Last week’s insipid performance was about it for me for season 2025, and the remaining weeks are going through the motions before hope can officially spring for 2026. It has been a brutal year, punctuated only by the belief that things will get better in the future, pinning joy to the whims of what is to come because there has barely been any in the football the Eels have played.

Now a team we rarely manage to beat is coming to town, on a three game winning streak and needing to win out to complete a late finals charge. The Roosters have towelled up two finals contenders in as many weeks and are looking one of the few teams coming into the post-season with a bit of form and momentum behind them. They just need to make sure they get there.

A hot team with everything to play for against an Eels side that just dished up (waves arms at last week) whatever that was. Yep, it is going to be one of those previews. Unlike the Eels, I’ll keep the suffering to a minimum and make it quick. Let’s dig in.

Game Info

Date: Saturday, August 23, 2025
Venue: CommBank Stadium, Parramatta
Kick-off: 7:30PM AEST
Referee: Wyatt Raymond
Bunker: Adam Gee
Weather: Dry, heavy
Broadcast: Nine, Fox League, Kayo

Sixties Gol Speculates (Odds quoted are NSW TAB)

Gol filling in here again, and the usual disclaimer applies: my punting tips are as well thought out as they are successful. You’ve been warned.

Not advocating for this, but you can get the Rooster 30+ at $6.20, and if you are game, getting on 41-45 at $41 and 46-50 at $51 feels like a chance. Yep, it’s that kind of preview.

But as always, keep it fun.

Happy, responsible punting everyone.

Gol

Teams

Parramatta Eels

1. Isaiah Iongi 2. Zac Lomax 3. Will Penisini 4. Dylan Brown 5. Josh Addo-Carr 6. Joash Papalii 7. Mitchell Moses 8. J’maine Hopgood 9. Ryley Smith 10. Junior Paulo 11. Kelma Tuilagi 12. Jack Williams 13. Dylan Walker. 14. Tallyn Da Silva 15. Charlie Guymer 16. Matt Doorey 17. Jordan Samrani. 19. Haze Dunster 21. Toni Mataele.

Jason Ryles has thrown most of the old deckchairs overboard through the year, so there aren’t many options left for reshuffles even after such a listless performance. Luca Moretti is out injured and forces the only change, with Jordan Samrani coming onto the bench. It’s a small bench to match up against a monster set of Roosters forwards, but it’s also about the only one we can field at this stage.

Rumours persist that Zac Lomax will miss the match, but at time of writing nothing is confirmed. I’d expect some kind of reshuffle involving Samrani moving to centre or wing if that is the case, though Haze Dunster could get his first top grade game since 2023 if Samrani is needed on the bench. Toni Mataele doubling his career total of first grade games is the other option on the reserves.

Sydney Roosters

1. James Tedesco 2. Junior Tupou 3. Billy Smith 4. Robert Toia 5. Mark Nawaqanitawase 6. Hugo Savala 7. Sam Walker 8. Naufahu Whyte 9. Connor Watson 10. Lindsay Collins 11. Angus Crichton 12. Siua Wong 13. Victor Radley. 14. Benaiah Ioelu 15. Salesi Foketi 16. Egan Butcher 17. Spencer Leniu. 18. Ethan King 21. Sandon Smith.

In a mercy for Eels fans, Daniel Tupou is out this week, replaced with midseason recruit from the Dolphins, Junior Tupou. Otherwise, the Roosters casualty ward is clearing out at the right end of the season. Must feel nice.

Hunting for Positives

We need a big bounceback game from Moses

Combinations and experience are what the Eels are hunting for in these remaining matches, with a potential 2026 spine finally taking the field together thanks to the return of Isaiah Iongi. I haven’t seen enough from Joash Papalii at five eighth to be crowning him for next year just yet, but there are glimmers of potential there and given the player market, internal promotion seems to be the only way forward in the halves.

Last week was not an encouraging sign, with the most experienced (only experienced?) man not standing up as required in Mitchell Moses. He’s allowed an off game every now and then, but given the inexperience opposite him last week I thought it was reasonable to expect he could lead the side to victory. He’ll be fired up to atone, and typical to the best Parramatta performances this year, even one of his great games may not be enough to get the job done.

The Roosters pack presents a good opportunity for the fringe forwards to make their case for 2026. They’re big, tough and in great form, with Naufahu Whyte showing breakout class in recent weeks and delivering an example of what the Eels will be hoping for with their own blooding of youth. Whyte is five years on from his debut and has just ticked over that magical 50 first grade games marker, putting on his “comfortable in first grade” boots right on schedule. Hopefully we’re talking about players like Tuivaiti, Moretti and Guymer like that in a year or two. Of course, thanks to the curse of injuries, only one of those players is even lining up this week.

The starting pack is full of the guys that hopefully this youth movement will eventually surpass. J’maine Hopgood is making a good fist of his move to prop, but he’s stepping up from a very low base set earlier this season and I haven’t heard anybody call him a future captain in a long time. We’re a long way from the potential he showed in his first season. Kelma Tuilagi continues to have moments with the ball, but he remains capable of defensive plays like the ones that got him hooked less than 20 minutes into the first game of the year. Jack Williams is similarly capable of those highs and lows, just with a higher base workrate.

This hunt for positives is going about as well as looking for Iraq’s nukes, but it’s wet, cold and the Eels have been bad for most of the year, I’m wearing down. Let’s just get this all over with.

The Game

The big 250 for Dylan Walker this week

When the Roosters have really pounded on the Eels in recent years (and it has happened plenty of times), usually it has looked like a team of men running around and toying with a team of boys. The size difference in the packs doesn’t give me much hope of avoiding a repeat, but the surest way to cut a big man down to size is to make him tackle all day long, and there is a path to victory here.

The Eels may be worst in the NRL at forcing mistakes from their opposition, but the Roosters are the second worst. They are also near the bottom of the league for making their own errors and completions. Their set restart discipline is pretty good, but that doesn’t matter against Parramatta, because every opponent of the Eels has brilliant discipline. In slippery conditions, if the Eels can hold it together there is every chance that the Roosters can’t, and suddenly we’re looking at a contest.

From there, Parramatta needs to break type and take their chances. Maybe if Lomax is out the attack will evolve from “ineffective bomb from midfield” where the primary hope seems to be that a referee will finally blow a penalty for interference as Lomax navigates a pinball table to get to the ball. After watching the attack last week I don’t have faith they could score against tackling bags, but if things do click and they earn their opportunities, maybe good things will come.

Shutting down the Roosters attack will be tough. Sam Walker specialises in those weird plays that we never seem to shut down; weird kicks and second phase, long passes off the back of broken play. James Tedesco lives off exploiting defenders that rest for just a moment, of which the Eels still have plenty in the middle of the park. Radley, Watson and even Nawaqanitawase are great in those “nugget effort” areas close to the line, and Crichton runs very dangerous lines for inexperienced or incapable edge defenders to shut down.

If I’m honest, I think this one gets ugly. There are chances for victory, sure, but the Roosters need the win, and with their current form they deserve to be in the finals. I don’t see the Eels offering much resistance to that charge based on recent form. Another noble loss might be the ceiling in this one, and the floor, well let’s hope they don’t try and outdo their win over the Dolphins two weeks ago.

Go you Eels!

Prediction: Roosters 38 d Eels 10

Man of the Match: James Tedesco

Gol

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