Jason Ryles has made the tough call to not retain his former St George Illawarra skipper Trent Barrett as part of his coaching staff at Parramatta next year.
Ryles will bring in an all-new coaching set-up at the Eels with Barrett, who is filling in as interim coach for the rest of this season after Brad Arthur’s sacking, on the lookout for a new gig elsewhere in 2025.
Barrett was in the mix to take over full-time as head coach along with Dragons assistant Dean Young and Sharks deputy Josh Hannay but the Eels elected for Ryles and the Storm have allowed him to leave the club early to begin planning for his debut season at the helm of an NRL club.
According to a Sydney Morning Herald report, Barrett has been told his services will not be required and after stints as Manly, Canterbury and Parramatta coach, he is likely throw his hat into the ring for an assistant’s job at another team.
Wests Tigers are on the lookout for an experienced mentor to work alongside Benji Marshall with Robbie Farah exiting at the end of the season so Barrett could bob up at Concord.
Ryles is quickly putting his stamp on the Eels with Fijian international Maika Sivo and former NSW forward Ryan Matterson already told they can leave early as the new coach overhauls the roster.
Sivo is under contract for another three years but is free to leave after a drop in form this season as the Eels have slumped to second last on the back of coach Arthur being sacked two months ago.
The Eels, who host ladder leaders Melbourne on Friday, face an uphill task to avoid the wooden spoon with star half Mitchell Moses, prop Junior Paulo, lock J’maine Hopgood and winger Bailey Simonsson out for the rest of the season.
Dragons punt Fijian flyer
St George Illawarra are clearing cap space to sign Knights forward Daniel Saifiti after previously pulling out of the race for Wests Tigers prop Stefano Utoikamanu.
The Dragons have told Fijian international Mikaele Ravalawa that he is free to depart the club early despite having two more years left on his lucrative contract.
Ravalawa has scored 67 tries in 97 appearances since his debut with the club in 2019 but he’s only touched down three times in 11 matches this year.
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Fri, 26 Jul 2024, 18:00
Parramatta Eels
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Melbourne Storm
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Fri, 26 Jul 2024, 20:00
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Sydney Roosters
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Sun, 28 Jul 2024, 14:00
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He was dropped last month to NSW Cup and copped a four-match ban after he unleashed a foul-mouthed spray on a match official.
A stint in the Super League looks on the cards for Ravalawa with the Dragons keen to bolster their pack by signing Saifiti, who has been given permission to look elsewhere by the Knights.
With Origin winger Zac Lomax on the way to Parramatta in 2025, the Dragons will be in the market for outside backs to back up the likes of Moses Suli, Mat Feagai, Jack Bird and Christian Tuipolotu while Cody Ramsey is hopeful of returning to the NRL after two seasons out with ulcerative colitis.