From grand finalists to missing the top eight in less than 12 months.
It’s a pretty grim fall back to earth for the Eels, who now have some serious work to do after what co-captain Junior Paulo said in an interview recently “feels like a year wasted.”
This year was always going to be a bigger challenge. After all, the club had lost three key players in Isaiah Papali’i, Reed Mahoney and Marata Niukore.
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But coach Brad Arthur wouldn’t have prepared for the challenge of losing Dylan Brown to a seven-game suspension following a serious off-field incident.
Nor could he have predicted the 2022 Player of the Year suffering three different injuries. And he certainly didn’t plan for the club’s biggest off-season recruit to string together just 12 games before medically retiring.
In February, the team likely circled their Round 27 bye as an opportunity to freshen up before finals. Instead, the club held it’s annual awards night and the curtain fell prematurely on season 2023.
That was the Eels’ year though — nothing went to script.
Alarm bells threatened to go off after three straight losses to start the season, but fans breathed a sigh of relief when the Eels got redemption over the Panther in a thrilling grand final rematch.
They won three of their next five games to gain some momentum… only to lose to the Titans and Raiders in consecutive weeks.
It was a rollercoaster.
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The Eels’ longest streak was five games before a bye, which took them to sixth on the ladder — the highest they sat all season.
That should’ve been the launching pad for finals, but it wasn’t. They lost five of their next seven games, ultimately ending any hope left that just maybe this was the year.
Then came the Eels’ last game of the season against a slightly understrength, but still start-studded Panthers outfit.
Who would’ve thought the Eels would upset Penrith 32-18 just a week before they were crowned minor premiers?
Again, nothing went to script.
Read on for foxsports.com.au’s Eels Season Review.
2023 record: Finished 10th. W12, L12 — 50% win rate
Grading: C +
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What went right: The Eels had a big recruitment win in J’maine Hopgood. The 24-year-old arrived from the Panthers just hoping to get more game time, but went on to become a key member of Parramatta’s pack. He played every game of the season — and started in all but three — after playing just a total of nine games across the previous two seasons. Hopgood topped the team in tackles, averaging 39 a game and sat sixth in the competition overall. He also topped the competition’s offload count and one-on-one tackles. The Eels’ main men Clint Gutherson and Mitchell Moses also put together seasons they can be proud of. Gutherson, who received the Ken Thornett Medal and was named Players’ Player for 2023, tried his guts out for his teammates. He finished first for the Eels in linebreak assists and averaging running metres and second in tries scored, try assists, linebreaks and tackle busts. The skipper’s efforts were rewarded with a call-up for Origin III on the bench — although he did only get three minutes on the field. Joining him in that arena was Moses, who slotted into the No.7 jersey for games two and three following an injury to Nathan Cleary. It was Moses’ form for the Eels that earnt him the Blues call-up and it was his two performances for NSW that had Fox League analyst Michael Ennis declare Cleary has “got competition” now. Moses’ season was cut short through injury but 29-year-old played some of his best footy to date during 2023.
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What went wrong: Injuries, suspensions and the gamble on Josh Hodgson. In hindsight, Ryan Matterson’s bizarre decision to serve a three-game ban at the start of the season instead of paying a $4,000 fine was a sign of what was to come — crucial outs for the Eels. The injury list was headlined by luckless second-rower Shaun Lane, who went from having a career-best season in 2022 to managing just 10 games this year due to a broken jaw, a hamstring injury and a dislocated elbow. Star enforcer Reagan Campbell-Gillard missed five games with a groin injury and then another four late in the season through suspension. Halfback Mitchell Moses missed the final three games with a fractured eye socket and then there was of course Dylan Brown’s seven-game suspension. The 23-year-old pleaded guilty to two counts of sexually touching a woman without consent and as a result missed a crucial chunk of Parramatta’s season. Another big hit for the Eels’ this year was the Hodgson deal not going to plan. After bidding farewell to Reed Mahoney the club desperately needed an experienced hooker and so turned to 33-year-old Hodgson in December, 2021. There were question marks over the signing from the very beginning given Mahoney, for the most part, was an 80-minute player and Hodgson had a history with injuries. It didn’t help either that three months after signing the contract he ruptured his ACL in what ended up being his last game for the Raiders. There was plenty of positivity coming out of the Eels camp heading into the season about Hodgson’s experience — and what he would bring to the team. Sadly, the English international only managed 12 games before confirming his medical retirement in August.
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What they need: A hooker. It’s an obvious hole, but not exactly an easy one to fill. The Eels do have the versatile Brendan Hands, who did an admirable job in his rookie season but he looks to have fallen down the pecking order with the club luring Joey Lussick back to the NRL. Lussick has had stints in the Roosters and Manly system as well as a year at the Eels previously, but he hasn’t quite been able to cement himself as a first-grade dummy-half. The issue the Eels are facing though is the fact there’s no top-line No.9s available for next season. Jake Turpin tops the list of hookers without a deal for next season, while there’s also the versatile Nu Brown, who can also cover lock and fill in at five-eighth if need be. But whether they bring much more than what the Eels can get out of Lussick is up for debate.
Coming: N/A
Going: Josh Hodgson (retirement), Jack Murchie (released)
TBC: Bryce Cartwright, Sam Loizou, Waqa Blake, Wiremu Greig (all without a deal for 2024)
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