Big decisions for Jason Ryles at Parramatta Eels after 32-6 loss to Wests Tigers
The next month makes for chilling reading for Eels fans. With a brutal fixture run and no Mitchell Moses, coach Jason Ryles is left with pressing calls to make in key positions if he wants to salvage his side’s season, writes BRENT READ.
Dylan Brown’s head flashed on the scoreboard before Sunday afternoon’s game against the Wests Tigers at Commbank Stadium and a smattering of boos rang out around Parramatta’s home ground.
The $13 million man was in the spotlight and he looked like a man on a mission as he ran out soon after through a guard of Eels supporters. Brown loosened his limbs and gritted his teeth.
Twice within the opening 10 minutes or so, he put the foot down and ran at the Wests Tigers. With those two runs, you got a sense of why the Newcastle Knights have broken the bank to sign Brown for next season.
The problem wasn’t with those opening 10 minutes or so. It was with what came after that.
EELS VS TIGERS PLAYER RATINGS
The Eels needed someone to stand up and it was logical to think that bloke would be Brown given he has been handed the keys to the club while Mitchell Moses struggles with an injury that had him watching from the sidelines on Sunday with a moon boot on his afflicted limb.
Moses delivered some bad news on Sunday by revealing his returnd date could be pushed back from Round 6 to Round 9.
The halfback’s absence has been a sledgehammer blow to the Eels and their coach Jason Ryles. Everything at Parramatta runs through their skipper.
Without him, they have looked like a ship without a rudder, drifting aimlessly. On Sunday, they hit an iceberg in the form of the Tigers.
Their next month makes for chilling reading for Eels fans. In coming weeks they face the Bulldogs, Manly, the Dragons and Canberra.
On current form, you would suggest their only hope is against St George Illawarra. Their season could be over before Moses returns unless Brown can start to have a greater impact on matches.
Ryles has options, albeit not many. He could hand the No.7 jersey to former South Sydney half Dean Hawkins, who made his return in NSW Cup on Sunday and scored a try in an Eels win.
Or he could consider handing the No.7 jersey to Brown as a way to light a fire under him. In the end, it’s only a number.
Brown’s capacity to influence the outcome of games like Sunday afternoon has more to do with his mindset than the number on his back.
Perhaps he could take a leaf out of his opponents’ book. As the game hung in the balance on Sunday afternoon, it was the Tigers who seized control through their own million-dollar men - Jarome Luai and Lachlan Galvin.
Take me there
Luai has been signed by the Tigers on a deal worth $6 million over the next five years. Galvin will join him in the million-dollar club soon enough, if not at the Tigers than at another club.
Maybe even Parramatta. They dictated the outcome of this match along with the other members of the Tigers’ spine - fullback Jahream Bula and hooker Api Koroisau.
When the four of them combined, you got a sense of what the Tigers could produce this season.
Brown, in his defence, could do with some of that type of support. The Eels’ spine without Moses is sadly lacking in class and it showed.
Late in the second half, with the result beyond doubt, Brown put the foot down again. This time he was tackled and boos again began to ring out.
With seven minutes to go, Brown took on the line again and looked to have created a try for Zac Lomax. The try was ruled out for obstruction, although Parramatta finally had something to show for their efforts in the dying minutes.
After full-time, Jarome Luai sought out Brown for a chat. Luai has been in his shoes, having been lured to the Tigers by a big-money deal worth upwards of $6 million. Luai wouldn’t elaborate on the contents of their conversation.
“I am not going to talk about what we spoke about,” Luai said.
“That is between a mate and a mate. We have a job to do, I have a job to do for our team. I wish him nothing but the best.”
We all do. Except, maybe, for those few disgruntled Eels fans.
