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Round 1 has finally arrived and the Parramatta Eels face the Melbourne Storm as story line after story line converge on the two clubs ahead of a cracking start to the NRL in Australia. Can the Eels finally end the Storms’ legendary Round 1 streak? Will the backdrop of the Zac Lomax legal outcome add extra spice to the contest? What has Parramatta learned from their season opener in 2025? Sixties and Forty20 break down all the key players and match-ups on Thursday night and how the Eels can be the ones to end Melbourne’s mythical opening week streak.
The show also previews the action in the Jersey Flegg Cup and NSW Cup as the Eels hit take on the Storm in both of those grades as well. How do the odds stack up for the lower grades and can they start their campaigns on winning notes?
Sixties rolls out the crystal ball to close out the show as the boys put their cards on the table for the competition. Who makes the 8? Which team will suffer the biggest falter and who is the unheralded bolter? To whom shall the wooden spoon belong to and which teams will meet in October? The boys lay it all on the line and be sure to leave your own bold predictions for the season in the comments!
Great work as usual gents here is my crystal ball predictions
1. Panthers: Expect a big bounce back with Talagi, McLean, and Jenkins all stepping up.
2. Raiders: Can’t believe Im seeing people writing off the Raiders, Asides from great depth, Ricky will have possibly the hardest forward pack in the comp, angry at the world and hungry for revenge.
3: Bunnies: In addition to being coached by the “Gandalf of Rugby League, their strike power is incredible. Good luck defending a sweeping left edge of Cody, Trell, Fifita, and AJ.
4. Broncos: They are too talented atm to not make the top four, though there could be a drop-off due to the Haas/Madge drama and the possibility that Reynolds and Hunt are playing a season too long.
5. Dolphins: Katoa may be the best half in the game and will be surrounded by absolute weapons like Hammer, Farnsworth and Cobbo.
6. Doggies: By the end of last season, the Galvin signing looked like a mistake they could be paying for into this season but too many good players not too make top 8
7. Eels: My dark horse for 2026. They have quality depth and an exciting group of young players; if Moses plays at least 20 games, they could finish even higher.
8. Roosters: A very strong squad on paper, but I think the Walker/DCE pairing is going to be a problem which may cost them a few games… potentially 2026’s Burton Galvin.
9. Warriors: Their best 17 is a powerhouse and I predict a strong finish to the season. I would potentially rank them higher if not for Metcalf being out for 9 rounds and several others being unavailable for the opening rounds. I like the Warriors I hope they make the 8.
10. Storm: I think depth will be an issue, and the Lomax drama appears to indicate a lack of confidence within their own camp.
11. Sharks: Their depth looked poor in the first trial against us and with no new additions hard to see them trending up, and there may be a bit of distraction around the looming rebuild.
12. Tigers: They have the key players to make the top eight, but who could confidently say they won’t find a way to self-sabotage.
13. Titans: An exciting team in theory, but like the Tigers, they often seem to get in their own way.
14. Knights: There is too much confusion regarding their halves and positions. Having committed so heavily to Dylan Brown without a clear plan. If Ponga stays healthy they could be a surprise performer.
15. Dragons: Gutho will personally prevent them from taking the spoon, but they don’t seem to have enough points in them to get too far from the bottom.
16. Manly: Turbo will win enough games to keep them off the bottom, but an uninspiring pack and halves combination will struggle most of the time.
17. Cowboys: They’ve bought Mahoney in for Robson but I can’t see that turning their fortunes around. Potentially another big rebuild bound club.
What a joke of a game, I take it back
Not even through the first game… we’re not playing finals this year.
What a mentally weak and inept bunch of men. Starts with the “leaders” of the team being mentally weak and filters down. In the first half they kept making errors and tried to score off every play instead of sticking to processes. In the second half they didn’t even come out the sheds. Ruck defence is putrid, as are the dummy halves.
Too many mistakes, drop balls. Forward passes, ref bias terrible, some work to do