Ryan Matterson has signed with the Parramatta Eels for 2020.
The second-rower will join the Blue and Gold on a three year deal, which includes an option in the third year.
Matterson is a Parramatta Eels junior and played three years in the lower grades representing the Australian School Boys and Australian Junior Roos.
"Itโs always great to see the return of a local Parramatta Eels junior," said Parramatta Eels Head Coach Brad Arthur.
"Heโll have a whole pre-season with the team and I know heโll be an asset to our Club next year."
Matterson will start pre-season training with his new club this month.
Matterson and Moses – both culture killers…great signing by the club.
I would let Matterson replace Manu Maโu and leave N Brown at lock. N Brownโs passing ability for a lock is exceptional, and doesnโt get the recognition it deserves. So if eels move him out of lock, you will see eels wide spreading attack be less potent. Although Matterson is a former half and should be able to play the same role as Brown, he played better this season when at 2nd row
2020:
1. Gutho
2. Sivo
3. Jennings
4. Blake
5. Fergo
6. Brown
7. Moses
8. Paulo
9. Mahoney
10. RCG
11. Lane
12. Matterson
13. Brown
14. Evans
15. Niukore
16. Takiarangi
17. Alvaro/Terepo/Gower
Yep life goes on as clubs purchase players that play hard for the correct money. Unlike Mitchells clown.bigmouth family friend Mundine who has drilled into Mitchells head to go for money money and more money for his 7 carries per game.
Good signing Parra. Matterson had an excellent work ethic at the Roosters but the salary cap squeezed him out. Parra have a good pack and a top four side with the recent two big forwards joining up from Wests and Penrith. They are in good shape for a crack at a grand final next season. Definiatey top four material now.
Go choc teach latrell mitchell how to get the ca$h. .he wants out of the souless club with no soul called the r o r t e r s…
“F O R E V E R I N O U R S H A D O W”
Forever a shadow of a lifeless loser
EelsFTW, yeah, maybe, I honestly don’t know.
I’m probably more inclined (but not totally convinced) to go:
8. Paulo
10. Brown
11. Lane
12. Niukore
13. Matterson
Bench – RCG, Evans, Terepo, Taka’s as the “utility”.
We need to re-sign Jennings (a formality from what I believe), add a back up hooker, just in case, and keep giving some rookies that stand up a bit of game time to provide depth.
Good signing for Eels.
Building nicely for a better crack in 2020.
Lane to go up another level to possible origin selection. Will be another 4-5 kilos more muscle I hear.
@EelsFTW exactly the team I would go with.
That forward pack is huge and going to be a lot better that in previous years. From the view point of a team that will have to play Parra, not looking forward to the forward battle.
RCG is 6โ4โ, Jr Paulo is 6โ2โ, Lane 6โ6โ an now Matterson 6โ4โ thatโs probably the tallest forward pack. Nathan Brown is short but he plays 110%.
And if you think you can target the backs hunk again, Waqa Blake is a unit, Fergusonโs a big boy, we all know Sivo is tough as bricks and Jennings isnโt a huge person but hes no weak link.
Really good signing for the Eels and I think that with this signing plus the RCG one that Parra will have a huge year next year. They should improve from 5th place last year with the new additions and the new stadium. Not to mention the roosters will be without Cronk and Mitchell and Rabbits will be without SBurgess.
Eels starting to put together a constant top four side of they get it right. Good luck for next year parra fans
Anything less than top 4 for Parra next will be a failure IMO, they have no excuses barring catastrophic injury to key playmakers. However they have to win away from home, they had poor record last year. If they can fix that they could be top 2.
I hope Matterson doesn’t trip over his pouty bottom lip as he moves from the Tigers to eels.
Good for Parramatta .
He’s actually a Bulldogs junior .
May have come through the Parramatta lower grades.
I agree with EelsFTW on the team almighty. I think Matterson is better suited to an edge position than lock, and should fill the hole left my Ma’u nicely. At the reported $500k per year, I also think this is a good buy. Not a lot of risk involved, but if he continues his growth, it will be a bargain.
2041, right or wrong, Matterson just didn’t click with the Tigers and with Madge. Arthur has worked with him before and knows what he is like, so I don’t actually think he is a problem for team morale. Same with Moses, the way he left the Tigers was poor, but he has shown in his time at the Eels that he isn’t a culture killer. The fact that he has missed 2 trips to Vegas with his mates in the past two offseasons to focus on his footy says wonders for his growing maturity.
Well said eels47
eels47 – at the reported 500k per year he is decent value but if he has another good year next year he might ask for more money again and throw the toys out of the pram when he doesn’t get it. I rate him as a player but not sure about how stable he is. Hope he goes well for you guys though.
I get that greggo, and that is probably the only danger with his signing. That said, at $500k, the risk is minimal in terms of him taking up cap space if something does go wrong.
So Eels.
There’s opportunities galore at Parramatta. As long as you’re bought in from elsewhere?
Yes, Matterson may have come from Parramatta’s lower grades , before leaving. Still, not lots of spots for any ‘locals’ there now.
Any good players in the lower grades there ,should take a drive up the M4 for more opportunities to break into first grade. ๐
EOD, you and your “juniors”.
“Heโs actually a Bulldogs junior”.
He’s the same age (a few days apart) as W. Blake, and he started playing for Parra (at least a year) before Blake started playing for the Panthers, yet Blake was a “Panthers junior” (that just happened to be picked up from Perth), or at least he was at the time Parra signed him according to some.
Sorry EOD, but I would prefer to have a team that has success on the field, I don’t care which club they are “juniors” of. Not much good having a team of juniors but no success is there? Sure, it is a nice story for someone to come all the way through and star for the club they were a junior of, which is the reason I am happy that the Turbo’s stayed at Manly, but at the end of the day results are more important than good news stories. The days on one club players, loyalty etc are all but gone. Clubs, and players are there to look after themselves first.
But you are right on one thing, players should take a trip up the M4 to get an opportunity to play first grade, just ask Sivo ๐
Fair enough.
However , if Penrith took on that same theory. Would you have ever heard of RCG, the Jennings brothers, Blake, or Sivo? They were all given a chance in the same system . Ditto for the likes of To’o , Burns, DWZ etc,
Yes, I said before last year ‘ Keep Sivo Phil, get rid of Mansour’.
I already believe Penrith have a better fullback in the club, than Parramatta has at all. Staines.. Hope he plays first grade next season & they keep him for a long time.
Is Matterson better than Shawn Blore or Billy Burns? Not so sure!
You may think they are big name players in a year or two?
It’s called ‘ giving players a go ‘.
More opportunity to play first grade at Parramatta than Penrith? Can’t see it. ๐
Having more opportunities to play first grade comes through injuries or having players in 1st grade who aren’t good enough to cement a spot.
Not sure why you think that is a good thing EOD.
Wow, a Penrith/Parra discussion with good valid points on both sides – without all the name calling & dribble.
Now if only an Easts/Souths discussion could go the same way…………
Dylan Brown, Reed Mahoney, both spine players, both already being spoken about as potential future rep players. Given their opportunity at Parra.
Penrith have the biggest junior nursery in the world for rugby league, so of course there are going to be players coming through the ranks. I hope some of your juniors do come on to be superstars, but it isn’t always the case. So to to say your club has the best this or that based on lower grade form isn’t true. How many stars from lover grades turn out to be absolutely nothing in first grade. Remember Karlos Filiga. He absolutely killed it in lower grades and was supposed to be the next SBW. Barely make a scratch in first grade. Jacob Loko from Parra was another one.
Even Cleary is still living off the potential he showed in the lower grades. Is he a better player now then he was when he coma onto the scene? Yes. Is he as good as everyone was saying he would be? Not yet? Will he ever get there? Who knows, but I have my doubts. This isn’t a dig at him or Penrith either, just pointing out that junior form means very little. It is one thing to give players an opportunity, it is an entirely different thing to give the “right” players an opportunity.
Phoenix – That is how the site used to be. Us Parra supporters could even have civilised conversations/debates with Manly supporters…. who would have thought ๐
True…
You don’t necessarily know the ‘right’ players, unless you let those that look like good players have a go.
I think Cleary has not yet lived up to the hype yet. Although, he has played for NSW & you don’t get many better goal kickers. Other teams wanted to buy him. So he must have something.
Now is his chance. No more Maloney , who runs a team. Like Cleary likes to do. He has several years of first grade experience now. If Luai or Burton do a good job at 5/8th. You never know . Burton at 18 , is probably the best of them in a while.
I think Parramatta has the look of perhaps buying a premiership? As a supporter, you’re still happy if they Win one for sure!
Still, Newcastle had taken another look at themselves. They now think’ A lot of our juniors are better than players we bought a year or two ago’.
Cronulla has gone way more down the development path. A lot of their local juniors look like winners. Just as they did in the juniors & lower grades.
So , if Parramatta doesn’t win a premiership next year or the year after? Where to then?
Very true, you need to take a punt, but that is my point. No good giving an opportunity to someone just because they are a junior, they need to really show they deserve it.
The majority of the Eels roster is still young, so I don’t think it is all doom and gloom if there is no premiership in the next 2 years. It is no different to pinning your hopes on “juniors” and not winning a premiership really. We also only have Moses on really big money, and a number of our players were not wanted at their previous club, so am not sure how we are trying to buy a premiership?
On that though, and this sounds as though I am contradicting myself, but every team does it, it is why they are in business, just at different levels. Why did Penrith buy Koroisau instead of relying on Egan? Because they thought he would provide a better chance of getting them to a premiership.
On Cleary, 2020 is definitely his year to stand up. As you have said, the team to himself, enough experience including representative. If he starts to deliver, than that is great, but there are no more excuses. He needs to start earning the $$$ he is being paid.
My team
1: C Gutherson
2: M Sivo
3: M Jennings ( 2 years)
4: W Blake
5: B Ferguson
6: D Brown
7: M Moses
8: Jr Paulo
9: R Mahoney
10: R Campbell
11: S Lane
12: R Matterson
13: N Brown
14: M Nuikore
15: K Evans
16: O Kaufusi
17: R Stone
18: B Takarangi
I would sign Nu Brown for a back up hooker n Half
And sign T Fuimaono for a back up 2nd rower and centre
If you actually read or knew anything Chicken all backs. You’d know what I was saying. That Maloney & Cleary are much the same type of player. They both want to lead the team around. That’s why they don’t work that well as a partnership in the halves. Is that blaming Maloney? Don’t think so.. As much as I’ve been a critic of Cleary myself. I rate him more highly than your new rookie half.
Think you are getting one ‘Back’ to many Pride of WoodRot. A virtual rookie halfback, a rookie centre next year. Have they still got that old , over the hill Brit on the wing. Anyone else leaving? Perhaps Hargreaves .
You can also look forward to losing a lot more next year.
Eels.. That’s one bought player right now. To how many that have left? Ten players., this year. It’s a bit different to the Eels I’d say.
Not wanted players or whatever you’d like to call them?
If it looks like a buying spree over a couple of years. Is it buying a Premiership? You think of it your way . Supporters of other teams may see it differently.
Once again you are missing my point. As I said, all teams do it, just at different levels. Penrith bought Api because they believe he makes them more of a premiership threat, Parra have bought players over the past couple of years as our juniors haven’t been ready to step up, with a hope of being more of a premiership threat.
My definition of “buying a premiership” is more along the lines of the Roosters getting Cronk a couple of years ago. I don’t see a problem with it either, so it isn’t an attack on them. They saw him as the marquee guy to deliver a premiership immediately, and it worked. What clubs like the Eels, Tigers, Knights are instead doing is more players to strengthen the squad.
You cannot honestly believe any signing by the Eels was to try and buy a premiership, or even a couple of signings. We haven’t bought rep players, or players who are considered at the top of their position other than Fergo. RCG may be considered a rep player, but his recent form didn’t warrant that. We also haven’t lost any juniors who have gone on to star at their new clubs. Matterson had a good year, but that is as close as it gets.
It’s good to see you back Eels, and good to see some genuine RL dialogue again (berweem you and EOD especially).
Swa9amuff1n, more good numbers. I think I’ve just become so used to having a somewhat average forward pack (and by average, average at FG level, not in a bad way) that even with the couple of changes (additions) this year I hadn’t really seen the pack for what it’s become/becoming. That’s a solid pack, with some variation (not just straight and hard).
I’m still going to miss Ma’u, big time, but these few changes (yes, only a few EOD) to our squad are making for a very solid side.
That’s true that there’s not a lot of big names bought.
However , many were saying Penrith would be a top four team before the 2019 season? I couldn’t see it with the line up they had. So others must have respected & overly rated many players at the club then.
Including RCG, Blake. So clearly Parramatta rated them highly also. Lots of Parramatta supporters thought how good it was to get them.
R.C.G. Played for N.S.W. & Australia / Fiji.
Jennings is a former SOO player & an international.
I think Moses was a big name at West’s. Also considered for N.S.W.
Ferguson is a big name. Played for N.S.W. & Australia.
Now let’s have a look at the Semi team line up above. A few buys? If we go over a few years.
Only two players in the starting line up weren’t bought , or bought back from other clubs. Add in another for the reserves . I’ll give you three , as Paulo was a junior .
Parramatta doesn’t have the extra ‘ corporate backing ‘ to get ‘ all ‘ the Top name players . Just like most other clubs. They can do their own version of buying almost a whole team though. That they’ve done. Let’s not even worry about the Canterbury Cup line up.
Is that trying to buy a competition ?
I’ll leave it to each individual to decide?
So I didn’t miss the point at all .
Many on here are wishing Parramatta to buy even more players.
If it looks like a Chook & sounds like a Chook? That Eel may well be clucking.
EOD, I think you’re clutching at straws.
Jennings was a “big name” signing for us 4 years ago, as was Fergo last year, although not big coin ($500k).
Moses, yeah, maybe in that category, but wasn’t in the Teddy / Woods league at the time.
RCG and Blake were playing reserve grade, and you were shopping them around. Gutho was under contract and being shopped around by Manly when we picked him up.
N. Brown, Evens, RCG were bench props at their clubs when we signed them.
Sivo signed at min wage after being at the Panthers for 4 years, and yet to get a FG game.
Our highest paid players are on $800k p.a, so no “mega stars”, until we make them so, if we do.
6 young blokes made their FG debuts with Parra over the last 2 seasons (2018 & 2019), 4 of which have locked in their spots already, and we’ll probably debut another couple next year.
Plenty of guys from our lower grades have been picked up by other clubs and debuted there too. Matterson for example, because the Roosters offered him a better chance at playing in the halves than we could at the time.
If your point is, “the Panthers keep more of their own juniors”, you may well be right, I honestly don’t know, or car really, but Parra provides plenty of opportunities to young guys too.
I still can’t agree that “we’re trying to buy a premiership”, not in the usual context whereby clubs throw big money at star players, but, like every club, we are trying to field the best side possible.
I think Parramatta also has a good junior nursery. The great Parramatta teams of the past, were due mostly to that junior nursery.
You can’t really put crap on your buys saying they were playing reserves or whatever. Blake was in first grade for years. & played one reserve grade game last season. RCG was coming off the bench in first grade, after all of his injuries . A change of attitude for one & a lack of form for the other.
Anyway. Parramatta doesn’t have the backing to get all the biggest names. Still bought most of the team. & replaced one player at a time. With players they could afford & were way better than those in the positions already.
Still mostly high profile names, as regular first graders are.
It’s their version of buying a team & hoping to Win a premiership with that team. By definition, that’s pretty much buying a competition. Even if it’s a more economical buy.
I think you’re clutching at straws, by naming just a few locals that make first grade. Even one of them is a NZ representative .
Matterson not a big name either ?
Any more buys on the books?
Just a question. Wentworthville made the C.C. Cup Grand Final & Won the semi- professional competition. Any chance for any one of those players to get into first grade? Doesn’t look like it.
You (the Panthers) have more juniors, as in players that started/played since they were kids (pre teens) from the area/from an affiliated club than Parra does . Fact.
That said, I also think it’s fair to say the Panthers do a lot of recruiting (probably more than most) from the wider “nursery” pool, and I suspect you count them/many of them as Panther juniors, and don’t/wouldn’t at any other club.
I looked through your team roster (players still on the website) and found a lot of players that joined te Panthers in their late teens, even early 20’s, but pre FG at the time. Players like, Blake, Sivo, McGrady, Adkins, Mansour, Hetherington, JFH, Martin, Kikau, and whilst I can’t say 100% that none of them played in your systems earlier, most didn’t at least, and there may well be others I didn’t include.
And you’ve recruited guys like Whare (doesn’t matter how he’s playing now), Tamau, Api, etc.
I think it’s fair to say the junior nursery, as in the teenage player pool is a pretty open market to all clubs, probably accessed the most by teams like the Storm, but that’s where the Panthers do a lot of shopping too.
You can’t count players like JFH, Blake etc as Panthers juniors and not count D.Brown as a Parra junior, as just 1 example.
But all that aside, does it really matter? I’d expect we (Parra) will give a number of young guys game time again this year, including probably debuting a couple, and as per the previous post, we debuted (played FG for the first time) 6 guys in the past 2 seasons.
Look, at the end of the day we are obviously seeing things differently on the matter, and that is undoubtedly influenced by who we support. I don’t see what Parra is doing as buying a premiership, you do. That is fair, and I respect that angle.
This is going nowhere though, so thanks for the chat EOD, it has been a nice change from what we normally see on here. I look forward to more.
Go the Eels!