State of Origin stars James Tamou and Greg Bird will headline the Parramatta Eels’ 2014 shopping list, with the club banking on Ricky Stuart’s NSW connections to cure their recruitment woes.
Stuart’s bond with the state’s elite players is also the reason why Eels officials have left the door open for him to combine NSW and club duty – at least for next year.
Tamou and Bird are two of the competition’s most aggressive customers, making them natural targets.
And Stuart’s link with the pair is a huge bonus.
He personally convinced Tamou to change Kiwi allegiance and carries a long-term friendship with Bird that extends back to their time together at Cronulla in 2008.
The appointment of Stuart as Parramatta coach for the next three years had barely been confirmed before attention turned to his continued involvement with the Blues.
Club power-brokers feel the trade-off might be worthwhile because of the recruitment bounty on offer in 2014.
Of Stuart’s current Blues squad, Robbie Farah, Mitchell Pearce, Todd Carney, Akuila Uate, Tamou and Bird are all up for grabs from November 1.
Bird clearly stated that he is happy at the Titans and he wouldnt leave the Titans at this time. So sorry Ricky but you can dream on.
stuart never personally got tamou, jimmy went after sticky and wanted the blues. birdy is sound at the titans and wont leave.
my mail has always been that if sticky got a coaching gig in nrl then uate and bird will follow.
how do you guys know who he is going for, this rumour is bullsh*t, i doubt he will tell the media who he is going for.
im replying to the media.
I know Stuart is a big Bird fan and they do have close bond going back to Cronulla, it would not suprise me at all if he gets Bird. He was also very supportive when Bird glassed his girlfriend. I think the judge is the only one who believed the story she told, I certainally didn’t believe the bullshit story she told, she must have been paid to bull****. Remember he tried to get his flatmate to take the wrap.
I think Stuart approched Tamor about playing for NSW and Tamor accepted and then got fast tracked into the Australian team for the Anzac test. I still think the Australian rugby league should reverse the decision to alow Tamor to play for Australia and NSW for the good of the game. They should also veto any attemp to get Kassiao to play for Qld and Australia, for the good of the game. But Tamor could end up at Parra too, he started his career at Easts.
Where there is smoke there’s fire.
The best thing about signing Stuart is that he should be able to attract big name signings himself. That is why I would have liked Saints to have signed him.
A coach is only as good as his cattle.
He’s not taking Tamou
Oh I hope these rumors are true.
2014: Parramatta Eels NSW Origin team. Just wonder how they are going to juggle the salary cap issues. ;p
Sh*t article sticky hasnt mentioned anything
good luck parra as a coack Ricky stuart is over rated , look at the sats , he won a g/f with the roosters in 02 when the BULLDGS were kicked out, with a team that graham murray put together with a roster with more talent then the NRL allstars team, lost 03, n 04 , didnt make the finals after fittler retired got sacked, joined the sharks with a team chris anderson put together , finished minor premiers , failed didnt make the finals again got rid of kimmorley, the next year kimmorley led the BULLDOGS from woodern spooners too one game off a g/f, then he got sacked AGAIN, got the gig as the coach of the bluesers as the saviour and for the past 2 years has failed , as a DOGGIE supporter i say bahahahahahahahahahahaha 2 parradoesntmatta get used 2 the woodern spoon !!!!!!
It’s fair to say though he did instill a lot more passion, a lot more will and pride into the NSW team.. I suppose parra fans will be eagerly waiting to see if he can recruit any of the NSW players..Tell you one thing for sure if Ricky doesnt get anyone like a bird or tamou as a parra fan i would be really dissappointed..!
Ricky Stuart is overrated… Hasn’t really achieved anything as a coach and didn’t do anything with the Sharks.
he rebuilt the sharks. he took cronulla when the club was in trouble and tunr’t them around on and off the field. he will do the same with parra. they may not get the title but they will shake that crap culture they have.
@Brendan Miles, Bennett had the whole of Queensland, for the first 8 years at Brissy, he then had the whole of South Queensland for the rest of his time at Brissy, he also always had at least half an origin team and often more while he coached Brisbane, players would stay at Brisbane rather than move away from their families and friends and where their partenes had jobs, players would come back to Brisbane for those reasons too, he also had the Thoroughbreds helping with under the table payments or incentives for players or their families or parteners. The cards were stacked in his favour.
When he got to Saints, Nathan brown had developed the tallent.
Now he has got to Newcastle and he has brought 11 players in 12 months, with most having already played reps and 2 others most likley too, whether Bennett coached them or not.
Devout Saint, I like your comments but your one claiming brown developed players is way way off the mark.. Brown is a nightmare most dragons supporters have only just overcome..!
Even Bennett praised Brownie and said that Brownie had laid the foundations of our success, Bennett just had to put the polish on us. Brownie brought many players through our system who went on to become rep players or regular first graders. I will name Brett and Josh Morris, Creagh, Nightingale, Scott, Young, Ryles, Head, Poore, Housten, Chase Stanley and he also put Hornby in the halves, something that Bennett continued lol and I am sure there are more. When Brownie coached us we were a feeder club to a lot of clubs in the comp Bennett hardly brought any players through, Kyle and Merrin would be great players with Bennett or Brownie and hopefully Bellamy.
spot on mate. 100%
@Patrick Windred. I heard that Parra signed Wil Hopoate for between 800 to 850K a season. I have also heard that Sandow is on 550K a season and Hayne is on about 600 to 650K a season, so I heard.
It certainally does look like the cap doesn’t apply to some clubs.
He shld try brining back former parra/jr players to the club … J-Lyon, T-Rex n P-Gallen for starters… But thn again who caressssss abt parra, a team tht will do f”all until the bored is removed…. Maybe parramatta shld relocate to Adelaide hahaha
did you just say nathan brown had developed the talent.nathan brown couldnt develop a stiffy at a jennifer hawkins swimear shoot.he is a waste of space
Read above comment. You may be quiet suprised.