‘Will help him bring the best out of the playing group’: Jason Ryles brings in new assistant coaches in his biggest move at the Eels

Jason Ryles will have a familiar face in the coaching box next year after he finalised his assistants for 2025, including one of his former teammates and mentors.

Incoming Parramatta coach Jason Ryles has made his first big move, with the club confirming its assistant coaches for next season.

The appointments are headlined by the return of Nathan Brown, who was the club’s elite pathways coaching director in 2022.

Brown will be joined by Scott Wisemantel, Sam Moa and Nathan Cayless, which means current interim coach Trent Barrett will not be at the club in 2025.

Ryles and Brown played a few games together for the Dragons, while Brown also coached him at the Red V.

Brown has plenty of coaching experience in the NRL and overseas, while Wisemantel might be a new name to some but he’s an Eels junior who used to be the attack coach for the Australian and English rugby union teams.

Jason Ryles and Nathan Brown will reunite at the Eels next year having spent time together at the Dragons.

Cayless is a club legend and will remain the NSW Cup coach next season, while fans will remember Moa from his time as a prop at the Roosters. He spent three years as a defence coach at Catalans in the Super League.

“Our incoming head coach Jason Ryles has assembled a team of assistants that he feels will help him bring the best out of the playing group and we look forward to welcoming the new coaching staff in November,” Eels chief executive Jim Sarantinos said.

“On behalf of the board and management, I’d also like to thank the current coaching and performance staff who are departing our club at the end of this season.

“It has been a challenging season but our staff have shown their strong commitment to the club and the team during this period. We are most grateful for their contribution and look forward to recognising them prior to the season completion.”

The new-look coaching crew faces a monumental task, with the Eels battling to avoid the wooden spoon this season and set to lose several players next year.

Originally published as ‘Will help him bring the best out of the playing group’: Jason Ryles brings in new assistant coaches in his biggest move at the Eels