Eels captain Clint Gutherson has pledged his willingness to shift from fullback to accommodate rising star Blaize Talagi, should new Eels coach Jason Ryles ask him to.
Speaking to media on Tuesday, Gutherson admitted “I couldn’t care (where I play), I’ve said it my whole career.”
“I just love playing, whether it’s off the bench, on the wing, anywhere,” he said.
“From the get-go I’ve always said I’ll move if the coach thinks it’s right.”
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It comes after reports emerged the Dolphins have entered the race to sign the highly rated Blaize Talagi.
Talagi’s signature is understandably one of the most coveted in rugby league, with the Eels, Knights and Dragons all hunting the young outside back’s services, alongside the Dolphins.
Largely resigned to playing on the wing, it’s widely believed Talagi feels his future lies at fullback, with the young fullback declining his player option back in May to test the open market.
Talagi is one of the highest rated footballers this season, having excelled across a number of positions in his rookie season, including fullback.
The 19-year-old has excelled in three at No.1 this season, against the Storm, Broncos and Rabbitohs. In that trio of outings, Talagi scored three tries, made five line breaks, had 14 tackle breaks while averaging 159 metres per game.
Gutherson stated he’d be willing to share the role with the young star, though admitted Talagi still had a long way to go in his development as a first grader.
“As I said I’ll move, I’ll play another position, I’ll share it with him (Talagi) – whatever it has to be to keep him,” he said.
“He knows that, the club know that and I’m sure Rylsey does.
“It takes years to sort of come through and be a consistent first grader every week and Blaize is no different.
“He does a lot of great things. We want to keep him. I want to keep him. He’s a great kid, a great player.”
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After a decade under the guidance of Brad Arthur, Ryles’ appointment will usher in a new era at the club, one which the Eels skipper said may begin without a few of the club’s current stars.
“That’s another thing for the new staff to come in and sort of make a decision on. There’s a lot of older boys that might get a tap on the shoulder, might not, it’s just the way it is,” he said.
“You have to deal with it.”
Gutherson’s sentiments were shared by The Daily Telegraph journalist David Riccio, who told Tuesday night’s NRL 360 he believes Parramatta’s roster is due for a change.
“(Ryle’s) going to have to tap some players on the shoulders,” Riccio said, adding that some of the club’s underperforming stars should be “almost pitching to Jason that I want to be here.”
On paper, Parramatta boast one of the finest rosters in the NRL, spearheaded by Gutherson and NSW Blues’ Game II hero Mitch Moses.
However, 2024 has been a season to forget for the club, who sit 17th on the NRL ladder heading into Round 19 having not won a game since Round 13.
Recently it’s been reported that Parramatta’s form slide has led to division between the club’s playing staff and management, which Gutherson denied.
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Fox League’s Paul Crawley isn’t buying that, believing the several Parramatta player’s flat reactions to Ryles’ appointment point to “shows a divide between the players and the club and the management.”
Speaking on Tuesday night’s NRL 360, Crawley referenced a report from The Sydney Morning Herald’s Michael Chammas that detailed how the Eels landed Ryles, in which it was stated the club’s hierarchy felt a distinct disconnect between themselves and the players during the Arthur-era.
Crawley believed that instead of bringing in a new coach to foster a new connection between playing staff “the management’s better off looking in the mirror and working out why the players feel that way.”
“Because at the powerful clubs that doesn’t happen.”
Source Agencies
