Another week, another rival, as the Parramatta Eels get the chance to dispatch the sour Sea Eagles a week after downing the dirty dogs. I’m not ready to come down from the high of last weekend, so let’s hope that whatever possessed the Eels against the Bulldogs is a permanent fixture and not a one week wonder.
A visit to Brookvale is never an easy or pleasant time, and the Sea Eagles can never be taken lightly. Even without Tom Trbojevic, their dead coach bounce could easily continue for a fourth week as Manly rediscover their mojo after sacking Anthony Seibold. They’re fast, they don’t mind taking risks and they are full of the kind of confidence three wins on the trot breeds. It won’t be easy.
Expectations have been adjusted for the injured Eels, who could beat a lot of teams in the NRL with an effort like last week, even missing so many stars. A regression cannot be tolerated, and the talk this week has been encouraging. It will all mean little if it isn’t followed with effort, so let’s dig into the preview and see what we can expect!
Game Info
Date: Sunday, April 26, 2026
Venue: Brookvale Oval, Brookvale
Kick-off: 4:05PM AEST
Referee: Peter Gough
Bunker: Grant Atkins
Weather: Mild, dry
Broadcast: Nine, Fox League, Kayo
Sixties Speculates (All odds quoted are NSW Tab)
To come.
Teams
Parramatta Eels
1. Joash Papalii 2. Brian Kelly 3. Will Penisini 4. Sean Russell 5. Josh Addo-Carr 6. Ronald Volkman 7. Mitchell Moses 8. Luca Moretti 9. Ryley Smith 10. Junior Paulo 11. Charlie Guymer 12. Jack Williams 13. Dylan Walker. 14. Tallyn Da Silva 15. Saxon Pryke 16. Toni Mataele 17. Jack de Belin 18. Kelma Tuilagi 19. Lorenzo Talataina. 20. Araz Nanva.
For the first time in a long time the Eels add to their squad, with Sean Russell and Kelma Tuilagi returning from concussion protocols. Russell slots straight back in at centre for the impressive debutant Araz Nanva, who moves to the reserve position. Kelma returns on the extended bench, with Charlie Guymer and Jack Williams maintaining their back row combination.
We can expect another late shift between Jack de Belin and Dylan Walker at starting lock, while Saxon Pryke and Toni Mataele retain bench positions. Game situation may dictate whether the defensively focused Mataele comes on or a shift of Williams to the middle and Kelma to the edge takes place. Lorenzo Talataina is an outside hope of a debut should injury strike.
Manly Sea Eagles
1. Tolutau Koula 2. Jason Saab 3. Clayton Faulalo 4. Reuben Garrick 5. Lehi Hopoate 6. Luke Brooks 7. Jamal Fogarty 8. Taniela Paseka 9. Brandon Wakeham 10. Kobe Hetherington 11. Haumole Olakau’atu 12. Ben Trbojevic 13. Jake Trbojevic. 14. Jake Simpkin 15. Corey Waddell 16. Ethan Bullemor 17. Sioiua Taukeiaho 18. Simione Laiafi 19. Josh Feledy. 22. Jackson Shereb.
Tom Trbojevic is a huge out for the Sea Eagles, who have usually replaced Turbo with Lehi Hopoate at the back but this week are going with strike centre Tolutau Koula. Hopefully the occasion gets to him. Clayton Faulalo comes in at Koula’s centre position. Otherwise the Sea Eagles are unchanged.
Mirage
A welcome return to form last week for the big man
Is the Sea Eagles form legit? It is hard to argue with three wins on the trot, but one of them was against the freefalling Dragons, while last week just about anybody would have beaten the Cowboys who barely completed at 50%. While undeserved confidence is confidence all the same, if Manly comes into this one feeling like they just need to turn up then they will, much like the Bulldogs, be ripe for a punching in the mouth.
The major threat of the Sea Eagles to this Eels team (and most NRL sides) is speed. While Parramatta aren’t the slouches they once were in terms of pace, there are a few worrying matchups out there where the Eels could get burned one on one. Will Penisini in particular can’t afford to get isolated. Even without a lot of creativity, if Manly can find a bit of momentum (and until last week it wasn’t hard to find against Parramatta) and catch the defence retreating, they will make you pay.
The Manly pack is full of contrasts. Taniela Paseka and Haumole Olakau’atu are legitimate battering rams, and while the Eels defended Preston and Kikau well last week, Olakau’atu can’t be given any space at all running near the line. Hetherington, Ben Trbojevic and most of the bench are more honest toiler types, and Jake Trbojevic may as well be ignored by defenders for how little threat he poses running the ball. If the few big threats can be contained, there should be scope to counterpunch against this pack.
Another major worry for the Eels defence will be the kicking game of Jamal Fogarty, who could exploit the 2026 trend of Parramatta being unable to catch high kicks or chase grubbers through the line. Rushing the kickers could solve some of this problem, there is little to fear in the running game of either Fogarty or Brooks, but the best defence against attacking kicks is dominating field position to avoid the threat in the first place. That requires a tight level of discipline, something we can’t be guaranteed after the last time Peter Gough refereed the Eels. I don’t like to mention referees very often, but Parramatta’s anomalous record in matches officiated by Gough is becoming too much to ignore. All I can hope for is that he is not the centre of attention in this match like he was in the Tigers contest.
Recovery
Ronnie Volkman is coming off his best game in first grade
It feels cheap to attribute last week’s revival to just “effort”, but it is an honest descriptor of the difference between that match and those before it. The Eels effort in defence was well beyond any we’ve seen so far this year, cutting off the Bulldogs forwards with line speed and shutting down their primary threats by getting in their face early and often. The weaknesses of this side were covered by this simple effort, the defence wasn’t put into situations where decisions needed to be made on the back foot, and easy metres weren’t up for grabs behind the ruck. Sometimes it really is a simple game.
While the Bulldogs weren’t great, if the Eels can shut down that pack then they should be able to handle the Sea Eagles forwards. If they can force Manly into early shifts to counter line speed then it plays into their hands if the wide defence is up to it. Without Turbo and Daly Cherry-Evans there isn’t as much to fear from the Sea Eagles early width, though numbers coming with pace at an isolated Penisini or Russell is a scary proposition. If the Eels can cover that threat, they’ll find themselves with an upper hand in field position and last week proved this squad can turn that into points in a lot of ways.
Beyond pace, Manly don’t excel in ways that exploit key Parramatta weaknesses. They aren’t great offloaders and the rake combination of Wakeham and Simpkin don’t have the speed to exploit behind the ruck. If Parramatta show up with the same commitment in the middle as last week and can get a fair whistle, they are a big chance.
The Game
Will Penisini found form last week too
Is this a new dawn or was last week a one off ray of sunlight? That is the big question here, and the answer will define the result, not tactics or the strength of the opposition. If Parramatta play like they did last week, they should get over the Sea Eagles. If they revert to the efforts of the opening six weeks, have the remote ready.
I have no choice but to believe in the change. Why even support a football team if you can’t be inspired to hope? The energy in the side, the resolve, the return to form of several players, that won’t just disappear. It can’t.
I’m tipping the Eels to go to Brookvale and get the job done in style. Manly may be on a winning streak, but they are a mess. Kieran Foran would still be sore from his last football game, he’s perhaps the most raw coach in the modern era. Manly’s best player and captain is on the sidelines, again. Their new captain doesn’t run the ball. The sight of Bulldogs fans streaming out of CommBank Stadium last week would look downright miserable compared to the joy I’d get from Manly fans deserting the hill with ten to go. Bring me that joy, Parramatta. Bring me that joy.
Go you Eels!
Prediction: Eels 28 d Sea Eagles 18
Man of the Match: Junior Paulo
Gol
I suspect that the game might be decided by how well we handle their 1, 2 and five; as the preview suggests, we handle power running all right; speed exposes us.
On a gambling front, in my youthful education I was earnestly taught “Odds on? Look on!” Still, a buck eighty with 9.5 start looks very attractive to me.
If Gough gives Parra the shaft again, I expect Ryles to give the officiating a spray in the after match presser.
Yep, double Gough up with Atkins in the bunker and we could be in for a hell of a day. They’ve both dudded us in the past. Footy wise it’s a 50/50 but let’s just see how fair dinkum it turns out
Gol is correct Fogarty’s kicking game can be dynamic, particularly near the goal posts. My other concern is the referees. Gough does Parra no favours along with Atkins who is just about cross-eyed when comes to the Eels. I think Joash will be a lot better if he would steady his hand in the passing game. It is where his mistakes come from. It’s never an easy game at Brookvale or whatever it’s name. In my early years the trek home was never filled with joy.
Can they do it again after last week. I am not holding my breath! It’s the referees who really decides the winner. It was very interesting the Bulldogs game was with so few six agains. Have the officials silently agreed to back off. The realization that game has produced so many injuries this year they might not have teams with a full roster at season’s end.
They play like they did last week we’ll beat manly. Manly simply arnt that good and there bubble will burst eventually.
If we play with no energy and over complicate it and rely on the refereeing to be good pen us in for a loss.
Manly are at home on a Sunday there going to get calls but if we get stuck into manly they traditionally struggle.
They remind me a lot of our team there good can be good but there bad is also really bad. Attitude will win this who wants it more
What gives me confidence is that in Da Silva, Pryke, de Belin and Mataele we have four impactful, eager defensive players on the bench. I also looking forward to the clashes in the halves; Fogarty and Brooks will be looking to give Ronald a bath and win the game for Manly; I’m fascinated to see how Ron responds
You can tell 50 minutes into a game who’s gonna win based on the amount of 6 agains given to one team. The Joy has been drained from the game.
So, what are we watching? Games decided by the whistle, not the players anymore.
For out of favour and lower placed clubs training will be based on whether you can defend for 90 minutes without rest.
Manly played better and deserved to win, but I had the same thought. The 6 Again that turned it came on the 5th tackle after we had scrambled for near 15 minutes in our own 20 to start the first half. I couldn’t see the breach, there seemed no disadvantage to Manly, it occurred in a desperation sequence on our line. It just seemed to flatten us.
Correction:That should be the 2nd half.