Ryan Matterson said he’s open to extending his stay in England beyond 2025, despite being contracted to the Parramatta Eels for the 2026 NRL season.

The 30-year-old forward joined the Warrington Wolves in July after falling out of favour at Parramatta and spending an extended stint in reserve grade. He hadn’t played a game at any level for nine weeks due to injury before making his debut for the Wolves against the Leigh Leopards over the weekend.

Now settled in the UK and back on the field, Matterson told the BBC he’s focusing on enjoying his footy again, and isn’t ruling anything out for next year.

“Anything that is the right fit for me”

“Definitely. Anything that is the right fit for me, that’s what I’m willing to do,” he said when asked if he’d consider staying in England longer-term.

“I’m definitely contracted to Parramatta next year. [On] 30 June, [I] finished up in Australia, after which you can’t change teams, and I needed to enjoy my football again. The club has spoken to my manager about the future and next year and things like that. I’ve told him he can sort that out. I’m focused on the short term.”

While the Eels haven’t publicly commented on whether they’d entertain an early release, the decision to move him on mid-season, combined with recent aggressive reshuffling under coach Jason Ryles, suggests they may be open to talks.

Matterson has played 181 NRL games across stints with the Roosters, Tigers and Eels, and earned a New South Wales Blues call-up in 2022.