In recent years Parramatta’s trial against the Penrith Panthers has been the showpiece event of the preseason and the critical final tune-up for the Blue & Gold ahead of Round 1. With the Panthers hosting St Helens this year in the revamped ‘Preseason Challenge’, the trial against Penrith now falls as the Eels’ opening trial and thus features a host of young prospects and hungry depth contenders ready to prove they deserve a shot in the NRL.

In lieu of a proper preview, today we will instead take a look at some of the critical points to watch in Saturday’s game as the Eels start their journey to going just one single, solitary step better in 2023.

1. Can Josh Hodgson take his forwards to another level?

Anyone frequenting TCT will know that Josh Hodgson was the runaway star of Parramatta’s preseason. Sixties was wowed at turn after turn by Hodgson’s supreme fitness levels, wily craftiness and unrivalled leadership skills over the summer in what has been unquestionably the most impressive preseason by a new arrival in over a decade.

Given the above the answer to my first watch point is really ‘Yes but just exactly how high can he take them?’.

Can Hodgson put fellow starters Ky Rodwell and Ofahiki Ogden into situations where they aren’t simply pressing the advantage line but dominating it? Can his own running game be the missing element to ascend Parramatta’s pack to the most dominant in the code? Will he be the consistent goal-line playmaker that Reed Mahoney just quite couldn’t be for Parramatta?

We won’t be able to answer all of these through the course of just one trial but it might take less than 20-minutes to show just how valuable Hodgson could be for the Eels.

2. Is there another Tom Opacic on the roster?

Proof that you don’t need to be a superstar to be valuable, Tom Opacic carved out a rock solid 40-game tenure at the club over the 2021 and ’22 seasons. His ability to step in and play good defence and tidy offence in an era dominated by explosive athletes in the backline was criminally underrated by neutrals but earned him a 2-year deal with Hull KR.

The Eels aren’t short on quality backs mind you. Will Penisini headlines a three-quarter line that also hosts proven NRL talent in Maika Sivo, Waqa Blake, Bailey Simonsson and Haze Dunster but there is something comforting about knowing you have an Opacic-esque player to call upon when there are any concerns pertaining to form, injury or suspensions.

Sean Russell is leading the charge to play in Round One as Blake, Simonsson and Dunster all battle the clock to be fit for the season opener against Melbourne. His ability to play wing, centre and fullback makes him a leading candidate to be a similar Mr Fix-It as Opacic was over the last two years. Samuel Loizou and Zac Cini shouldn’t be counted out either though and while Russell has a step on them currently, they can steal back a march tomorrow with a big game against the Panthers.

Matt Komolafe might not possess the versatility of the 3 other men above but I am quietly expecting great things from him this year. Looking to have physically made a significant jump from 2022 Komolafe, who was already a good young player, could very much be a spark plug simply waiting for a chance to ignite.

3. The rumble on the right-edge

It was never going to be easy to replace Isaiah Papali’i this year but credit to Jirah Momoisea and Matt Doorey – they have run a fierce contest to win the spot over the summer. Doorey seemed to have the lead throughout the majority of the preseason but Momoisea has made a thunderous late charge and now finds himself starting on Saturday night.

Realistically speaking, there is a strong chance the two men work as a platoon on the right edge between Momoisea’s intriguing versatility and Doorey’s consistency, but pride will push both men to try and win the starting berth.

With Doorey and his aforementioned consistency I am reasonably confident in what we will get from him which leaves Jirah Momoisea as the wildcard. A front-row forward in his time at the Knights, Jirah has obviously transitioned to the edge for the Eels but has even spent time in the centres. That will immediately draw parallels to Marata Niukore for fans but I am curious to see how Jirah finds his own rhythm and style at the club.

4. Revolution or evolution?

The Eels made some significant additions to their coaching ranks with the acquisitions of Trent Barrett and Steve Antonelli. With Barrett bringing a wealth of offensive knowledge to the table and Antonelli specialising inversely in defence, Saturday’s contest gives us our first look at how the Eels are iterating on both sides of the ball in 2023.

Even without Mitchell Moses, Dylan Brown and Clinton Gutherson we can expect the Eels to employ the same shapes and structures a full-strength NRL team would otherwise use so getting our first look at any new attacking or defensive principles will be extremely exciting.

Josh Hodgson will be of course be at heart of most of this but seeing how Jake Arthur and Sean Russell feature here will be worth watching too.

5. Pressing for the bench

As Momoisea and Doorey duke it out to start on the right edge so too is there a battle unfolding for the precious few spots left on the NRL bench for Round 1. Ryan Matterson’s suspension does open up an extra slot on the interchange for the first 3 rounds but with one of Momoisea/Doorey taking a bench spot presumably alongside Jack Murchie there leaves only 2 more spots available beyond that.

Ogden and Rodwell look to have something of a lead here as they start over Wiremu Greig and Makahesi Makatoa but a lot can change over the course of a trial or two. Does Josh Hodgson’s ability to play 80-min push the team to a 4-forward bench or does it open up a path for a backline utility to sneak onto the sideline?

As great as the starting pack has been for the Eels in recent years, they haven’t quite been able to lock down a stellar bench rotation to complete the team. Be it Ogden, Rodwell or anyone else – someone making that jump this year adds so, so much to the team.

6. Will someone be a bolt from the blue (& gold)

Every now and then someone puts it all together in time for the trials. It doesn’t happen often but sometimes an individual can pivot a good preseason into an incredible one by lighting up the trials. Toni Mataele, Jayden Yates and Dan Keir all picked up gongs in TCT’s Preseason Awards List while young forwards like Tevita Taumoepenu and Jontay-Junior Betham-Misa possess the raw attributes to be NRL players. All it takes is one catalysing performance to put them in the mix.

7. Just enjoy some Parramatta footy!

It is easy to get hung up about all the minutiae and the critical details to analyse with microscope but ultimately it is simply awesome to have Parramatta footy back on the menu! Enjoy the game, hope for the Eels to come out of it without any injuries and be sure to tune in to the instant reaction podcast with myself and Sixties.

Bonus! Be sure to support your All-Star Eels!

You are going to need a free Saturday with a tab open on TCT to track the Junior Representatives and a TV on to catch the Men’s and Women’s All-Stars games on a truly manic Super Saturday. Gayle Broughton, Zali Fay, Ashleigh Quinlan and Brooke Anderson will represent the women’s Maori team at 1:30PM (Kennedy Cherrington is unfortunately out with an arm injury) while J’maine Hopgood starts at lock for the men’s Indigenous team at 3:45PM.

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