Welcome to season 2025! Going by the discourse this past week, Eels fans are in midseason form when it comes to groaning and bemoaning as the news of Mitchell Moses’ extended absence has sent waves of negativity through an ocean of hope and possibility. It’s not an ideal start to the new football year, certainly, but there is still plenty to be excited about, and dare I say even hopeful for.
I will forgive a touch, just a touch, of pessimism about Parramatta’s round one chances. The Melbourne Storm haven’t been beaten first up in a season since the days of Nokia phones and Big Kev cleaning products. They’re rarely beaten on their home patch, and the Eels start the year with more players unavailable than there were American fans in the Las Vegas grandstands last weekend. It’s a tough ask.
The Melbourne Storm are the primary antagonists of the NRL era Parramatta Eels, whether it be rampant salary cap cheating, by being the beneficiaries of what we will generously call “rough” refereeing in semi finals, or ever so occasionally by being a very good football team. The surest sign of a classic rivalry is when games are given nicknames, and Eels fans will know exactly what I’m talking about when I mention the “Ray Stone game”, “Sivo over Jennings” or “Billy Headbutts Hayne”. Melbourne’s biggest wins over us have far less iconic nicknames, like “Magic Round”, “Preliminary Final” or “Asterisk Grand Final”.
The 2025 Parramatta Eels are the very definition of new year, new you, so let’s get stuck in to another season of previews!
Game Info
Date: Sunday, March 9, 2025
Venue: AAMI Park, Melbourne
Kick-off: 4:05PM AEDT
Referee: Wyatt Raymond
Bunker: Grant Atkins
Weather: Very hot, dry, windy
Broadcast: Nine, Fox League, Kayo
Sixties Speculates (Odds quoted are NSW TAB)
Sixties will be updating his punting tip soon, but in the meantime I’ll give you a good tip for a bet to avoid. The Eels being spoon favourites might be the dumbest bet you could make in 2025.
Sixties here – let me echo Gol’s statement about the spoon.
On with the speculation.
All factors this week point to a comprehensive Melbourne victory.
The Storm are at home, are close to full strength, and boast an insane Round One winning record.
In contrast, the Eels have eight players on the injury list, including their newly appointed captain and star halfback, Mitch Moses.
It would be all too easy to look at various Melbourne winning markets and work out the juiciest of odds. Any serious punter will probably take that route.
But this is round one, and it’s The Cumberland Throw, so I can’t tell readers to back the Storm.
I’m looking at the line/head to head market and taking the Eels at +18.5 points which is paying $1.90.
Teams
Parramatta Eels
1. Isaiah Iongi 2. Sean Russell 3. Will Penisini 4. Zac Lomax 5. Jake Tago 6. Dylan Brown 7. Ronald Volkman 8. Joe Ofahengaue 9. Brendan Hands 10. Junior Paulo 11. Jack Williams 12. Kelma Tuilagi 13. J’maine Hopgood. 14. Ryley Smith 15. Matt Doorey 16. Ryan Matterson 17. Charlie Guymer. 18. Joash Papalii 19. Jordan Samrani 20. Toni Mataele 21. Sam Tuivaiti 22. Joey Lussick.
Five debutants for the Eels in round one, with key recruits Lomax, Iongi and Williams joined by boom preseason rookie Ryley Smith and halves reclamation project Ronald Volkman.
The backline is missing three starters in Moses, Addo-Carr and Simonsson, with Jake Tago winning the race to fill in the vacant wing spot, a decision hopefully made as much for preseason performance as “he’s the only healthy winger left”. Volkman needed dispensation to play but his preseason efforts deserved an upgrade, he looks to be the best Eels backup half in some time.
In the pack, Jack Williams was in line for a start from the moment he was a surprise addition to the leadership group, but like most I expected that to come in the front row. Instead Joe Ofahengaue gets the start and Williams moves to the edge alongside Kelma Tuilagi, who was as impressive in his first trial as he was ordinary in his second. The Supercoach servers nearly crumbled under the weight of coaches dropping him after that performance.
Ryley Smith beats Joey Lussick and Joash Papalii to the bench utility role. Lussick was a long shot, but Papalii could have had an interesting role as a livewire impact player. A more traditional dual hooking role is the safer play, and a fair reward for a good preseason from Smith.
Melbourne Storm
1. Ryan Papenhuyzen 2. Will Warbrick 3. Jack Howarth 4. Nick Meaney 5. Xavier Coates 6. Cameron Munster 7. Jahrome Hughes 8. Stefano Utoikamanu 9. Harry Grant 10. Josh King 11. Shawn Blore 12. Eliesa Katoa 13. Trent Loiero. 14. Tyran Wishart 15. Alec MacDonald 16. Tui Kamikamica 17. Lazarus Vaalepu. 18 Grant Anderson 19. Bronson Garlick 20. Joe Chan 21. Sualauvi Faalogo 22. Kane Bradley.
The Storm are at full strength aside from the suspended Nelson Asofa-Solomona, who frankly they’re probably better without anyway. Ryan Papenhuyzen overcame injury clouds (who would have guessed?) to take the custodian role, and Tigers turncoat Stefano Utoikamanu makes his Storm debut in the front row. Will the Melbourne gamble that he will actually put some effort in for a good side pay off? Here’s hoping not.
I hate talking about Melbourne, so instead let us note that of the 26 starters on Sunday, only six (four for the Storm and two Eels) are clean shaven (and that’s counting Joe Ofahengaue and Jahrome Hughes’ five o’clock shadows for the clean side). I’ve never felt older than when I’ve sat in the stands, beer in hand, complaining about the mullets and pencil moustaches of the modern player.
Body Transformation Program
Isaiah Iongi has looked the goods in preseason
Jason Ryles hasn’t made a secret of what his brand of Eels football will look like; he’s recruited agile, lean forwards and fast backs, while the body transformations of his inherited roster wouldn’t look out of place as Instagram before/after weight loss ads. The expectation is the team will be fit and fast both with and without the ball.
In attack it is easy to imagine what that looks like, even without Moses and Addo-Carr. Isaiah Iongi has had a dream run of trials, showcasing his ballplaying, speed and strength setting up and scoring some great tries. Lomax and Penisini will thrive with space on the edge, while Volkman had some deft touches with his misdirection passes against Newcastle. With some downhill running, this Eels team will have no trouble putting points on the board, even without Mitch Moses.
Getting that downhill running against Melbourne is going to be the challenge. Whether it be chicken wings, headlocks, leg pulls or crushers, the Storm have always been at the forefront of the rugby league wrestling movement and slowing the play the ball to their advantage. With the ball they are always difficult to slow, with Harry Grant a master at picking his moment and getting his players on the front foot, while Eli Katoa has developed into an elite line runner.
How Parramatta stops that momentum is where all eyes will be turned on Sunday afternoon. The Eels were an all time disaster in defence in 2024, combining an impressively consistent fatigue cliff with poor technique and lack of commitment to cover defence. By the 60th minute you could run around, through and in between the Eels defensive line, whatever you tried would work. The fitness work that Jason Ryles has been doing would be directed primarily at addressing this issue.
That is where I need to see immediate results. Yes there are going to be some fresh combinations out there, and mistakes will be made. There’ll probably be some tries scored that make you say “here we go again” when a winger (likely Tago) is caught in a basic two on one as a wrong decision from edges that probably didn’t expect to be playing together has a cascading impact out wide. What we need to see improvement in is effort areas: cover, second efforts, scramble and support.
Smaller body sizes will sacrifice in the contact battle to win the fatigue war, and the Eels have never been a great contact and wrestling team anyway, so we might not notice the difference if what has been lost in muscle and size has been gained in technique and skill from a fresh off season program. There were some worrying signs from a few players in the Tigers trial regarding their contact (Tuilagi and Doorey notably) but against Newcastle I was impressed by some of the cover and scramble defence. I can’t wait to see the Eels defence in a real match situation and find out just where we stand.
The Dylan Discourse
Thanks to an off season free of “white powder” scandals and other salacious headlines, we’ve instead had to endure the manager-led and media fueled window shopping of Dylan Brown. While Chris Orr’s email to the clubs selling Brown with a bad photoshop job and some YouTube links was the funniest thing I read all off-season, these protracted contract “negotiations” have become a very stale joke for Eels fans.
If Brown wants to be one of the highest paid players in the game, this next six weeks is where he can earn it. I thought he was solid without Moses in difficult circumstances last year, but for that money you need to win games on your own back and Dylan Brown just hasn’t done that very often in his career. If he can lead the Eels to a win over Melbourne here the discourse will be unbearable, but I think I could cop it to be the team that broke the Storm streak.
The Game
Suns out, guns out, hearts aflutter for Zac Lomax
Jason Ryles wasted no time in shaping the Eels to his liking, and while the sudden departure of Clint Gutherson (and Maika Sivo, I suppose) hurt and the ousting of Reagan Campbell-Gillard confused, I appreciate the need for a broom to go through a team that spent the two years post grand final appearance as lethargic and increasingly outdated, and a few valuables collected along the way is just the price to be paid for a fresh start. A new style of football and a new team attitude is an exciting prospect, even if punters and pundits alike are giving it little hope of success.
I’d love to see the Eels start the Ryles era with a win (in perhaps the most obvious statement I’ve ever made in these previews), but it is a big ask against the competition favourites on their own turf, defending a frankly ridiculous first round record. It will be tough to come away with the points, but we’ll certainly get a good look at where the Eels are at for season 2025. I get the feeling we’ll be much closer to the top than most are giving us a chance of.
That’s my prediction here. The Storm will have too much class and find a way to get it done, but they’ll have to earn it. It’ll be skill and brilliance that gets them over the Eels, not Harry Grant running through the ruck because a tired defender is walking back to his mark. It might not be the ideal start, but I still have high hopes for season 2025.
Go you Eels!
Prediction: Melbourne 22 d Parramatta 16
Man of the Match: Jahrome Hughes
Gol
Tks Gol, well presented and thorough. I can only waffle at the periphery. The absence of NAS will eliminate a couple of errors (in our favour)but also a couple of dud calls (in Storms favour) from his bag of tricks. Also the bunker thus far in Rd 1 seems intent on supporting the on field call unless it’s 90%+ obvious that it’s wrong…you won’t get any sympathy at 50/50. Last night Billy Slater meekly called ‘I didn’t see any touch’ from a Souths knock on ruling but then just moved on like he’s been instructed not to dispute bunker rulings. In Vegas, one screamer was Penrith copping a no-try knock on when 100% the ball was punched out by a Shark and still in play. Blind Freddy could see that one.
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Can’t see why Storm are better off with big Nelson missing. The bloke can change a game. He’s what we need, a big aggressive dose of mongrel. Nice to see Mr Atkins in the bunker, that enhances our prospects.
I detect some sarcasm there Prometheus.
Don’t start me on the officials this early BDon.
Nice preview Gol. I’m hoping for a good performance by the boys, yes it will be hard missing a couple of players but all teams go through that and the good 1’s still perform. Would rather see Williams and Matto start on the edges first up to weather the storm so to speak as they are our best defending forwards. Don’t expect to win but want to see us competitive and our new structures work.
Now that Matto is out our absences sit at nine out.
where is Carty?
Not selected
It’s a better side than we had for most of last year with considerable strength still on the sidelines. We can hope for better than fifteenth by season’s end, a solid start to a rebuild that’s going to take several seasons. I have particular hopes for Sean Russell who has built himself up to be a very big man and who has had an elite apprenticeship. I’ve never seen Dean Hawkins play a game and he may be very good; I predict that Ron Volkmann, given his chance, will prove very hard to shift.
Lots to look forward to.
There are plenty of interesting players to watch in this game. I intend compiling the total NRL games for both teams.
You offer us 22-16 before kickoff and I think we take it.
I’ll be happy just to see us show some defensive resolve to indicate the pre-season has accomplished more than deliver us 8 injured players.
A win will be not being beaten by as many as the Roosters and Cowboys were….
They’ll fight hard Brad. Nine out is a huge hurdle. Moses just being one of them.
Game day!!
I honestly don’t know how to feel. I’m excited, nervous, worried and numb at what could happen today.
It’s like launching a home made sailboat for the first time. It could sail to Mexico or it could sink at the wharf.
I hope Ryles photocopied their grub manual before he left. Going after their playmakers is our only hope, line speed and spoiling tactics boys, come on, get in their faces, Munster hates that.
Joe O needs to set the tone, he’ll give away penalties but if we get close, it will be on the back of him.
Go Parra!!
The grub manual! Classic
What I’ve seen of Tuivati, he’s made for NRL, I don’t mind this change at all, in fact, longer term it’s got upside written all over it. Good luck to the young dude. I recall Will Penisini’s debut v Storm at about the same age…he killed it.
Big day for Sam.
Love to see Tuivaiti in the 17! Congrats to the young man on his debut today as a NRL first grade eel! He U.S. breaking the ice against the second best team in the game! Big challenge but also a vote of CONFIDENCE from the big many Ryles o show Sam he believes in him which means a lot!
Hey did any of you watch the saints and Bulldogs game yesterday?
I don’t want to pick on him too much because still a fan of his still..
But does it look like gutho is almost done to you? He is missing tackles now (and it started to with us too) that he once NEVER would have missed! He looks old out there. He once looked unbeatable in defence and now looks almost the opposite?
I think a master stroke bet on a half price FB in Iongi is going to be a good looking decision for our club long term after seeing gutho in the red V yesterday.
Ps, let’s go parra 💪 hope we smash Melbourne today or at least make ourselves PROUD! Nobody is giving the eels even a chance.. Let’s Go parra!
Muz, that’s why Ryles was looking at an alternative role for the King. All the greats reacha point where this will happen.
True mate I think you are right there and he doesn’t look up to it anymore to a high level like he once did especially defensively
Muz agree with you on Tuivati and Gutho. That try the winger scored early in that game, Gutho never got a hand on him. Most un Gutho like. However we have seen it more over the previous two seasons.
Our defence early in the trial against the Knights when the ref awarded so many six again calls was impressive.
That game also showed the class of Sam Tuivati.
John gutho used to be almost impossible to beat some games if he got one on one with you even big forwards he would pull them down in heroic tackles sometimes
He is unfortunately not the same player and it was showing last season but hopefully he can have a decent year over at saints and hopefully isn’t a scape goat for if the fail this year to improve
Gutho is the least of the problems at saints, but their defence lacked any speed or X factor without Sloan on the field it really looked like
Sorry I meant to say: their defence looked weak, and their attack lacked any speed or X factor without Sloan on the park for St George.
Cyclone Alfred has knocked out the power here. May have to listen to the game on an old style “wireless” powered by battery.
Shame because I’m very interested in how Smith and Tuivaiti will debut. Was really looking forward to seeing that.
Hopefully Gol you have the scoreline wrong.
As always I’m just excited that the season is about to start for us and getting a true gauge on where we are at with the Ryles playing philosophy.
I will be at the game . I’m looking forward to all the debuts. Go you mighty Eels!
Morretti? Odd if not a minor injury
Great write up Gol!
Only 6 players played in our round 21 clash with Storm;
Tago, Russell, Will, Dyl, Brendan, Joe O.
We lost 32 to 14 Barrett was coach. Blaize played at 3. Dyl at 6 and DJ at 7. A better performance. Hughes played 7 and Wishart played 6. Wishart proving his worth being able to play anywhere in the spine better than most clubs first choice.
Earlier we’d lost 48 to 16 in Rd 11 at magic round which saw BA sacked after we were embarrassed in front of the entire league at Suncorp.
Again only 6 players from that team play today; Russell, Will, Dyl, Junior, Joe O and Kelma. Blaize played fullback, DJ at 6 and Dyl at 7. Tyran Wishart played at 7 for the Storm and was good with Munster at 6.
it is hard to draw comparisons with previous games.
I’m hoping our defence has improved and I believe we will see an improvement in all areas and we get a good win.
Tualagi is a truly awful defender. So lazy and inagile. Warning signs were there in trials and Melbourne expose him within 5 mins.
Another missed tackle straight through talagi. Yuck.
Gives away a penalty by being lazy at ruck.
Tualagi hooked within 13 mins… at least ryles has balls
My thoughts exactly Ron
Haha, you can only laugh. Brad Arthur completely screwed this roster. Spoon for certain. Tualagi is an embarrassment to the club.
the roster is piss weak. We I’m keen to see what it looks like at end of year. Lane, matto, tualagi, ofa, wiremu, Cartwright etc all needed to be cut last year or by end of this year. I get you can’t get rid of that people with contracts but hopefully by end of year they are gone.
Yeah totally agree. Cannot be filthy on Ryles. Just don’t have cattle. At least we can weed out rubbish (lots of it).
“I’d like 1.3 please!!!” Please just go Dylan.
Getting mauled here, embarrassing to play Tago in first grade , he’s RMC level. Dylbro appears confused with all the cash and tfr talks. Tualagi us s turnstile in defence as usual.
My daughter DVD wife have left in disgust to do a jigsaw puzzle, and they hold Season Tickets, the life of a Pasra fan in 35 minutes
I interrupted a game of Killer Bunnies with my kids for this rubbish
They look thoroughly disinterested
I wish the commentators mentioned we have like (8?) players out in total including our best player.
Maybe they said it but I didn’t hear it.
This is one of the worst or maybe worst half I’ve seen from parra.
This is unfortunately why some of us need to hold our calm (including me and my household sometimes)…
We are still in a rebuild. I still think we will do better this year but this club’s roster is in a rebuild and there’s probably plenty of players with us who won’t be with us in the next season or two. This will take time. Ba got a spoon one year then I think we got to the finals the following year?
Hopefully the boys can have a decent second half and at least not make it totally embarrassing. Our defence looks completely shell shocked. Hopefully the boys can have some luck and hopefully a nice start in the second half.
P.s what a stitch up playing the premiership favourite in round 1 with 8 players including your best player unavailable. 😅
There more than 8 players missing muz. Those on the field are missing in action aswell. Soft team with a soft underbelly. Teams have said that about parra for years and we continue to prove them right. Will be interesting to see what ryles learns over next few weeks without Moses
Our roster needs a complete overhaul. Feel sorry for what Ryles inherited. Tualagi is the laziest player I’ve seen in a long time. Being said, this is all on BA. I’m sticking by Ryles.
2-3 years and we will be OK. Those that are Rubbishing him have no idea. Not his fault with his shit roster he inherited.
I’m starting to think 60s wasn’t actually at Kellyville at all
We need to sign
Wishart only on $350k club option ’26 play spine anywhere. Dylan is not $$taying $1.3 Million
Brandon Smith second row cheap
Grant Anderson, cheap
Josh King, cheap
Ativalu Lisati, cheap
Lazarus Vaalepu cheap
Storm v Panthers GF