Mark Gasnier has been brought in as an assistant coach at Parramatta as Jason Ryles continues to lay new foundations at the club following his appointment.
The Eels handed the rookie coach a four-year deal after Brad Arthur’s extensive tenure at the club came to a disappointing end last season.
Ryles has wasted no time making big decisions with Clint Gutherson, Reagan Campbell-Gillard and Maika Sivo shown the door, while Zac Lomax and Josh Addo-Carr headline the arrivals.
Yet it is not only on the field where Ryles has made major changes, with Gasnier now brought onto the coaching staff.
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Jason Ryles calls on Mark Gasnier to help spark Eels' attack
The move to bring his former Dragons teammate into the fold came after he had been impressed with some of his previous work at Melbourne.
"I actually got him down to Melbourne (several seasons ago) when I was there as an assistant a couple of times and the boys were really receptive of his input," Ryles told The Daily Telegraph.
"I always kept that in my mind, that if ever I was to get a job, I’d get him involved again."
The Eels were middle of the road when it came to their attack last season as they notched 561 points in total for the campaign. This was only enough to see them ranked as the eighth best attack in the league.
Although these numbers should naturally improve with Mitch Moses back on deck after playing just eight times in 2024 due to injury.
The halfback was sorely missed during Parra’s dire season, with Dylan Brown forced to try and shoulder the load alongside Gutherson.
The attacking arsenal at Moses' disposal will be transformed next year, with the aerial abilities of Lomax to call upon, as well as the pace of Addo-Carr and the unpredictability of likely new fullback Isaiah Iongi, who will all be guided by Gasnier.
"He enjoys coming in to work with the outside backs," Ryles said.
"He talks to them about their craft and breaks down the intricate parts of playing in the backs that I can’t pass on. He also sits down and does video with them."
Sivo was the side’s highest try-scorer last season with a tally of 17 four-pointers. This was six more than the also departed Blaize Talagi managed.
The Fijian's output on the left wing will likely need to at least be matched if the Eels are to stand any chance of climbing out of the doldrums.
And Ryles has placed his faith in Addo-Carr to do this following his Canterbury sacking, alongside his fellow backline stars.
Meanwhile, despite the host of changes which have swept through the club from the top down, the coach was adamant that he wasn’t building the Eels from scratch.
"The exciting part for me is that we’re resetting," Ryles stressed.
"We’re not starting again, but we’ve got a bit of a blank canvas to work with."
