It has been a while between Wraps with Monday games and bye weeks interrupting the usual schedule but we are so back and so are the Parramatta Eels. Their 16-point win over the Gold Coast Titans was achieved without the services of Mitchell Moses and Dylan Brown, among a host of other absentees, and stands as a testament to the ground covered by Jason Ryles and the boys this season.
Were the Gold Coast titanic? Absolutely not but we will get into the nitty gritty of the win shortly. The weekend also featured a comeback victory for the NSW Cup and a frustrating loss for the Jersey Flegg while the Harvey Norman Women’s Premiership and NRLW shook off the rust with their first preseason hit-outs. I can’t comment on the two trial matches unfortunately but that does leave us with three games on the docket to breakdown – so let’s get right into it.
NRL
Parramatta Eels 36 defeat the Gold Coast Titans 20
After a series of tough, competitive losses against the Panthers and Bulldogs the Parramatta Eels keenly required a win in Round 16. Forget the fact that it was 16th vs 17th and the implications it carried for the bottom of the ladder, the Eels just needed to find a way to convert these spirited efforts into competition points.
And find a way they did as fought back from an early deficit to notch their 5th win of the season. In doing so they lifted themselves to 15th on the ladder and kept themselves in the window for an improbable – but not impossible – run at the Top 8.
Isaiah Iongi stood tall for the Eels as the rookie fullback goes from strength-to-strength in 2025. He wasn’t flawless, Alofiana Khan-Pereira intercepted his pass for a 90m house call in the 34th minute, but Parramatta needed a difference maker on the field with Moses and Brown out and that is exactly what Iongi was.
As Sixties and myself discussed on the live stream last night, Iongi had some quality assistance across the park. Zac Lomax backed up from Origin in spectacular fashion, Josh Addo-Carr pumped out huge metres while Junior Paulo and Kitione Kautoga ran wild in the forwards. Dean Hawkins and Joash Papalii performed admirably in the halves in a difficult assignment.
The Eels made it tough on themselves for long stretches in the contest with untimely errors and a whole raft of red-zone opportunities handed to the Titans. To their credit though, Parramatta were plenty willing to get stuck into the task of defending the goal-line.
Unfortunately, the game has taken a toll on the squad with the Match Review Committee leveling some trumped up charges for Ryley Smith and Will Penisini. I think it was reasonable to suggest that Will was looking at 1 or 2 weeks on the sideline for a dangerous throw late in the game but he is now looking at 3 (or 4 with a failed contest) games in the stands while Smith finds himself stranded for 2 games (or 3 with a failed contest) when I reckon most players would be copping a fine.
It feels wildly inconsistent with other gradings this season but it certainly falls in line with the brutal stance the MRC seems to take on the Eels.
Jason Ryles finds himself with a hell of a quandry to now solve ahead of Saturday’s key battle with the Dragons. Obviously Team List Tuesday will reveal his strategic vision but he has major holes at dummy-half and centre to now cover.
NSW Cup
Parramatta Eels 28 defeat the Newcastle Knights 24
The Cup squad showed they were battlers last week when a supremely undermanned outfit went blow-for-blow with the New Zealand Warriors for most of the game. They cemented that thought with a come from behind victory against the Newcastle Knights yesterday after fighting back from a 16-6 deficit to prevail 28-24.
Matthew Hunter was instrumental in the comeback with the young half chalking up his best performance in the NSW Cup as he scored 2 tries and also laid on a lovely ball to put Will Lewis over. Ronald Volkman chimed in with a silky midfield burst that resulted in Apa Twidle crossing while Beau Newlands capped off the win with a late try against the run of play when he seized upon a loose ball from the Knights and raced 40 odd metres to score.
Hunter is enjoying a terrific 2025 and has flown under the radar to some degree. I am not here to say he is Parramatta’s solution at #6 but he and fellow young play-maker Lorenzo Talataina are certainly putting their hands up to the coaching and football staff.
Parramatta finish the round in 3rd and Nathan Cayless is doing a sterling job navigating a treacherous stretch as injuries and suspensions ravage his playing list.
Jersey Flegg Cup
Newcastle Knights 26 defeat the Parramatta Eels 22
Unfortunately there isn’t too much to write about here this week for the Flegg as they succumbed to a truckload of errors for the second week running. As with the Warriors game the week prior, they spotted the Knights far too much field position and possession and were made to pay. They fought hard to get back into the contest but fell painfully short to slump to a second straight loss.
Jordan Rankin and his troops need to hit the circuit breaker and reset to the brand of football that has carried them so far this year. We are still a long ways from panic stations mind you but the swifter the Flegg nip the bud that is these pervasive glut of errors the better.
Will had one of his best games and now he’s out for three weeks; it’s been one of those years. I hope that we’ll trial Joash in his position with Dylan coming back. Lussick demonstrated that he is NRL class and will fill in at 9 comfortably.
I was thinking if Will is out, put Dylan into the centres and keep Josh at 5/8. Or at the least, swap during the game.
I reckon they might select Samrani at centre
Our position on the table is not reflective of our improvement on both sides of the ball. The defence is now much more resolute across the park and the attack is much more polished and exciting than the past few years of bash, barge and bomb. Simple errors still bug us but the progress forward in only six months of new systems and playing together is impressive. I like what our juniors are offering and I don’t think we have to step outside our own patch greatly in terms of recruitment. And a wrap to Hawkins, he got it pretty well spot on.
They fight for 80 minutes too, which is a great base.
Hunter was great, I see some Galvin type things about him, will be interesting to watch next year if he has a big off season.
My back line against the dragons would be,
1) Iongi
2) Fox
3) Lomax
4) Russel
5) Sam Loizou
6) Brown
7) Hawkins
Joash on the bench to give Lussick a rest.
I live in Canberra so I haven’t seen Sam Loizou play this year; he has impressed me in the past as being of NRL quality, maybe more as a centre than on the wing. He is a very heavy defender. He came through the same schoolboy side as Jake Arthur and Sean Russell, and normally played 6 in that side. I’d love to see him get a chance but Joash has such remarkable skills with the ball that I’ve currently got him ahead of Sam in my own thinking. As to a break for Lussick, there would be nothing wrong with promoting Hands, who is versatile. If he got a few minutes at 6 that would give us a halves pairing of Hawkins and Hands, a treat for fans of Treasure Island.
It will be an interesting team list Tuesday.
Samuel Loizou might get a run, but I think Ryles will go with Samrani at centre.
Let’s hope so. Sam Loizou is the epitome of a great junior who has never kicked on.
It’s his defence that always let’s him down.
It’s never been anywhere near the required standard.
Hey sixties and forty, love your podcasts and thank u, a certain Saints forward has with Parra for 2 year guaranteed!!!
I assume ryles will go with samranis in the centres and Brown in the 6, if that’s the case I’d love to see apa get a run in the centres in cup when joash goes back to the 1, more of a 1 and 6 but he’s got a big build which could suit the centres well.
Could be Burton esc at the panthers where he came through as a half but his build and skill set let him become an elite centre.
The two back rowers were terrible defensively. How do you miss so manny tackles in the middle?!?! The first try was appalling. One on one – you don’t miss those. Get your shoulders into the tackle please. “Hit hard Hit low Hit often!!”
Aside from that – a great team effort. Hawkins was marvellous and Dylan Brown should just go to be honest. Why keep him? We won’t make the 8 and Hawkins deserves an opportunity. Brown can leave please.
Iongi is a smart player.
Fox is elite and so is Lomax.
Thank you
Thought the Ryley Smith tackle pretty innocuous and surprised he is even facing a ban, a penalty would have been sufficient. Yes looking at some of the penalties for well known players (and favoured teams) the MRC is wildly inconsistent and biased against Eels (and other lowly teams so it seams).
‘There needs to be an inquiry into this’ – mirroring Touvey