‘Even happier now’: Eels recruit breaks silence over Tigers split — and talks that led to exit

Ex-Tigers hooker Tallyn Da Silva has broken his silence on his exit from the club to link with arch rivals the Eels in a mid-season switch that finally put his contract saga to bed.

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Da Silva and the Tigers agreed to a mutual release to allow the young playmaker to chase more regular game time at the Eels, with the club deciding to put their faith in skipper Api Koroisau for the next few seasons.

Da Silva has been earmarked as a potential representative player of the future, but did not want to bide his time behind Koroisau for the next three years, so chose to test his value on the open market.

The Eels beat a number of interested clubs to his signature and the Tigers held up their end of the bargain in letting him break his contract, which expired at the end of 2026, early.

The local junior told The Sydney Morning Herald, he never wanted to leave the Tigers, but believes joining the Eels is the best thing for his development and his future.

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Da Silva paid tribute to Api Koroisau. Source: Supplied

“I thought it would be pretty special to stay at the Tigers, but unfortunately it didn’t happen. That’s footy. You move on, and I’m even more happy to be at Parra now,” he told the publication.

Da Silva noted how he had been behind Koroisau in the pecking order for three years and was concerned that spending more years behind him would impact his development and “ability to make a name for myself.”

He added that leaving Tigers was “the best thing” and that he was happy to have taken a new opportunity.

The 20-year-old stressed there are no bad feelings between him and the Tigers, with both parties aware of what the other wanted all the way through the process and the timing just wasn’t right for him to stay.

New Eels hooker Tallyn Da Silva. Source: Supplied

“The whole way myself, my management and my family handled the situation, we were nothing but honest with the club,” Da Silva said.

“We sat with them many times and said we wanted to stay, but at the end of the day if you choose to go with Api then we will have to look elsewhere for my development to become a football player.

“I’m very grateful to the club for understanding that and taking it on board. The way myself, my family and management have gone about it, it was only fair … there are no hard feelings there at all.

Da Silva, who has scored four tries in 22 games since his debut in 2023, paid tribute to Koroisau for helping him grow his game over the last three seasons.

He called him a “good person” and said that there was no one better for him to develop under.

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