Parramatta Eels went into 2026 carrying one of the thinnest rosters in the competition, despite the additions of Jack de Belin and Jonah Pezet.
It was never going to be a quiet year for the club, with Jason Ryles coaching the blue and gold for his second season, a chance to prove the retooling period was real and that Parramatta were ready to compete after finishing 11th at the end of last season.
The Eels have 26 players in their top-30 squad, and a forward pack that has struggled to match it with the competition's elite, the club finds itself in the position that no recruiting department wants to be in mid-season scrambling.
With twelve players injured for a significant period of the season, including two players out for the rest of the season with ACL injuries, the market has options, a combination of expiring contracts, frozen-out stars and players looking for opportunity.
Here are six player the Eels should target for the remainder of this season either for loan or for long-term security.
4. Loko Pasifiki Tonga (St George Illawarra Dragons)
The almost 21-year-old front rower has formally requested to leave the St George Illawarra Dragons and is looking for a new team.
Having impressive performances in the NSW Cup, particularly against the Sea Eagles in round 6, with Tonga running 252 metres, 75 post-contact metres, 1 try, 2 line breaks, 4 tackle breaks while not missing a single tackle.
Lots of teams will be interested in his services and for the Eels with an ageing Junior Paulo, they could use an alpha forward for the foreseeable future.
The Dragons have not been selecting him in their first grade lineup, and with the talented forward wanting a consistent opportunity in first grade, the Eels could be the place where he gets playing time and a chance to develop into a star player.
At this point in the season, with many matches still to be played, I think it is unlikely that any club will be willing to let squad members leave and go to Parramatta.
The clubs have signed their players and squeezed them into the cap. In addition to their squad of 30 they will have “development” players but they can’t select any of them until after round 10.
Apart from which, the “development” players will be a step down in quality from the squad of 30, so losing a top 30 player and replacing him with a “development” player is weakening the squad.
Parramatta will still have to keep its contracted players in the squad of 30, so – unless they have spare slots in the squad, they can’t take on any extra players.
According to Zero Tackle’s squad list, the Eels have signed 28 squad members so far, so they have room to recruit only two more, for this season.
I don’t know how the loan system works in the NRL. I am guessing that – because of the salary cap and the squad number cap – the club releasing a player on loan continues to pay the player and keeps him as a nominal member of its squad.
That club (in theory) benefits when the player returns in the following season, because he has learned from different coaches and gained match experience. That increase in his worth will hopefully justify the money the club continued to pay him when they loaned him out.
As for Parra, the same problem will apply. Clubs are unlikely to loan decent players because there is a long season still to play.
So, yes, there is a list of half a dozen decent, under-utilized (or unhappy) players who might like to go to Parramatta for the rest of the season, but I think that the likelihood of any of them actually going there is pretty small.