Ryles defends decision to let Gutherson leave ahead of Dragons clash

Parramatta coach Jason Ryles has dismissed criticism of the club for releasing Clint Gutherson last year, as the Eels prepare to take on their former skipper for the first time since he joined St George Illawarra.

After four successive defeats to open the season, Parramatta will be desperate to get off the mark when they clash with the Dragons at CommBank Stadium on Saturday in a game that has special significance for Ryles, Gutherson and Parramatta centre Zac Lomax.

Gutherson played 206 games over 10 seasons with the Eels and for much of that time was their captain and talisman.

Likewise, Lomax was a long-term Dragon – appearing in 114 games over seven seasons – before requesting a release to link with Parramatta at the start of this campaign.

Ryles, meanwhile, played in 156 top-grade games for the Dragons between 2000 and 2008 and was offered the coaching role at his home-town club in 2023, only to knock back a four-year deal.

While Ryles and Lomax are still chasing their first wins with the Eels, Gutherson starred last week in the Dragons’ 14-8 triumph against Melbourne, reigniting the debate about whether Parramatta should have done more to retain the 30-year-old.

“I’d probably disagree with that, but everyone’s entitled to their opinion,” Ryles said.

Parramatta coach Jason Ryles.Credit: NRL Photos

“We’re only early doors in where we’re going in our journey, and that’s something that is always going to come up for discussion, especially being a player that’s been as experienced as him and done what he’s done for our club for a long period of time.

“But we’re very comfortable and pretty bullish in regards to where we’re heading.”

Ryles added that the Eels “appreciate everything that he [Gutherson] has done for the club” but on Saturday he would be just “another player we’ve got to deal with”.

St George Illawarra coach Shane Flanagan was more than happy to sing the praises of Gutherson, whom he said “might have thought that he was going to stay at Parramatta his whole career” but instead signed a three-year deal with the Dragons last November.

Clint Gutherson has started strongly for the Dragons this season.Credit: Getty Images

“He’s been so important to our start of this season, our off-season, and our future,” Flanagan said.

“I don’t want to play down the impact that he’s had on the club, but he’s everything that I thought I’d get.

“He hasn’t been better and he hasn’t been worse. He’s exactly what I knew I’d get. He’s lived up to expectations.”

In contrast, Flanagan was reluctant to comment about Lomax, who secured a release from the Dragons at the end of last season, ostensibly because he wanted to play centre instead of wing.

“Not my concern, to be honest,” Flanagan said.

“He’s a good player and he’s playing against his old club, the same as Clint, but I can’t control that … he’s not one of my players.

“I know Zac really well, but I’m worried about my 17 before I worry about that too much.”

Ryles was confident it would business as usual for Lomax.

“He’s always upbeat, he’s a really enthusiastic player or person around the club, so not too much has changed this week,” Ryles said.

Eels centre Zac Lomax will play against his former Dragons teammates for the first time.Credit: Getty Images

From a personal viewpoint, Ryles appears to have no regrets about his decision to turn down the Dragons two years ago, despite being born and raised in Wollongong.

“I’m not going to take a job because it’s five minutes from home if it’s not the right fit,” Ryles said.

“So it was one of those things. I wasn’t in a hurry to do it. It just came back to timing … but that’s in the past now and we’ll just keep moving forward with what I’m doing here.”

Parramatta will be boosted by the inclusion of new recruit Dylan Walker, who will debut for his fourth NRL club after stints at South Sydney, Manly and the Warriors.

“He’s a very confident person, Dylan, so he’s been a welcome addition to us,” Ryles said.

“Obviously, his footy IQ and his experience, and add to that his leg speed, he’s going to be really valuable for us … he’ll do a similar role that he did to the Warriors, that 14 role initially, just to get him into the way we do things, and then just see where that evolves.”

Ciraldo confused by Tupouniua ban

Bulldogs coach Cameron Ciraldo is confident his team can adapt to the NRL’s crackdown on high tackles, but conceded he was confused by the sin-binning of forward Sitili Tupouniua against Cronulla at the weekend.

Tupouniua was sent to the bin in the 79th minute for a shoulder charge on Braydon Trindall, and will subsequently miss this week’s clash against the Knights, while hooker Reed Mahoney escaped sanction for a hit on Daniel Atkinson that the NRL has since said should have resulted in a sin-binning.

“I didn’t think it was high, I didn’t think it was that late, and I didn’t think it was a shoulder charge,” Ciraldo said of Tupouniua’s hit on Trindall.

“So, trying to explain to Sitili how we can be better next time was tough. But it is what it is. He’ll have a week out, and he’ll get to work on some of the stuff he missed in pre-season and get himself ready for our round seven game against Souths.”

Ciraldo chose his words carefully when discussing the decision, but said it was difficult to understand why Tupouniua had copped a one-week ban for the tackle.

“I can’t say too much about it, but it is confusing at times,” he said. “But it is what it is, so we’ll get on with it.”

Ciraldo defended Mahoney, who has been heavily criticised over a late hit on Atkinson for which he was fined $1800 but will not miss any game time.

“Reed’s been at the forefront of us building our identity over the last couple of years,” Ciraldo said. “We’ve worked really hard on building a work ethic, connection and a competitiveness, and Reed’s at the forefront of that.

“So, we’re really happy with how he’s going. He’s worked really hard on his discipline over the last 12 months. I think he’s come a long way, and I said the other day, he probably had one play in that 80 minutes that he probably got slightly wrong.

“But if he continues to work on his discipline, and he’s building his game, then he’s going to be really important for us throughout the season.”

The Bulldogs have surged to the top of the NRL ladder and are the only undefeated team after a 4-0 start to the season – the club’s best since 1993.

On Monday, the NRL’s head of elite competitions Graham Annesley wrote to clubs about several incidents across the weekend which he said should have resulted in a sin-binning, and warned referees would crack down on rules moving forward.

Ciraldo said players were aware of the crackdown, and that he thought clubs had improved their discipline overall across the past few seasons.

“We showed the players the email this morning, but it’s common sense really,” Ciraldo said. “Obviously, no one goes out there to attack the head and neck area, but accidents do happen.

“We’ll just keep sticking to our processes. We want to be a more disciplined team, and we’ve done that throughout the start of the season, but the penalty count on the weekend wasn’t where it needs to be... I think everyone’s doing a really good job over the last few years of eliminating that high contact, and doing the best they possibly can.

“But we also play a physical sport, a contact sport, and accidents do happen. We all love the game, we all love the sport, that’s why we’re here, and as long as we’re making it as safe as we can for the players, that’s the main thing.”

Walker in for Parra, Edwards out for Panthers

It was a tale of two Dylans after team lists were released for round five, with Dylan Walker poised to make his Parramatta debut and Penrith fullback Dylan Edwards to be sidelined for one more week.

The Eels have named Walker – who brings 232 games of experience to the last-placed club – in the No.14 jersey for Saturday’s clash with St George Illawarra. It will be the first time Parramatta recruit Zac Lomax and Dragons counterpart Clint Gutherson face their former teams.

Dylan Walker will make his Parramatta debut.Credit: NRL Photos

Walker was granted a release from the Warriors on compassionate grounds last week and has been immediately added to Jason Ryles’ side for the CommBank Stadium clash. Bailey Simonsson, named among the reserves, is a chance of getting a call-up for the Eels after coming through two NSW Cup games unscathed following a knee reconstruction.

The Panthers had hoped to have Edwards back in the No.1 jersey as they attempt to avoid a four-game losing streak against North Queensland. However, the NSW and Australian star will be given another week to recover from a groin strain. There will be a big-name addition, however, with Nathan Cleary returning after a week off due to concussion.

Blaize Talagi has again been overlooked, making it the fourth time in five rounds since leaving Parramatta to become the most hyped external recruit of Penrith’s dynasty. Talagi has been listed as a replacement player as the Panthers fight to snap their first three-game losing streak since 2019.

Coach Cleary dropped Casey McLean for the round-four loss to South Sydney but recalls him to replace To’o on the wing, with Matt Eisenhuth joining the bench.

At Wests Tigers, Latu Fainu has been given the task of replacing the suspended Jarome Luai at halfback. Adam Doueihi has been named to play in the centres despite suffering a groin strain in the warm-up for the Warriors game.

Tom Hazelton makes his return from a back injury on the Cronulla bench, while a concussion will keep Siosifa Talakai out of the action. Mawene Hiroti will take the centre spot of Kayal Iro (hamstring).

Roosters hooker Connor Watson is back after a concussion break, Storm halfback Jahrime Hughes (hand) has been named in the reserves and Newcastle’s Leo Thompson’s return from a knee injury.

Lehi Hopoate replaces Tom Trbojevic (knee) at fullback for Manly against Melbourne, but hooker Lachlan Croker is still at least another week off returning from his own knee problem. Jahrome Hughes is listed in the reserves for the Storm so could return from a hand injury.

The NRL’s only other winless team besides Parramatta, the Dolphins have resisted the urge to make mass changes as Kristian Woolf hunts his first win as head coach.

Connelly Lemuelu joins the forward pack on return from an eye injury and replaces suspended captain Tom Gilbert in the only change for the clash with Gold Coast.

with AAP

Ilias breaks silence on Shane Flanagan rebuke

Christian Nicolussi

Lachlan Ilias said he had taken Shane Flanagan’s public criticism on the chin – and later accepted his apology – even though he was not entirely sure what the Dragons coach said about him.

The Dragons celebrated their first win of the season on Saturday with an upset over the Melbourne Storm, while Ilias celebrated his first win in the NRL since round 24 of 2023, when he was still at South Sydney.

Flanagan was unimpressed with his side after round two, and made it clear Ilias’ start to life in the Red V had not been up to standard.

Speaking for the first time about the public lashing, Ilias said: “You know me, I don’t read anything, and I still don’t really know what he said.

“I understand I could have been better that day. Yeah [Flanagan apologised], but it is what it is, and it’s all coming from a good place. We want the best for each other. We’re good. Everything is good.

“I’m the No.7 here, I know that carries a responsibility, and I told them when I came to the club that I wanted that responsibility. I’m happy to take it on the chin. We move on from it and learn from it.”

Lachlan Ilias and the Dragons returned to form with a shock victory over the Storm.Credit: NRL Photos

Ilias used the bye in round three to try to lift his game, and when Jacob Liddle scored with just over 10 minutes remaining against the Storm, some of Flanagan’s advice started ringing in his ears.

“Flanno wanted us to keep playing our footy, and after ‘Liddsy’ scored his try, we spoke as a spine about the need to keep playing the way we want to play,” Ilias said.

“We went away from that against Souths, we tried to protect the lead. That was on me, and I acknowledge that.”

Ilias failed to run the ball against Melbourne, but did produce some nice kicks and was solid in defence.

He goes head-to-head with former South Sydney teammate Dean Hawkins on Saturday in what doubles as a homecoming for former Eels captain Clint Gutherson.

Gutherson was unsure what kind of reception he would receive at CommBank Stadium, but was going there with one objective.

“We want to beat them – we want to win,” Gutherson said. “I’m looking forward to it. There were never any hard feelings leaving Parra, it was just the way they wanted to go. I’ve still got a lot of mates there who I now call family.”

Gutherson listed Mitchell Moses, Bryce Cartwright and J’maine Hopgood among the players he kept in regular touch with.

Luai rubbed out for high shot

Dan Walsh

Wests Tigers $6 million man Jarome Luai is set to be rubbed out of the Tigers first clash with former coach Michael Maguire and his high-flying Broncos after his high tackle on Warriors winger Ed Kosi.

Luai was issued a grade 2 careless high tackle charge on Monday morning, and would need to successfully challenge his suspension at the judiciary to play in round 5.

A failed challenge at the judiciary would add an extra week’s ban and rule him out of the Tigers next game against Newcastle as well.

Luai’s hit on Kosi and the lack of immediate punishment perplexed commentators and Warriors coach Andrew Webster given the direct contact made to the winger’s head in the Tigers 26-24 loss at Campbelltown.

Referee Wyatt Raymond put Luai on report but didn’t sit him down as has been the case with almost all direct head highs since the 2021 Magic Round.

Teammate Alex Seyfarth was also issued a $1000 fine, making for $15,000 in punishments across the past two days, for the high tackle that resulted in Luke Metcalf kicking a 40-metre match-winning penalty goal.

Bulldogs recruit Sitili Tupouniua is facing a two-week ban for a late shot on full-time in Canterbury’s upset win over Cronulla, but Reed Mahoney is free to play after being cited twice and served two $1800 fines by the match review committee.

Mahoney’s high tackle on Toby Rudolf and heavy contact on Daniel Atkinson when was lying on the ground were flashpoints in the Bulldogs’ fiery 20-6 defeat of the Sharks on Saturday night.

Tupouniua’s late hit on Brayden Trindall resulted in tensions boiling over once more in what should have been the final play of the game.

The Tongan international was sin-binned as the siren sounded and will now miss Canterbury’s round-five clash against Newcastle unless he takes the charges to the judiciary. Tupouniua would risk an extra game’s suspension if he fights the charge and loses.

Cronulla will be without starting centre Kayal Iro (hamstring) on a short turnaround into Thursday’s clash with Canberra, and first-choice replacement Siosifa Talakai after he failed a HIA against Canterbury.

Journeyman Mawene Hiroti is the most likely man to come into the Sharks’ back line, with the club hopeful prop Tom Hazelton overcomes a back issue to take on the Raiders.

Meanwhile, Dragons prop Emre Guler is facing three weeks on the sidelines for his crusher tackle on Melbourne’s Shawn Blore on Saturday afternoon. Guler’s punishment has been increased because of his poor judiciary record, with this his third similar offence.

Canberra veteran Josh Papali’i was the hardest hit of six players issued fines from Saturday’s games, with Papali’i facing $6000 from two separate punishments for his high tackle on North Queensland’s Sam McIntyre. Papali’i was fined $3000 for the tackle and would be suspended for two games if he were to challenge the ruling at the judiciary and lose.

He was issued another $3000 fine for patting referee Adam Gee on the chest after he was put on report for the tackle.

Along with Mahoney and Papali’i, Jeremiah Nanai, Corey Horsburgh were also issued $1000-$1500 fines, while Cronulla’s Sam Stonestreet is facing a $1500-$2000 punishment for a crusher tackle on Bronson Xerri.

Rudolf was also charged for a hip-drop tackle on Bulldogs captain Stephen Crichton, which earned him an $1800 fine.