After seven seasons at the Parramatta Eels, New Zealand international Dylan Brown's time at the club will come to a close at the end of the season as he will join the Newcastle Knights.
His departure means that the Eels will need to prepare for life without him and will produce a new halves combination next season and beyond as they aim to reach the NRL Grand Final for the first time since 2022.
Zero Tackle takes a look at ten realistic options that Jason Ryles and the Eels could choose to replace the New Zealand international playmaker and could pair up with NSW Blues and Australian Kangaroos halfback Mitchell Moses.
All the players on the list are either without a contract for next season, will hit the open market on November 1, have been linked with the club or rival teams, have an 'NRL clause' in their contract, or are currently playing at the Eels.
The options include five rival NRL players, three Super League playmakers who have taken their game to new heights after moving overseas following stints in the NRL competition and two individuals currently involved in the Parramatta Eels system.
8Jayden Sullivan (South Sydney Rabbitohs / Wests Tigers)
One of the more intriguing players on this list, Jayden Sullivan is in a unique scenario where he will spend this season with the South Sydney Rabbitohs before returning to the Wests Tigers for the 2026 and 2027 seasons.
However, the Tigers have made it no secret that they are willing to offer him an early release from his contract and will pay nearly $300,000 a season of his current salary to whichever club decides to recruit his services.
Only 23, Sullivan was previously earmarked as the long-term future of the St George Illawarra Dragons halves but managed to find consistency in attack. Despite this, he has shown glimpses of brilliance on the rugby league field and has yet to reach his potential.
If Sullivan has a breakout season at the Rabbitohs, signing him would be a no-brainer for the Eels and he can play his favourite style of footy with Moses as the number one option in attack - running the ball more and attacking the defensive line with his quickness and footwork.
"The only reason we've let Jayden go is because you can't have him on that money when we've signed Jarome," Wests Tigers CEO Shane Richardson told The Sydney Morning Herald.
"Once we signed Jarome, it was always going to be difficult to carry Jayden on the money he was on.
"There have been no issues with Jayden; we just couldn't afford to keep paying him what we were paying him."
