It is a difficult thing to ask Parramatta fans, who have been wandering aimlessly in the desert for the best part of 40 years, to remain patient.
The Israelites at least had Moses to lead them to the promised land. Long-suffering Eels fans won’t have that luxury any time soon. Jason Ryles has started his first year as a head coach without star half Mitchell Moses, whose foot injury is likely to sideline him for longer than the six games initially predicted.
By the time he gets back, Parramatta’s season will likely be effectively over. In the two matches the halfback has already missed, Ryles’ side has been touched up by genuine contender Melbourne and then by the team they played in last year’s “spoon bowl”, Wests Tigers.
These are dark days for a supporter base that has endured more than its fair share of pain during the past four decades. Given the Eels have been installed as wooden spoon favourites, it is likely things will get worse before they get better.
There have been a multitude of calls that Ryles has had to make during his short time in charge. On every occasion, he has made the difficult decision. If the rookie coach’s sole focus was winning games now, Clint Gutherson, Reagan Campbell-Gillard and Maika Sivo would still be in the side, and Bryce Cartwright and Ryan Matterson, would have begun the year in first rather than reserve grade.
There’s also every chance, if he wasn’t playing the long game, that long-time friend and former teammate Trent Barrett would still be on the coaching staff.
However, change was needed at Parramatta. The easy option would be to make incremental tweaks, with a view to notching early victories and potentially squeaking into the finals. Instead, Ryles has ripped off the Band-Aid and begun the major surgery required to set up the club long term.
It’s why Parramatta didn’t enter into a bidding war for Dylan Brown. Their unwillingness to budge on the $1.1 million a season they had already offered the Kiwi pivot led him to take up the biggest deal in NRL history at the Newcastle Knights.
The result is the Eels have a shed load of money left in their salary cap for next year, but few options on the market to spend it on.
Already there have been calls for the Eels to throw the chequebook at Lachlan Galvin. The Tigers teen sensation was allowed to slip through the cracks in the Eels system after being deemed too small (he’s now 193 centimetres). Last weekend, Galvin carved up his former club.
Jason Ryles has had a tough start to life as a head coach in the NRL.Credit: Getty Images
While Galvin may well be the answer, the biggest learning to come out of the mess the club is in is the need to keep their best juniors. Having failed to retain Ethan Sanders, Blaize Talagi and Matt Arthur, the blue and golds can ill afford to allow other young guns to be prised from their nursery.
In Joshua Lynn, Lincoln Fletcher, Talen Risati, Te Hurinui Twidle and Lorenzo Talataina, Parramatta have junior playmakers as good as any in their age groups. It is unlikely any of them will be ready for the NRL for about 18 months, leaving Parramatta with a difficult decision: wait until they mature or spend up big on a marquee man to partner Moses.
In a lengthy chat with Ryles just before the season kicked off, I asked him what had been the biggest call he’d made to date as a head coach.
“I remember talking to Craig Fitzgibbon, and he said the biggest thing you’ll notice is the amount of decisions you have to make every day,” Ryles said at the time.
“It’s not just one or two, they just come at you – people want answers on things.
“There’s not been one call on its own, it’s probably just been that it’s constant. The footy is there – as an assistant you get to focus on that and the players – but there’s so many other bits that come at you for an answer.
“You quickly learn you need to be organised, that every day is not the same.”
So far, they have been long, tough days. Whenever there has been a call to make, Ryles has prioritised building a sustainable future over a quick fix. The result has been the pain that Eels fans have felt in recent weeks.
Just before his death at the age of 120, Moses – the biblical variety – was taken to the top of Mount Nebo, where he could see the promised land, but was not permitted to enter it. Ryles is hoping that the tough calls made today will eventually allow Parramatta captain Moses his time in the land of milk and honey.
NRL is Live and Free on Channel 9 & 9Now
