Dylan Brown needs to repay his team and deliver on his pay packet after his suspension rocked their finals hopes last year.
Meanwhile, Brad Arthur enters a make or break contract year and needs to prove he is worth going forward with after years of near misses.
And the Eels might need to go to market if their two hooker options fail to stand up following Josh Hodgson’s retirement and Reed Mahoney’s defection to the Bulldogs in consecutive seasons.
Read on for Eels’ State of Play.
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NRL releases full 2024 season draw | 02:31
2023 FINISH: (10th W12, L12)
COACHES: Brad Arthur
It is a make or break year for head coach Brad Arthur who goes into his 12th NRL season with the Eels with one Grand Final appearance and no premierships. Arthur comes of contract at the end of 2024 and after the Eels missed the finals in 2023 he will need to push for the top four to earn a contract extension. Arthur has been consistent and more successful than many other NRL coaches, but after 12 seasons if he can’t go all the way the Eels might look to go in a new direction. Arthur is supported by assistant coaches Peter Gentle and Steve Murphy with Justin Holbrook the NYC coach and Brett Cook the development coach.
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2024 squad: Bailey Simonsson (2024), Blaize Talagi (2024, PO 2025), Brendan Hands (2025), Bryce Cartwright (2025), Clint Gutherson (2025), Daejarn Asi (2024), Dylan Brown (2025, PO 2031), Haze Dunster (2024, MO 2025), Jirah Momoisea (2024), J’maine Hopgood (2025), Joey Lussick (2025), Joe Ofahengaue (2025), Junior Paulo (2026), Kelma Tuilagi (2025), Ky Rodwell (2024), Maika Sivo (2025, MO 2026, CO 2028), Makahesi Makatoa (2024), Matt Doorey (2025), Mitchell Moses (2026, PO 2029), Morgan Harper (2024), Ofahiki Ogden (2024), Reagan Campbell-Gillard (2025), Ryan Matterson (2025, PO 2026), Sean Russell (2025), Shaun Lane (2025, MO 2026), Tevita Taumoepenu (2024), Uinitoni Mataele (2025), Will Penisini (2025, PO 2026), Wiremu Greig (2025), Zac Cini (2024)
Development players: Charlie Guymer (2024), Ethan Sanders (2024), Jock Brazel (2024), Luca Moretti (2025), Sam Tuivaiti (2025)
PLAYERS IN: Kelma Tuilagi (Sea Eagles), Morgan Harper (Sea Eagles)
The Eels have brought in two players from Manly to bolster depth and create more competition for spots. Kelma Tuilagi didn’t light the world on fire in his first season at Manly, but he is a big body, hard to tackle and strong defensively, so he offers the Eels a point of difference after they lost Isaiah Papali’i to the Tigers in 2023. With 44 games to his name the 24 year-old is well established as a first grader now and will be hungry to earn a consistent role in the Eels’ forwards rotation. Morgan Harper is a talented centre, who at his best is a handful on both sides of the ball and with 15 tries in 56 games the 25-year-old New Zealander offers plenty of experience. With Will Penisini on one side, Harper will vie with Bailey Simonsson for the other centre spot and provides excellent depth should injuries strike.
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PLAYERS OUT: Jack Murchie (Huddersfield), Josh Hodgson (retired), Andrew Davey (retired), Waqa Blake (unsigned), Samuel Loizou (unsigned)
WHERE THEY NEED TO IMPROVE: Dummyhalf
The Eels have struggled to fill the void left by Reed Mahoney’s defection to the Bulldogs, with Josh Hodgson forced into retirement due to injury just one season and 12 games into his two-year deal. Former Panthers player Brendan Hands played 19 games last season, but struggled to cement the starting hooker role. The Eels brought Joey Lussick back from the Super League late in the season and he played five games. Hands and Lussick both have solid service and are committed defenders, but neither is particularly creative with the football or that deceptive with their running game. The Eels have two of the best halves in the game in Mitchell Moses and Dylan Brown, but they would benefit from having a hooker that challenges the line and creates indecision in the defence.
WHO THEY COULD SIGN: Dummyhalf
There isn’t many elite hookers available for 2024, but the Eels could make a play for a number of quality dummyhalf’s from 2025 led by Panthers premiership winning No.9 Mitch Kenny. Broncos’ Grand Final pair Billy Walters and Tyson Smoothy are also off-contract as is Raiders dummyhalf Zac Woolford. If the Eels struggle again next year it might be time to go to market to improve their dummyhalf stocks and help take the pressure off their other playmakers.
PLAYER UNDER MOST PRESSURE: Dylan Brown
Dylan Brown had a rocky 2023 season after he was suspended for unwanted sexual touching. Brown had only the previous year signed a mega contract extension that could keep him at the Eels until 2031. With that sort of long-term investment the Eels are placing a lot of faith in Brown to be a leader of their attack. After leading the Eels to the Grand Final in 2023, Brown managed just three tries in 17 games last season as Parramatta missed the finals. The 23-year-old will play his 100th NRL game in Round 1 and the time has come for him to take more responsibility and ownership of the side and take pressure off Mitchell Moses and Clint Gutherson as well as rookie hooker Brendan Hands.
YOUNG GUN TO WATCH: Sean Russell
Sean Russell debuted for the Eels back in 2021, but due to injuries he has only managed 20 games in three seasons, but he has scored 14 tries at an impressive strike rate. Russell scored nine tries in 17 games last year before injury cut short his season. Still just 21 years of age, Russell has enormous potential and if he can just get some luck with injuries and string some games together he could be a star. Russell is set to partner Maika Sivo on the wing and if the Eels forwards can dominate consistently he should be scoring plenty of tries out wide off the back of Moses and Brown’s playmaking.
