'His time at the Eels at six is done': $14m enigma Dylan Brown likely to be dumped from NRL team

The career of Dylan Brown at Parramatta might be over after Eels coach Jason Ryles admitted he is now planning for season 2026.

Ryles made the shock move to play Brown at hooker, bench him and then bring him on at lock during the Eels' 32-10 loss to the Panthers on Sunday.

Usually suiting up in the No.6 jersey, Brown started the game at hooker with rookie Joash Papalii at five-eighth.

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After 30 minutes, Brown then came from the field to let recruit Tallyn Da Silva play dummy-half, and did not return until the last six minutes of the game when he shifted to lock.

Speaking during his post-match press conference, Ryles explained why Kiwi international Brown was given a different role.

"Our future's now, so we want to get on with it," he said.

"I had a really good conversation with Dylan, and he was all on board for it, and he's been really receptive to it, and obviously the way he played sort of reflected that too and then Joash had an opportunity at No.6."

In March, Brown announced he would join the Knights from next season on a 10-year deal worth around $14 million.

The Knights plan on playing him as a halfback but almost everyone else in the rugby league world has cast serious doubt on Brown's ability to do the job.

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NRL legend Greg Alexander is among many who believe Brown has no ability to run a team.

"Does he do anything to influence a game? I think not," Alexander said on SEN radio on Monday.

"I didn't mind the move to hooker. We know where Dylan Brown stands now.

"His time at the Eels at (five-eighth) is done."

With hooker Ryley Smith due back this week, Ryles would not commit to using Brown in the same way during the Eels' clash with the Raiders on Saturday.

Ryles revealed that Papalii will start at No.6 for the remainder of the season and potentially in 2026.

It means when Mitchell Moses returns to the halfback spot, Brown might not make the team at all.

"Well, he'll get the first opportunity and then we'll just see what it looks like going forward," Ryles said.

"He's going to take a little bit of time to find his way. I think he's five or six games in, so we'll just let him keep working on his game and let that keep evolving.

"And then obviously our spine was young tonight for periods there, but that's where we're going with the club.

"We've decided to take that approach, and I'm really comfortable with it, and I just need to get him on the field as often as possible for as long as I can and just get their lessons while they're developing."

Despite the shift in playing roles and reduced minutes, Ryles insisted that Brown is supportive of giving other players a run as Parramatta's season winds down.

"He's been really good right from when he made his decision to move on," Ryles said.

"He's been really receptive of anything that we've put to him and he's a really good person and he's a really selfless person for our footy club, so whilst he's still here he's happy to do whatever is best for the team so it's just a good reflection of his character."

Ryles also explained the decision to take Brown off before playing him as a middle forward in the closing stages of the second half.

"There was no planning around how to get him back on," he said.

"But we wanted to get Tallyn on at around the time that we did get him on, and then I basically Dylan's really clear with where he stands with it.

"It was when he comes back on, it could be there or it could be No.13, and then we'll just keep working on where we get him on and when we get him on. It will just be dependent on how the game pans out."