backline ever assembled contested a tryless grand final.
“It was very defence-orientated in the middle of the ’80s,” says Parramatta legend Peter Sterling of his side’s 4-2 win over Canterbury in the 1986 decider.

Prime minister Bob Hawke presents Ray Price and Mick Cronin with the premiership trophy in 1986, but are captain Mitchell Moses and the Eels any closer to another title? Artwork: Monique Westermann
“I challenge anyone to go back and have a look at the 80 minutes and not be excited by it. We sort of talk down the defensive side of the game [today], but that was edge-of-your-seat stuff for the whole time.”
There is one moment that resonates with Sterling four decades later. With the clock ticking down, and Canterbury peppering the Eels’ try line – “Pressure! Pressure for Parramatta!” cried the great Ray Warren in commentary – the Bulldogs hatched a short-side raid. Opposing halfback Steve Mortimer fires the ball right, prop Peter Tunks offloads to open what appears a channel just wide enough for Andrew Farrar to sneak through and steal the game.
“When I think of the ’86 grand final, I think of one tackle,” Sterling recalls. “There were seven Parramatta jerseys in that tackle late in the game.
“To me that just summed up that win; the desperation just to deny, to find the effort to get the numbers there. That to me just encompassed what that game was all about. That shows why we won the game.”

The premiership-winning Parramatta Eels of 1986.NRL Photos
Among the blue and gold jerseys making the defensive stop was Sterling, who moments later would be crowned the game’s first Clive Churchill medallist.
“Sterlo, the first thing he grabbed was the football,” adds his halves partner Brett Kenny. “He wanted to make sure that they didn’t get the ball on the ground.”

​

It was one of many magical moments that were relived on Friday night when Parramatta celebrated the 40-year anniversary of that epic victory. More than 650 guests attended a lavish function at Rosehill Racecourse that featured the class of 1986, as well as the current Eels side.
Famous tales were retold. Like Michael Cronin almost missing the game due to a 30-car pile-up delaying his commute from Gerringong to the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Members of the premiership-winning 1986 at an anniversary dinner on Friday night.
“I had a habit of running late to a lot of things,” Cronin says of his predicament as the minutes to kick-off ticked down. “I’ve embarrassed myself a few times in my life, but missing a grand final would have been top of the list.”
There were the two disallowed tries to Kenny, who had scored a double in each of the side’s previous three grand final victories.
“[Referee] Mick Stone got it right,” Kenny concedes. “Which proves maybe we don’t need the video referee.”
And then there was the sight of captain Ray Price, who barely had the energy to regain his feet after completing the final tackle right on the hooter. It was a fitting farewell for Price and Cronin, who managed to get to the game just in time to boot the penalty goals that proved the difference.
The raucous, celebratory scenes that followed were replayed ad nauseam throughout the evening. It was evident that the bonds formed on that famous day had not diminished with the passing of time.
And while that feat was appropriately celebrated ahead of the latest clash between the great rivals – Parramatta host Canterbury at CommBank Stadium on Sunday – it wasn’t lost on those in attendance that it remained the western Sydney club’s final premiership.
For many in the room, it was literally a lifetime ago.

Eels great Eric Grothe and current Parramatta wing star Josh Addo-Carr.
The contrast between that champion side and the present one is stark. Current coach Jason Ryles is overseeing the worst defensive outfit in the game, one that would be sitting at the bottom of the ladder if not for the hapless Dragons. After last week’s loss to the Titans, fans booed their team off the ground.
The season is only six weeks old and already it is a virtual write-off. For long-suffering fans, there’s no guarantee the club is any closer to grand final glory.
“It seems like yesterday, and then to find out that it’s actually been 40 years, geez it’s a long time,” Kenny says.
There are mitigating factors.
The Eels are experiencing one of the worst injury crises of any team in the modern era. There are 13 players unavailable for selection – including key men Isaiah Iongi, Jonah Pezet and J’maine Hopgood – and the club doesn’t have the depth to adequately replace them. Their replacements come up against a Canterbury outfit coming off a huge high, a victory against a white-hot Panthers team considered almost unbackable favourites for the title. Things are likely to get worse before they get better.
“That’s probably why there is a little bit of bitter,” Sterling says of the mood at the reunion. “It’s all sweet, obviously, but a little bit of bitter that this is a celebration of not just a grand final win, but also our last grand final win.

Peter Sterling speaking at the anniversary dinner.
“And that’s disappointing, we’re all disappointed by that. We’d like to think that’ll be rectified sooner than later, but for our club, that’s way too long of a drought. We’ve been in a couple of grand finals, but we need to be contesting more.
“We’re putting our faith in Jason that he’s taking us that way. We don’t want the halcyon days of our club to be four decades ago.”
A club with a storied past, a rich leagues club, a thriving junior nursery and a rusted-on fan base remains in the longest premiership drought in NRL history. And there is no sign that, at least in the foreseeable future, it will end.

“Questions have been asked and should be asked about that,” Sterling says.
“I’m quietly and cautiously optimistic that we’re getting things right …
“I want to be around for the [next] celebrations. I know what it was like for us. I couldn’t begin to imagine the celebrations that would go on after our next victory.
“I’d like to think that’s going to be sooner than later because I want to be reasonably fit and healthy to be a big part, on the fringes, but a part of it.”

‘We don’t want the halcyon days of our club to be four decades ago’: Why 1986 reunion is bittersweet for Eels

Parramatta celebrated the 40-year anniversary of their 1986 premiership win on Friday night. But are the Eels any closer to their next title?

www.smh.com.au

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Famous tales were retold. Like Michael Cronin almost missing the game due to a 30-car pile-up delaying his commute from Gerringong to the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Should’ve caught the bus.

 

[the phantom menace]

Thanks Johnny88.

Love this photo - have I got it right...?



(L-to-R): Price, Cronin, Grothe, Kenny, Taylor, Wynn, Monie, Moseley, Chalmers, Leabeater, Bugden Delroy, Muggleton, Laurie, Ella, Sterling. Absent: Delroy Bugden.

 

[Stagger eel]

Delroy was actually there but missed that photo opportunity

 

[Stagger eel]

In actual fact the guy you thought was Bugden is act Delroy, I don’t think Geoff Bugden made it to the event.

 

[hineyrulz]

Delroy was actually there but missed that photo opportunity

Probably still concussed from that hit from Farrah.

 

[Stagger eel]

Probably still concussed from that hit from Farrah.

that was more a send off than the sigsworth tackle on kenny

 

[Timana]

I think strange should take the 6 in front of Mitch and leuai

 

[hineyrulz]

that was more a send off than the sigsworth tackle on kenny

It wasn't even a penalty from memory??? Touchie was right there.

 

[Pazza]

I think strange should take the 6 in front of Mitch and leuai

i like Luai's antics against the qlders

shame dce wont be there

 

[the phantom menace]

In actual fact the guy you thought was Bugden is act Delroy, I don’t think Geoff Bugden made it to the event.

Awesome, glad Delroy could come - after getting foul played out of the match itself.

Shame Bugden couldn't make it, hope all of these legends are well and enjoyed the night - and an unexpected Eels win today to boot!

 

[Chipmunk]

I think strange should take the 6 in front of Mitch and leuai

I think they'll carry a backup half in the 19. Moses can cover both, Burton covers 6 and centre.

 

[Johnny88]

VOLK ON THE RISE​

Five-eighth Ronald Volkman added to his small tally of games for the Eels so far in his career with one of his best outings to date.
Volkman’s well-publicised issues with the Warriors and Dragons threatened to derail his career until Parramatta threw the 23-year-old a lifeline this year.
Filling in in the halves alongside Mitch Moses, he finished the game with a try assist, a line-break and an incredible solo try of his own.
Unfortunately for the playmaker, he was forced from the field with a minute to play holding his jaw.

Parramatta players celebrate scoring a first-half four-pointer. Picture: NRL

INJURY UPDATE​

The win came at a cost for Eels coach Jason Ryles, with hooker Ryley Smith forced from the field midway through the second half with a suspected rib injury. If sidelined for an extended period, it would push Parramatta’s injury toll to as many as nine first-grade players.
For the Bulldogs, winger and Origin hopeful Jacob Kiraz left the field early in the second half with a worrying knee issue that could impact his rep chances.
Coach Cameron Ciraldo did regain Josh Curran from a rib cartilage injury, though he was deployed in the centres to cover the late loss of Enari Tuala during the captain’s run. The Bulldogs now face a quick turnaround ahead of their trip to Brisbane to take on the Broncos on Friday.
This article contains features which are only available in the web versionTake me there

SENIOR JUNIOR​

Veteran Eels prop Junior Paulo was inspirational during the match, finishing with 17 runs for 156 metres in a tireless 58 minutes on the field.
He was the only prop on the field to break the 100-metre mark, with Leo Thompson’s much-anticipated first game for the blue and whites not having the expected impact.
The English international only ran for 74 metres in a quiet club debut.

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/broken-booed-and-back-parramatta-eels-stun-canterbury-in-front-of-class-of-86/news-story/ea30481902e6c80de4a45d8709689908?amp

 

[Johnny88]

Eels find a pulse in terrific win – with a little help from the heroes of 1986​

Anniversary games like these are the ones that players really want to win.
Parramatta’s esteemed old guard – the likes of Peter Sterling, Brett Kenny, Mick Cronin and Eric Grothe – can flick on the footy whenever they like at home.

But being there in the flesh on Sunday afternoon at CommBank Stadium, high-fiving the current crop as they ran out against Canterbury, carried a deeper symbolism.
It has been a significant week for the struggling Eels. Most of the 1986 premiership side - the last to win a grand final for Parramatta - were back in Eels heartland, two days after Friday night’s anniversary dinner at Rosehill Racecourse, which drew 650 guests.
At the game, they all wore a 40-year varsity jacket, with just 420 made in a nod to the 4-2 grand final scoreline against the Bulldogs.
While the game looks nothing like it did then, Parramatta’s new brigade showed how much the occasion meant, producing a tenacious 38-20 win after a torrid run.
A pulse has been found at the Eels after their 52-10 disaster against the Titans a week ago.
That day, the Eels faithful booed and sledged their heroes. On Sunday, they cheered those same players and gave it to bemused Dogs fans wondering what had just transpired.

Eels fullback Joash Papalii (left) celebrates a try on Sunday.Getty Images

The Eels were never supposed to win this one but found a way, running out victors with six tries to their name. A hallmark of a great sporting competition is jeopardy of result and the NRL is certainly getting that at the moment.
At full-time, the 1986 Eels group rose to applaud. It was gesture of pride, and perhaps a tinge of longing for another premiership they may never see in their lifetime. The 1986 and 2026 squads shared a beer in the sheds afterwards, with coach Jason Ryles commenting on the significance of the afternoon.
“They’re a big part of our culture,” Ryles said of the 1986 team. “There’s no better feeling than seeing the joy that they get out of the current crop performing the way they did. It wasn’t so much the result, but how they did it with grit and resolve. It’s great to have them all back and good to see how much they enjoy each other’s company.”
This was an Eels outfit unrecognisable from the one languishing near the bottom of the ladder, and one that has momentarily scrambled the NRL’s axis by leaping ahead of the normally mighty Melbourne Storm.
“It was a totally different Eels team,” club great Nathan Hindmarsh said on Fox’s coverage.
Junior Paulo led the charge with 169 run metres, including 64 post-contact, to drag Parramatta into the right parts of the field.
“There were some crisis meetings going around [this week], I’m not going to lie,” said Eels forward Dylan Walker after the match. “We had a hard look at ourselves last week.”
Parramatta have made a habit of upsetting heavyweights when least expected. Their problem has never been their ceiling, but their floor. When they’re on, they’re compelling, but when they’re off, they’re unrecognisable.

There’s no better feeling than seeing the joy that they get out of the current crop performing the way they did.
Jason Ryles

Eels five-eighth Ronald Volkman’s fancy footwork in the lead-up to his 28th minute try provided a spark that has been missing. It was the biggest moment of the 23-year-old’s nine-game career - and arguably the match - and showed that sometimes, going yourself will be good enough.
In the absence of Jonah Pezet, it doubled as a timely audition ahead of next season, when the injured No.6 departs for Brisbane.
The Eels aren’t premiership contenders but beat a team that claimed to be after dismantling a Penrith outfit last week who destroyed Parramatta 48-20 three weeks ago. Go figure.

Members of Parramatta’s 1986 premiership team cheer the Eels onto the field.Getty Images
There were certainly wobbles. Loose carries from Charlie Guymer and Luca Moretti hinted at a shift in momentum, but when Walker dived on a loose ball for Parramatta’s fourth in the 57th minute, the result was all but sealed in one of the season’s bigger boilovers.
Marcelo Montoya put in a bid for the worst 14 minutes to a start a match this year when he was penalised for an early tackle before dropping the ball at a play the ball and then slipping off Parramatta’s first try-scorer Josh Addo-Carr.
A 18-4 half-time lead for Parramatta was no guarantee to be enough but calm heads in halfback Mitchell Moses and hooker Ryley Smith ensured Parramatta stayed composed long enough to give their long-suffering fans something to savour.
That came despite another injury blow, with Smith suffering a sternum issue to join the club’s lengthy casualty list. Whether Ryles is laughing or crying is anyone’s guess, but two competition points was a lovely reward for a rotten time of late.
“We had eight players who’ve played under 20 games today,” Ryles said. “For them to get that feeling at the end, we want to keep chasing that.”
After demanding greater defensive resolve, Ryles appreciated Aran Nanva’s superb cover tackle on Connor Tracey – a small act that spoke to a larger shift in intent, even if he knows deep down his group’s depleted roster won’t be strong enough to challenge for a top-four spot.

​

The Eels’ bid last year to sign Lachlan Galvin never came to fruition and on Sunday the young playmaker found himself on the losing team. Questions will be raised over Canterbury’s potential to go deep into September after handling errors and defensive lapses destroyed what should have been a comfortable win.
Parramatta’s next three games against Manly (away), Warriors (home) and Cowboys (away) will define their season. All three are winnable but the Eels could also get rolled by 30 points in all of them.
Parramatta in 2026 are becoming impossible to trust and impossible to ignore.

Eels find a pulse in terrific win – with a little help from the heroes of 1986

Parramatta capped gala celebrations to mark 40 years since they won their last grand final by scoring a stunning upset win against Canterbury.

www.smh.com.au

 

[Johnny88]

Parramatta’s Mitch Moses was reprimanded by the NRL for touching referee Peter Gough three times during a round five game against Wests Tigers.
We found this image a few days ago which clearly shows Gough wrapping his right arm around Moses. Maybe Gough should also have been sent a concerning act letter.

Referee Peter Gough touching Mitch Moses. Picture: Supplied

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