The no-poach clause that will keep Ryles’ claws out of Melbourne
By Adrian Proszenko, Billie Eder, Dan Walsh and Michael Chammas
Incoming Parramatta coach Jason Ryles won’t be able to poach Melbourne players or staff for at least 12 months as part of his exit agreement from the Storm.
Ryles will turn his attention to the Eels after being granted an immediate release from the Storm, where he was part of Craig Bellamy’s brains trust. The departure has one major stipulation; Ryles isn’t allowed to coax any Storm staffers to the blue for one year.
While that promise has been made in writing, there is also a handshake agreement with the Melbourne hierarchy that he won’t try to tempt any players away for the same period. It’s an arrangement akin to that made between Cameron Ciraldo and Penrith when he took on the Bulldogs job, while Bob Fulton and Phil Gould agreed not to poach each other’s players without the other’s permission.
The development effectively prevents Parramatta from trying to prise Ryan Papenhuyzen or Sua Fa’alogo from the Storm at a time when the blue and golds are searching for a long-term fullback replacement for Clint Gutherson.
Parramatta’s priority is to retain promising rookie Blaize Talagi, who is currently off contract. Talagi has been one of the few bright spots in a disappointing season, scoring nine tries in 12 NRL games. The 19-year-old has shown his versatility during stints at fullback, centre, wing and the halves, although the club has earmarked his as a potential No.1.
While interim coach Trent Barrett will oversee the side until the end of the season, Ryles’ release will allow Ryles to focus on Parramatta business, including the quest for Talagi’s signature.
Jason Ryles will coach the Parramatta Eels from 2025.
Ryles’ situation is not dissimilar to that when he was at the Roosters: the Tricolours also parted company with the former Test prop early after he had expressed an interest in the Dragons head coaching job, which eventually went to Shane Flanagan.
While Ryles is about to oversee a roster rebuild, the Storm have their own recruitment goals. The club is interested in the services of Tigers forward Stefano Utoikamanu and are expected to make a final pitch to him in coming days. Melbourne claims to have the salary cap space to accommodate him and out-of-favour front-rower Nelson Asofa-Solomona, although suggestions the latter could be on the move won’t go away.
Asofa-Solomona sparked most of the speculation himself after posting a cryptic message on social media, in which he stated: “All good things come to an end.”
The Eels are watching the Utoikamanu situation with interest, although they won’t have the salary cap space to try to lure him back for 2026 unless several contracted players move on.
Ryles will depart the Storm with the club’s best wishes.
“On behalf of everyone at the Melbourne Storm, we congratulate Jason on his appointment to senior coach at the Eels,” said Storm CEO Justin Rodski.
“Given the significance of this opportunity for Jason, we have agreed an early release is in the best interest of both parties.
“Jason returned to Storm for the 2024 season, and although only back at the club for a short time, he has had an immediate positive impact on our players, football department and broader club.
“Jason is a quality person and coach, we thank him for his contribution in 2024 and wish him, his wife Alana and his family all the best for the future.”
Cleary to make return
Nathan Cleary will make his NRL return this weekend after nine weeks on the sideline with a hamstring injury.
Cleary, who picked up the injury against the Bulldogs in round 10, will return at halfback for the Panthers alongside Brad Schneider for their game against the Dolphins in Penrith on Sunday afternoon. NSW five-eighth Jarome Luai has been named among the reserves.
Nathan Cleary returns to halfback this week.Credit: Getty
Canberra’s Jamal Fogarty has also been named to return from a biceps injury and Broncos skipper Adam Reynolds was named in his team’s extended squad.
Reynolds required biceps surgery following the Broncos’ round nine clash with the Roosters, and was included among the Brisbane reserves for their game against the Knights in Newcastle on Saturday.
The Broncos have struggled in the absence of Reynolds, losing their past six games to sit 13th on the ladder.
South Sydney forward Jai Arrow has been ruled out for the rest of the season, with the experienced second-rower having surgery on the shoulder injury he has been carrying for weeks.
Captain Cameron Murray is expected to back up for the Rabbitohs on Saturday against the Wests Tigers after playing for the Blues in the Origin decider on Wednesday night.
Wests Tigers coach Benji Marshall has named Tallyn Da Silva at hooker – where he played in the team’s round 15 win over the Titans – after skipper Api Koroisau injured his calf last week. Koroisau has been named in the reserves but isn’t expected to play.
Jared Waerea-Hargreaves will serve the first of his four-match ban when the Roosters play the Storm in Melbourne this Saturday, after the veteran enforcer unsuccessfully argued to have his grade-two offence downgraded for a high shot on St George Illawarra’s Max Feagai.
‘It’s an accident, but not OK’: NRL defend Kennedy ban for colliding with referee
Former State of Origin and Test players labelled the charge as “absolutely insane”, but Graham Annesley has launched a passionate defence of Will Kennedy’s ban for running into a referee, insisting: “accidents are not OK”.
The Sharks wasted no time on Monday lodging an early guilty plea for Kennedy, meaning he will miss Cronulla’s crucial showdown with the Cowboys after the bye.
Sharks fullback William Kennedy.Credit: NRL Photos
The NRL match review committee issued the Sharks fullback with a grade two contrary conduct charge, the fifth time a player has been sanctioned for making contact with a match official this year.
Kennedy was sprinting to support teammate Kayal Iro after he had made a break in Cronulla’s record win over the Tigers on Friday night but accidentally clattered into referee Adam Gee from behind.
Kennedy’s former teammate Paul Gallen described the match review committee charge as “absolutely insane” on Nine Radio over the weekend (Nine is the owner of this masthead), and Cronulla premiership winner Wade Graham called the sanction “outrageous” on Triple M.
Kennedy would have missed two matches if he unsuccessfully fought the charge at the judiciary, but will now return for the round 22 match against the Rabbitohs.
On Monday, NRL head of football Graham Annesley took umbrage with suggestions Kennedy’s sanction was heavy handed and stressed the game had a responsibility to set the right example for community sport and protect whistleblowers.
“We can’t just say it’s an accident, so it’s OK,” Annesley said. “It’s an accident, but it’s not OK.
“Because the implications of saying it is OK aren’t worth thinking about, not in the NRL, or in this game, but across the entire game where we have match officials on the field who have to be there, who are just as important on the field as any of the players. They have to be there.
“We can’t have a situation where we say there is nothing we can do about it, these collisions are going to happen.
“The only person who can see this collision is about to take place is Will Kennedy. I am not saying he meant it, but he is the one who is looking forward, as opposed to the referee who is not looking at it at all. The referee is in his way, there is no question of that.
“But we can never get to a stage where we make it permissible to move a referee out of the way.”
Melbourne’s Jahrome Hughes was the highest profile victim of the more stringent policing of referee contact, copping a one-match ban earlier in the season for colliding with Chris Butler.
He was slugged with the same grading as Kennedy, while the Roosters’ Luke Keary and Canterbury’s Sam Hughes have been fined for referee contact in 2024.
The match review committee has examined 11 incidents of referee contact this year.
Asked why Kennedy’s was the same grading as Hughes, Annesley said: “If you compare the circumstances of that one to the type of contact that we had with Jahrome Hughes, it was fairly forceful, and again it comes from behind. I think they are comparable.”
Will ‘legend of the club’ Hasler cop a frosty reception?
Anthony Seibold has urged Manly supporters to resist booing Des Hasler when the champion coach returns to Brookvale for the first time since the dramatic sacking that he is still suing the Sea Eagles over.
Hasler’s legal action against Manly is an intriguing subplot to Sunday’s Sea Eagles-Titans clash, with the Gold Coast riding a three-game winning streak into unlikely finals’ contention.
The 63-year-old was typically brusque on Saturday given his Manly return loomed large, abruptly ending his post-match press conference after the Titans win over Parramatta as soon as “next week” was mentioned.
Hasler is pursuing a seven-figure payout from the Sea Eagles after his sacking in October 2022, having rejected a $565,000 settlement.
Mediation talks have also failed to resolve the dispute and Manly has since subpoenaed the Titans in a probe of their negotiations with Hasler, who took up a three-year deal with the Gold Coast last June.
The case will next be heard in the NSW Supreme court in November with a two-day hearing scheduled.
Despite the messy ending to his second stint as Sea Eagles coach, Seibold pointed to Hasler’s playing and coaching record that yielded titles in 1987, 1996, 2008 and 2011, as cause for celebration and respect from the Manly faithful on Sunday.
“Des is a legend of the club,” Seibold said.
Sea Eagles coach Des Hasler is frustrated with the officials.Credit: NRL Photos
“How many people win multiple premierships as a player and multiple premierships as a coach? He’s a legend of our club and certainly in my eyes he’s one of the really elite coaches in our game. You could argue that he’s in the top five or six coaches that rugby league’s ever had.
“I’ve got the utmost respect for him, and I’m sure that the supporters will recognise what he’s done for our club. And he’s done a great job with a lot of the guys in that [dressing] room that I’m coaching now as well.”
Hasler’s 255 games across two stints between 1984 and 1993, and then 1995 and 1997, rank him as Manly’s sixth-most capped player of all time.
Only Immortal Bob Fulton,has coached the club in more games (305 times compared to Hasler’s 303).
Daly Cherry-Evans and Des Hasler celebrate Manly’s 2011 title.Credit: NRL Photos
Both of Hasler’s exits from Manly ended in acrimony, with his move to Canterbury after the 2011 grand final win accompanied by allegations of contract breaches and staff poaching. Sea Eagles fans booed their former coach in 2012 when he first returned to Brookvale in charge of Canterbury.
Hasler’s influence on the Sea Eagles roster is plain to see, with the likes of the Trbojevic brothers and skipper Daly Cherry-Evans unabashed supporters of Hasler during his most recent departure.
Veteran Titans five-eighth Kieran Foran will be another familiar face in the away sheds, having wound back the clock with impressive form of late to secure a one-year extension into his 17th season of NRL next year.
“Des will be Des,” Manly fullback Tom Trbojevic said of his old coach’s return.
“He obviously wants to win every game, but that’s nothing we’re going to be talking about. We know what we need to do as a footy side to put ourselves in the best position to win a game.”
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