After seven seasons at the Parramatta Eels, New Zealand international Dylan Brown's time at the club will come to a close at the end of the season as he will join the Newcastle Knights.
His departure means that the Eels will need to prepare for life without him and will produce a new halves combination next season and beyond as they aim to reach the NRL Grand Final for the first time since 2022.
Zero Tackle takes a look at ten realistic options that Jason Ryles and the Eels could choose to replace the New Zealand international playmaker and could pair up with NSW Blues and Australian Kangaroos halfback Mitchell Moses.
All the players on the list are either without a contract for next season, will hit the open market on November 1, have been linked with the club or rival teams, have an 'NRL clause' in their contract, or are currently playing at the Eels.
The options include five rival NRL players, three Super League playmakers who have taken their game to new heights after moving overseas following stints in the NRL competition and two individuals currently involved in the Parramatta Eels system.
Before we delve into the list, there are several players that the Eels could go after but are unlikely to sign and take Brown's place in the halves for the foreseeable future.
Several veterans such as Adam Reynolds, Chad Townsend, Cody Walker, Kieran Foran and Daly Cherry-Evans are currently without a contract for next season but are unlikely to be brought in as the Eels prepare for the future.
The five players are also likely to remain with their current teams if they decide to play on or will hang up their boots at the end of the season.
Melbourne Storm utility Tyran Wishart is another option and is set to be extremely sought-after. However, it is hard to see him departing Melbourne anytime soon due to the significant role he plays in the line-up and has previously knocked back advances from other rival teams.
Other candidates that should be mentioned but are unlikely to find themselves pursued by the Eels include Josh Schuster, Will Pryce, Jake Arthur, Jake Clifford, Niwhai Puru and Jackson Hastings.
They also may be tempted to give current train-and-trial playmaker Ronald Volkman or recruit Dean Hawkins an upgraded role in the side but they are both likely to play up back-up roles following Brown's departure and heading into the future.
Off-contract at the end of 2025, Toby Sexton is a very viable option for the Eels and has taken his game to new heights since leaving the Gold Coast and joining the Canterbury Bulldogs.
Beginning last year in the NSW Cup, 2024 would end up being a breakout season for Sexton, who helped guide the Bulldogs to the 2024 NRL Finals and formed a great bond with Matt Burton in the halves.
This saw him force 15 drop-outs, score 14 points, provide 12 try assists and eight line-break assists and average 68 running metres per match.
Although he has opened contract talks with the Belmore-based club in regards to his future, an extension has yet to be finalised, meaning the Eels could potentially swoop in and secure his services.
“Toby has really found a home at the Dogs,” his manager Tas Bartlett of Pacific Sports Management told The Courier-Mail.
“I've had a couple of informal chats with ‘Gus' (football boss Phil Gould) and he wants to keep Toby around.”
Despite Sexton's manager's words, he is unlikely to be Burton's long-term partner. Mitchell Woods, Cassius Tia, and Joseph O'Neill are coming through the ranks, and he could depart in the hope of a longer-term deal.
Could the Eels do a direct switch with the Newcastle Knights and receive Jack Cogger for Brown?
Seen as the answer to the Newcastle Knights' halves problems, Cogger has failed to live up to expectations and his potential which has seen him shift between the starting side, the interchange bench and the NSW Cup.
Although he has shown that he can't be the No.1 attacking option at a club, he is the perfect player to complement Mitchell Moses and do the exact same job he did at the Penrith Panthers with Nathan Cleary, which saw them win the 2023 NRL Premiership.
His recruitment could provide wonders to the Eels if Cogger could find the form he held at the Panthers and play more of a secondary role rather than what he is current role is at the Knights.
One of the more intriguing players on this list, Jayden Sullivan is in a unique scenario where he will spend this season with the South Sydney Rabbitohs before returning to the Wests Tigers for the 2026 and 2027 seasons.
However, the Tigers have made it no secret that they are willing to offer him an early release from his contract and will pay nearly $300,000 a season of his current salary to whichever club decides to recruit his services.
Only 23, Sullivan was previously earmarked as the long-term future of the St George Illawarra Dragons halves but managed to find consistency in attack. Despite this, he has shown glimpses of brilliance on the rugby league field and has yet to reach his potential.
If Sullivan has a breakout season at the Rabbitohs, signing him would be a no-brainer for the Eels and he can play his favourite style of footy with Moses as the number one option in attack - running the ball more and attacking the defensive line with his quickness and footwork.
"The only reason we've let Jayden go is because you can't have him on that money when we've signed Jarome," Wests Tigers CEO Shane Richardson told The Sydney Morning Herald.
"Once we signed Jarome, it was always going to be difficult to carry Jayden on the money he was on.
"There have been no issues with Jayden; we just couldn't afford to keep paying him what we were paying him."
Moving away from the NRL in 2021 to play overseas under his father, Adrian Lam, Lachlan has found career-best form for the Leigh Leopards and is in the prime of his career at the moment which saw him lead PNG to win the Pacific Bowl against Cook Islands and Fiji.
Contracted for less than 12 months with the Leopards, Lam has been constantly linked with a move back to the NRL in the past and was even linked with a potential move to the Canberra Raiders in 2023 before they signed Kaeo Weekes and Ethan Sanders.
Without a club at the moment for next year, Lam is the ideal replacement for Dylan Brown and has showcased that he can excel at the highest levels if given the opportunity.
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“I'm at a time in my career and an age where you need to look after yourself," Lam told Love Rugby League.
“I think it's (the NRL) always on my radar. I'm not desperate to go back. I love being here and my partner loves being here. If the right teams and deal comes up, it would make us think about it for sure.
“It's a good position for us to be in, I guess. It's on my terms. We're a free agent now effectively and whatever comes forward, we'll look at it and do what's best for us at the end of the day.”
Previously linked with a move to the St George Illawarra Dragons - before they signed Daniel Atkinson from the Sharks - Adam Doueihi runs off-contract at the end of the season and is likely to depart the Wests Tigers.
Joining the Tigers at the start of the 2020 season after two years with the South Sydney Rabbitohs, Doueihi has been continually plagued by injuries while at the club, playing only 65 matches in six seasons.
Currently on $350,000 a season, he has been relegated to the centres with the arrival of Jahream Bula and Lachlan Galvin, but it can be argued that he has had his best performances playing in the five-eighth role and has the potential to be one of the competition's best if he remains fully fit.
He also has a close bond with Mitchell Moses due to them both representing the Lebanon national team together.
They were both instrumental in guiding the nation to the quarter-final at the most recent Rugby League World Cup (RLWC) before going down to the Kangaroos.
The first of two players on this list currently at the Eels is 2024 Australian Schoolboys halfback Lincoln Fletcher.
Contracted at the club until the end of 2027, Fletcher has successfully risen through the side's pathways system and would have no trouble joining Mitchell Moses in the halves.
A halfback by trade, he was the second-highest point scorer in the Harold Matthews Cup competition last year and has shown in multiple appearances that he is exceptional in attack.
Showing glimpses of a high potential, he could follow in the footsteps of Blaize Talagi, who also played in the Harold Mattew Cup and SG Ball Cup competitions before being called straight into the first-grade squad.
The second of two options the Eels could target from the Super League is a former playmaker of the club and current Wigan Warriors star Bevan French, who has led Wigan to back-to-back Super League titles.
The 2023 Man of Steel - the Super League equivalent to NRL's Dally M Medal - French has taken his game to new heights after transitioning from the outside backs to the halves and has regularly been linked with a return to the NRL.
This saw him lead Wigan to become the first team to win the quadruple overseas. He also has a history with the Eels, having played 47 games and scoring 140 points with them from 2016-18.
“I came over here with the goal of wanting to get back to the NRL one day", French said via NRL.com last year.
“It's important, you've got to - I guess - pick the right timing as well. If you do go back, it's sort of your last shot so everything's got to fall into place, the way you want it to, to be able to do that."
Although French inked a four-year extension with Wigan last year, he could very well find himself back in the NRL before the expiration of his contract and was even linked with a move to both the Newcastle Knights and St George Illawarra Dragons in the past.
While it is unknown if he has an 'NRL Clause' in his contract, the Eels could still potentially secure his services but would need to pay a significant transfer fee in which Brown's freed-up salary could help them afford French.
"He's one of those players that you can't coach against because you don't know what he is going to do. He would be a sensation if he came back," Immortal Andrew Johns said.
Formerly with the Melbourne Storm, Brodie Croft has been linked with a return to the NRL for the past four years after taking his game to a new level in the Super League competition, which saw him win the 2022 Man of Steel Award - the equivalent of NRL's Dally M medal.
Although he is contracted with the Leeds Rhinos until the end of 2026, his manager has previously revealed that his deal includes an 'NRL clause' that would allow him to return to Australia if an NRL team came calling.
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Croft has also confirmed that he has the desire to return to the competition, where he was once recognised as Cooper Cronk's successor and player 39 matches for the Storm and a further 26 games for the Brisbane Broncos.
This has seen him linked to the Gold Coast Titans, St George Illawarra Dragons and Wests Tigers in the past.
“You'd have to speak to my manager about that. Those questions are really for my agent," Croft said earlier this year on links to the NRL via Love Rugby League.
“He's the one that does most of that deliberating. If anything comes about, he will bring it to my attention.
"That's why I pay him the money to deal with that so I don't have to deal with it. As I say, any of those questions have to be directed to my agent.”
If the Eels do not look to the open market to find a replacement, Te Hurinui Twidle is another player they could promote from within the club and join Mitchell Moses in the halves.
After the club lost Blaize Talagi and Ethan Sanders at the end of last season, Twidle is seen as the best up-and-coming five-eighth in Parramatta's system and is destined for a bright future in first-grade.
Able to play at fullback or in the halves - just like Blaize Talagi - he was recruited from New Zealand and helped lead the side to the SG Ball Cup title in 2023 before spending last year plying his trade in the Jersey Flegg Cup.
Training with the club in the pre-season, the Eels have shown in the past that they are not shy to grant opportunities to the younger players coming through the system and Twidle is one of those.
Zero Tackle understands that he currently has a club option in his contract for next season which will see him elevated to a development deal but the club may decide to re-negotiate and grant him a spot in their Top 30 roster.
Lachlan Galvin may be considered as the 'Future of the Wests Tigers' but ever since his arrival onto the NRL scene, the young five-eighth has been linked with multiple rival teams such as the Penrith Panthers and Sydney Roosters as well as an exit from the club
Contracted for the next two seasons, Galvin will be able to speak with rival teams from November 1 and has become one of the best rookies in the NRL competition, which saw play in the Prime Minister's XIII team and earn praise from former NRL icons turned media pundits Andrew Johns and Phil Gould.
Starting his career at Parramatta in the lower levels before switching to the Wests Tigers, he scored four tries, forced nine drop-outs, provided 16 try assists and nine line-break assists and averaged 130 running metres per match in 2024.
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Following comments from CEO Shane Richardson in November that the Tigers and Galvin's management were "working closely" to extend his contract, it is now being reported that he will explore his options from November 1, where he is set to gain a lot of traction from rival clubs - the Eels are set to be at the front of the line.
"Lachie Galvin is in no rush to commit to the Wests Tigers and management is out there basically letting it be known to every club, 'Get your cheque book ready because we're hitting November 1'," The Herald's Michael Chammas said on 100% Footy.
"If the Tigers do offer him an upgrade he can get paid a lot more over the next two years which other clubs can't do but on the flip side, it seems as though the management or Lachie are not looking to extend just yet."
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