NRLW Team List
Round 1, 12:00PM Sunday 23rd July, CommBank Stadium
The NRLW arrive in style this week for their season launch at CommBank Stadium. Dean Widders and his new look squad take on the Wests Tigers at 12:00PM on Sunday. Our first look at the full strength team builds nicely on the trial victory over the St George Illawarra Dragons a fortnight ago with a healthy blend of experience and quality in key positions and youth and talent across the board.
Rachael Pearson and Elsie Albert start at halfback and prop respectively and form a triumvirate of cornerstone players for the team alongside Kennedy Cherrington. Abbi Church, Zali Fay and Cassey Tohi-Hiku give the Eels speed and strike in the backline while Mahalia Murphy showed glimpses of legitimate power at right centre in the trial match. Rueben Cherrington joins her sister in the forwards as the starting dummy half and will work as a battery with Capri Paekau while Parramatta junior Ruby-Kean Kennard-Ellis squares up the other front row position opposite Albert.
A host of new faces fill out Parramatta’s forward pack and interchange rotation meaning there will be plenty to find out and discover as they make their club debuts and carve out their own places in the team.
There is plenty of familiarity with the opposition this week as well. No less than six of the top seventeen Wests Tigers named have played for the Eels in earlier editions of the NRLW with Botille Vette-Welsh headlining the group. She will be a key player on the Eels’ tip sheet this week with game-breaking ability out wide. The Tigers look a good team on paper and will be fired up to play their first official NRLW match so the Eels will need to be locked in on Sunday.
| Parramatta Eels | Wests Tigers | |
| Abbi Church | 1 | Botille Vette-Welsh |
| Zali Fay | 2 | Jakiya Whitfield |
| Mahalia Murphy | 3 | Rikeya Horne |
| Shontelle Stowers | 4 | Leianne Tufuga |
| Cassey Tohi-Hiku | 5 | Josie Lenaz |
| Pihuka Berryman-Duff | 6 | Pauline Piliae-Rasabale |
| Rachael Pearson | 7 | Emily Curtain |
| Elsie Albert | 8 | Sarah Togatuki |
| Rueben Cherrington | 9 | Ebony Prior |
| Ruby-Jean Kennard-Ellis | 10 | Christian Pio |
| Amelia Mafi | 11 | Kezie Apps |
| Talesha Quinn | 12 | Eliza Siilata |
| Kennedy Cherrington | 13 | Najvada George |
| Interchange | ||
| Capri Paekau | 14 | Sophie Curtain |
| Jade Fonua | 15 | Losana Lutu |
| Shannon Muru | 16 | Taylor Osborne |
| Madline Jones | 17 | Folau Vaki |
| Reserves | ||
| Monique Donovan | 18 | Jessica Kennedy |
| Kyra Simon | 19 | Rebecca Pollard |
| Kimberley Hunt | 20 | Biance Bennetts |
| Rosemarie Beckett | 21 | Salma Nour |
| Nakia Davis-Welsh | 22 | Imogen Gobran |
NRL Team List
Round 21, 7:35PMPM Saturday 21st July, QLD Country Bank Stadium
The Parramatta Eels enter a critical stretch of their season starting this week with a trip to the tropics against the North Queensland Cowboys. A crucial win against the Titans last week keeps the Blue & Gold surging towards the Top 4 but now they must find a way to win against the in-form Cowboys without the services of Reagan Campbell-Gillard and most likely Maika Sivo (pending grading downgrade appeal).
Brad Arthur has turned to Ofahiki Ogden to step in at prop forward while it will presumably be between Haze Dunster and Waqa Blake to provisionally replace Sivo on the left wing. Technically, Arthur could also throw a backrower into the centre and bump Bailey Simonsson to the wing but I am not sure that is on the table.
There are otherwise no changes for the Eels this week. They are full go and know what their assignment is on Saturday. North Queensland have plenty of strike players with Scott Drinkwater and Tom Dearden at the top of the list. It isn’t too dissimilar from the mandate against the Gold Coast. Control the ruck and respect their speedy playmakers and you will be a good step towards victory.
| Parramatta Eels | North Queensland Cowboys | |
| Clinton Gutherson | 1 | Scott Drinkwater |
| Maika Sivo | 2 | Semi Valemei |
| Will Penisini | 3 | Valentine Holmes |
| Bailey Simonsson | 4 | Peta Hiku |
| Sean Russell | 5 | Murray Taulagi |
| Daejarn Asi | 6 | Tom Dearden |
| Mitchell Moses | 7 | Chad Towsend |
| Ofahiki Ogden | 8 | Jordan McLean |
| Brendan Hands | 9 | Reece Robson |
| Junior Paulo | 10 | Coen Hess |
| Shaun Lane | 11 | Luciano Leilua |
| Bryce Cartwright | 12 | Jeremiah Nanai |
| J’maine Hopgood | 13 | Reuben Cotter |
| Interchange | ||
| Luca Moretti | 14 | Jake Granville |
| Joe Ofahengaue | 15 | Griffin Neame |
| Andrew Davey | 16 | Jason Taumalolo |
| Ryan Matterson | 17 | Kulikefu Finefeuiaki |
| Reserves | ||
| Haze Dunster | 18 | Zak Laybutt |
| Makahesi Makatoa | 19 | Jamayne Taunoa-Brown |
| Waqa Blake | 20 | Sam McIntyre |
| Ky Rodwell | 21 | Ben Hampton |
| Jack Murchie | 22 | Mitchell Dunn |
NSW Cup Team List
Round 21, vs Roosters, 3:00PM Sunday 23rd July, Wentworth Park
Minor changes for the Eels in the NSW Cup this week. Ofahiki Ogden is obviously in the NRL team which has been offset by the return of Ky Rodwell. There will be a change in the backline ahead of kickoff should Maika Sivo fail in his bid to get a downgrade at the judiciary meaning one of Haze Dunster or Waqa Blake will be called up.
As with recent week we continue to see a positive injection of young talent. Jock Brazel moves into the starting backrow this week while Jacob Davis, Jontay-Junior Betham-Misa and Brock Parker load up the bench with youthful energy and talent.
| 1 | Arthur Miller-Stephen |
| 2 | Haze Dunster |
| 3 | Waqa Blake |
| 4 | Samuel Loizou |
| 5 | Isaac Lumelume |
| 6 | Zac Cini |
| 7 | Jordan Rankin |
| 8 | Ky Rodwell |
| 9 | Jayden Yates |
| 10 | Makahesi Makatoa |
| 11 | Jack Murchie |
| 12 | Jock Brazel |
| 13 | Dan Keir |
| Interchange | |
| 15 | Jacob Davis |
| 16 | Jontay-Junior Betham-Misa |
| 17 | Jirah Momoisea |
| 17 | Brock Parker |
Jersey Flegg Team List
Round 21, vs Roosters, 3:00PM Sunday 23rd July, Wentworth Park
The Flegg return from the bye with a key returnee in Blaize Talagi. Injured in the representative City vs Country fixture earlier this season, Blaize comes into the starting team at five-eighth and will partner Ethan Sanders. Toni Mataele also returns to the Flegg this week in a boost to their forward pack while Ethyn Martin features on the interchange this week after some sparkling efforts at wing and fullback in recent outings.
| 1 | Apa Twidle |
| 2 | Matthew Komolafe |
| 3 | Richard Penisini |
| 4 | Lachlan Blackburn |
| 5 | Turoa Williams |
| 6 | Blaize Talagi |
| 7 | Ethan Sanders |
| 8 | Noah Reed |
| 9 | Matthew Arthur |
| 10 | Toni Mataele |
| 11 | Charlie Guymer |
| 12 | William Latu |
| 13 | Nic Lenaz |
| Interchange | |
| 14 | Ethyn Martin |
| 15 | Lance Fualema |
| 16 | Saxon Pryke |
| 17 | Sam Tuivati |
| 18 | Lachlan Mears-Crabbe |
Surpised Talagi is returning 5/8 at the expense of Lynn. Lynn was keeping Talagi at centre in SG ball this year. Regardless, just happy to see Talag back.
The players in KOE cup are really going backwards with Cayless. We signed Mataele to be in the top 30 next year and now he is being dropped to Flegg. He is not even in the backrow. He is playing prop. He is going to be David Hollis all over again.
I hope Brazel bright future is not destroyed because of the hammering the KOE team is getting. Perhaps why Sanders is not in cup yet.
Cayless has been a disaster before and again , we cant let him butcher this batch of kids coming through , nice guy but not a coach im afraid , has to go !!!
Cayless has been a disaster before and again , we cant let him butcher this batch of kids coming through , nice guy but not a coach im afraid , has to go !!!
And r&r gave him top 30 spot for 2024 !
Just bear in mind the Cup team are really struggling because they dont have a half, just Rankin and have been experimenting with forwards in the no 6 jersery and now zac zini has a go. Been like this for the last I dont know how many games, reason for the cricket scores. The shake up on our halves across the board has effected NSW cup from Dylan Brown’s saga to Jake Arthur’s departure. Now we lose Sanders.
I assume Cody Parry is definitely on the outer. He was playing Flegg last year despite SG ball eligble this year like Pryke and Sanders. Now disappeared.
Sanders signs with Raiders. Shame by the club.
Why not shame on him? The club tried to keep him.
I said on here a month ago that r&r will lose most of our good juniors coming through , zadius now sanders , whose next , our junior retention is in just as bad a shape as it was before the overhaul !!! Poor judges and slow workings .Nothings changed , How many seasons since our wonderful junior system has supplied us a first grader , its pathetic !!!!! We must have the worst judges in nrl , by the time we realise thier potential someones beaten us to it , mikey last year as well , our systems produce them for other clubs , whoevers making the decisions needs to be moved on !
Don’t forget about Myles Martin at knights. Just waiting for Talagi, Tuivita, Guymer, Brazel or any other top junior to get poached
More likely than not we will lose them with the track record of this current recruitment and retention team. Peter tateoo already into nsw cup for Penrith aswell
Because our juniors are constantly leaving the club. No junior wants to stay with us. The only juniors recently our Dylan and Penisini because we through them the check book and a top 17 spot at a young age. All our other juniors don’t want to wait or leave the club regardless.
If the goal for younger players is to develop them into first grade players over winning junior comps then picking Sanders is completely wrong. Once he made the choice to leave then you might as well send him on garden leave.
Sanderis still contracted Parramatta eels till 24 end of his new deal with the Raiders starts in 25 so what do the eels do next year maybe a possible player swap for a early release, in a position we need… what r your thoughts guys
They have a good centre. That would be a fair swap