Frustration mounts for Jason Ryles as footage shows 'Bellamy-esque' reactions in coaching box

Who would seriously want to be an NRL head coach?

The frustration for Jason Ryles continued to mount on Thursday, with the Eels going down 20-16 in heartbreaking fashion against the Dolphins at CommBank Stadium.

In a contest that was tight for the entire 80 minutes, it looked like Parramatta were starting to kick clear in the second half before a number of costly moments.

READ MORE: Gould humbled by surprise 50th anniversary celebration

READ MORE: Bennett weighs in 'cloudy' saga as Smith deal nears

READ MORE: V'landys fires back at 'biased' Perth media coverage

Herbie Farnworth's long-range solo try, where he split some sloppy defence and then burned Isaiah Iongi to score, started to swing the momentum in the visitors' favour.

Then there was a crusher tackle, which saw Farnworth stay down and Mitchell Moses blow up at the referee, allowing the Dolphins to take an eight-point lead.

Parramatta didn't give up however, with Dylan Brown scoring to set up a grandstand finish, but it wasn't to be as Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow pulled off a try-saving tackle for the ages with less than 30 seconds left on the clock.

The dramatic finish and costly moments were clearly having an impact on Ryles, who is just eight games into his first-grade head coaching career.

Watch the 2025 NRL premiership live and free on Nine and 9Now.

Former teammate and league great Cameron Smith likened his reactions to those that have become a trademark of Storm coach Craig Bellamy over the years - the same man Ryles spent plenty of time working with as an assistant before joining the Eels.

"He will be quite disappointed, particularly with a couple of moments," Smith said on Nine during the post-game coverage.

"Some of this vision we've seen tonight, that's sort of Craig Bellamy-esque. Walking up the back of the coach's box, hitting the desk, he hits the glass."

While the footage doesn't paint a pretty picture, there's still been plenty to like about where the Eels are heading - even if they are sitting in 17th spot on the ladder.

Speaking to media in his post-game press conference, Ryles pointed out the lack of experience in the team that took the field against the Dolphins and why he's confident things are moving in the right direction after a poor start to the campaign.

"You've got to look at the experience of some of the boys out there - it's a tough business in the NRL and they're learning on the job," he said.

"An old bloke told me once that the scoreboard is the last thing to change. There's a lot of things improving out there - the players are getting better each week and we're getting better as a footy team and that's all I can ask.

"We need to make sure we're not giving teams the little leg-ups that we're giving them. That's what gives them energy to stay in the grind with us.

"I loved the effort and how hard we fought. We created opportunities. In the end, we just weren't good enough, we just didn't execute our opportunities and ice them."

Parramatta will take on the Knights next weekend in a bid to move out of last place on the table, while the Dolphins will square off against the Warriors.