Parramatta Eels head coach Jason Ryles has revealed Dylan Brown's departure from the club at the end of the year was behind his call to play the five-eighth at hooker and lock on Sunday afternoon.
While the Eels couldn't get the job done against a resurgent Penrith Panthers who continue their trek up the NRL table, the big talking point was the removal of Brown from five-eighth.
Even though he was named there by Ryles an hour before kick-off, Brown was evidently playing hooker early in the game, with Joash Papalii instead playing at five-eighth.
It has been tipped ever since the Eels missed the signature of Lachlan Galvin to the Canterbury Bulldogs that Papalii would be the number six next year when Brown leaves to take up a decade-long deal in the Hunter at the Newcastle Knights.
Brown would play just half an hour in his first stint, and spent most of the remainder of the game on the bench, with Tallyn da Silva spending plenty of time in the number nine jumper ahead of a potential start in the coming weeks.
Ryles revealed Brown - a New Zealand international - is on board with the decision.
“He's been really good right from when he made his decision to move on,” Ryles said during his post-match press conference.
“He's been really receptive of anything that we've put to him and he's a really good person and he's a really selfless person for our footy club, so whilst he's still here he's happy to do whatever is best for the team so it's just a good reflection of his character.”
It came with Ryley Smith missing the game, and Ryles wouldn't commit to Brown remaining at hooker for the rest of the season, but said Papalii will get first opportunity at the number six.
“Ryley's back next week so come in on Tuesday or Wednesday and we'll sit down and put the names up and see what it looks like and obviously consult with Mitch and Junior and our leadership group and see what it looks like, the best balance but we'll just do our best to get our best players on the field all at once,” Ryles said.
"He'll [Papalii] get the first opportunity and then we'll just see what it looks like going forward.
“He's going to take a little bit of time to find his way.
“I think he's five or six games in, so we'll just let him keep working on his game and let that keep evolving."
It could mean Brown finds himself as a bench utility for the remainder of the season, or even axed from an underperforming outfit who are all but out of finals contention.
