Ryan Matterson
Ryan Matterson (born 13 October 1994) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a second-rower or lock forward for the Parramatta Eels in the NRL. He previously played for the Sydney Roosters, with whom he won the 2018 NRL Grand Final and the Wests Tigers in the NRL. Matterson has also played for the City Origin side and New South Wales. He has also played as a five-eighth, halfback, centre and hooker in his career.
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Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 13 October 1994 Greenacre, New South Wales, Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 191 cm (6 ft 3 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 105 kg (16 st 7 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Second-row, Lock, Five-eighth | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: [1] As of 16 February 2026 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Education | St Pauls Catholic College | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Relatives | Dean Matterson (brother) Terry Matterson (uncle) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ryan Matterson (born 13 October 1994) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a second-rower or lock forward for the Parramatta Eels in the NRL.
He previously played for the Sydney Roosters, with whom he won the 2018 NRL Grand Final and the Wests Tigers in the NRL. Matterson has also played for the City Origin side and New South Wales. He has also played as a five-eighth, halfback, centre and hooker in his career.
Background
[edit]Matterson was born in Greenacre, New South Wales, Australia, and was educated at St Pauls Catholic College, Greystanes, graduating in 2012.[2][3] He is the nephew of former Sydney Roosters and Brisbane Broncos player Terry Matterson.[4]
Matterson played his junior rugby league for the Wentworthville Magpies and Bankstown Bulls, before being signed by the Sydney Roosters.
Playing career
[edit]Early career
[edit]From 2012 to 2014, Matterson played for the Parramatta Eels' NYC team.[5] In 2014, he captained the side.[6]
On 3 May 2014, he played for the New South Wales under-20s team against the Queensland under-20s team.[7] On 26 June 2014, he re-signed with the Eels on a 3-year contract.[8] On 18 October 2014, he played for the Junior Kangaroos against the Junior Kiwis.[9] In 2015, he graduated to Eels' New South Wales Cup team, Wentworthville Magpies.[10] In August 2015, he signed a two-year contract with the Sydney Roosters starting in 2016.[11]
2016
[edit]In round 8 of the 2016 NRL season, Matterson made his NRL debut for the Roosters against the St. George Illawarra Dragons,[12][13] scoring a try.[14] On 8 May, he played for NSW City against NSW Country, after just two NRL appearances, playing at centre and taking an intercept to set up a try, before scoring one himself in the second half of City's 44-30 victory.[15]
2017
[edit]Matterson made 23 appearances for the Sydney Roosters in 2017 as the club fell short of a grand final appearance losing to North Queensland in the preliminary final 29-16.[16][17]
2018
[edit]In 2018, Matterson was part of the Roosters which won their 4th minor premiership in six years. On 30 September, Matterson played in Easts 21-6 victory over Melbourne in the 2018 NRL grand final. This would be the final appearance for Matterson as an Eastern Suburbs player as he had signed a three-year deal to join the Wests Tigers starting in 2019.[18][19]
2019
[edit]Matterson made his debut for the Wests Tigers in round 1 of the 2019 NRL season against Manly-Warringah at Leichhardt Oval.[20]
Matterson scored his first try for the club in round 4 against Penrith which the Wests Tigers lost 9-8.[21][22]
Matterson made a total of 24 appearances for the club in the 2019 NRL season as they finished ninth and missed out on the finals. On September 19, Matterson was granted leave from training for the final part of the year for personal reasons.[23]
Having been granted a release from the Wests Tigers on October 31, Matterson then signed a three-year deal with the Parramatta Eels, his junior club, on November 7.[24]
2020
[edit]On 3 February, Matterson spoke to the media for the first time since joining Parramatta and apologised publicly to supporters of the Wests Tigers club saying "To all the fans out there I'm sorry for how it happened, I do say sorry to them and I understand their frustrations but it was kind of out of my control, "I don't sign contracts to purposefully want to leave. Something did happen at the Tigers, and I'm sorry that happened so with the intention of signing with Parramatta, I do want to stay here permanently and long-term and really enjoy my football. I was frustrated when it was perceived [to be] about money. It wasn't. That just wasn't the case".[25]
Matterson made his debut for Parramatta in round 1 of the 2020 NRL season against arch rivals Canterbury-Bankstown. Parramatta would go on to win the match 8-2.[26]
In round 5, Matterson scored the winning try for Parramatta as the club defeated Penrith 16-10. The result saw Parramatta win their first five games of the year which was their best start to a season since 1986.[27]
In round 11, Matterson faced his former club Wests Tigers for the first time since departing them under bitter circumstances. Early in the first half, he was taken from the field with concussion after being knocked out attempting a tackle on Wests player Russell Packer. Matterson took no further part in the match as Parramatta won 26-16.[28]
At the end of the 2020 regular season, Parramatta finished in third place and qualified for the finals. Matterson played in both finals matches where the club lost to Melbourne and South Sydney.[29]
2021
[edit]In round 2 against Melbourne, Matterson was taken from the field with concussion after being elbowed in the head by Melbourne player Felise Kaufusi. As a result, Matterson missed the following five matches.[30]
In round 22 against Manly, Matterson was sent off for high contact to the head of Brad Parker during Parramatta's 56-10 loss.[31] On 16 August, Matterson was suspended for three matches in relation to the tackle.[32] Matterson missed the first week of the finals due to his suspension but returned for Parramatta's semi-final against Penrith which Parramatta lost 8-6 ending their season.[33]
2022
[edit]In round 9 of the 2022 NRL season, Matterson scored the winning try for Parramatta in their 22-20 victory over Penrith at Penrith Park. It was Penrith's first loss of the season and also the first time the club had lost at the ground since 2019.[34] On 29 May, Matterson was selected by New South Wales to play off the bench in game one of the 2022 State of Origin series.[35] On 18 June, it was announced that Matterson had signed a four-year contract extension to remain at Parramatta until the end of 2026. The following day, Matterson was left out of the New South Wales squad for game two against Queensland.[36] Matterson played 23 games for Parramatta in 2022 including their Grand Final loss Penrith at Stadium Australia.[37]
On 5 October, Matterson elected to serve a three-game suspension for a crusher tackle on Penrith player Dylan Edwards rather than pay a $4,000 fine. Matterson explained his reasons behind taking the ban saying “I just feel that $4,000 is pretty hefty considering I have already paid close to $4,000 in fines this year for things that are absurd,” Matterson said, At the end of the day I have personal things I need to worry about outside of rugby league. I just didn't think it was warranted. If you do something wrong at work. They don't take money off you. It's always hard. I love playing. It's something I spoke to the club about before I made the decision. Obviously it's a hard one, but I have personal reasons I need to take into consideration". Matterson then explained his frustration at Penrith's Jarome Luai avoiding sanctions after he kicked Parramatta player Isaiah Papali'i saying “Considering Jarome Luai is kicking players and he didn't get cited. It makes you think ‘Where is this game heading?".[38]
2023
[edit]In round 4 of the 2023 NRL season, Matterson made his first start of the year in Parramatta's 17-16 golden point extra-time victory over Penrith. In round 12 against South Sydney, Matterson was taken from the field during the clubs upset victory with a calf injury and was ruled out for an indefinite period.[39] Matterson played a total of 18 matches for Parramatta in the 2023 NRL season as the club finished 10th and missed the finals.[40]
2024
[edit]Matterson played a total of 16 games for Parramatta in the 2024 NRL season as the club finished 15th on the table. There were reports that Matterson had been told by Parramatta officials he could negotiate with other clubs ahead of the 2025 NRL season, however the club later backflipped on this stance.[41]
2025
[edit]At the start of the 2025 NRL season, Matterson found himself exiled from the first team with the introduction of new head coach Jason Ryles. Matterson managed only four appearances from the interchange bench throughout the year and was placed in the clubs reserve grade team. On 22 July, the Parramatta club confirmed that Matterson was released from the club to take up an opportunity overseas with Warrington on a loan deal. In round 20 of the 2025 Super League season, Matterson made his club debut for Warrington in their 20-16 loss against Leigh. Matterson played eight matches for Warrington towards the back end of the 2025 Super League season as the club finished 8th on the table.[42]
Statistics
[edit]| Year | Team | Games | Tries | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 |  Sydney Roosters
|
15 | 4 | 16 |
| 2017 | 23 | 1 | 4 | |
| 2018 | 22 | 5 | 20 | |
| 2019 |  Wests Tigers
|
24 | 5 | 20 |
| 2020 |  Parramatta Eels
|
19 | 3 | 12 |
| 2021 | 17 | 4 | 16 | |
| 2022 | 23 | 4 | 16 | |
| 2023 | 18 | |||
| 2024 | 16 | |||
| 2025 | Parramatta Eels
|
4 | ||
 Warrington Wolves (loan)
|
8 | |||
| 2026 | Parramatta Eels
|
|||
| Totals | 189 | 26 | 104 |
References
[edit]- ^ "Ryan Matterson - Career Stats & Summary". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
- ^ "He's Got My Back, I've Got His: The Mattersons". Sydney Roosters. 17 February 2018. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
- ^ Woods, Melissa (14 September 2020). "Matterson NRL ton proves teacher wrong". The Young Witness. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
- ^ "Eels re-sign Terry Matterson's nephew". NRL.com. 26 June 2014. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
- ^ "M". Nyc Database. 27 December 2012. Archived from the original on 22 June 2015. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
- ^ NRL (27 September 2014). "Matterson: We Gave It Everything - Eels". Parraeels.com.au. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
- ^ "NSW State of Origin Under-20s named". NRL.com. 28 April 2014. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
- ^ ParraEels.com.au (26 June 2014). "Eels re-sign Ryan Matterson". Zero Tackle. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
- ^ "Junior Kangaroos side to face NZ". NRL.com. 10 October 2014. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
- ^ NRL (3 March 2015). "VB NSW CUP TEAMS ROUND 1". NSWRL. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
- ^ SMH.com.au (2 August 2015). "Interest in late-bloomer O'Brien". Zero Tackle. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
- ^ "Updated team lists: Dragons v Roosters". NRL.com. 28 February 2016. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
- ^ NRL. "NRL Late Mail | Round 8". Roosters. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
- ^ "Dragons hold on in Anzac Day thriller". NRL.com. 28 February 2016. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
- ^ "Updated: Representative Round team lists". NRL.com. 28 February 2016. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
- ^ "Custom Match List - Rugby League Project".
- ^ "Cowboys' fairytale continues into grand final with upset win over Roosters". TheGuardian.com. 23 September 2017.
- ^ "'My hero': Wife's touching tribute". News.com.au. 30 September 2018.
- ^ "Tigers sign Matterson on three-year deal". 11 September 2018.
- ^ "Brendan Elliot's minute of madness bombs a certain try". Sporting News.
- ^ "The unseen hours that led to Nathan Cleary's stunning clutch plays". www.foxsports.com.au. 7 April 2019.
- ^ "'I've dreamt about it': Cleary's golden moment". www.nrl.com. 5 April 2019.
- ^ "Matterson granted leave from Wests Tigers training". NRL. 19 September 2019.
- ^ "Matterson returns to Eels on three-year contract". NRL. 7 November 2019.
- ^ "Matterson apologises to Tigers fans over ugly exit". www.nrl.com. 3 February 2020.
- ^ "Live NRL: After 65 minutes we FINALLY have a try — Eels rookie breaks deadlock". Fox Sports. 12 March 2020.
- ^ "Friday Night Results". ABC News. 12 June 2020.
- ^ "Parramatta Eels beat Wests Tigers". ABC News. 23 July 2020.
- ^ "WTF was that?! Eels implode with TWO howlers in 60 seconds of madness". www.foxsports.com.au. 10 October 2020.
- ^ "Parramatta Eels beat Melbourne Storm 16-12 in NRL thriller". ABC News. 18 March 2021.
- ^ "Eels star's season could be over as 'shocking' high shot earns a HUGE suspension". www.foxsports.com.au. 15 August 2021.
- ^ "Round 22 charges: Radley, Matterson, Harawira-Naera among seven banned". www.nrl.com. 17 August 2021.
- ^ "Penrith Panthers handed NRL breach notice, fined $25,000 after incident in Parramatta semi-final". ABC News. 21 September 2021.
- ^ "Found peace with his anger': Moses new-found calm orchestrates rival upset". www.foxsports.com.au.
- ^ "Wighton starts at centre as Blues confirm lineup for Game One". www.nrl.com.
- ^ "'He's staying': Arthur confirms Matterson's four-year extension in big Dolphins blow". www.foxsports.com.au.
- ^ "NRL Grand Final as it happened". www.theguardian.com.
- ^ "Why did Ryan Matterson choose to serve a suspension rather than pay a fine?". www.sportingnews.com.
- ^ "Casualty Ward: Blues blow for Jurbo; Munster hoses injury talk". www.nrl.com.
- ^ "NRL 2023: Parramatta Eels season review". www.sportingnews.com.
- ^ "The Mole's end of season review: What went wrong at the Parramatta Eels?". www.nine.com.au.
- ^ "Parramatta Eels release Ryan Matterson". Parramatta Eels. 22 July 2025. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
External links
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