In perhaps the biggest series of what-ifs for the Parramatta Eels in 2026 to date, Jason Ryles and his men have been left to rue a litany of missed opportunities in Round 13. The Blue & Gold came within a whisker of a famous upset victory against the Newcastle Knights but stumbled at multiple key junctions in the game. Sixties and Forty20 unpack the 6-point loss as the Eels went down 28-22 in their Instant Reaction.
Hard to take loses like that.. if only we held the ball n didn’t throw forward passes n support the ball carrier. We do that we win plain and simple.
Why didn’t luca make more metres. Did he fail a HIA or something. Sorry didn’t watch the game only on nrl.com.
Not sure but in my opinion he’s a reserve grader so his ceiling is about that. I’d rather young props get minutes over him. Should of released him to knights when they wanted him.
Moretti didn’t make more metres because he is a below average footballer with not enough motor and poor post contact metre numbers.
Don’t mean to be rude to him, he’s a better athlete than I am, but it’s just the facts at this point.
Game of two halves – good then horrible.
I respect the coaches and how much effort they put in to get players up for games but we make such simple errors week in week out. A lack of quality is à lack of quality – it is almost impossible to outcoach the lack of quality other than the odd game here and there. I don’t really know what the point of this season is. We were gone from round 1 and it’s just been a slow-walk to our death after that embarrassment. Where to from here? Blood juniors? Keep playing middle aged reserve graders in nrl? Kid ourselves that injuries are to blame and rinse and repeat this next year?
Recuritment (a middle and some competent backs with speed) and retention (tuivati, Walker, fox) would add some optimism for next year.
Side note: Watching Burton play is so tough. I don’t rate Galvin speed and physicality (he takes too many touches and runs sideways with slow, weak runs). But my god is Burton is one dimensional and putrid inside the attacking 20. No ability to set up a try or put in a deft grubber. He has a big boot and a decent running game but that’s been well and truly worked out by teams. Kikau does a lot of the ball playing for him. I hope Parra don’t try sign him as he’s not worth the reported 900k asking price. Somehow evades scrutiny in media aswell (as do most of the dogs players and their coach).
I agree with most of this. Don’t watch Burton enough to comment on him.
The positives out of this game for me were the effort and not folding like they could have, and I thought Brian Kelly was very good. Overall I think he gets a bad wrap. Makes some shocking mistakes, but it’s not like he’s the only one, but almost every week is an effort machine and metre eater.
The forward pass from Volkman to Russell (I think) just on half time was criminal. That’s not lack of experience, that’s just two bog average footballers playing bad football. We have multiple instances of this stuff every week.
Your sentiment around what we get out of this season though, Ron, is on point. Even if the juniors we are blooding and getting NRL experience into turn out to be solid or elite first graders, that will be 2-3 seasons away and we will probably lose most them to other clubs once they realise their potential and demand greater earnjngs. In other words, just like Pezet, Eels fans are suffering now for the benefit of other clubs in future years – heart warming stuff really. 2026 is just treading water. 2027 will be the same. Maybe there’s some hope for 2028, but geez that’s a long wait.
“The forward pass from Volkman to Russell (I think) just on half time was crimina“
It was Joash. Joash just had to draw and pass, but he doesn’t want to get hammered so he watches the fullback instead of looking at his support player. He does it all the time. Even the Kelly try you see him fight his instinct and eventually look at Iongi as he shifts the ball.. You’re right it’s criminal. It should be embarrassing for an NRL player.
Joash and volkman are reserve graders. Joash can’t even beat a player so twidle may be a better option in attack.
Volkman had a couple good games and people think he’s better than he is. He is defensively abysmal and inconsistent in attack. No bothered if he moves on.
Volkman looks like he makes deliberate bad defensive reads to not make tackles. Blokes run right past him far too often barely being touched because he’s focused on marking smaller blokes he’s happier to tackle.
Papalii – never thought about why he throws those no-look passes. Avoiding contact makes sense. He could probably get away with it in junior grades by doing enough to compensate for the poor Hail Marys. And some of the forward passes were likely just missed. But his fundamental are being found out at first grade level.
As to 2027, we began 2025 with these halves – Moses, aged 30, Brown, Hawkins, Volkmann (eventually, after taking some convincing) Papalii and, among the most exciting of them, Twidle. We signed Pezet for this year
Signed for 2027 are Moses (aged 33 by the end of next season and Papalii. I hope we’re not banking on Talataina – on yesterday’s Cup form he’s not ready.
Other clubs are strengthening their rosters for next year. We need a sense of urgency.
We missed 47 tackles
That’s all she wrote.
In the reserves Newcastle put to on us. Talanaini was given a total by Gallup; our outstanding, NRL quality player was Twidle, recently signed by The Bears in the face of be being offered by us a development contract, this a guy of such outstanding acceleration that he scored two tries in the first three touches in the NRL.
Two of our outstanding contributors in the NRL? Volkman (dominant) and Mataraele, neither currently signed for next year.
Just saying…
Mate that’s surely for me number 1 priority
defense it must average 45 to 50 a game so frustrating and and pathetic. We aren’t going anywhere. Most players are trying
Didn’t watch the game till late (no knowledge of the score). Match notes:
Ominous start. Can’t get players to ground. If they have more ball than us, we lose.
Lucas try. That’s embarrassing. Volkman a bad miss and Talagi is just not good enough a defender to play in the forwards. 0-6
Off the kick off – Williams goes for the big hit and Saifiti just bounces off him and keeps going…
Back-to-back penalties on Moodie tackling JDB… neither were worthy of a penalty.. we’ll take it. Fair play by Kelly. That was good strong work by him. 4-6
Another 20m set. If we don’t get penalties or six agains, we just don’t make any yards.
Both edges get cooked. Sandon Smith – who should be getting a HIA – throws the cut out for the try to cement hands Mazrhew. 4-12
Nice little kick from TDS. 10-12
Feels like we can’t let them score twice or we might break. But if we hang in and wait for errors, don’t make any ourselves… we’re a punchers chance.
Ugh. Russell with another low iq moment. Clearly offside.
I’ve seen enough. Papali’i LOOK WHERE YOU ARE PASSING THE BALL! He doesn’t look where he passes (unless he is at dummy half where he won’t get tackled) and he can’t break a tackle. He’s not a first grader!!!
Half time. All that said, probably deserve the lead after better ball control and poor play from the Knights, who haven’t looked like scoring outside the 2 plays they scored off of.
The strategy is commendable and I reckon this is exactly where Ryles thought they would be at half time. Do they have the gas to go the full 80?
In the first half Jake Juke wrapped Volkman and he immediately threw it into touch. 2nd half Juke wraps Volkman kicking and he immediately kicks it into the back fence…
Dreadful from TDS and Volkman.
That was soft. No words. 10-18. Can’t go down by 14.
Williams drops it
Katonga drops it. We can’t win if we lose the completion battle.
Williams decides he doesn’t want to score a try and would rather throw ANOTHER terrible pass. Still no completions in the second half- 13 mins gone.
Papali’i another error as Brown comes rushing at him…. Not a good look.
How bad is this second half from both teams?
We need to complete a set or two, then get JAC some ball in space. He’s the only one looking dangerous.
For those who think I am too negative.. 16 minutes in, we just completed our first set of the second half! Great work boys.
Well that didn’t last long….
About 5 or 6 of these Knights look like they would be more at home wrangling alligators at an animal sanctuary in Louisiana…
Lucas 60m untouched… 10-24
We’ll do well to keep them under 40.
Momentum killer. God bless you Ponga – you’re having a shocker!
Nice work Volkman/Samrani. Need a Nth QLD 2.0… Not over yet. 16-24.
Forwards getting smashed in defence.
Defence holds on, Knights error…. And Joash just drops the ball… again….
Try. Ball game. 16-28.
Hold on hold on. Knights throw it around thinking it’s over and Samrani gets the intercept! Iongi finally runs full tilt and we’ve got a chance to! 22-28
Couple of close calls but it isn’t going to be our day.
FT 22-28
Well good we didn’t give up 30 points- but let’s be honest, most other teams put us away, the knights were sh1t.
First 15 minutes of the second half cost us and if Iongi plays 6 and Twiddle, JAC or anyone not named Papali’i plays fullback, I reckon we might have snatched that game.
Iongi and Kelly were good. Samrani tried hard and scored a god try. Kautoga ran the ball well. Every tried hard.
Ha ha. I overstated Samrani’s try but it was good.
I liked the effort, that was a cup team that almost beat a top 4 team
I like Williams as captain, going forward I think the team would be in a better headspace without Moses as captain – the constant sprays from Moses on field when he himself has been very poor this year is not good for team unity or morale, it’s actually poor leadership and I’m sure his demeanor has not assisted us with the refs either
How good is Samrani, he’s a future origin player
Plenty of positives to be taken from the game, there was even some folding which was a welcome surprise.
if I could ask one thing to improve on it would be forward passes- that’s just rank amateur seeing that quantity from a variety of players
The game..tidy up the third quarter and we likely win..errors/completions (the 60’s theory).
Randoms…I also checked Russell in that bombed try, he ranged up a touch too far then started easing back, unfortunately Papalii’s passing technique couldn’t deal with a flat pass with the hands not shaping forward.
This is not a whinge, it happens every game..Williams got pinged for not removíng himself from the ruck..when you look at it, the only way he could have most likely woukd have disrupted the incoming dummy half. The quick play the ball, the way Williams hit the deck and the angle the dummy half approached added up to checkmate. Williams first reaction was not to interfere with the ball, then the dummy half thought here’s a milking chance and sort of gestured but also could have easily leaned over Williams and grabbed the ball like you see in 75% of cases. He wasn’t interrupted or forced into error. Harry Grant world. I know it all happens quickly, but sometimes the ref assesses the situation, others they just whistle it, I thought maybe Williams deserved the assessment in that one…but then again,he’s on my team.
Hard to believe Averillo is being chased by 4 Sydney teams and parra who are looking at having no decent centres for next year are not one of the clubs , next year looks possibly worse than this year if possible , it’s a repeat of the mid 90s unfortunately
If you take a look at the roster at the start of the 2025 preseason ( when Lomax still wason the books) and compare it with the players so far signed for next season it is impossible to avoid the belief that we’re going sharply backwards; we had, for example, four players signed for next year’s NRL 30 plus one development player for next year, guaranteed a spot in the 2027 30 in the Cup team yesterday that had 50 put on them by the Knights Cup. Of the Cup team probably our three best were Twidle – the stand out – Brown and the captain; only Brown is signed for next year and Twidle will move on, not having been offered a top 30 contract.
I am deeply, deeply concerned at the quality of our recruitment and retention
Ah.. the yearly pilgrimage to Newy !
Always look forward to it.
Yes there are some bogans but damn the beaches are amazing.
The Mrs and I always look forward to the drive up there and always leave saying that we should move there.
Like normal, we got up there for both games.
The Cup game.
All I can say is that if Newcastle had spread it wide every play, they would have beaten us by 100.
Jordan Hill and Allimaine were the wingers, with Nanva inside of Allimaine. (I think that’s right)
Hill came in on EVERY play and doubled up on his centre. 95% of the time he didn’t have to and if he had held back he could have closed it down.
Allimaine did the same thing. It’s a disease!.
Hill just showed his unfamiliarity with the system I suppose.
Allimaine .. hmmmm I read somewhere that he has been with us since he was 15 or something ?
Damn. Yes poor.
Maybe we are looking to break the record of how long we persisted with Sam Louzou ?
(I see he’s finally gone to Manly- dont worry, he will be back when Manly give him the flick and we will persist with him again)
Nanva. Hahahaha. So Nanva is supposed to be our great white hope next year and is a defensive centre ? Well he has to be something because he couldn’t outrun my dead mother on a cold day.
Schiller is an average player who would be ok in a NRL side occasionally, that’s why he hasn’t progressed.
Both Schiller and a kid named Winter (whoever that is) made Nanva look like a reserve from Wenty.
I’ve seen Nanva play plenty of times and he pulls a decent game out , 1 time in about 5 or 6.
We have bugger all in reserve people.
I know we have injuries but damn, there are some very very ordinary players in that side.
Twiddle was head and shoulders above anything out there in both effort but especially in football intelligence.
As for Talatina, he’s a deceptive bugger and his best attribute is that he squares up the attack and digs into the line.
I actually think that playing with the bunch of potatoes that he is forced to now, is hurting his development rather than assisting.
He’s losing confidence.
Talking about potatoes. How about those first graders ?
Others have covered the performance.
All I can say is that I made a point of watching Volkmann very closely considering he’s everyone’s favourite player at the moment.
An old coach of mine always said , watch what the players do OFF the ball to gauge if they are any good.
This especially applies to the playmakers.
Volkmann has a decent bag of tricks when he has the ball in his hands but he walks slowly around when he hasn’t.
I first saw it on the TV a couple of weeks ago and I was keen to see if it was noticeable live.
It was.. only more so.
Volkmann would put a kick up and then slowly walk, wouldn’t chase anything.
If he was on the other side, he was head down, slow walk.
Damn that’s lazy.
A playmaker should be hustling and thinking two plays ahead and it’s clear he’s not.
Have a look at the replay and it’s quite clear on the TV. When you see him live, it’s very clear.
I’m sure they pick up these things when they do their GPS data dumps but personally I wouldn’t have him anywhere near our side.
Overall, as mentioned above, does anyone else feel like we are watching the Eels in the nineties ?
I’m glad the leagues club is making money because we are absolutely rank as a football club.
But the drive was great going home, low expectations do that.
Yer absolutely fair Analysis on Volkman. It’s absolutely the things they do away from the ball that is the problem. Volkman, Tualagi, Will P and Gideon are extremely poor around the off the ball 1%’ers as soon as there beaten they drag there feet and there body language is extremely poor.
Teams will go at this all day just on body language alone it’s not first grade standard. Volkman and Gideon have time on there hands to improve this but kelma and will I have no hope they can ever change this it’s just so ingrained.
Players like Joash he absolutely has to work on his passing but his no where near his ceiling neither is tallyn or Iongi these guys are the ones that deserve time you can see potential and in my opinion Iongi has the potential to be elite
I’m interested in the current dismissal ofRon Volkmann by some. He is currently not signed for next year. Simple question – if he doesn’t play 6 next year, who does? Mitch will be 33 by the end of next season; if he’s out injured and Volkmann isn’t signed, who plays 7?
We face the real danger that the roster for 27 will be worse than this year – De Belin, Walker and Paulo all are on the wrong side of thirty and none of them is yet signed for 27. We need to be sure that our best performing young players are tied up
We really missed a trick by passing on Sandon Smith in my opinion.
A bloody good player and kicks goals as well.
If we can convince him that he won’t get too much game time in Newcastle, then he’s the perfect 6 for us.
I worry about Moses. The poor bugger deserves so much better than our spuds running our recruitment.
My massive disappointment is that we never tried Apa Twidle in the halves in NRL. It’s easy to see what he’s got – excellent kicking game, short and long, presentable goal kicking, killler long pass, ability to read a game, amazing acceleration. I haven’t seen enough of him to know how his defence is but, having lost Brown and Hawkins last year, Pezet next year I would have thought he must have been worth a look. Our only halves signed for next year at present are Moses and Papalii (that’s it; no choice) with Talataina on a development contract and still developing. Strange to see Apa vanishing off to the west. If we fail to sign both Volkman and Mataele it will be interesting to see whom we’ve lined up as replacements.
Apa was one of my favourite players going through the grades. He has massive football intelligence.
I suppose he wasn’t just going to sit around and wait until our committee did something. Perth has definitely got a decent player there.
I’m very very worried about the future of this club.
Next year looks like a complete write off.
For the life of me I can’t understand why SPEED isnt the no 1 criteria in our recruitment in our backline.
It seems every other team have got the message.
If you look across the clubs there are some express players who if you take away their speed, they would be pretty ordinary.
I’m talking about Saab, P.Khan and everyone’s latest Falagoo from the Storm.
Ryan Papenhazen was a pretty average player if you took away his blistering speed.
Instead we invest heavily in Nanva and Samrani etc..
There is not an out and out speed demon in our club anywhere.
Probably Mitch Moses is the fastest player at our club and at 32 that is an out and out travesty.
You think of all the tries scored this year with just acceleration but it just doesn’t seem to be a marker in our recruitment.
I was watching the cows storm match and Falagoo made a break and Purdue ran him down. Mate , he would have scored and had time for a cup of tea if they were playing against us.
JAC can’t be expected to do all the heavy lifting in this department!
Apparently we offered pa a development deal and refused him a top thirty spot. He didn’t need to.lower his sights.
Thanks as always chaps,
Your half glass full approach always helps balance my pessimism and forces me to consider things in a different way. That has to be good.
I’m sure the refs were told to crack down in forward passes this week. So many more were pulled up across the entire round. A good thing too even if it affected us as I’m tired of watching NFL instead of league. Mind you the forward passes regularly coming out of dummy halves still seemed to be a regular unpenalised occurrence.
Might be just me but I thought Brian Kelly really tried to improve his ball security this game, often holding the ball with two hands in the tackle. I also thinks his defence has improved since coming to the Eels. Kudos to him.
Doggies next week. Hopefully Crichton still has the irrits with Galvin and the arguments run forth 😀. It would be a beautiful part of the season if we could knock them over.