With Jarryd Hayne officially jetting off to America in search of NFL glory, the question that most have been asking is: who shall replace Parramatta’s irreplaceable man?
A plethora of names have been thrown into the ring, with the most notable being Israel Folau and Kurtley Beale.
While Folau is a superstar who could easily dominate from fullback and demand the riches on offer after Hayne’s departure, he would not love the Eels as a club, and do anything to ensure their success. So he is not the answer.
Beale is yet another fantastic athlete who would create headlines and increase revenue for the Parramatta side, but he is not the answer either.
The answer is in Parramatta’s backyard. He may not be there yet, but it’s where the replacement needs to arrive from.
The Eels need their own Matt Moylan, a homegrown player the fans can call their own. A new name to chant. The Eels need someone who’s going to put pride into the jersey, carry no burden over the team whatsoever, and deliver a premiership.
If the next young superstar is unearthed within the Eels’ set-up, which may have to be done by injecting a few additional yet minor fees into the youth system, then the player will have a considerably smaller affect on their salary cap, allowing other weaknesses to be addressed.
With this long-term option possibly only arriving in the next few years, a short-term option will have to be signed. A player such as Josh Hoffman or Brett Stewart may be appropriate, but not for a large price.
At 29, if the club is to sign Stewart it should only be signed on a short-term contract. This would enable Stewart to tutor the next up-and-comer, without eventually seeing the two fall-out over the custodian’s role.
While Hoffman may be one of the best defensive fullbacks in the game, he is not a premiership delivering fullback and would also be commanding a long-term contract to ensure his future. The Eels should aim to snatch Hoffman on a short-term contract that allows for the next big thing to glide into the side progressively. Then there’s the option of Hoffman sliding into the outside backs later on.
But overall, home-grown talent is crucial for the Eels to bring pride back into the yellow and blue jumper.
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