Rumours and Stuff

[Pazza]

I wonder what these resources are, to help move players to other clubs???

A phone line????

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Get a grip! This squad is better (even with some unproven players) in that all positions now have backups and we're much faster overall in backline. Injuries should be less of an issue now!

Eels backups '24 vs '25:

Position	2024	2025
Fullback	Talagi	Papalii
Wing	Dunster	Dunster
Centre	Harper	Russell
Centre	Cini	Samrani
Wing	Renisini	Renisini
Five-eighth	Asi	Volkman
Four-eighth	Sanders	Hawkins
Middle	Greig	Moretti
Hooker	Arthur	Smith
Middle	Ogden	Greig/Mataele/Tuivati?
Edge	Doorey	Doorey
Edge	Guymer	Kautoga
Middle	Moretti	Guymer

We've always had backups at every position. There are dozens of players contracted to the club every year. But Russell going from a starter to a backup is a sign of increased class. Plus the backup pack is a lot more mobile, in line with the starting pack. It's very exciting.

 

[JokerEel]

Eels backups '24 vs '25:

Position	2024	2025
Fullback	Talagi	Papalii
Wing	Dunster	Dunster
Centre	Harper	Russell
Centre	Cini	Samrani
Wing	Renisini	Renisini
Five-eighth	Asi	Volkman
Four-eighth	Sanders	Hawkins
Middle	Greig	Moretti
Hooker	Arthur	Smith
Middle	Ogden	Greig/Mataele/Tuivati?
Edge	Doorey	Doorey
Edge	Guymer	Kautoga
Middle	Moretti	Guymer

We've always had backups at every position. There are dozens of players contracted to the club every year. But Russell going from a starter to a backup is a sign of increased class. Plus the backup pack is a lot more mobile, in line with the starting pack. It's very exciting.

Wait shouldn't Hands be the backup for every position in 24 as he was the utility

 

[JokerEel]

Looking forward to the Club starting to bring more players through our juniors into first grade and then fill the gaps with recruitment.

Its what the better teams do.

Ryles using our resources to hire some new assistant coaches to bring in a new style it's all exciting!

 

[Pazza]

Looking forward to the Club starting to bring more players through our juniors into first grade and then fill the gaps with recruitment.

Its what the better teams do.

Ryles using our resources to hire some new assistant coaches to bring in a new style it's all exciting!

I'm super excited for this season. I'm about to leverage my own resources....

 

[Soren Lorenson]

Eels backups '24 vs '25:

Position	2024	2025
Fullback	Talagi	Papalii
Wing	Dunster	Dunster
Centre	Harper	Russell
Centre	Cini	Samrani
Wing	Renisini	Renisini
Five-eighth	Asi	Volkman
Four-eighth	Sanders	Hawkins
Middle	Greig	Moretti
Hooker	Arthur	Smith
Middle	Ogden	Greig/Mataele/Tuivati?
Edge	Doorey	Doorey
Edge	Guymer	Kautoga
Middle	Moretti	Guymer

We've always had backups at every position. There are dozens of players contracted to the club every year. But Russell going from a starter to a backup is a sign of increased class. Plus the backup pack is a lot more mobile, in line with the starting pack. It's very exciting.

Is a backup even a back up if he never plays a game?

 

[Poupou Escobar]

MY LAST REPLY, HONESTLY. BA bought Barrett in to change his tactics which were one dimensional and stale as had NFI what to do other than 'chase the collision' which he repeated at nearly every press conference..

The stale tactics that got us into the finals four straight years? We brought Barrett in then missed the finals twice.

Coaches don't give anything away about tactics, probably why you've seized on 'chase the collision' as some sort of tactical intent, but as I've said, 'chase the collision' is a mantra related to our defence (which was our weakness). Proof? The year before we signed Barrett (2022) we had the 5th best attack but the 8th best defence.

Did you actually read what I said? Based on Ryles recruitment so far his only recruit of note is JAC, all the rest being on potential. Blows your argument out of the water.

I've told you it's not Ryles doing the recruiting, it's the list management group.

Did you actually read what I said?

If I replied, then yes.

As espoused elsewhere where I and others believes that the pathways, although not a coach's direct responsibility, but he has to have input.

I think we both agree here. He has input, but it is ultimately somebody else's job. A whole group of somebody else's, apparently. Coaching the NRL squad is a full-time job, so the list management group mange the list. But they aren't going to give the coach players he doesn't want. The exception would be where none of the players he wants are available or affordable, and the club needs to fill the top 30. Then the rules trump the coach's standards and he's given a few backups he will never trust enough to use in first grade, for example Cini and Taumoepenu.

Such as full time-part time coaches (Ryles obviously wanted full-time),

Everyone would prefer full time staff because that's what the top clubs all have. Plenty of man hours to do all the work required. But it is expensive, and I'm sure the board opening the purse strings for staff is related to the end of our financial commitment to building the CoE, rather a rookie coach's demands.

training methods, integration with NRL squad, etc where they can seamlessly slot into NRL team already knowing the tactics and calls.

This is why we always have so many youngsters participating in the NRL pre-season, because that is when this stuff is learned.

Wouldn't be surprised if he even sat on selection panel for young players inputting his preference for type of athlete he wants for each position.

I wouldn't be surprised either. These kids might end up in his NRL pre-season squad (or even the permanent NRL full time squad) one day. I doubt coaches attend lower grade matches because they enjoy the standard of footy on display.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

A lot of the progress in reinstating the JETS program and financing the junior coaches has to be attributed to the hard work undertaken by the Leagues Club board appointed under the new regime.They worked hard to establish a firm footing for the NRL financing and appointed a sponsorship board internally which has made the NRL team basically self sustainable.

Believe once this was established the board of the Leagues Club made the decision that their vision was to support junior league programmes and ensured that their funds while not needed specifically for the NRL team would be directed into the clubs junior development and junior league. We are seeing the rewards now of that initiative.

Exactly, anyone thinking a former footy player with zero experience as an NRL head coach could come in and make all these business decisions is living in fantasy land. I'm excited about Ryles but I'm more excited about the growth we've seen in the club's resourcing. The finalisation of the CoE is a watershed for our club, much like when the club was renovated in the 90s. This freed up a lot of resources that made the club much more successful on the field, losing four preliminary finals and a grand final, after nearly a decade of not playing finals at all.

 

[hindy111]

We moved them on but we don't know how much cap space we cleared. Who've we replaced Gutherson, Sivo and RCG with so far? Iongi, JAC and Williams? Maybe we used the extra cap space to front load the extensions to Russell, Hands and Tuilagi?

Well you don't know this is true. But I have some idea due to contacts.

#Little birds

 

[Poupou Escobar]

So you are assuming we are chipping in?

Where it's initiated by the club I do. The question is whether our payout is under the cap or not. Medical retirements (e.g. Hodgson) and boxing sabbaticals (e.g. Pangai) are payouts funded outside the cap. Plus whatever 'investment opportunities' clubs offer in exchange for an overpaid player to f**k off quietly.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Looking forward to the Club starting to bring more players through our juniors into first grade and then fill the gaps with recruitment.

Its what the better teams do.

Ryles using our resources to hire some new assistant coaches to bring in a new style it's all exciting!

I hope they make us win more games!

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Is a backup even a back up if he never plays a game?

Ideally all our backups would play zero games. Such a waste of money!

 

[Avenger]

Where it's initiated by the club I do. The question is whether our payout is under the cap or not. Medical retirements (e.g. Hodgson) and boxing sabbaticals (e.g. Pangai) are payouts funded outside the cap. Plus whatever 'investment opportunities' clubs offer in exchange for an overpaid player to f**k off quietly.

 

[AnonymousLurker]

He was involved , but the new board did the work on the financial side to enable it to go forward , ie the COE and even the new precinct are a result of their progressive thinking and ability to focus on the financial side not the lunatic element.

That’s why it was important to appoint real business people to the board and ensure that the factions didn’t have an opportunity to return.

What input did the brown review have from couple of years ago ?

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Should I just pretend I know what’s going on behind the scenes? I’m not a rugby league journalist ffs

 

[JokerEel]

Ideally all our backups would play zero games. Such a waste of money!

Its all very exciting!

 

[JokerEel]

I hope they make us win more games!

Would be a bit weird if you hoped they lost more games

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Well you don't know this is true. But I have some idea due to contacts.

#Little birds

In this case, @Avenger has a question for you

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Would be a bit weird if you hoped they lost more games

Some merkins think I’m death riding Ryles. Like they thought I was death riding Stuart, then Arthur’s. But I’ll still be supporting Ryles long after most of you have decided you know more about tactics and recruitment than he does.

 

[Avenger]

Some merkins think I’m death riding Ryles. Like they thought I was death riding Stuart, then Arthur’s. But I’ll still be supporting Ryles long after most of you have decided you know more about tactics and recruitment than he does.

Well you're still supporting Kearney so this is no surprise.