It wasn’t always perfect, but the Eels played some really impressive attacking football here. Early shifts, playing with width, forwards interchanging with backs and halves, then hitting short or back on the inside when the Titans started to cheat the spread (well, except for that one intercept try).

We’d seen this work well in the early stages against Penrith before the Eels were choked out of playing that way, but given some downhill running, Parramatta showed what it can do here. That it was done without the first choice halves and several best 17 middles was all the more impressive, even if it came against a timid opposition.

 

There were a couple of really poor lapses for soft tries, plus that intercept, which accounted for just about all of the Titans’ points. We won’t get away with those mistakes against better teams, and indeed we have not in recent losses to Penrith and Canterbury. Still, overcoming the lopsided penalty and restart count showed some serious resolve in the face of adversity.

I can’t have a section called “The Bad” without referring to the listless Titans. It was sad to see one of my favourite recent Eels, Reagan Campbell-Gillard, playing so unenthusiastically in his new digs. We’re so short on middles that one more injury will bring Mark Tookey out of retirement, but the way RCG played I wouldn’t take him back for free.

 

It was hard to split them, but I’m going with Isaiah Iongi over Zac Lomax for MVP in this one, and not just because he looked like he was trying to win a schoolyard “who could pass the furthest” contest when hurling that ball for Russell’s try. His high effort, high speed play epitomises the new style of footy Jason Ryles has the club playing, and given how impressive the width that the Eels played with was, it is fitting to give Double I the MVP.

 

 

 

While it is probably the third or fourth time I’ve described a game as a coming out party for the Long I, this performance was the most complete of the young fullbacks burgeoning career. With an inexperienced halves combination needing some pressure relief, Iongi stepped up and flexed his playmaking muscles, in addition to the usual heavy workload. He can even put up a mighty bomb, too. I may be repeating myself, but at least I’m not writing my fifteenth opinion piece for Fox titled “Eels don’t regret Gutherson move”.

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Considering how much width we played with and the amount of early ball movement, it is incredible that we still couldn’t find good open space for Josh Addo-Carr to fly through. Even more impressive is that the Ferrari of the Parramatta backline cracked 200 metres on 20 carries, better yardage numbers than Zac Lomax. He’s rock solid on under the high ball and his ascent up my list of favourite Eels is about as rapid as his speed down the touchline.

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Easily the best game of the year for Will Penisini, at least until the 78th minute when he undid his hard work by earning a three week sit-down for a lifting tackle. His tries both highlighted his impressive strength, and he was running with some real venom all night long. His absence is really going to stretch the Eels’ limited backline depth.

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Solid night for Rusty, who was the quietest of the Parramatta outside backs in yardage but did little wrong and finished well for Eels’ opening try.

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The running metres are a touch blase now, just what we come to expect from any Zac Lomax outing, but considering he was backing up from Origin the effort areas from the one man air raid were something truly special. The Eels got themselves in position to put up a lot of attacking kicks, and nearly every one went the way of Lomax, who contested tough and was duly rewarded. Opposing teams will need to be issued nets in the name of balance if Zac keeps this up.

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The Parramatta attack looked very smooth for a team with a halves combination fresher than some blades of grass in the CommBank turf, so props to Joash Papalii for his role in that well oiled machine. His distribution was good and he made the men outside him look dangerous, but his greatest contribution was proving he can defend in the front line against a big Titans pack, making 30 tackles with a solitary miss. If this is the only audition he gets for the 2026 Blue and Gold five eighth jersey, he couldn’t have done much more.

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Footy Dean was kicking from great field position most of the night, but gee can he put ona good Mitchell Moses impression, especially with some of those high kicks. Hawkins is in for a more extended stay in the top grade thanks to the injury to Moses, but I can’t say I’m terribly worried given how well he’s played in his last couple of outings. The effort areas and reaction time for his try were exactly what you want in your side.

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Big, tough outing for Jack Williams, who racked up a casual 62 minutes, cracked the hundred metres and made 40 tackles with one miss. You know when I’m rattling off stats I don’t have a lot else to say about a players’ performance, but numbers like those are still easily deserving of the A stamp coming out.

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Noted “good egg” Ryley Smith started from the bench but, if anything, this opened up his attacking game. At least it did until he copped a stud that ripped his knee open and ended his night early. He was very lucky it wasn’t ended for him by the officials after that incredibly unnecessary lifting tackle, for which Ryley is going to sit for two weeks thanks to the judiciary.

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Junior worked hard all night, and after what feels like years, found his offload and got away six of the best including two for line breaks. That is to go along with 14 passes, showing how important the big man is to the width the Eels wanted to play with here The only blemish on his night was some stone boots on the early Jolliffe try, the kind of unfortunate lapse in defence that the Eels haven’t been able to shake all season long.

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It wasn’t all his fault, but that grasping miss on Jolliffe while defending the line is unacceptable at any point in a rugby league match, but especially so in the third minute of the contest. I don’t care how many great offloads and hard runs you make, if you can’t get across, cover gaps and make tackles in the third minute of the game, you aren’t impressing the grades guy. Sure, it was one of only two misses in 40 tackles made for Kelma, but footy games are scored in tries, not missed tackles, and he let yet another soft one in. He should’ve scored on those bat-backs, too.

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Kitione is another guy who had a strong attacking game but is getting bumped down here because of a poor defensive effort, though at least his poor miss against Chris Randall came under some fatigue. Still, he was beaten on the inside far too easily for a modern back rower who should be more mobile than that.

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Pretty solid game from J’maine, the most pleasing part being that it was mistake free. He was a crucial link in the Parramatta width and early spreads, and looked much more comfortable in that role, albeit against a Titans team that gave the Eels plenty of time to move the ball. He’s not out of the doghouse, but I’m at least throwing a blanket out there for him this week.

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Not his most impactful performance in Blue and Gold, but a solid outing from Dylan Walker. His biggest impact on the side may end up being how the rest of the team starts to play like him, the spreads, quick hands and threatening passing game from the forwards definitely appears to be Dylan inspired.

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Not much time for Doorey in this one, and his numbers reflect as such. He’s always played by Jason Ryles like he’s a temporary part of the side, and I think some of his performances this year deserve more than that.

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Much like Doorey, Guymer has been treated as temporary for most of 2025 and played this one like it was a one-off opportunity to impress. His workrate in limited minutes was great, he was on the spot to score his first top grade try off Brimson’s mistake, and given our critical shortage of middles he should have earned another chance here.

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I love a good wombat burrow try as much as any league fan, but unfortunately for Joey Lussick my defining memory of him in this one is his pitiful plea for I guess an obstruction, instead of covering on the inside like he should when Kautoga was beaten by Randall for the try. He was solid to that point, and we’ll be seeing more of him with Ryley Smith out for a couple of weeks, he just needs to get those lapses out of his game.

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It’s a funny old year 2025, where the difference between battling to avoid the spoon and fighting for a spot in the eight is whether you won or lost last weekend. While the most important part of this year is now development for the future, given the paltry attendance on Sunday night, the fans want more than just the chance to watch a young side get better in real time.

There are winnable games on the run home, but Parramatta’s is not a schedule conducive to an underdog run to the finals. I expect strong efforts through the run home, but we should also be fully enjoying every win we get. Given the Eels still play the Panthers, Storm, Warriors and Raiders, if we do manage to win enough games to sneak into the eight, that winning streak would be impressive enough to put us right in the mix.

It’s nice to dream, but even if a finals appearance is as unlikely as Blue and Gold fans forgiving Ricky Stuart, when given the chance this side is playing attractive, fun footy and that should be celebrated. Here’s to making it two in a row next weekend in Wollongong.

Until then, stay slippery, Eels fans.

Gol

Stats and images provided by NRL / Eels media