Former Warrington Wolves forward Ryan Matterson has returned to Australia a ‘man reborn’ and has been tipped for a huge season in the NRL in 2026.
Matterson had a short-term stint in England with the Wire throughout the 2025 season, after being granted a release from his contract with Parramatta Eels to join Sam Burgess’ side.
Unusually, the Eels retained his registration for 2026 and did not cancel his contract altogether, meaning the chances of a longer term stay in England either with Warrington or someone else always seemed remote.
Matterson did not make a huge impact throughout his time in Super League, leading to speculation about what his future had in store when he returned to the NRL with the Eels.
However, the early reports Down Under are positive: with Matterson believed to be set for a monster campaign under Jason Ryles in 2026 according to Wide World of Sports.
Matterson and Ryles are understood to have patched up their differences and the Parramatta coach is set to reintegrate the back-rower into his plans next year as a result.
“They mended fences and agreed to start afresh,” an Eels source told the outlet. “Ryan is a senior player now and still has a lot of good footy in him. He is set for a big season.”
Parramatta have lost a number of forwards from their squad in 2025 – including Brendan Hands, who has headed in the opposite direction to Matterson and joined Super League side Toulouse Olympique.
Matterson has made almost 200 NRL appearances, with over half of those coming for the Eels since joining the club in 2020. He made eight appearances for the Wire during his short stint in England but was involved in a winning team just once, as Warrington endured a miserable end to the 2025 campaign under Sam Burgess and missed out on the Super League play-offs.