Coach Jason Ryles talks future of the Eels in press conference

Mass exodus at Parramatta

As bad as the Eels were last season, they are on track to be a lot worse this season after losing so many key players.

In just this offseason, Parramatta have lost the club captain Clint Gutherson to St. George Illawarra Dragons, player of the year Reagan Campbell-Gillard to Gold Coast Titans, and top try scorer Maika Sivo to Super League side Leeds Rhinos.

While Sivo’s tries were important, Gutherson’s absence is the one most Eels are worried about. The club needs to completely reset their culture. Doing so without a leader like Gutherson will be a tough task.

“Blank canvas” for new manager

While most people would stress about losing so many top players and a leader like Gutherson, new Eels boss Jason Ryles maintains that he is excited by the challenge.

The rookie head coach said on Wednesday that he will use the new environment and club reset to his advantage.

“I don’t have anything to go off in regards to my experiences with the day to day (at Eels),” he said, “The exciting part for me is that we’re resetting.”

Ryles then doubled back a bit on his comments, adding that the Eels were “not starting again” before admitting that he has “a bit of a blank canvas to work with” at Parramatta with Gutherson and others walking out the door.

As for the players who are there, Ryles says that he is impressed so far.

“The most impressive thing for me at the moment has been the buy in and the commitment of the players. They’re very compliant and they’ve got a work ethic about them before I got here.

“It’s about resetting that environment and making it one that they never want to leave and they can be the best they can be,” Ryles said.

Addo-Carr signed to bolster squad

Ryles has turned to a familiar face to start his Eels rebuild. The club have signed Josh Addo-Carr, who Ryles worked with at Melbourne Storm, as their first major signing of the closed season.

Addo-Carr was let go by the Canterbury Bulldogs after failing a roadside drug test for cocaine earlier in the year.

It’s a bit of a shocking signing for a club who needs a total cultural reset. Ryles admitted as much on Wednesday, saying that he probably would not have signed Addo-Carr had he not had a prior relationship with the player.

“There was an opportunity to speak to him. Had I not known him and had the relationship that I do have with him, I probably wouldn’t be talking about him now,” Ryles said.

“Because I’ve had that experience and had quite a bit of time with him, I know him really well and know what he can do for a footy team.

“He’s made a mistake and paid a price for it, but now it’s all about what we can do going forward. I’ve been really clear with Josh. There are no guarantees that he’ll be playing in the first 13 in our team. He’s got a lot of work to do.”