Small ball: a strategy that sacrifices size and brute force for speed and agility, and one that rookie Eels coach Jason Ryles’ has deployed ahead of his first campaign.
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The tactic spawned in basketball, with Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr using a version of it in his ‘Death Lineup’ that dominated the NBA over five years, winning three titles (before another for the franchise in 2022).
But while Kerr had superstars Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant at his disposal, Ryles inherited a squad renowned for hulking forwards who dent defensive lines.
Think Tepai Moeroa, Marata Niukore and Reagan Campbell-Gillard, who were important during Brad Arthur’s 11-year tenure.
But Ryles has a new plan in mind, sacrificing size for mobility in a new system that gun middle J’maine Hopgood hinted could revolutionise the new-look Eels.
“It’s hard to narrow it down without sitting here all day and talking finer details of attack and defence,” Hopgood told foxsports.com.au.
“But it’s the change in the way most of us look and becoming faster, leaner, and you sort of have to be fit to fit into this system.
“A lot of it’s based around effort, which all good defensive teams are, so there’s a little hint there, but not too much.”
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Ryles, a mentor willing to reinvent one of the NRL’s biggest clubs, has completed one of rugby league’s great coaching apprenticeships.
He began in 2014 at country club Western Suburbs Red Devils, before being poached by Craig Bellamy’s Storm ahead of 2016.
He remained Melbourne’s assistant until 2020 before joining England’s rugby set-up under Eddie Jones, eventually returning to rugby league with Trent Robinson’s Roosters in 2022-23.
Ryles then looped back to the Storm and was touted as Bellamy’s successor — before he claimed the Parramatta job over the likes of Trent Barrett, Brian Smith, Josh Hannay and Michael Cheika in the wake of Arthur’s sacking last May.
Ryles was known for having a ‘take no prisoners’ attitude on the field but when it comes to roster management, he’s been even more ruthless.
Campbell-Gillard, Clint Gutherson, Maika Sivo, Daejarn Asi, Ky Rodwell and Makahesi Makatoa were cut free, while the likes of Ethan Sanders and Blaize Talagi had already signed elsewhere.
Campbell-Gillard’s exodus, in particular, marks a change of mentality under Ryles.
“We’ve sort of moved in a bit of a different direction with our pack and I guess it’s a bit smaller and mobile and we don’t have big Reggie (Campbell-Gillard) there,” Hopgood said.
“So it’s going to be a different look for us but with Ryles’ system that we’ve put in place, we want to be a fast-moving team and to be fast.
“Like, even we look at Junes (Paulo), who’s a big guy in the standards of the league, but he’s dropped 10-plus kilos and looking at him now is pretty insane.”
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Joining Hopgood and Paulo in the forward pack is Jack Williams, a mobile forward capable of playing middle or edge.
Meanwhile, Charlie Guymer, who played two NRL games in 2024, and rising star Ryley Smith could emerge as vital small forwards, spearheading Ryles’ new direction.
In the backline, the new coach welcomed Isaiah Iongi, Josh Addo-Carr, Joash Papalii, Dean Hawkins and Ronald Volkman, while Zac Lomax had already signed on.
Throw in the mix Nathan Brown, Scott Wisemantel, Sam Moa and Nathan Cayless, making up a new coaching staff, and it’s been a true overhaul for the blue and gold.
“There’s a lot of fresh faces to be honest, a whole new coaching staff, pretty much a whole new roster to be honest,” captain Mitchell Moses told foxsports.com.au.
“It’s pretty crazy to see what he’s done in the short amount of (time) that he’s been coach.
“To change a roster like that and have it boom, ready to go, is pretty special. I think he’s done pretty well there and he’s nailed the squad pretty well. It’s exciting times. There’s been a lot of change.”
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Lomax and Addo-Carr, in particular, thrilled Moses.
“It’s really exciting to have those two, obviously a lot of strike there and Lomax’s coming off a really good year last year,” he said.
“Foxxy, obviously injured a fair bit last year, had his troubles there with his hamstrings but he’s back, he’s ready to go, he’s had a full pre-season under his belt.
“We’ve been striking up some good combos at training at the moment, so hopefully we can take it into the season.”
Iongi also shapes as a hugely important newcomer for the Eels, replacing former captain Gutherson, who was the club’s heartbeat in seasons past.
Although it loomed likely the Iongi was locked into the No.1 jersey in pre-season, the emergence of fellow recruit Papalii could threaten his role.
Regardless, Iongi showed glimpses of the talent that earnt him 2023 NSW Cup Fullback of the Year honours, setting up an impressive Jake Tago try against the Knights.
“He’s just going to be himself, I don’t think he needs to fill any shoes or anything. Obviously had Gutho before, but we don’t want him to be like Gutho,” Moses said.
“He’s a really different player and different style of player, so he’s going to come in and do his thing and we’ll help him out as much as possible wherever we can.
“But he’s still a young kid, he’s going to learn along the way and he’s going to make mistakes, but he’s just going to have to learn on the run.”
While an overhaul brings about change, there’s no certainty that Ryles will find success in his debut season as an NRL coach.
Just ask Cameron Ciraldo and Benji Marshall, who endured turbulent rookie campaigns; neither coach was able to win more than seven of 24 games, while conceding on average 5.5 and 5.4 tries per game respectively.
The Tigers finished last in 2024 and the Bulldogs 15th in 2023, letting in a whopping 129 and 132 tries respectively.
But the most damning stat? Ciraldo conceded 30 points or more 15 times and Marshall 11 times — proving that defence has to be Ryles’ focus in 2025.
However, there’s a glimmer of hope if he can take a steer from Andrew Webster’s dominant 2023 campaign with the Warriors.
In his first season as a head coach, Webster reached the preliminary finals, winning 17 of 27 games with an impressive 23.3 points scored per game.
New Zealand also let in only 19.7 per game and a total of 532 points, 218 less than Marshall’s Tigers; while scoring 630 points, 157 more than the merger club.
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Though Ciraldo and a Marshall didn’t enjoy the rapid success that Webster did, the root cause of their problems was perhaps their inexperienced squads.
Marshall called on 37 different players, with 12 making their debuts (the most of any team in 2024), while Ciraldo selected 36 and had nine debutants (equal-most for 2023).
Webster selected only 30, with just five debutants.
Ryles’ Eels squad is filled largely with players who have already had a taste of first grade — and they’re backing their coach.
“He’s just got that presence about him where you know that he believes what he’s trying to get across,” Zac Lomax told foxsports.com.au of the former Test front-rower, who played 249 NRL games.
“He’s been in a lot of successful systems, so he knows what winning looks like and his results speak for himself and he’s had a lots of success playing on the field as well.
“He knows what winning looks like… and he doesn’t preach as if he’s ‘Mr Know it all’. He bounces his ideas off his players as well.
“He wants it to be engaging from all the players… video sessions have been unreal and the coaching staff have complimented him so well as well.
“I think they just love footy, they love getting better too… it’s a real good vibe, I just love turning up to training at the moment.”
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Hopgood said Ryles was happy to have tough conversations.
“He’s been honest I think, like we’ve seen some of the numbers from last year and I think it was like last for points conceded in the last 20 minutes of a game,” he said.
“He started with honesty and we had to look ourselves in the mirror and face those facts and then from there, it’s just been he’s been implementing his system to us.
“I think that word gets tossed down a lot but we’ve got some new players, some new signings and some good depth.
“Everyone’s just bought in and change is as good as a holiday, so a holiday and change is even better.”
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