Newly minted Parramatta coach Jason Ryles has already started shaking things up, reportedly moving on caretaker Trent Barrett for 2025 as he looks to rebuild the Eels into an NRL powerhouse. According to a report from The Sydney Morning Herald, Ryles – who recently signed a four-year contract with the Eels – has decided to bring in an entirely new coaching team, with no spot at the club for the current Eels coach.

Having been appointed as the club’s interim when Brad Arthur was brutally sacked earlier in the season, Barrett was one of the front runners for the permanent role. However, the club opted to give Ryles his first NRL head coaching role, as they were of the belief that he is the right man to shake things up and nurture the club’s young talent.

Nine days after he was appointed as Eels coach, Ryles was told by the Storm that he could leave to begin his work with the struggling NRL side. And Ryles’ plan for the wooden spoon contenders is already taking shape.

According to the SMH report, Ryles will bring his own coaching staff with him, although none of them will be following him from the Storm. This is due to his exit agreement with Melbourne stipulating that he can’t bring anyone across from the club for at least a year.

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Jason Ryles’ top priority is to lock down Blaize Talagi

While Barrett is the first casualty of the Ryles era he won’t be the last. Veterans Ryan Matterson and Maika Sivo have also reportedly been told to seek pastures new, while co-captain Clint Gutherson is expected to be moved out of the No.1 jersey, with the hope that promising Blaize Talagi that spot will keep him at the club.

The 19-year-old has attracted interest from multiple rival clubs and Ryles will undoubtedly wish to keep him at the Eels. It’s reported the Knights, Dolphins and Dragons are all interested in bringing him to the club, with the Red V also looking to bring his younger brother to the club.

It is therefore understood that Ryles’s top priority while working behind the scenes at the Eels this year is to tie down Talagi, who put a hold on contract negotiations with the club until a permanent head coach was appointed. But Ryles also faces a raft of other decisions on many of the club’s starting roster. Only two of Parramatta’s top 30 are completely locked down beyond the end of this season, Mitch Moses and Junior Paulo. Others including five-eighth Dylan Brown have contracts for longer but have options in their favour that they must decide whether to take up.

It means the vast majority of the Eels’ squad will become free agents in November, so Ryles must make swift and concise decisions on who he wants and doesn’t want moving forward. His other dilemma is despite sitting rock bottom on the NRL ladder, the Eels currently have very little salary cap space for new signings without cutting some of their top-heavy roster.