Gould's alarming Bullah interest, Preston's Origin case and Eels under the blowtorch

James Hooper was joined by Darcie McDonald and Brandon Savage on Rugby League Insider for a wide-ranging Tuesday episode covering Phil Gould's public admiration for Jahream Bulla, Jacob Preston's possible State of Origin debut, the Cowboys' Drinkwater dilemma and a deep dive into what has gone wrong at Parramatta.

Gould's Bulla comments set off alarm bells

A column by Christian Nicolussi in the Sydney Morning Herald brought Phil Gould's on-air praise of West Tigers fullback Jahream Bulla into sharp focus, with the Bulldogs' GM of football describing the youngster as "creamy, so fluid, like apple pie on a Sunday afternoon" during Channel 9's coverage of the Tigers' win over the Panthers.

Given Gould's very public courting of Lachlan Galvin last season - which resulted in the NRL introducing new tampering rules specifically defining public statements that could be seen as attempts to lure players - the comment drew immediate scrutiny.

Hooper laid out the contractual complexity around Bulla, explaining the Tigers have been desperately trying to lock him in long-term, complicated by the fact that Isaac Moses has recently taken over management of Bulla's affairs. The same agent who managed Galvin's move to Belmore.

"Isaac and Benji - is hate too strong a word? No, not on here. They hate each other. They do not see eye to eye. There's never a chance of those two ever breaking bread or having a beer. So it all adds to this narrative that maybe Canterbury are going to have a crack."

McDonald, who works for the Bulldogs but stressed she has no insight into recruitment decisions, offered a measured defence of Gould while acknowledging the understandable anxiety among Tigers fans.

"I think people read into Gus's comments way too deep. Greg Alexander is deputy chairman of the Panthers, Michael Ennis is an assistant at the Dragons, Cameron Smith does work at the Broncos. If they glaze a player, does everyone go, 'Oh, they're going after them?' There's a wow factor because of what happened with Galvin."

Savage suggested the Bulldogs appeared to be operating with more intent this time around.

"It feels like Locky Galvin 2.0. He's delayed his extension with the Tigers. That's been an ongoing thing. He sat in the players' section at a Bulldogs game last year. There's a bit in this."

Hooper was hopeful the Benji factor - and the buy-in of teammates like Adam Doueihi, who publicly stated the playing group wants Bulla to stay - would be enough to keep the fullback in black and gold.

"I don't see him like apple pie on a Sunday like Gus does. I just see him as a damn good elite fullback. And I hope the West Tigers retain his signature."

The panel also noted the NRL's tampering rules, introduced directly off the back of Gould's Galvin comments, will face their first real test should the Bulla situation escalate.

Preston's Origin case becomes undeniable

Liam Martin's MCL injury, ruling him out for six to eight weeks, has opened the door for Jacob Preston to make his State of Origin debut, with the Bulldogs back rower now a $1.04 market favourite to start on the right edge for New South Wales.

McDonald was unequivocal.

"He is such an elite player. Runs a great line, defensively ruthless, a real team-first type of player. He does all the little things that don't get noticed by the regular fan. If or when Preston gets his opportunity, he will do the state so proud."

Savage was equally excited about what a refreshed Blues back row could look like.

"Hudson Young on the left edge, Jacob Preston on the right, Cam Murray through the middle, Blake Brailey potentially at hooker. The whole back row will be different. I'm loving the look of this new pack."

Hooper added that Martin's injury, while unfortunate, could serve as a timely reset for a player whose body has been through enormous wear across five seasons of elite football.

"If New South Wales just keep doing the same thing they did last year and expect a different result, it might not happen. I think if Martin does come back, absolutely put him on the bench. And I love the fact that Hudson Young — I said it on this show after round one - he has to start on that left edge."

The hooker debate also drew discussion, with McDonald backing Blake Brailey but acknowledging the case for Mitch Kenny.

"Kenny is probably made for Origin. The way he goes after a contest, how strong he is defensively. You can imagine that first 20 minutes - you'd be putting your body on the line making that many tackles. But Brailey has been knocking on the door for a long time."

Are Cowboys crazy to let Drinkwater go?

The panel turned to Scott Drinkwater's looming departure from North Queensland, with the Cowboys understood to have given the 28-year-old permission to negotiate with rival clubs including the Sharks and the Dragons.

Hooper struggled to find the logic.

"He's a gamebreaker. The Cowboys don't win those games against Melbourne or the Broncos without Scott Drinkwater wearing the number one jumper. I get that he's on big coin next year, but I feel like this is a football decision that the Cowboys have just got their compass a little bit haywire on."

He speculated that Jackson Peru's camp may have demanded a guarantee of the fullback jersey in order to remain at the club, effectively forcing the Cowboys' hand.

McDonald agreed the decision feels premature but noted the Cowboys' depth at outside back through Peru and Tom Chester as the counterargument.

Savage said he'd love to see Drinkwater land at the Sharks.

"They win a comp in the next three years if that happens. It makes a lot more sense to me than the Dragons."

Eels under the blowtorch

The Titans' 52-point drubbing of Parramatta on Sunday prompted a forensic dissection of where the Eels' roster has gone wrong under Jason Ryles.

Hooper ran through the departures on Ryles' watch - Clint Gutherson, Reagan Campbell-Gillard, Blaize Talagi, Ethan Sanders, Maika Sivo, Zac Lomax, Dean Aitkins - before landing on what he considers the most damaging losses.

"Blaize Talagi and Ethan Sanders. They're in your backyard, right under your nose. You can't stuff those ones up. Losing those two juniors is the equivalent of the Broncos losing Payne Haas. Shouldn't happen. Should never ever have happened."

McDonald drew a parallel with Cameron Ciraldo's early days at Canterbury, where the defensive numbers were similarly alarming before the system eventually clicked.

"When Ciraldo joined the Dogs, in his first season they had the worst defence in the competition. They leaked 66 points against the Knights. He stripped it back, put his systems in, recruited players that were going to buy into that system. There was pain, but over the last couple of years they've turned into one of the best defensive teams in the competition. All hope is not lost for the Eels."

Hooper was less convinced things are trending in the right direction, pointing to what he described as a badly bent-out-of-shape roster.

"Aside from Mitch Moses, are there that many other players on that roster that rival clubs would really come in for? I look at it and I go, where the hell is twelve million dollars going at Parramatta?"

Savage raised the possibility of dropping Jonah Pezet and giving emerging youngster Lorenzo a crack.

"At least then you can determine whether you need to recruit or not. The Pezet signing has been one step backwards and no step forward. It's a band-aid on a shotgun wound."

Hooper closed the segment with a broader message of faith in Ryles' long-term credentials, while acknowledging the lessons being learned the hard way.

"He's learning hard and fast lessons on the run now. Sometimes you've got to go through short-term pain to get out the other side. But it's going to get a lot harder against Canterbury on Sunday."