Ryles building new culture as Eels go back to work

Parramatta five-eighth Dylan Brown has declared a stint on the tools has provided the Eels with a fresh perspective as they look to return to the top eight next season. 

New coach Jason Ryles took a leaf out of former mentor Craig Bellamy's book this week when he sent the Eels squad to work for three days at various jobs around the Parramatta region. 

Brown spent Wednesday cooking steaks in the kitchen at Parramatta Leagues Club and said it was a valuable opportunity to connect with the team's fans while reinforcing how privileged he is to be a professional rugby league player.

"The biggest thing I've gotten out of it is not just working but getting out in the community and seeing the faces of the people that support us," Brown said. "Everywhere we go people idolise a lot of the boys and it's cool for us to get out and work with them. 

"The community loves [rugby league] so much in Parramatta, [the Eels] are their heart and soul. Having that connection now when we go to games, it's going to be better knowing you're going to see those people in the crowd and around town more."

Brown worked with the maintenance department at the Leagues Club on Monday before spending Tuesday assembling compressors at ActronAir. 

The squad was spread across nine job sites, working as landscapers, kitchen hands, teacher's aides and in factories for companies and charities such as Foodbank and Ronald McDonald House.

The players were still required to train throughout the week, starting their days at 5am at the club's Kellyville HQ before returning after work for an evening session

Sending players back to work is a rite of passage in Melbourne, with Bellamy requiring all new recruits to spend two weeks labouring on building sites during their first pre-season with the club. 

Ryles, a former Storm assistant, has adopted a similar strategy in his first job as an NRL head coach, hoping to instil a culture of hard work and for the players to understand how fortunate they are to play rugby league for a living. 

It's not the only change Ryles has introduced at the Eels, with a new coaching staff and a number of new-look playing squad. 

Senior players Clint Gutherson, Reagan Campbell-Gillard and Maika Sivo, and youngster Blaize Talagi have departed, while Zac Lomax, Isaiah Iongi and Joash Papalii have joined the team. 

Brown acknowledges it's early days but is already starting to see the benefits of Ryles' new approach.

"Rylesy's brought fresh eyes and he's excited for his first major role as a coach," Brown said. "He's huge on connection and he's shown that through everything we've done. 

"Whether it's connecting with staff, whenever we eat no phones, this [week of work] has been the biggest example of that. You can look at it as hard work for three days or you can look at it as connecting with the community.

"I've been here for six years but it feels like I'm starting all over again. He's teaching us new defence, new attack, he's brought his ways in and we've all got to jump on board as a team or it's not going to work."

Ryles' arrival at Parramatta comes after two disappointing seasons for the Eels, the side narrowly avoiding the wooden spoon in 2024 with a last-round victory over the Wests Tigers. 

It was a bittersweet evening for Brown, who partially tore his ACL in the win. 

The 24-year-old initially feared he was facing nine months on the sidelines but managed to avoid surgery and has used the start of pre-season working his way back to full health. 

While the injury forced him to miss the Kiwis' Pacific Championships campaign, he's on track to return to full training in the coming weeks and will be available for the Eels' Round 1 clash with the Storm.