Dylan Brown owes it to his team and his pay packet after his suspension derailed their playoff chances last year.
Meanwhile, Brad Arthur enters a contract year where he must prove he is worth keeping after years of near misses.
And if their two hooker alternatives fail to hold up after Josh Hodgson’s retirement and Reed Mahoney’s transfer to the Bulldogs in consecutive seasons, the Eels may be forced to go to market.
It’s a make-or-break year for Eels head coach Brad Arthur, who enters his 12th NRL season with one Grand Final participation and no premierships. Arthur’s contract expires at the end of 2024, and after the Eels failed to make the finals in 2023, coach will need to push for a top-four finish to win a contract extension. Arthur has been more steady and successful than many other NRL coaches, but if he can’t go all the way after 12 seasons, the Eels may search for a new coach. Nathan Cayless and Steve Antonelli, both club legends, will join Trent Barrett and Steve Murphy on the new-look Eels coaching staff.
2024 squad: Bailey Simonsson (2024, PO 2025), Blaize Talagi (2024, PO 2025), Brendan Hands (2025), Bryce Cartwright (2025), Clint Gutherson (2025), Daejarn Asi (2024, PO 2031), Haze Dunster (2024, MO 2025), Jirah Momoisea (2024), J’maine Hopgood (2025), Joey Lussick (2025), Joe Ofahengaue (2025),
The Eels have signed two players from Manly to add depth and fight for positions. Kelma Tuilagi didn’t set the world on fire in his first season at Manly, but he’s a big man, hard to tackle, and powerful defensively, so he gives the Eels a differentiator after losing Isaiah Papali’i to the Tigers in 2023. With 44 games under his belt, the 24-year-old is well established as a first-grade player and will be eager to gain a regular spot in the Eels’ forwards rotation. Morgan Harper is a talented centre who, at his best, is a handful on both sides of the ball. The 25-year-old New Zealander has 15 tries in 56 appearances.
Jack Murchie (Huddersfield), Josh Hodgson (retired), Andrew Davey (retired), Waqa Blake (unsigned), Samuel Loizou (unsigned) are the players that have left the club.WHERE SHOULD THEY IMPROVE: Dummyhalf
The Eels have failed to fill the vacuum left by Reed Mahoney’s departure to the Bulldogs, with Josh Hodgson forced to retire after just one season and 12 games owing to injury. Brendan Hands, a former Panthers player, appeared in 19 games last season but struggled to establish himself as the primary hooker. Joey Lussick was recruited back from the Super League by the Eels late in the season and played five games. Hands and Lussick both provide solid service and are determined defenders, but neither is particularly inventive or deceiving with the football. The Eels have two players.
Dylan Brown’s 2023 season was marred by his suspension for unwelcome sexual touching. Brown had only signed a massive contract extension the previous year, which could keep him with the Eels until 2031. With that kind of long-term investment, the Eels are putting their faith in Brown to spearhead their attack. Brown scored three tries in 17 games for Parramatta last season after leading the Eels to the Grand Final in 2023. The 23-year-old will play his 100th NRL game in Round 1, and the moment has come for him to assume greater responsibility and ownership of the team, relieving pressure off Mitchell Moses, Clint Gutherson, and rookie hooker Brendan Taylor.
Sean Russell made his Eels debut in 2021, however owing to injuries, he has only played 20 games in three seasons, scoring 14 tries at an excellent strike rate. Russell scored nine tries in 17 appearances last season before being sidelined by injury. Russell, who is still only 21 years old, has immense potential and may be a star if he can just get some luck with injuries and string some games together. Russell will partner Maika Sivo on the wing, and if the Eels forwards can regularly dominate, he should score plenty of tries out wide off the playmaking of Moses and Brown.
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