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.
Joe Galuvao did his best throughout his career to put to bed the old adage that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. After coming through the junior ranks as a pacey fullback at the Warriors, Galuvao crossed the ditch to join Penrith, where he was a member of the Panthers renowned “Hair Bears” and was nominated as one of the premier second-rowers in the game in 2003.
After a short stint at the Rabbitohs from 2006-2007, Galuvao moved back to the West and signed a two-year deal with Parramatta beginning in 2008. After a slow 2008 dogged by injury, Galuvao returned to his best in 2009, leading from the front as a part of Parramatta’s middle third rotation featuring fellow bruisers Fuifui Moimoi and skipper Nathan Cayless.
Galuvao’s consistent go-forward and bruising tackling style helped propel Parramatta to the Grand Final in 2009, before eventually going down to the Melbourne Storm, who were later stripped of the title due to salary cap cheating.
Nearing 30 and with his best football seemingly behind him, the Eels did not place Galuvao as a priority re-signing. Leading to the South Auckland junior being eventually snapped up by the Sea Eagles on a three-year deal.
Over the following three-years, Galuvao’s stock would skyrocket after transitioning into a starting prop, helping his Sea Eagles to three consecutive top-eight finishes (two of which were in the top four) and one premiership, with Galuvao being lauded for his workmanlike performances in the middle and ability to gain metres post-contact.
Unfortunately, Parramatta’s trajectory went the complete opposite way to Galuvao’s following his departure, finishing 12th, 14th and last respectively. While he was at the end of his career, Galuvao’s no-nonsense style of play and leadership qualities could have no doubt helped the Eels in their attempt to become a consistent top-eight side in the late 2000s.
While John Morris may not have been renowned as the most dynamic or game-breaking hooker in his day if you play 300 NRL games you are clearly no slouch.
Having come through the ranks in the Upper Hunter Valley with the Scone Thoroughbreds before relocating to Sydney, Morris established himself as a cunning ball-playing hooker who relied on his superior game knowledge as opposed to physical gifts in his four-year stint at Parramatta.
Coming off contract in 2006, and with an interesting proposal on the table, Morris decided to jump ship to the Wests Tigers on a three-year deal. In those three-years, Morris would not miss a single game. Simultaneously, Parramatta struggled to replace Morris’ consistency at dummy-half, with Mark Riddell, Matt Keating, and Kevin Kingston all sharing the hooking duties without staking a claim to make the jersey their own on a permanent basis.
After leaving Parramatta, Morris would go onto play another six years of NRL and 177 games before retiring, no doubt six years that the Eels hierarchy wish he played out in the blue and gold of Parramatta.
While Morris is the only member of the 300 club to never have played Origin or for their country, his career displays that there is no substitute for good old-fashioned hard work and a bit of ticker. Two qualities the Eels have lacked desperately since in recent years.
Known widely throughout rugby league circles for his time in the lime green of the Canberra Raiders, Schifcofske began his career with the now defunct South Queensland Crushers before heading south to join the Parramatta Eels.
In his three seasons at Parramatta Schifcofske helped the Eels to three consecutive preliminary finals, playing every game in his first season and featuring regularly at fullback.
At the end of the 2000 season and without a contract with Parramatta for next season, the Raiders identified the then 24-year old as a player of potential and promptly signed him to join the club ahead of the 2001 season.
Schifcofske made an immediate impact in the nation’s capital, being named Canberra Raiders’ player of the year in his first season at the club, as well as in 2004. His consistent form and leadership qualities resulted in him being made club captain in 2006, and in the same year, he made his State of Origin debut at fullback for the Maroons in the series decider. He would go onto feature one more time for Queensland.
During his time at the Raiders, Schifcofske was renowned for his evasive running style, and deft kicking game both off the tee and in general play. He was also a trailblazer, being one of the first fullbacks to be deployed as a second five-eighth out the back of set plays in the early to mid-2000s thanks to his classy kicking and passing abilities.
By the time he hung up the boots after a swansong in rugby union with the Queensland Reds and Irish club Ulster, Schifcofske had racked up 1604 career points to sit 9th in Australian rugby league’s all-time point scoring list.
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.
Unbeknownst to most, after finishing his education in Brisbane in 2006, Jharal Yow Yeh moved to Sydney to join the Parramatta Eels junior pathways system. Yow Yeh lasted one season in Sydney’s west before having his scholarship torn up by the Eels hierarchy and was reportedly told by Eels recruitment chief Rod Reddy that he would never play first grade.
This led to Yow Yeh moving back to Brisbane to play with Norths Devils colts’ side, before receiving a lifeline to play with the Broncos under 20s in 2008. Yow Yeh would go onto score a remarkable 27 tries from 26 games on the wing for the baby Broncos. The pacey winger would then make his debut in round 1 of the following year.
In the next four years, Yow Yeh would cement himself as one if, if not the game’s premier winger, scoring 33 tries for the Broncos, as well as playing 3 Origins for Queensland and 3 Tests for the Kangaroos in 2011.
Yow Yeh was as close to the perfect winger as you can get, blessed with incredible pace, strength, and agility, as well as remarkably subtle skill with the Norths junior often seen scoring tries off his own kicks.
Unfortunately for Yow Yeh, only a year after cementing himself on the representative scene he would suffer a compound fracture of the leg against the Rabbitohs in round 4 of 2012 which was described as “motorbike-like”.
Sadly, for Yow Yeh and fans of the game, in March 2014, two years after suffering the horrendous leg-break the fantastically gifted he announced his retirement from professional rugby league due to complications suffered from his injury.
While his career may not have been as long as it should have been, there is no doubt that Yow Yeh is one of the most talented players to ever slip through Parramatta’s fingers.
Another player on this list who is widely renowned for his time in rivals’ colours, those of the Wests Tigers, six-time NSW Origin representative Brett Hodgson actually made a name for himself in his formative years at the Parramatta Eels.
After turning down an opportunity to join new joint venture side the Wests Tigers after playing his whole junior career at Western Suburbs, Hodgson signed with the Parramatta Eels to get an opportunity to nail down the starting fullback jersey.
In his four-year 73 game stint at the Eels, Hodgson formed a reputation as being a “lethal attacking fullback” according to Alan Whiticker and Glen Hudson’s Encyclopedia of Rugby League Players and led the club to the 2001 Grand Final. In the following years, he would feature consistently for City Origin, as well as gaining selection in the 2002 NSW Origin side.
In 2004, and just about to hit his prime at the age of 26, Hodgson moved back to his junior club, signing a deal with the Wests Tigers. After enduring consistent injuries during his four-year stint at the Eels, Hodgson’s move home was a blessing for both the club and the player. His five-year stint at the Tigers would prove to be extremely productive, being named Club Captain from 2006-2008, as well as winning the 2005 Dally M Fullback of the year off the back of being the competitions leading point scorer.
His stellar form helped lead the Tigers to an unlikely premiership in 2005, combining magnificently throughout the season with fellow attacking maestros Robbie Farah and Benji Marshall. This stellar form through the 2005 season also led to an unlikely reinstatement in the NSW State of Origin side, and additionally, although seemingly approaching the end of his career in 2008, Hodgson turned back the clock to be named Members’ Player of the Year in his final season at the Tigers.
By the time Hodgson hung up the boots, he was able to call himself a premiership winner, Origin player and Dally M Fullback of the Year, all accomplishments that Eels fans can now only wish he achieved in the blue and gold of Parramatta.
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.
While he debuted in the NRL at the Melbourne Storm, the State of Origin winning five-eighth James Maloney actually began his career in the form of a two-year stint at Parramatta from 2007-2008.
In his two-years at the Eels, Maloney only played NSW Cup for Parramatta’s feeder side the Wentworthville Magpies. In 2008 he was named in the NSW Cup Team of the Year thanks to his consistent performances in reserve grade. Despite this good form he was not afforded a chance in first-grade and moved onto greener pastures with the Melbourne Storm.
Maloney went onto make his debut in round 5 of the 2009 season for the Storm but only went onto feature a total of four times for the Storm that season despite impressing in both the Queensland Cup and in his limited opportunities in the top grade. This good form led to Maloney being courted by many rival clubs, and by the end of the season, Maloney had signed a bumper 3-year deal with the New Zealand Warriors to play as their starting five-eighth.
This move across the Tasman was a stepping stone for Maloney in which he could display his skills on a consistent basis at the top level, before joining powerhouse club the Sydney Roosters. Over the next six years at the Roosters, Sharks, and Panthers Maloney would spearhead his respective clubs to two premierships, win Dally M five-eighth of the year in 2016, as well as feature consistently at representative level with 12 Origins and 3 test matches.
If only the Eels afforded Maloney the same opportunities that were given to the largely inferior Kris Keating at the time, their number six jersey could have been sorted for years.
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 “Crusher” Cleal.
Lyon’s 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 game’s 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 England’s 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 Player’s 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 Manly’s maroon and white.
Paul Gallen is truly the one that got away for the Parramatta Eels. Having played all his junior football for the Wentworthville Magpies and featuring in the Eels junior system in their S.G Ball Cup side, Gallen was overlooked by the Eels when he reached his late teens.
Gallen went onto sign with the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, telling The Age that “I was never really given a go, I wasn’t really getting a look in there and decided to go elsewhere. I wanted to move away from the area, and I knew one of the Cronulla trainers at the time, I played SG Ball for them, that’s it. I’m from the district but I wouldn’t call myself an ex-Parramatta player, that’s for sure.”
Since joining the Sharks, Gallen has gone onto become the heart and soul of the club, sticking by the club that gave him a shot when no one else would through the ASADA scandal, to come out the other side with a premiership ring, the first in Cronulla’s history.
Gallen has played an incredible 18 straight seasons for the Sharks, racking up a scarcely believable 335 first-grade games. Made all the more impressive by the fact that he has played the entirety of his career in the middle third of the field.
Over the course of his 18 seasons career, the man affectionately known as “G-Train” has racked up his fair share of milestones and accomplishments. Gallen was named in Cronulla’s team of the half-century, helped the Sharks’ break their 50-year premiership drought in 2016, as well as two Dally M Lock of the Year medals, one Brad Fittler medal and five Monty Porter Medals for being the Sharks best and fairest.
Widely lauded for his incredible engine and work-rate in the middle of the field, Gallen’s lead by example style of play led to him being named Sharks club captain since 2008, NSW Blues captain, and Australian Kangaroos vice-captain.
Gallen’s career achievements and on-field legacy can never be questioned, it’s just a shame for Eels fans that the local junior didn’t do it in the blue and gold because he was never “given a go.”