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.
2. Jamie Lyon
If ever there was a player who marched to the beat of his own drum, it was Jamie Lyon.
Having grown up in North-Central NSW in the small town of Wee Waa, Lyon completed his schooling at Parramatta Marist High School before being signed to the Eels top squad by Eels development officer Noel โCrusherโ Cleal.
Lyonโs rise to prominence at Parramatta after signing with them was swift, having debuted at the back end of season 2000, only a year later Lyon was making his debut for the Kangaroos and would go onto be the youngest ever Kangaroos tourist when the squad traveled to Great Britain in 2001. In the coming years, Lyon would cement himself as one of the gameโs premier attacking weapons and became a regular feature for both the Kangaroos and NSW Blues predominantly as a centre, scoring an impressive 36 tries in his 70 games for the blue and gold. His notable rise to stardom resulted in Parramatta re-signing him to a bumper four-year contract extension until the end of 2006
Unfortunately for Eels fans, the hustle and bustle of the city and the fame that came with being an NRL star became too much for Lyon. With the then 22-year old retiring from the game after four seasons to return his hometown of Wee Waa and play bush footy.
Five months later and after having won a Grand Final with his beloved Wee Waa Panthers, Lyon signed a two-year deal with English club St. Helen's worth well in excess of $600,000. Spurning offers from the Penrith Panthers, Canberra Raiders, Sea Eagles and Gold Coast to head to the quiet North of England.
In his two-year sojourn to Englandโs North, Lyon would cement himself as a legend of the Super League thanks to his freakish natural ability, winning the Man of Steel Award, RLPA Playerโs Player of the Year, as well as winning a Challenge Cup and the Super League title.
This stellar form led to Lyon re-joining the NRL with the Brookvale based Sea Eagles after a deal to return to Parramatta fell through, in which he would re-affirm to all NRL fans his undeniable class.
Over the next 10 years, Lyon would rack up a quite frankly obscene number of awards, both individually and with his team. Lyon would win two premierships on the peninsula, as well as being named Dally M Centre of the Year on four separate occasions and Dally M Captain of the Year twice. Just for good measure, Lyon would also go onto become an automatic selection for both the Blues and Kangaroos, however, the notoriously private Lyon would often seek exemption from representative duties due to family reasons.
Lyon will undoubtedly be remembered as one of the most naturally talented and simultaneously nonchalant players to ever grace the NRL, unfortunately for Eels fans all of those recollections will be of Lyon in Manlyโs maroon and white.
Does anyone really care?