The Parramatta Eels are reportedly on the verge of handing a new contract to one of their best young players after he made his NRL first-grade debut earlier in the season in Round 1.
Since making the 2022 NRL Grand Final, the Eels have had a dramatic fall from grace, which saw them miss out on reaching the finals in back-to-back years and come one loss short of claiming the wooden spoon last year.
Attempting to turn their fortunes around under new head coach Jason Ryles, the team has relied on several of its younger players as it continues to reshape its roster heading into 2026 and the future.
One of these players is hooker Ryley Smith. Seizing every opportunity with purpose whilst wearing his blue headgear, Smith has been one of the club’s shining lights in 2025 and has proven that he can perform on the biggest stage.
Currently on the club’s development list until the end of 2026, Smith is on the verge of signing a new deal that will extend his time at the club and also upgrade him to the Top 30 roster, per News Corp.
A member of the 2021 Australian Schoolboys team, Smith’s rugby league journey began in the famed Penrith Panthers system, and he joined the Eels less than 18 months ago in the hope of new opportunities.
“I didn’t think I’d have this opportunity this early, but I’m just trying to learn every day and take every day as it comes,” Smith told Zero Tackle.
“I feel like as a team, we’re going really well at the moment, so that’s a big stepping stone for us going forward.
“I say to them [Dylan Brown and Mitchell Moses] a lot that I’m allowed to be a fan as well so I idolise all of them and even some of the hookers I’ve versed over the first seven rounds.
“In a bit of awe, to be honest, and it’s really cool to run out with them every day.
“I definitely have a lot to work on. I think being a fresh sort of NRL player, I’m just taking it day by day and learning my craft as a hooker and watching all the other hookers and listening closely to our senior players and how I can get better.”
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