Incoming Eels coach Jason Ryles has gone on the offensive in the ongoing Blaize Talagi battle, telling the young gun junior he can have the blue and gold number one jumper if he stays in Parramatta.
Ryles, who just left the Storm to take up his Parramatta post early, had two big missions right off the bat: Allay any worries with Zac Lomax and turn Talagi’s head back home.
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With The Sporting Base hearing job one is all but done, Ryles has gone in hard on job number two, telling Talagi that if he stays with Parramatta he is the heir to the fullback jumper. The offered switch which Talagi is now considering would see incumbent fullback Clinton Gutherson shuffled out of the key spine role for the Westfields junior.
Gutherson would likely lose the captaincy to Mitchell Moses at the same time.
#NRL whispers 🟡🔵⚡ Jason Ryles to offer the fullback role to young gun Blaize Talagi in bid to keep him at @TheParraEels. Not reported where Clint Gutherson would then play
(via @app85) pic.twitter.com/LKzCj7eKm8
— The Sporting Base – NRL (@BaseNrl) July 22, 2024
It may be the turning point the Eels need in the battle to retain their prized junior. Shane Flanagan and the Dragons put together an appealing package recently but the fullback jumper wasn’t confirmed; The Dolphins didn’t even suggest the number one might go to the 19-year-old.
No matter what happens, Talagi is going to command big money when he finally sits down to talk numbers with the interested clubs (of which the cohort also includes the Knights). He’s scored eight tries in nine games in his last nine games for the Eels and has already proven he can play fullback, five-eighth, centre, and wing.
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The battle seems to have boiled down to the Eels and Dragons, with Parramatta his spot if he wants to play fullback and the Dragons Talagi’s best choice if he wants to cash in on his early success.
