Volk stakes his claim as Ryles rebuild begins in style

A good start but a long way to go.

That was how new Parramatta coach Jason Ryles summed up his team's performance in their first game on his watch - a 44-18 victory over Newcastle in the Witzer Pre-Season Challenge at McDonald Jones Stadium on Friday night.

Dylan Brown and makeshift halves partner Ronald Volkman stood out as the Eels scored eight tries to four, dominating the last 20 minutes of each half, to give Ryles a winning start to his four-year tenure as Brad Arthur's successor.

The former NSW and Australian prop, whose coaching apprenticeship has included assistant stints working with Craig Bellamy, Trent Robinson and former Wallabies mentor Eddie Jones, said he felt nervous on the way to the ground "but when I got here I was fine".

"Once I got around the players, it was good, so it's all part of the experience," Ryles said.

"It was good to see what we've been working on and the players trying so hard to go out there and practise it in a real game situation, so that was the most pleasing part for me.

Joash Papalii Try

"I'm happy with the start of it but we've still got a lot of work to do with little parts, and we've got Mitch [Moses] to drop in there at some stage and see the combination there as well."

Ryles is rebuilding the Eels after their disastrous 2024 campaign almost ended with a wooden spoon, just two years after a grand final loss to Penrith.

"I didn't even know what the score ended up, towards the end. We had to check that," Ryles said.

"But my focus is on how we play, and how individuals handled a little bit of a step up, and how other individuals who normally play at that level handled their first hit-out.

"It was all about how we did things today, not so much the result.

"But the result is always good because every time we put the badge on we want to try and win every time, so that was a by-product today.

"It's a good confidence-booster for the group too, so I think a lot of our younger guys who weren't sure where they stood in regards to being able to play at this level got a few questions answered today. There's a long way to go for those boys but it's good for their confidence going forward."

Brown opened the scoring in the third minute, stepping through some soft defence from a scrum win close to Newcastle's line, and threw the final pass for Joash Papalii to score just before half-time to give the Eels a 22-4 lead at the break.

The Kiwi international has been in the spotlight since it was reported that his manager, Chris Orr, was shopping him around seeking a $1.2million-a-year deal. Brown is contracted to the Eels until 2031 but that deal includes options in his favour that take effect next year.

All Tries - Knights v Eels

"He's the same as any other player, for me," Ryles said of Brown.

"What he ends up doing is up to him, but my job is to create an environment where he doesn't want to leave, then we'll work it out from there, so he's as important as anyone to our footy club."

Pleased with the Eels' overall first-up performance, Brown told Fox Sports that the Parramatta players had embraced the changes Ryles and his coaching staff had introduced during the summer.

"We loved the energy. Whenever something went wrong, everyone was around each other, and we just had some fun," Brown said.

"I think there's been a lot of changes here with our pre-season and hopefully good things come from it."

Volkman, on a train-and-trial deal with the Eels this season, is trying to kick-start his career after his intended switch from the Warriors to the Dragons last year never eventuated.

From the Field: Mitchell Moses

Though he will eventually make way for Moses, the incumbent NSW and Australian No.7, Volkman looked sharp taking on the defensive line and set up first-half tries for Jake Tago and Kelma Tuilagi.

"We all know he can play footy, there's no questions about that," Ryles said.

"It's just about being able to keep him on the field for long periods, and on the training field, and again, we just want to keep working hard with him to try and improve.

"He can push them (Moses and Brown) if he wants, that's the idea, so we just want as much back-up and competition for spots as we can."

Ryles intends picking his strongest possible side for Parramatta's next Pre-Season Challenge game against Wests Tigers at Leichhardt Oval next Friday, before the same teams meet at CommBank Stadium on March 16 in their first match of the Telstra Premiership.