Jason Ryles has been given the time he needs to implement his vision at the Eels

Only four players remain from Cameron Ciraldo’s round one Bulldogs team from two years ago. It’s just one example of why Parramatta fans should have hope for better days ahead under Jason Ryles, writes David Riccio.

Eels fans can’t see it.

But hope begins in the opposition coaches box on Sunday afternoon.

It seems impossible for Parramatta fans to imagine.

Yet Bulldogs coach Cameron Ciraldo had more work to turn the club around two years ago, than what rival coach at the Eels Jason Ryles is facing right now.

Compare the initiation period of the two coaches taking over their clubs and Ryles is already in front.

Here’s how.

The morning after Penrith beat Parramatta in the 2022 grand final, Ciraldo put on his Bulldogs polo shirt for the first time, drove to Belmore and ordered a latte at Jobels cafe on Burwood Road.

The former Panthers assistant coach had been announced as the new Canterbury coach two months earlier, on August 14 that year.

Yet it wasn’t until months later, on Monday morning October 4, 2022 with a cup of coffee, that his first day as Bulldogs coach began.

Cameron Ciraldo picture at Belmore on his first day as coach of Canterbury. Picture: Justin Lloyd.

LOYALTY COMES AT A PRICE FOR CIRALDO

Ciraldo’s family are of Italian heritage.

His grandmother came from the hard-nosed region of Calabria and his grandfather from the island of Sicily, where the mafia originated in the 19th century.

Dig deep enough into the character traits of the proud Calabrese and staunch Sicilians and you’ll understand why Ciraldo refused to get started on rebuilding the Dogs until the final siren had sounded on grand final day with Penrith.

Ciraldo’s bloodlines are his character, which is formed on hard work, respect for elders, honesty and unwavering loyalty.

It would’ve been easy for him to double-dip; working by day with the Panthers and by night for the Bulldogs.

But he couldn’t do that to Penrith coach Ivan Cleary and he didn’t, until that first day at Jobels.

The trade-off was painful.

Ciraldo had a playing roster and coaching staff that he inherited.

Take a look at the round one team from Ciraldo’s first game in 2023 and of the 17-players that got pumped 31-6 by the Sea Eagles, only Jacob Kiraz, Matt Burton, Max King, Reed Mahoney, Viliame Kikau and Jacob Preston remain today.

With the injured Burton, Kikau and Kiraz ruled out against the Eels on Sunday afternoon, just three players from round one two seasons ago will pull on a Bulldogs jersey against Parramatta.

Which, if you’re an Eels fan, is where you should start tuning in.

New Parramatta Eels coach, Jason Ryles.

RYLES GIFTED EIGHT MONTH HEADSTART

When a new coach walks into a club in October, just weeks from the start of pre-season training, it leaves little time for the coach to rip and tear.

Without the time to appoint his own coaching staff ahead of his first pre-season, Ciraldo needed every minute of every day to bring his staff up to speed on what he wanted the Bulldogs to be.

The majority of his staff he had never worked with before, with both parties needing to learn about each other every day, building relationships and trust that in most workplaces, takes months, if not years.

It’s part-reason why GM of football Phil Gould never wanted Ciraldo to join the Dogs in 2023, instead a year later in 2024, so that the young coach could spend the entire year shaping the club, his staff and the roster behind the scenes.

If you compare the entry point of Ciraldo at the Dogs and Ryles, it’s the latter who has a massive head start.

Since being appointed as Eels coach last July, Ryles has been able to change more in eight months than Ciraldo was able to achieve across the same timeline.

The reason is simple.

While Ciraldo was tied to the Panthers until October, 2022, Ryles was able to swing for the fences for the blue and golds from almost the moment he signed his four-year deal on July 8, 2024.

Within nine-days of inking his deal with Parramatta, Ryles was released by the Storm from his assistant coaching role.

For Ryles, every minute, every hour, every day from that point forward was about re-shaping the Eels.

THE BIG CALLS THAT SHOWED RYLES WAS IN CHARGE

There were calls for Ryles to start straight away, during a period in which interim coach Trent Barrett was doing his best.

No one inside the Eels gave it a thought, knowing that Ryles was better suited setting up the club with a luxury of time that few rookie coaches are afforded.

Within a month of being named as Brad Arthur’s replacement, Ryles had accrued his own coaching staff, including Sam Moa, Nathan Brown, Nathan Cayless and Scott Wisemantel.

Ryles hand-picked his staff and they knew the exact direction the head coach wanted to go.

Ciraldo’s early days were spent forging relationships with staff he had never worked with before and building a coaching philosophy that everyone could buy into.

Ciraldo didn’t have time to sign a player, he went with the majority of the squad that was on-contract, eventually sculpting the roster to what he thought it needed to be.

In September last year, representative prop Reagan Campbell-Gillard was released by the Eels. Without any spotlight on him, Ryles made the decision from behind the scenes. Then came the decision to let go captain Clint Gutherson.

They were massive calls that some Eels fans believe have taken the club backwards.

Time will tell.

But if you’re mapping the rise of the Bulldogs since their restructure compared to what is happening at the Eels, Ryles is in front.