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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4. Andrew Ryan

A St Johns College Dubbo and Emu Plains junior, Andrew “Bobcat” Ryan moved to Sydney to chase his NRL dream and made his debut NRL debut for Parramatta in round 2 of 2000.

Ryan had an extremely impressive first season at the Eels, coming within a whisker of beating the Newcastle Knights in the Grand Final, as well as being recognised for his fine performances, being named Eels rookie of the year.

Ryan would go onto feature 72 times for Parramatta over a three-season stay, in which he would also debut for the NSW Blues in his second full season of NRL. However, unfortunately for the Eels, they were unable to retain the highly thought of and sought-after Ryan due to salary cap constraints, and as a result, Ryan signed a deal with the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs beginning in 2003, and as they say, the rest was history.

Ryan would go onto play an incredible 218 games for the Bulldogs, a 10-year stint littered with accomplishments and accolades. ‘Bobcat’ would feature regularly for the NSW State of Origin side as well as the Australian Kangaroos, predominantly in the second-row. In terms of achievements at the club, Ryan was named club captain in 2005, won the 2004 premiership in the blue and white, and was also named 2009 Dally M Captain of the Year after leading the Doggies to within one win of a Grand Final.

Ryan was at the centre of everything that was good in the 2000s at the Bulldogs, typifying the family first mantra and superior work ethic demanded by Bulldogs fans. As well as being a fine ambassador for the game of the field.

You can’t help but think if the Eels had their time again in the early 2000s, they would have moved heaven and earth to ensure that Andrew Ryan played out the remainder of his glittering career in the blue and gold of Parramatta, rather than the blue and white of arch-rivals the Bulldogs.