NRL 360 presenter Braith Anasta believes “it’s time” for the Eels to make a big call on their captaincy and officially hand the role to star halfback Mitchell Moses.
It comes after veteran News Corp journalist Phil Rothfield reported on Monday that new head coach Jason Ryles was considering pulling the trigger on the leadership decision.
Ryles, who was released from his Storm contract last week, is set to carry out a “major overhaul” of the Eels, including a move to current interim coach Trent Barrett.
But as Rothfield told NRL 360, the changes won’t stop there.
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“He didn’t want to talk to me about Clint Gutherson, but about the way Mitchell Moses has grown in the State of Origin arena this year. If you think about it, NSW captain Jake (Trbojevic) left after 20 minutes in every game. — Mitch ran the football side,” he said.
“There was a feeling at Parramatta, while no decision has been made (yet), (of) ‘not just a new coach, let’s give Moses the reins.’
“’Gutho’ has given his best every time, but I think they have leadership issues and I think you’ll see Mitchell Moses with the ‘c’ next to his name.”
The move would add further fuel to speculation surrounding Gutherson’s future at the club, amid reports he may have to move to the centers next season to accommodate youngster Blaize Talagi.
But with Gutherson having already declared he will move to the position that is best for the team, rugby legend Gorden Tallis believes he can handle losing the captaincy with class.
“I think he’s matured enough that he doesn’t need the ‘c’ next to his name anymore,” Tallis told NRL 360.
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Meanwhile, NRL 360 presenter Braith Anasta threw his support behind the captaincy change, stating: “It just makes sense. It’s time.”
But James Hooper was quick to point out how things could go wrong.
“It doesn’t come without a little bit of a risk factor though because he’s been captain for a long time and he’s very popular among the playing group,” Hooper said.
“Yes, he only has 12 months left on his contract, but we’ve seen a lot of players over the years where coaches have decided to go in a different direction with the captains and sometimes that can put everyone at odds. “
Anasta admitted that there is “no doubt” about Hooper’s concerns, but remained true to his position that it is Moses’ time.
“There just comes a time when, I think, a boy becomes a man and Moses has become a man in this Origin series,” he said.
“He becomes a man, so with more responsibility, Mitch then owns the team and you could see in Origin that he got the best out of him.
“There’s just a time when unfortunately you have to make decisions and with new coaching coming in that’s going in a new direction, I think this is a good decision. No disrespect to ‘Gutho’, he did a great job, but I don’t see it as a big problem.
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While talking about Moses, Hooper pointed out that the 29-year-old could become a free agent again as early as November 2025 due to clauses in his contract.
“This is another ridiculous deal that Eels management has signed,” he said.
“Last year they trumpeted the fact that Mitchell agreed to a five-year extension at the club. It’s not a five-year extension, it’s a three-year extension (but) in 2027 and 2028 he has player options in his favor… if things turn pear-shaped at Parramatta, he can get out if he wants to. ”
That led Rothfield to wonder whether football manager Mark ‘Buckets’ O’Neill should be in the line of fire as Ryles undertakes his overhaul of the club.
“Can I suggest here that Parramatta needs a wider evacuation? There’s a new coach coming in, it looks like they’re going to have a new captain. What about a football manager? Who allows these outrageous contracts to be signed?” he said.
“Their chairman keeps telling me he (O’Neill) is the Frank Ponissi of the West, which is ridiculous.
“They haven’t done very well this year. “I think they’ve made a lot of blunders in recruitment and they need to look at that part of the football club.”
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While Ryles is expected to put his own football department together, Hooper believes O’Neill’s job is safe.
“As for your point about a housecleaning, I think Jason Ryles wants to do a complete sweep in terms of support staff,” he said.
“But I don’t think ‘Buckets’ will be touched because the chairman and CEO rely on him for everything regarding the NRL decisions.”
Ryles won’t officially step into the head coaching role until the offseason, leaving Barrett to follow the rest of the league. But if he does, Hooper fears it could be a “poisoned chalice” for the rookie coach because of the amount of work that needs to be done.
“It is impossible to underestimate the magnitude of the job that Jason Ryles faces,” he said.
“Given the situation at that club at the moment with the squad as it is, the way some of the big players have done huge money deals, I think there is an element of a poisoned chalice in that.
“They won’t really be able to do anything on the market until 2026. They are trying to buy players like Bryce Cartwright, Shaun Lane and Ryan Matterson. But who are they going to replace them with? Because there isn’t that much right now.
“I wish ‘Rylsey’ all the best, I really hope he has success there, but it’s a big job.”
