Corey Parker delivers Josh Addo-Carr truth as Jason Ryles' Eels rebuild takes shape
Parker believes Ryles can get the best out of Addo-Carr.
NRL great Corey Parker believes Josh Addo-Carr can resurrect his NRL career at the Eels under the tutelage of Jason Ryles. The Parramatta coach is reportedly interested in the services of the representative winger after he had his Bulldogs contract torn up last week. And Parker believes it is a move that would bring out the best in Addo-Carr.
With uncertainty around whether new recruit Zac Lomax will play on the wing or at centre next season and after Maika Sivo was let go, the Eels coach is in need of another winger and has been quick to take advantage of the Bulldogs' sacking of Addo-Carr. The winger was spotted meeting Ryles earlier this week and a move to Parramatta makes a lot of sense given their history together from their Melbourne Storm days when Ryles was an assistant to Craig Bellamy.
But any NRL return for Addo-Carr will come with a delayed start to the season as he still has to serve the remaining three games of his four-match ban handed down by the NRL. The ban stems from when the 29-year-old was pulled over by NSW Police in September, a week out from the club’s first finals games in eight years.
The 15-time NSW State of Origin representative failed the roadside test and a secondary sample returned the same outcome. Addo-Carr has maintained he had not knowingly ingested recreational drugs and had held faint hope he would be given a reprieve by Canterbury powerbrokers. The NRL slapped Addo-Carr with a four-match ban before the Bulldogs came down even harder last week, tearing up his contract.
But Parker believes Addo-Carr deserves a second chance and would be motivated to make amends for his old mentor in Ryles. “Addo-Carr has worked under Ryles at Melbourne, so they would have a relationship there themselves,” Parker told Fox Sports Australia.
“Addo-Carr is 29 years old. He has made a mistake there are no two ways about that. But he can play, so providing the deal is not one that puts you in a high-risk bracket, absolutely he is a good signing.
“He’s got a lot of good football left in him and if they had Addo-Carr and Lomax on the wing, it’s a pretty fair wing pair for a brand new combination. It’s unfortunate for the Bulldogs obviously, but Addo-Carr has made a huge mistake and I’m sure he will want to make amends for that, so you’ll get the best out of him.”
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Jason Ryles' Eels rebuild takes shape
Since agreeing to join the Eels in July on a four-year deal, Ryles has shown his clear intentions to shake things up at Parramatta. Ryles has already made some huge calls and is clearly not afraid to cut club veterans loose.
First, he let prop Reagan Campbell-Gillard leave to join the Gold Coast Titans. He then let veteran winger Maika Sivo leave to join the Super League, despite having two years left on his deal.
Arguably Ryles' biggest decision was to let captain Clint Gutherson explore his options, after hinting at playing him off the bench in 2025. Gutherson is reportedly set to sign a three-year deal with the Dragons, which would free up $800,000 from the Eels' salary cap in 2025. Add that to the money freed up from Sivo and Campbell-Gillard and it gives Ryles almost $3 million to play within the next couple of years.
Lomax was signed on a four-year deal before Ryles took over but he will be a welcome addition. And in August, the Eels signed Isaiah Iongi from the Panthers in what became a straight swap for young gun Blaize Talagi, who went the other way.
The Eels have also brought promising fullback Joash Papalii, who provides more depth in the No.1 jersey and also snared outside back Jordan Samrani from the Bulldogs. Ryles has also added depth to the halfback position, bringing in Dean Hawkins to provide cover to Mitchell Moses.
Ryles now has turned his attention to Newcastle hooker Jayden Brailey. And if he can add Brailey and Addo-Carr, who can replace Sivo on the wing, come round one, he will have a team that can compete for a top-eight spot in 2025.
