The Eels have unleashed the son of Brad Arthur in a big look to the future, attempting to solve their hooker headache that’s been an issue since Reed Mahoney’s departure.
Meanwhile, the Knights will also blood a debutant, only weeks after his coach Adam O’Brien made interesting comments.
Read below for the Round 17 Teams Talking Points!
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A SECOND ARTHUR SET TO DEBUT
Matt Arthur is set to make his NRL debut in Round 17 and his inclusion is a big look to the future for the struggling Parramatta club.
His father, Brad Arthur, was sacked by Eels powerbrokers just over a month ago, but that hasn’t stopped the club from rewarding the rising star.
The 19-year-old played hooker for the NSW under 19s side last week, scoring a try and leading the side to a victory as a co-captain.
Meanwhile, foxsports.com.au understands Joey Lussick’s future at the Eels is up in the air despite being contracted until the end of the 2025 season.
So, the two-pronged hooker duo of Brendan Hands and Matt Arthur could be the club’s long-term solution to a position that’s been a problem for them since Reed Mahoney’s departure.
Arthur is currently on a development deal with the Eels this year and in 2025, before he’s upgraded to a top 30 contract in 2026.
The young gun has already played 14 NSW Cup games, making his debut in 2023 before becoming a mainstay this season at hooker.
He’s played around 65 minutes a game in reserve grade, and in two of his three most recent games has made over 40 tackles.
It’s clear he’s a star of the future, and NSW under 19s coach Andrew Ryan hailed his work ethic.
“Matt Arthur is a different personality – a lot quieter – but he’s also done things his way showing heaps of leadership,” he said to NRL.com after naming Arthur a co-captain.
“His chat in our meetings and his getting the forwards on the front foot have all been excellent.
“He does a lot of extras on the training paddock, which also speaks volumes about him.”
So with a solid performance on debut, Arthur has an opportunity to become a regular first grader, potentially earlier than many expected.
Journo to Madge: Will Walsh be targeted? | 00:39
A LONG-AWAITED KNIGHTS DEBUTANT
The Knights signed a pair of English guns ahead of the 2024 season, and Kai Pearce-Paul has become a crucial figure in the club’s forward pack.
Now the second of that duo is set to make his NRL debut, with dynamic five-eighth Will Pryce being named to replace Jack Cogger in the halves.
Their halves combination has been an issue since the start of the season, and Adam O’Brien has chopped and changed with all three of Jackson Hastings, Jack Cogger and Tyson Gamble partnering each other at some point across 16 rounds.
Their most recent pairing, Cogger and Hastings, hasn’t been working, with both players being an organising playmaker, and both lack the creative flare needed to wear the No.6.
That’s where Pryce comes in.
The English international has scored five tries in his 13 NSW Cup games and has run for over 100 metres on five occasions.
What’s more is he can also break the line and also tackles, tallying six tackle busts in a single game against the Bears in Round 3.
Pryce’s inclusion has been called for by Knights legend Andrew Johns for several weeks now and said “they have to put Will Pryce in next week. There might be deficiencies in his game, but they have to do something” at the start of June.
In response O’Brien was adamant the five-eighth wasn’t ready for the NRL.
“I don’t want to make any knee jerk reactions now, although I did change the spine up earlier in the year a few times,” O’Brien said.
“I think Will’s still learning the game out here to be honest. I don’t know how many games Joey has watched of NSW Cup, but he (Pryce) hasn’t had many back-to-back good ones.”
So now, with Pryce making his debut it could be a matter of necessity, with the Knights previous halves combination failing to fire.
But for Pryce, his inclusion is a huge opportunity to prove his coach wrong and could spell the end of Tyson Gamble’s tenure at the club who is without a contract for the 2025 season.
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Journo to Madge: Will Walsh be targeted? | 00:39
TEVITA’S BIG BENNETT AUDITION
Nobody was expecting Tevita Pangai Jr to burst back into the NRL in the fashion he did with the Dolphins last weekend.
Pangai Jr looked fit and back to his ferocious best in 38 minutes against the Storm in a display that left plenty of pundits impressed.
The 28-year-old has been named again this week and a few more strong showings will likely see him follow Wayne Bennett to Souths next season.
Pangai Jr quit the NRL last year but his foray into full-time professional boxing lasted just three fights before he was knocked out in the first round by heavyweight Kenny Niko.
But TPJ proved last weekend he still packs a punch in the NRL and was placed on report just five minutes into his comeback match for a late shot on Storm prop Christian Welch.
It didn’t deter the big man though as he also put a heavy, but legal, shot on Trent Loeiro.
The match review committee ruled Pangai Jr’s hit on Welch was dangerous contact and they slapped him with a $1000 fine.
“Now every single forward in the NRL when they come up against the Dolphins, they’re going to want to know where Tevita Pangai Junior is,” James Graham said following Pangai Jr’s hit on Loeiro.
Dolphins ‘playing finals this year’ | 01:27
BENJI’S FORWARD PACK HEADACHE
The Tigers delivered an excellent performance in Round 16 to down the Raiders, and things are looking up in Leichhardt.
It was a win that Benji Marshall was missing a host of big names for, including David Klemmer, John Bateman, Isaiah Papalii and Justin Olam.
It’s the price of one game of success, but now Benji Marshall could have some big decisions to make moving forward.
Several inexperienced players put their hands up and showed pride and passion that’s been missing for a large portion of the season for the Tigers.
Samuela Fainu in the backrow was excellent and deserves to retain his spot for the remainder of the year even with John Bateman returning in the coming weeks, being named on the extended bench.
He will likely replace Reuben Porter, but even he, in his third NRL game put in a big shift, making 29 tackles and having 15 runs in his 66 minute stint.
Justin Matamua could make way at lock when Isaiah Papalii returns, but David Klemmer has already dropped down the pecking order.
Returning from a suspension, the rampaging prop has been named on the bench, with the rookie coach unwilling to break up a winning front row partnership.
Stefano Utoikamanu and Fonua Pole were excellent alongside each other in the middle, and Klemmer will now make his mark off the bench.
Meanwhile, after being criticised in recent weeks, Alex Seyfarth was strong off the bench and deserves to retain his spot.
Sione Fainu, with only four NSW Cup games under his belt, also showed impressive footwork to score a try in his fifth NRL appearance.
Now Marshall’s job is to get the balance right, picking in-form rising stars alongside the club’s experienced players.
It’s a good headache to have for the Tigers, and there’s a light at the end of the tunnel for their long suffering fans.