There was no NRL last week but we have so much footy to talk about in spite of that. The NRLW delivered an important win while the Jersey Flegg produced a rousing effort to snap a tough stretch of results. Losses in the Harvey Normans Women’s Premiership and NSW Cup hurt but the HNWP had plenty of reasons to be positive heading into their next clash while the Cup had a rare misstep against the Roosters.
It is a case of one summary lost, two summaries gained in this week’s Weekend Wrap so with four results on the docket – let’s get to work!
NRLW
Parramatta Eels 18 defeat the Cronulla Sharks 16
My goodness is there a lot to unpack from the season opener in the NRLW in a game in which the Parramatta Eels prevailed by 2-points. The nail biting result was a perfect reversal of the scoreline from when these two teams met last year and was made all the more impressive by the composition of the team.
We knew that Steve Georgallis was debuting five new players in Martha Mataele, Paige Travis, Ryvvr-Lee Alo, Rysh’e Fa’amausili and Fleur Ginn from the official team sheet named last Tuesday. However, a late injury to Breanna Eales thrust Tess McWilliams into a starting role just ahead of kickoff in a significant reshuffle to the squad. The addition of a 6th debutante meant that over a third of the team had no NRLW experience coming into the clash against last year’s grand finalist in the Sharks.
It is an absurd consideration for the game when you reflect on it but the Eels rose above a feisty Cronulla outfit with contributions from those news faces with Alo and Travis standing out in particular.
The fact that both Ryvvr-Lee Alo and Tess McWilliams were tasked with making the monumental jump from Tarsha Gale Cup to starting in the NRLW within such a short window and delivered is testament to their talents.
Rachael Pearson was at her wily best as she tested the Sharks with both her kicking and running games. Her sharp work off the boot set up the opening try of the match for Chloe Jackson while she pilfered one for herself shortly afterwards with a clever piece of vision and execution when she spied Emma Verran defending in the line.
Second year talents Rory Owen and Chloe Jackson impressed throughout the contest with their ability to disrupt the Cronulla defensive line. Jackson’s sharp footwork before the line coupled with her leg speed through contact were a feature of her game last year and are not set to catapult her into wider acclaim in the code.
Owen is perhaps the best pure footballer in the team and to borrow a fighting term, perhaps one of the best pound-for-pound footballers at the club in its entirety. She is a natural out in the centres and seems to possess that rare intuition on how to best process the look the opposition is giving her. It also helps that she runs like the wind. Her ceiling lies above the threshold of being a superstar in this code and we might just see her ascend to that level in 2025.
There were significant effort from staple players across the park. Captain Abbi Church was a rock at the back while Zali Fay and Lindsay Tui both gave good production on the ground. Cassey Tohi-Hiku constantly threatened the Sharks but couldn’t quite break the game open while Elsie Albert and Rueben Cherrington were quality in the starting front row.
Parramatta were far from perfect in Round 1 though. Cronulla were able to carve out swathes through both ruck and the edges. Annessa Biddle in particular was a handful for the Blue & Gold to try and contain but Brooke Anderson and Manilita Takapautolo asked some tough questions as well. It was within reason though because it really should not be forgotten that this Cronulla team went perilously close to winning the title last year.
In 2024 this corresponding fixture was ultimately the difference in the Eels making or missing the finals. Georgallis and his exciting squad have righted last year’s wrong and now set the platform to make a big push early in the season. The pressure of a brutal injury toll is something to closely monitor but there is no doubt that this team can play some serious footy. If they are capable of tidying up some of the defensive issues from Thursday night then they have a huge chance to build a commanding position with the competition in the coming weeks.
NRL
BYE
A week off the fellas in the NRL but the squad did acquire Tallyn Da Silva while Bailey Simonsson and Sam Tuivaiti will be in the mix for selection in Rd 19 against the Penrith Panthers. All three are timely boosts for Jason Ryles given it is all hands on deck if the Eels are to make a legitimate run at the Top 8.
Harvey Normans Women’s Premiership
Cronulla Sharks 26 defeat the Parramatta Eels 18
It was always going to be a tough assignment for the HNWP in Round 1. On top of drawing a tough opponent on the road, Parramatta’s team featured a host of young prospects that were challenged to step into the realms of senior football. While victory may have eluded them in their season opener – the Eels acquitted themselves well in the 8-point loss.
The Sharks raced out to a 10-0 lead before the Eels hit back with a lovely backline move that culminated in a cracking finish from new face Ella Carlisle. Fellow new recruit Teagan Long delivered a spectacular sideline conversion. Carlisle bagged a second try 12-minutes later when she capitalised on chaotic kick coverage from the Sharks to scoop up a dropped kick and race to the try line.
Alana O’Loughlin scored the final try of the game for the Eels with a boisterous carry on the goal line that saw her fight through numerous defenders before rolling out of the tackle attempts and getting the ball down. O’Loughlin was a rugged contributor throughout the game – similar to her efforts in the Tarsha Gale – and the try was a deserved reward.
While Cronulla would go on to win the game from there there was a lot to like from the young prospects and new faces in the squad. Aaliyah Soufan did not look overwhelmed stepping up to reserve grade. The young halfback had a solid game steering the Eels around the park and was close to bagging a couple of try assists.
Backrowers Fontayne Tufuga and Jessica Kennedy were well involved and that unit should be a real position of strength for the Eels throughout 2025.
The Eels are clearly using the HNWP primarily as a development vehicle for the NRLW. That might mean some lean weeks throughout the year as the youth and raw talent in the squad learns on the job against more seasoned opposition. I fully endorse the decision though and look forward to seeing what this squad can do in 2025.
NSW Cup
Sydney Roosters 38 defeat the Parramatta Eels 18
Of course the NSW Cup and Jersey Flegg decided to reverse form in Round 18.
After weeks of impressive efforts with their backs to the wall, the NSW Cup finally tripped up with a rank awful first half effort against the Sydney Roosters on Sunday. The Tri-colours exploded out of the blocks as they raced to a dominant 28-6 lead at the break as Parramatta’s left-edge was eviscerated repeatedly.
A nice combination play between Matthew Hunter and Araz Nanva was just about the lone highlight of the first half as the two young prospects linked up down the left-edge to get the Eels off the duck egg.
The second half saw a resurgent Parramatta outfit take the field. They rattled the Roosters with quick strikes to Saxon Pryke and Wiremu Greig and narrowed the deficit to 26-18 before a controversial sequence of calls wrested momentum from their hands. The Eels were denied a line drop-out due to a late penalty call for I believe high contact before a clear forward pass was missed shortly afterwards.
Much like the NRL clash against the Dragons the round before there is a duality of thoughts here. Should the Eels have been much better in the first half? Absolutely. Were there bad calls that derailed a potential comeback in the second half? Again, absolutely.
Looking at the bigger picture, Sam Tuivaiti and Bailey Simonsson seemingly got through their return assignments unscathed. Big Sam was solid in his 60min stint and while his offensive production wasn’t glamorous (9 runs, 76m, 1 tackle bust) he was rock solid in defence as he racked up 26 tackles without a miss.
Bailey on the other hand was a menace for the Roosters’ defence and the numbers don’t really tell the proper story. 16 carries for 117m and 5 tackle busts is tidy line but he consistently had his opposite number beat and looked like a man that wanted his place in the NRL back. Both players did enough to firmly put themselves in line for selection against the Panthers but that call ultimately lies with Jason Ryles.
The loss did not cost the Eels a ladder position but they do fall two games behind the Dragons as a result.
Jersey Flegg Cup
Parramatta Eels 40 defeat the Sydney Roosters 14
Welcome back to the winner’s column! After a dreadful run where they dropped three straight games, the Eels desperately needed a win against the Roosters. It was an inauspicious start though with the Tri-colours staking a 10-0 lead inside 15-minutes before the Blue & Gold roared to life.
Lorenzo Talataina was evidently plastered with arachnids as he sortied cross-field from left to right leaving defenders grasping at thin air before finding Dom De Stradis on a crash ball for Parramatta’s opening points. The Eels struck again in rapid fashion when Damascus Neemia flew onto a well guided pass from Josh Lynn and from there it was all Parramatta.
Jack Hudson had a cheeky crack from dummy-half to build Parramatta’s lead before Will Lewis, a backrower tasked to play left centre on Sunday, slipped a gorgeous backhanded offload to Mohamed Alameddine on halfway. The rugged winger raced down the sideline before linking up with Lynn for a superb try.
Lynn was in the thick of things again with a looping cutout pass to Dom Farrugia that resulted in Corey Leigh scoring back on the inside before Lynn went bang-bang to complete a second half hat-trick. Lewis was the key provider for both – first with a bustling run down and offload to Lynn and second with with an around-the-corner pass to Alameddine who kicked ahead for his halfback to seal the deal. Lynn also had a near immaculate day from the kicking tee with just the one miss from seven attempts.
It was a huge result for a squad that was both down on its luck and massively short on personnel this week. Injuries, suspensions and the Australian Schoolboy Carnival left the Eels short-manned this week but they stood up in impressive fashion. Hopefully they have put that run of poor form behind them with this result and can refocus on climbing back into the Top 4 in the coming rounds.
