Parramatta coach Jason Ryles says impatience and a win-now mentality are issues that plague all world sports and not just the NRL following a scathing column earlier this week that criticised the club’s lack of progress in his first year in charge.
The article questioned why people were praising the 15th-placed Eels when they’d won the same number of games as they did under long-time coach Brad Arthur last year when he was sacked midway through the season.
But wins and losses don’t tell the whole story for the Eels when you consider veterans Clint Gutherson and Reagan Campbell-Gillard were let go last year, while experienced forwards Shaun Lane, Ryan Matterson and Joe Ofahengaue have also moved on.
Blaize Talagi was another who left at the end of the 2024 campaign, while five-eighth Dylan Brown will join the Knights next year on the most lucrative contract ever signed.
It’s why no one picked them to win the comp and hardly anyone had the Eels making the top eight this year, with fans simply wanting to see progress in the first year of a rebuild under Ryles
New recruits Zac Lomax, Joash Papalii, Isaiah Iongi, Jack Williams, Josh Addo-Carr and Dylan Walker have all been strong for them, while injuries to key guys like Mitch Moses slowed down their development.
But it’s hard to be critical of a team that has improved defensively from last year’s side, while their recent form has been encouraging as they look to give themselves a launching pad for 2026.
“I honestly didn’t see too much on that, but for me, we’re really clear as a footy club on where we’re heading,” Ryles replied when asked about the column.
“We know it’s going to take a little bit of time.
“We’ve had an enormous amount of change in our roster, environment and culture, and from our pathways through to the board level, we’re really clear on the vision going forward.
“This is just going to be part of the process, so we’ll just keep pushing forward as we’ve been doing so far.”
Overnight success is borderline impossible in the NRL, with the Raiders a perfect example of how a patient, long-term approach can breed success.
Ryles concedes there are things that still need improving, but he’s not worried about some short-term pain if it means his young guns can gain the experience they need to become long-term contenders.
“I’m not sure it’s the NRL, I think it’s world sport,” he replied when asked about the constant need to have a win-now mentality.
“Sport makes us all emotional and we want to win and we want to win now, but unfortunately it doesn’t work like that.
“We’ll just keep pushing forward on the path we’re on at the moment.
“We’re not comfortable, but we’re really focused on making sure at all levels that we give ourselves the best opportunity to keep improving each week.”
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