You knew that the biggest, longest, straight up wordiest version of The Weekend Wrap was coming after the Parramatta Eels claimed a sensational 23-22 golden point victory in Round 5. But did you also know it would come with some literary lore? No? Well that is just straight up sensible of you and we don’t do that here.

The Hero’s Journey is a writing framework derived from a treatise by Joseph Campbell that underpins many of the most iconic stories and beloved characters in popular media.

The quest into the unknown, the call to adventure, the challenges and revelations that underpin the journey and the ultimate transformation of the hero – or heroes – have become a classical narrative structure but so too are they relevant for the Parramatta Eels. Across the course of this ragged start to the season and within the context of Round 5 itself, the Eels have undergone the hero’s journey. The greater path still lies ahead of them but make no mistakes, Jason Ryles and his players emerged as heroes in a critical clash against St George Illawarra on Saturday.

Beyond the NRL the weekend yielded plenty more positives as the NSW Cup righted themselves somewhat while the Jersey Flegg and SG Ball lodged impressive victories. Unfortunately, the Lisa Fiaola stumbled ahead of the finals while the Harold Matthews vicariously bounced between brilliant and brackish as they sealed their place in the finals. Special mention has to go to the Tarsha Gale though following their incredible effort against the Bulldogs.

So are you ready to undergo a hero’s journey of your own? Because reading this monstrosity presents plenty of challenges and you might even peer into the abyss at a point of three. I promise though that you will emerge on the other side a changed person. Or not. Either way, this is The Weekend Wrap!

NRL

Parramatta Eels 23 defeat the St George Illawarra Dragons 22

Sixties and myself don’t get to pat ourselves on the back for our footy takes too often – and for good reason – but we notched up a resounding success in our pregame evaluation of Parramatta’s Round 5 clash with the Dragons. A healthy dose of Dylan Walker with a nice little dash of Luca Moretti proved to be important tweaks to the formula for Jason Ryles and the Eels in their quest for a breakthrough victory in 2025.

Even through the week the vibes felt ever so different.

All the buzz and drama of Clinton Gutherson’s return to Parramatta. The Dragons coming off a stunning upset victory over the Melbourne Storm and whether they could back it up. The slow build the Eels had undertaken in recent outings against the Bulldogs and Sea Eagles.

It set an incredible stage for Saturday and on the sun-baked turf of CommBank Stadium the Parramatta Eels collectively stood up and delivered.

Zac Lomax, the prodigal St George son, provided the story-book finish with a clinical strike of his right foot to split the uprights with the game-winning field goal but perhaps the real hero of this spiel is the plucky protagonist that is Ryley Smith? After all, it was Ryley’s relentless efforts out of marker that pressured Lachlan Illias into the critical golden point error.

But every would-be hero needs a grizzled leader to guide the way and Junior Paulo wound the clock back to his halcyon days with a stunning performance that featured all the greatest hits – both metaphorically and very much literally. Junior laid a monster platform for his men to build on and goodness knows will there be a couple of Dragons with his right shoulder tattooed onto them for at least a few days after the volley of blistering shots he unleashed in defence.

It continues though because every grizzled leader needs his men-at-arms to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with him. Shaun Lane, Gideon Kautoga, J’maine Hopgood and Charlie Guymer all produced season best efforts. Will Penisini triumphantly returned to his favoured slot at right centre while Sean Russell maintained a focused vigil at left centre.

The fallen hero Dylan Brown took his first steps towards redemption – guided in no small part by his namesake Walker. Playing straighter and more direct, Brown’s focused early efforts reaped dividends deeper into the game as he and Walker breathed life into Parramatta’s left edge.

And what about Isaiah Iongi? There was never going to be a more apt time to step out of the long shadow cast by the man he replaced. Faced with a climatic and direct confrontation with the talismanic Gutherson himself, Iongi announced himself to the NRL with a brash and impetuous showing that had all the hallmarks of a young man hungry to carve out his own path.

For all the flowery language and verbose prose, the parable of this review is that for the first time this season 17 men individually and collectively bought into the vision of Jason Ryles. They weren’t perfect but they were certainly persistent and there-in lies the difference. Down 20-8 in the second half and with their season balanced precariously on the edge of the abyss, the Eels chose to reject doubt and oblivion and doubled down in their conviction in the systems and structures their coaches have challenged them with this year.

It was not a transformation of the body but one of the heart and mind.

The season is not saved. The Eels have not arrived. But make no mistake – this was the quintessential hero’s journey for our boys. It is just the first chapter of a greater fable under Ryles that will feature more twists and transformations but it was an important opening step for this team and this coach.

NSW Cup

Parramatta Eels 28 draw with the St George Illawarra Dragons 28

It wasn’t the convincing bounce back win we were all looking for but the Parramatta Eels definitely improved in the wake of their defeat against Manly last week. Their 28-all draw against the Dragons was simultaneously built and broken on the aggressive changes made ahead of kickoff and the young combinations that were brought about as a result…and I am completely fine with that.

Joash Papalii made his first start in the halves for the Eels and while he might not have been as influential from five-eighth as he was from fullback it was a promising first showing as a front-line play-maker. Apa Twidle relished the opportunity to step into the fullback role that was bequeathed to him with the young play-maker scoring Parramatta’s first try and setting up what could have been the game-winning try for Bailey Simonsson. 

Amidst all of that action Dan Keir bagged a double while Kelma Tuilagi also earned a 4-pointer with a strong carry down the left edge. Indeed, Tuilagi and Ryan Matterson turned in easily their best performances in reserve grade this season. The Eels need more of that from two of their most experienced forwards but it was a solid step forwards for the two of them.

The Dragons found regular success attacking the inexperienced combinations the Eels fielded across the park – particularly down our right edge. Again, these things are to be expected and they become teachable moments for young men plying their trade in a tough competition.

Bailey continues to build towards a bid to return to the NRL and his involvement rate in the game, alongside that of Jordan Samrani, was top notch. Jason Ryles could have a good problem on his hands in the coming weeks with some legitimately difficult decisions to make in his back line.

Jersey Flegg Cup

Parramatta Eels 28 defeat the St George Illawarra Dragons 16

The Eels christened their new Centre of Excellence with a 12-point victory as the Jersey Flegg continued their winning ways in Round 5 of the competition. Sebastian Piukala made the most of the opportunity handed to him this week with a quick-fire double as the lock forward found plenty of purchase around the Dragons’ ruck.

The Dragons would strike back to narrow the margin to 12-10 before a silky passage of play down Parramatta’s right edge released Bradley Avery to score in the shadow of half time. Matthew Hunter and Domenico De Stradis continued their profitable partnership early in the second half as the pair linked up for another try scoring venture as Dom notched up his 4th try of the season.

A straight forward penalty goal for Hunter built Parramatta’s lead before Richard Penisini drew gasps from the crowd with a gorgeous catch-and-kick effort that saw Mohammed Alameddine touch down for a match-sealing try in his return from injury.

This is a rugged team. Jordan Rankin has instilled some steel into his roster and they are playing terrific, balanced football. No one epitomises this more than Jack Hudson. One of the new faces in the team, Hudson has thrived early on this season with his combative play-style around the ruck in defence.

He has shown he is plenty capable of picking his moments in attack as well and one can’t help but feel he might not be long for this grade. With the talented Lachlan Coinakis set to step up in the coming weeks (after a deep run into the SG Ball finals hopefully!), the Eels might be facing a double promotion situation at dummy-half.

SG Ball Cup

Parramatta Eels 46 defeat the Manly Sea Eagles 10

With other results in the round guaranteeing them the top seed on the ladder, escaping injuries was the major concern for the Eels on Sunday. While thankfully that ultimately proved to be the case, Parramatta had other plans after they woke up and chose violence against the Sea Eagles.

Their 46-10 demolition job of their arch-rivals was the perfect exclamation mark on a brilliant regular season and while I fully concede that the finals are a separate beast – following their journey this year has been a hell of a ride.

Lincoln Fletcher and Lorenzo Talataina toyed with their opposition on Sunday with Fletcher notching up a bagful of try assists while Manly had no answer for Lorenzo’s electric pace out wide. Lachlan Coinakis conducted a masterful game from dummy-half with an array of incisive kicks and a pair of try-assists that included a spectacular cut-out pass to Nathan Howlett. 

As with the NRL team, it has hard not to single out every player for deserved plaudits.

Anecdotally, it felt like Ryda Talagi was given less minutes than usual as other forwards got the chance to impress but he still delivered an imperious performance through the middle. Isaac Jim, his towering partner in the front row, proved to be a handful for the Manly defenders and was the beneficiary of Coinakis’ other try assist. Max Popo brought plenty of energy to the ruck in their wake while the bench forwards were equally productive throughout their various stints.

Dom Farrugia lodged his 9th and 10th tries of the year and his 2-try effort was matched on the opposite side of the field by Aidan Kebourian.

With all the speculation plaguing the Eels at the NRL level about how they will build and rebuild their roster moving forwards it really is worth mentioning – don’t sleep on the talent in this team or the Jersey Flegg. I have no doubts that other clubs will come calling and look to pillage talent from this squad but Ryles has shown a predilection towards rewarding young talent that puts in the hard work and in that vein, there will be productive NRL talents for the Parramatta Eels to come from this class.

Harold Matthews Cup

Parramatta Eels 26 defeat the Manly Sea Eagles 20

If ever there was a game that was a perfect microcosm of a team’s season than this is the one.

A damn near flawless first half from the Parramatta Eels had them on the cusp of a mammoth win and ready to climb as high as 6th on the ladder heading into the finals. However, a torrid and tense second half saw them barely hold on to a fast-finishing Manly outfit and ultimately it was the boot of Talen Risati that proved to be the difference between the two teams with both sides finishing on 4 tries a piece.

Not for the first time this year, the Harold Matthews produced a passage of play that any team in any year would struggle to match. Cyrus Bloomfield kicked it off with some sweet footwork and hands to put Santiago Uata over in the left corner. A brilliant kick chase from Christopher Moala in the following kick-off set saw the right centre produce a stunning leaping catch and run to snare an incredible individual try. Then, in the very next set the Eels somehow found another gear with a gorgeous outside-inside interplay between Risati and Riley Davis that culminated in the fullback threading a perfect pass between cover defenders to find Cobi McCloskey for a magnificent team try.

Not for the first time this year, the Harold Matthews became a frustrating mess as Manly were given free rein in the second half to engineer an improbable comeback. In fact, if it weren’t for repeated unforced errors from the Sea Eagles in prime attacking position there is a fair chance the Eels don’t prevail in Round 9.

The difference between this team’s best and worst goes beyond night and day at times. At their brutal worst they are incapable of completing a set but at their best they can rival any of the storied Harold Matthews teams I have seen in my 13 or so years covering the pathways. It is equally feasible that they are bundled out easily in the first week of the finals or are the last team standing and raising the trophy.

They are a fascinating paradox and I guess all that is left to do is try to enjoy their run through the postseason.

Tarsha Gale Cup

Parramatta Eels 20 defeat the Canterbury Bulldogs 18

While nothing will match the emotional release that was Parramatta’s breakthrough NRL victory on Saturday, there was another result earlier in the day that easily eclipsed the golden point triumph as the biggest upset of the day.

In fact, I would argue it was one of the most impressive victories ever achieved in our female pathways and it is a crying shame that a scheduling clash minimised the potential audience that could attend it.

Parramatta’s 20-18 win over Canterbury in the Tarsha Gale Cup was a banner victory and an incredible all-around effort from our girls. The Bulldogs have been a colossus in the female pathways programs and were primed to once again claim the minor premiership with a tune-up of the Eels in Round 9. Instead they cede the minor premiership to the Illawarra Steelers because the Parramatta Eels put in an almighty shift.

The Bulldogs started fast with the opening 2 tries of the game going their way. Typically, that opens the flood gates when the Dogs are involved. Sixties and myself challenged our girls in the preview podcast to match the physicality of their Western Sydney rivals and look to bloody them up – metaphorically of course.

What followed from there went above and beyond merely matching the Dogs.

The initial conspirator of the rousing comeback was Kyliah Gray as the backrower-come-centre spearheaded an epic response from the home team with a great individual try and a jaw-dropping backhanded flick that paved the way for Mariah Fasavalu-Faamausili to put the Eels into the lead. Taylah Falaniko punched in a crucial try in between those 2 scores to keep the scoreboard ticking over.

After all the outstanding work done by the right edge in that period it was fitting that the left side of the field rose up to match them with a clutch interchange of passes that saw Dallis Graham-Withell and Sammy-Lee Gunn-Tauai combine to put Sualo Lafoga over for the match winner.

The Tarsha Gale have struggled for consistency in the second half of this season and have often been their own worst enemy but there are absolutely zero doubts here – this was the best of them. I tip my hat to Char Henry and her young charges because this was a radiant team effort.

Of course, the challenge for them now becomes all about harnessing the energy from this game and finding ways to replicate the effort. But for all their stumbles in recent weeks this is the biggest dose of self-validation they could have asked for and a timely reminder for themselves about the talent and determination they possess.

Lisa Fiaola Cup

Canterbury Bulldogs 46 defeat the Parramatta Eels 10

Parramatta got well and truly dusted up by the Bulldogs in the Lisa Fiaola in a rough final tune-up game for the finals series. All is certainly not lost however and there is a long body of work this year that shows our girls have greatness in the team. This is a serious reality check though. They glimpsed the pinnacle on Saturday and fell short. Now they have to find it within themselves to conquer that summit in the coming weeks.

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