NRL
Round 22, Thursday 7:50PM, CommBank Stadium
It is amazing how much energy one win can breathe back into the season with pundits all across the code suddenly voicing the query – can the Eels make it two upset victories on the trot? Jason Ryles is bringing the same formula from Round 21 to the massive Thursday night clash at CommBank Stadium as he gives the same seventeen troops the chance to avenge the Round 1 humiliation at the hands of the Melbourne Storm.
That means there isn’t too much to break down for this week’s TLT preview and instead we look at Melbourne as they welcome back plenty of strike across the park. Ryan Papenhuyzen, Grant Anderson and Cameron Munster are incredibly timely reinforcements that help offset the loss of Jahrome Hughes.The Storm are also without starting lock Trent Loiero.
Replacing Melbourne’s star halfback is the super-utility Tyran Wishart and he will predictably partner Munster. Will it be an 80-minute combination though? Jonah Pezet makes a rare sighting on the interchange bench and gives Craig Bellamy the option to redeploy Wishart across the park and thrust Pezet into the primary play-making role should he so choose.
Traditionally the danger man for the Eels in these battles has been Harry Grant, whose prowess around the ruck has allowed him to strike several crucial blows at key moments. Naturally, Parramatta need to be incredibly sharp at and around marker in order to try and blunt his impact but that is no small task given the form he displayed last week.
Of note for the Eels is the return of Kelma Tuilagi from suspension to effectively return the Eels back to as close to full strength as they will be for the remainder of the regulation season. He forms part of the extended bench for the Blue & Gold and is scheduled to play in the NSW Cup
| Parramatta Eels | Melbourne Storm | |
| Joash Papalii | 1 | Ryan Papenhuyzen |
| Zac Lomax | 2 | Grant Anderson |
| Will Penisini | 3 | Jack Howarth |
| Sean Russell | 4 | Nick Meaney |
| Josh Addo-Carr | 5 | Xavier Coates |
| Dean Hawkins | 6 | Cameron Munster |
| Mitchell Moses | 7 | Tyran Wishart |
| J’maine Hopgood | 8 | Stefano Utoikamanu |
| Ryley Smith | 9 | Harry Grant |
| Junior Paulo | 10 | Josh King |
| Charlie Guymer | 11 | Shawn Blore |
| Jack Williams | 12 | Eliesa Katoa |
| Dylan Walker | 13 | Tui Kamikamica |
| Interchange | ||
| Tallyn Da Silva | 14 | Jonah Pezet |
| Luca Moretti | 15 | Ativalu Lisati |
| Matt Doorey | 16 | Bronson Garlick |
| Sam Tuivaiti | 17 | Joe Chan |
| Reserves | ||
| Jordan Samrani | 18 | Kane Bradley |
| Kelma Tuilagi | 19 | Alec MacDonald |
| Bailey Simonsson | 20 | Siulagi Tuimalatu-Brown |
| Toni Mataele | 21 | Josaiah Pahulu |
| Dylan Brown | 22 | Lazarus Vaalepu |
NRL Injury Report
| Isaiah Iongi | Wrist | 4-5 weeks |
| Kitione Kautoga | Ankle syndesmosis injury | 7 weeks |
NRLW
Round 5, Sunday 3:45PM, McDonald Jones Stadium
Odd week Eels means that Parramatta surely turn up in top form against the Dragons in Magic Round. Adding credence to that hope is the return of Kennedy Cherrington as she takes a berth on the interchange bench replacing Tess McWilliams as she is eased back into the NRLW by Steve Georgallis. There is no doubt that Kennedy is a huge inclusion for the Eels are her energy and aggression can hopefully be a lightning rod for her fellow middles as they look to take the Dragons to task around the ruck.
I am a little surprised McWilliams makes way over Fleur Ginn – not as a question of Ginn’s talent – but more of a fit for the bench with the Eels getting excellent value of of their rookie bookend. The coach has made the big call either way and all that is left now is to back our girls as they look to bounce back from a frustrating loss to the Knights.
Tyla Amiatu also features deeper on the team sheet and I am still waiting to see what the Round 5 Injury Report says about her official designation before getting my hopes up about a potential early return.
The Dragons took a blow to their playing stocks with star fullback Teagan Berry out of action this week. She has been replaced by Tyra Ekepati while the Dragons themselves actually lost by the same margin of 30-6 against the Broncos. Weird bit of trivia heading into a key clash on Sunday!
| Parramatta Eels | St George Illawarra Dragons | |
| Abbi Church | 1 | Tyra Ekepati |
| Zali Fay | 2 | Margot Vella |
| Rory Owen | 3 | Shenai Lendill |
| Lindsay Tui | 4 | Keele Browne |
| Martha Mataele | 5 | Jayme Millard |
| Cassey Tohi-Hiku | 6 | Zali Hopkins |
| Rachael Pearson | 7 | Raecene McGregor |
| Elsie Albert | 8 | Madison Mulhall |
| Rueben Cherrington | 9 | Nita Maynard-Perrin |
| Breanna Eales | 10 | Trinity Tauaneai |
| Chloe Jackson | 11 | Ella Koster |
| Mahalia Murphy | 12 | Charlotte Basham |
| Ryvvr-Lee Alo | 13 | Hannah Southwell |
| Interchange | ||
| Taneka Todhunter | 14 | Jamilee McGregor |
| Paige Travis | 15 | Alice Gregory |
| Kennedy Cherrington | 16 | Bronte Wilson |
| Fleur Ginn | 17 | Ahlivia Ingram |
| Reserves | ||
| Tess McWilliams | 18 | Tahlia O’Brien |
| Ruby-Jean Kennard-Ellis | 19 | Pia Tapsell |
| Rosemarie Beckett | 20 | Grace Hamilton |
| Yasmine Baker | 21 | Sara Sautia |
| Tyla Amiatu | 22 |
NRLW Injury Report
| Boss Kapua | Fibula fracture | Round 8 |
| Mia Middleton | Facial injury | TBA |
| Rysh’e Fa’amausili | Neck injury | TBA |
NSW Cup
Round 22, Saturday 3:00PM, Kellyville Park
The NSW Cup is looking pretty stacked this week – and that includes a big debut for rising star Lorenzo Talataina. Bailey Simonsson, Jordan Samrani and Kelma Tuilagi are all set to feature on Saturday as the Eels host the South Sydney Rabbitohs. It is arguably the best Cup squad the Eels have fielded this year – or at least it is strongly in the conversation – and it is a terrific supporting cast to post up around Talataina.
Suffice to say I am extremely excited to see how Lorenzo fares on the weekend and while I hope he absolutely slays the Rabbitohs in his senior footy debut I am fully ready – and perfectly okay – for some errors and missteps from him as he acclimatises to the NSW Cup.
The Rabbitohs were dusted up something fierce before the bye by the ultra-impressive New Zealand Warriors to the tune of 68-6 and the Eels should be cautious of the bounce back factor on Saturday. Still, the Eels are extremely well equipped to face South Sydney given the glut of reinforcements this week and it should be a cracking game.
| 1 | Apa Twidle |
| 2 | Jake Tago |
| 3 | Richard Penisini |
| 4 | Bailey Simonsson |
| 5 | Haze Dunster |
| 6 | Lorenzo Talataina |
| 7 | Ronald Volkman |
| 8 | Wiremu Greig |
| 9 | Joey Lussick |
| 10 | Toni Mataele |
| 11 | Jordan Samrani |
| 12 | Kelma Tuilagi |
| 13 | Dan Keir |
| Interchange | |
| 14 | Meni Luke |
| 15 | Brock Parker |
| 16 | Saxon Pryke |
| 17 | Tyrese Lokeni |
Harvey Normans Women’s Premiership
Round 5, Sunday 12:00PM, Kellyville Park
| 1 | Ella Carlisle |
| 2 | Paige Knapp |
| 3 | Josephine Lenaz |
| 4 | Kiana Takairangi |
| 5 | Caitlin Peadon |
| 6 | Aaliyah Soufan |
| 7 | Rosemarie Beckett |
| 8 | Ruby-Jean Kennard-Ellis |
| 9 | Chelsea Makira |
| 10 | Taylah Falaniko |
| 11 | Jessica Kennedy |
| 12 | Fontayne Tufuga |
| 13 | Ashlee Pottinger |
| Interchange | |
| 14 | Ava Jones |
| 15 | Kyliah Gray |
| 16 | Alana O’Loughlin |
| 17 | Matoisha Kalepo |
Jersey Flegg Cup
Round 22, Saturday 1:00PM, Kellyville Park
| 1 | Cameron Bamblett |
| 2 | Lorima Rokosuka |
| 3 | Araz Nanva |
| 4 | William Lewis |
| 5 | Mohamed Alameddine |
| 6 | Matthew Hunter |
| 7 | Josh Lynn |
| 8 | Beau Lucien |
| 9 | Patrick Spence |
| 10 | Ryda Talagi |
| 11 | Domenico De Stradis |
| 12 | Jezaiah Funa-Iuta |
| 13 | Max Popo |
| Interchange | |
| 14 | Raffaele De Stradis |
| 15 | Lachlan Coinakis |
| 16 | Damascus Neemia |
| 17 | Ieti Samuelu |
| 18 | Trace Beattie |
With Hughes now re-signed with the Storm, lets make sure Pezet doesn’t leave Commbank this weekend without a signed Eels contract for next year and beyond (or if we can’t talk to him yet, someone needs to let him know we are keen to chat when he is allowed to). Hopefully Bendy and Jonah have a good working relationship from his time at the Storm.
Interesting to see hunter drop back to flegg when I thought he’s been tearing up cup this season. I’m guessing it would be inline with ryles “the future is now” line and the club seeing talataina as an off season shot at the 6 jersey next year and beyond.
I understand the boys wouldn’t be able to tell us who it is but is there any credence to the rumour that we’re signing a “quality back rower”
We’ll talk about it on the podcast tonight.
Hunter has signed with Newcastle
Hey Milo, We learned about that last week and spoke about it on the Tuesday News podcast.
I am also surprised McWilliams drops out. Last year we had great impact off the bench through Amiatu and Fonua. This year the bench has looked much lighter and smaller carrying both Todhunter and Ginn. Definitely notice when both Albert and Alo come off the field.
Thought Kapua would be back round 4, shame we haven’t seen her since round 1 last year.
It’s been a long road back for Kapua, that’s for certain. We had the perspective put to us in chat on the podcast, that for a fringe player on the bench like McWilliams, it might also be a matter of juggling eligibility for eligibility for HNWP finals later on. I hadn’t considered that aspect.