Top 10 players Parramatta have let go since 2000

The Eels have let go of some quality this century.

STAFF WRITER | June 4, 2019 - 5:17pm

It is fair to say that Parramatta Eels fans have experienced more heartache than most in the past few seasons.

This includes three wooden spoons since 2012 as well as having to endure the repercussions of the now infamous salary cap scandal that led to the club being docked 12 competition points and fined $1 million by the NRL.

However, since the appointment of Brad Arthur as head coach, performances have been on a steady incline at Parramatta, barring the unexpected train wreck that was the 2018 season. This upturn in performances has led to Arthur attracting and assembling a top eight quality squad, but inept talent identification and salary cap management throughout the years has led to the Eels losing some serious star power that Brad Arthur and previous Eels coaches would no doubt have loved to have at their disposal in the recent trying times.

Here are the top 10 players the Eels have let go, not re-signed or released since 2000.

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7. Daniel Tupou

Having never made any state or age representative teams apart from those at Parramatta, Tupou was deemed to not be a priority re-signing after two seasons in the Parramatta NYC team and he was promptly snapped up by the Roosters.

What has happened since then, seemingly no one at Parramatta would have expected. With the Guildford Owls junior going onto rack up 81 tries in 144 appearances for the tri-colours, as well as two premierships, an Origin series win, and regularly featuring in test match’s with Tonga and Australia respectively.

If Tupou was a robber, he timed his getaway perfectly. Since his arrival at the Roosters in 2012, the Eels have gone onto claim three out of a possible seven wooden spoons. With Tupou going onto play an important role for the Roosters on the left flank, often utilising his big frame to help get the Roosters out of their danger end while giving their big men a rest.

Tupou’s athleticism, coordination, and speed are rarely found in a man of his size, with these three qualities helping him establish himself as one of the game’s premier wingers in the new age were outside backs are becoming bigger, and increasingly valuable.

Barring Semi Radradra and the recent acquisition of Blake Ferguson, the Eels have struggled largely to find a winger with such qualities to safeguard the position long term, little did they know they had one in their junior system the whole time.