Jason Ryles says fans had every right to boo the Eels last weekend. This is why it won’t happen again

Parramatta might be down on troops, but coach Jason Ryles does not expect his team to deliver the kind of performance they did in their thrashing at the hands of the Titans last week when they face Canterbury on Sunday.

Despite a third of their squad being sidelined through injury, Ryles said he expects a vastly improved effort against the Bulldogs.

“We certainly can compete – that’s what we aim to do every week, and the result takes care of itself – but first and foremost our fight and our effort is really important to us,” Ryles said.

Ryles was scathing about his team’s performance in their 52-10 loss to the Titans and said fans were well within their rights to boo the players off the field in what was the club’s heaviest loss at home since the mid-1990s.

“We just got 50 put on us at our home ground, so the fans are well within their right to be doing that,” Ryles said. “They’re a huge part of what we’re doing and it’s disappointing that we performed like that in front of them.”

But Ryles said he was confident his players would respond, given what he’d seen at training this week.

“Obviously, we’re still all disappointed, and it was a little out of the box for us,” he said. “But we’ve reset. We came in, got our lessons, and there’s been certainly a renewed energy around the place, especially in and around training.

“We’ve obviously got quite a young squad at the moment going out onto the field with what’s happening behind the scenes [with injuries] – but it’s just another opportunity.”

Parramatta’s injury list has made it impossible for Ryles to field the same team each week, and with Sean Russell not quite ready to return from a concussion, Parramatta junior Saxon Pryke will be brought into the squad come game day.

“He’s a local junior and has come through our pathways system,” Ryles said. “So he gets an opportunity. He’s a really hard worker and we’re looking forward to seeing how he goes.

“He’s certainly brought some energy to training and to the environment.”

Hooker Ryley Smith also trained with a thumb guard on Saturday.

“Yeah, it’s round seven, that’s part of playing footy,” Ryles said. “He might get to play fresh in round one, and then after that there’s always bumps and bruises and that type of thing, but there’s nothing to be concerned about there.”

On the 40th anniversary of Parramatta’s last premiership, Ryles said he was hoping his team could take something from the pride those players still had in the club and the team.

“We want to translate that as much as possible into what we’re doing now – our fight, our effort and what the club means to us individually and also collectively,” Ryles said. “It’s certainly some inspiration there for this weekend and going forward.”

Why rising Raider asked to be dropped to reserve grade

Canberra winger Savelio Tamale asked coach Ricky Stuart if he could be dropped to reserve grade to regain some confidence straight after full-time in Perth on Saturday, then again before the Raiders named their team for Friday’s clash at home against Melbourne.

The 21-year-old Tamale has struggled recently, and Stuart noticed all was not well when the youngster appeared to freeze and almost blow a try against South Sydney in the first half on Saturday.

Seb Kris will move to the wing with Matt Timoko gaining a start in the centres.

Stuart confirmed it was Tamale’s idea to be given a stint in NSW Cup in a bid to regain the missing spark.

“‘Sav’ asked me after the game on the weekend and said, ’I’m not helping these guys at the moment, and I need to go back and find some confidence in NSW Cup,” Stuart said on Tuesday night.

“I told him we’d worry about it later in the week. We spoke again on Monday. He’s lost a bit of confidence, it’s been building for a few weeks, and he hasn’t been the same confident player he was when he came on to the scene last year and played so well.

“Sav is such a good young guy. I want to get him back as soon as I can.

“But I also want to look after him, and when he’s in this position mentally, he needs to take a step back, nail the basics, enjoy himself and get his confidence back.

“He’ll be back. He’s a wonderful NRL player, he just needs to believe in his ability, and believe he can be the player I know I’ve got.”

Tamale was a contender for NRL rookie of the year in 2025, but missed most of the second half of the season after he suffered a knee injury.

He appeared to slow down just before the tryline on the weekend but still scored against the Rabbitohs. A few of the South Sydney players initially thought Tamale was showboating.

Meanwhile, barnstorming South Sydney back-rower David Fifita is facing up to six weeks out with a hamstring injury suffered against the Raiders. Coach Wayne Bennett confirmed Fifita felt a twinge in warm-up, but played the whole game before informing medical staff he was sore.

In other team news, Leo Thompson (calf) has been named to play his first game for Canterbury against Parramatta on Sunday, with captain Stephen Crichton, who was initially expected to be out for up to a month with an AC joint injury, named in the No. 23 jersey.

Dylan Brown (knee) is back for Newcastle, with Fletcher Sharpe moved to fullback, and Fletcher Hunt shifted into the halves for Sunday’s game against the Roosters.

Three-year offer for Drinkwater, young Dragons wants out

Adrian Proszenko

St George Illawarra have ramped up their pursuit of Scott Drinkwater with a three-year offer, although they could lose one of their most promising prospects after Loko Pasifiki Tonga requested an immediate release.

Tonga’s manager put through a formal request on Tuesday afternoon, despite the towering 196-centimetre prop being contracted until the end of next season.

Tonga is disappointed he hasn’t been able to add to his 10 NRL appearances after being overlooked so far this season. He has averaged an 179 run metres in the NSW Cup in 2026, but has been unable to force his way into the struggling NRL side, which has not won a game this year.

His pathway to first grade will be even more difficult when Rabbitohs star Keaon Koloamatangi arrives next year. Tonga feels there is no progression for him at the Red V and a release would free up cash and a top-30 spot for the bottom-placed club.

A NSW under-19s and Australian Schoolboy representative, Tonga would have no trouble finding a new home given the dearth of quality front-rowers on the market.

Drinkwater, meanwhile is contracted to North Queensland until the end of next year, but the Cowboys have granted him permission to explore his options early.

Several other clubs have been sounded out about the prospect of picking up Drinkwater, but his most likely destination is Wollongong. Drinkwater played a starring role in the Cowboys win against Brisbane last weekend in his 150th game.

Dragons co-captain Clint Gutherson is contracted until the end of next year, but has backed the club’s pursuit of Drinkwater and even offered to hand over his No.1 jersey to make it happen.

“I’m all for it – things like this don’t bother me,” Gutherson said on the weekend. “That’s the club, that’s what they’re doing, they’re making our squad and our team better.

“If that’s for a fullback, then I’m all for it. I’ve always said in my whole career, I’ll play wherever and it doesn’t bother me.

“I want to win. We all want to win, we want to be better. We want to have a better squad, and if they think that’s the role, that’s the role.”

Gutherson is sidelined with a hamstring injury, giving Tyrell Sloan an extended run filling the void. Sloan polled three Dally M points – the same as opposing fullback Tom Trbojevic – in his side’s loss to Manly. However, he also made several errors that resulted in Sea Eagles tries.

The Dragons are under immense pressure after a 0-6 start to the season that has extended their losing streak to 10. Maroons forward Jaydn Su’A will join Parramatta at the end of the season, with the Eels making enquiries about the prospect of an immediate switch.

While the future of coach Shane Flanagan is clouded, he remains in charge for Saturday’s clash with the Rabbitohs.

Meet the one-game cult hero who knocked back three NRL coaching greats

Dan Walsh

Cooper Bai became a teenage cult hero with only one NRL game to his name.

Craig Bellamy, Ivan Cleary and Trent Robinson all wanted a piece of him. A rugby league-mad nation of 11 million still do, not to mention the incoming PNG Chiefs franchise, with all their tax incentives and the complications of a family feud rolled in one.

Bai, still just 19, has dinner plate hands and the rugby league world at his feet – but rookie Titans coach Josh Hannay has been instrumental in keeping one of the game’s most promising forwards grounded.

Which is quite the achievement, given the way he was mobbed by PNG fans – who cheered every touch of his Kumuls debut louder than any other player – in Port Moresby last year.

That was before the summer Bai then spent weighing up “the toughest decision of my life”. The youngster eventually backflipped on a proposed move to Melbourne (after Zoom meetings with Cleary and Robinson, too) to stay with the Gold Coast, a call which caused significant angst. His father, Storm and PNG legend Marcus Bai, was highly critical of his son’s decision, which came during the NRL’s mandated 10-day cooling-off period.

Bai’s new Titans contract contains a 2028 option that puts him on the market for the Chiefs’ first year in the NRL, though Marcus’s position on the PNG board may cloud the club’s plans to make Cooper a marquee signing.

For now, Bai is firm in the Gold Coast being the best place for him. His fluoro green headgear, bullocking play and famous surname will ensure an enduring cult status in PNG for years anyway.

“I absolutely love everyone over in PNG,” Bai said after his impressive showing in the Gold Coast’s 52-10 demolition of Parramatta on Sunday.

“The support and love that I get from everyone over there is tremendous. I’ve never felt anything like it at all, to be honest. It [the reception] caught me off guard a lot, it really did.

“I thought it’d just be playing a basic footy game… to actually experience it was next level. At some points, I couldn’t even hear myself, it was just that loud.”

PNG will almost certainly come calling down the line.

“But I’m staying around now,” Bai says.

As the Gold Coast show steady signs of improvement in a 2-4 start to the year that belies their added defensive starch, Hannay is proving a key figure in Bai’s development.

“I’ve never had to make any decisions like that before, [picking] between two clubs like that,” Bai said. “I’ve pretty much grown up here my whole life, and this is all I’ve known. Being able to interact and see how things are done in other teams and other areas was a big insight for me.

“It came down to me making decisions for myself and what I thought was best at the time. I felt it was best to stay here with the new coaching staff and all of that. That was the main reason. And [Hannay] has been amazing for me.

“He’s been teaching me the basics around the game and continually helping me to improve in my craft, playing in my position, and just playing in the NRL … He’s honestly been a game-changer for me.”

South Sydney seek exemption to promote Dufty in time to face Dragons

Christian Nicolussi

South Sydney have applied to the NRL for permission to promote Matt Dufty to their first-grade squad in time to face his former club, St George Illawarra, this weekend after fullback Jye Gray suffered an AC joint injury that could sideline him for up to a month.

Dufty, 30, returned to Australia at the end of last season after a spell in Super League to be closer to family with his partner expecting their baby.

The livewire speedster signed a deal with Souths to play NSW Cup, but Gray’s injury has prompted the club to seek the NRL’s blessing to play him as early as this weekend against the spluttering Dragons.

If Dufty is given the green light, there will be no shortage of motivation for him to shine against the Red V, where he started his NRL career.

Under NRL rules, reserve-grade players cannot be promoted to first grade until after round 11, unless there is a shortage of options in particular positions.

Latrell Mitchell is an established fullback and moved to the back when Gray came from the field in the first half during the loss to Canberra in Perth. However, Mitchell spent little time training at fullback over the summer and has found a home at left centre this season.

If Mitchell moved to No.1, Souths’ options in the outside backs would then be limited, especially with Isaiah Tass (knee) and Tyrone Munro (stood down) unavailable.

Dufty scored three tries against Canterbury in the Good Friday curtain-raiser and featured in Sunday night’s NSW Cup win over Parramatta. Souths baulked at pulling him out of the Eels clash as they awaited the exemption from the NRL. He also impressed coaches during the pre-season trials, including running for over 200m in the Charity Shield match against the Dragons.

In other team news, Jake Trbojevic (eye) trained away from Manly’s main group on Monday, but already declared he will be fit for Thursday’s road trip to Townsville.

Kobe Hetherington is battling an ankle injury, but is pushing to play against the Cowboys, while middle forward reinforcements Sio Siua Taukeiaho and Nathan Brown both trained strongly.

Fellow prop Taniela Paseka said Taukeiaho was sorely missed during the opening rounds, and his inclusion could have saved the Sea Eagles from an 0-3 start.

“His return couldn’t have come at a better time, we needed him from round one,” Paseka said. “He’s a gun through the middle, and if he was with us from the start, we probably win one of those first three games we lost.

“He’s been in finals, he’s won comps, we all look up to him, especially [us] younger Tongans. It’s exciting to have him back.”

Brisbane’s Pat Carrigan accepted a two-match ban for a high tackle against the Cowboys, which sees him miss Saturday’s clash with the Wests Tigers in Campbelltown.

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