The great sporting rivalries don’t care for form or ladder position, and that’s a good thing given this edition of the Eels v Bulldogs sees both sides far closer to the cellar than the penthouse. Both sides have been plucky, slightly unlucky (Eels with injuries, Dogs with complete inability to adjust to rule changes) but mostly both sides haven’t been able to get out of their own way on the field and off of it.

The recruitment tug of war for Lachlan Galvin last year was a real sliding doors moment for both the Bulldogs and Eels; unfortunately both trains were headed straight into a brick wall and the difference was only in what they saw along the way. Now we get the classic battle of resistible force against moveable object, as the Bulldogs league worst attack takes on the Eels league-worst defence (non-Dragons division, who are somehow worse at both).

It might not be pretty, but it will be fought with feeling on and off the field. The only thing better than watching Bulldogs fans streaming out of an Eels home game early is watching them stream out of their own ground before the full time siren. Can Parramatta get it done? Let’s dig in.

Game Info

Date: Monday, June 8, 2026
Venue: Accor Stadium, Homebush
Kick-off: 4:05 PM AEST
Referee: Todd Smith
Bunker: Adam Gee
Weather: Mild, potential rain
Broadcast: Fox League, Kayo

Sixties Speculates (All odds quoted are NSW Tab)

To come…

Sixties

Teams

Parramatta Eels

1. Isaiah Iongi 2. Brian Kelly 3. Jordan Samrani 4. Sean Russell 5. Josh Addo-Carr 6. Joash Papalii 7. Ronald Volkman 8. Luca Moretti 9. Tallyn Da Silva 10. Jack Willliams 11. Kelma Tuilagi 12. Kitione Kautoga 13. Jack de Belin. 14. Dylan Walker 15. Sam Tuivaiti 17. Harrison Edwards 18. Apa Twidle 19. Teancum Brown. 20. Charlie Guymer 22. Araz Nanva.

The expected return of Mitchell Moses did not eventuate, proving once again you can’t trust a coach who says a player will be fine for next week. That means no changes to the starting 13 from last week, with Ryley Smith’s NSW Cup return officially becoming a demotion as he starts there again, absent from the first grade bench.

Also absent from the bench is Toni Mataele, clearing the way for a debut from young gun prop Teancum Brown. Brown has been there or abouts on the bench for a few weeks but given a bit of pomp and circumstance around his anticipated debut this week, he should actually get on the field barring the unexpected. That leaves the expected four to be used as Walker, Tuivaiti, Brown and Edwards, with two of Apa Twidle, Araz Nanva and Charlie Guymer to make up the extended spots.

Canterbury Bulldogs

1. Jacob Kiraz 2. Jethro Rinakama 3. Bronson Xerri 4. Stephen Crichton 5. Enari Tuala 6. Matt Burton 7. Lachlan Galvin 8. Max King 14. Bailey Hayward 10. Leo Thompson 11. Sitili Tupouniua 12. Jaeman Salmon 13. Harry Hayes. 15. Jed Reardon 16. Jack Underhill 17. Josh Curran 19. Sean O’Sullivan 20. Logan Spinks 21. Lipoi Hopoi. 22. Connor Tracey.

A few question marks for the Bulldogs, with Jacob Kiraz in all sorts of doubt due to a calf injury while Stephen Crichton is also not 100%. Connor Tracey is on the extended bench in his return from injury and would slot right back in should Kiraz be unable to go. In a confirmed change, Kurt Mann is out with Bailey Hayward returning to the starting rake role he has been maligned in all season long. Sean O’Sullivan comes onto the bench as the utility cover.

With Mann’s absence the whole Bulldogs starting back row is out, with Jacob Preston and Viliame Kikau both injured. Sitili Tupouniua and Jaeman Salmon start in their place, while Harry Hayes locks the scrum. The young bench includes “cult hero” (read: has a bad haircut) Jack Underhill, Jed Reardon and Josh Curran. Sam Hughes is also out injured but might not be cracking this side anyway now that Leo Thompson has returned.

Plugging the Leaks

Kitione Kautoga: Destroyer of Defences

The Eels demonstrated some of the most amateur defence you will ever see last weekend, and with no changes to the combinations something has to change with the communication, decision making and attitudes. Even with halves that would struggle to direct a dog to a bone Canterbury are more than capable of passing the ball two wide and having a hard running back rower hit a gap. Tupouniua is a savage runner of the football when he’s in a mood, he’ll break arm tackles with ease though in many cases the Eels didn’t even get an arm on the runner last weekend. Jaeman Salmon isn’t as threatening but he’s spent some time in the halves and should be clever enough to know where to run.

The first step will be commitment, not just in effort but in forcing a decision of the attacking players. Ronald Volkman in particular is late to react to his inside defender and finds himself caught between two choices, making neither. In defence it is better to be confidently wrong than not making a call at all, so pick a runner and hit him with everything you’ve got. If the pass goes short or wide and they find space, so be it, but cover somebody and force that call.

This also requires earlier commitment from the edges, who are sliding themselves into oblivion and not giving their outside defenders a choice to react to. Kelma and Kitione aren’t the most agile defenders but they need more conviction in choosing a target. It might not result in good defence, but it has to improve what has been an embarrassing defensive line in recent weeks. You could set a watch to the tries opposition score after a repeat set or piggyback, such is the weakness of the Eels against anything but a basic exit set.

The Bulldogs will also look to push their luck on the positioning of Isaiah Iongi should he remain camped in the defensive line in the red zone. They don’t have much, but Galvin and Burton are more than capable of kicks in behind the line and there is plenty of speed in Crichton and Xerri to pounce on said kicks. We’re going to see it more and more as teams return to the short kicking game to exploit the fullback positioning meta, and Iongi in particular has been picked out for his positioning many times in the past.

Into the Breach

All eyes will be on Volkman in defence

When the Eels held the ball last week their attack looked solid enough considering the absences. Some of the shifts were a bit out of sync, but getting early ball to Kautoga and Addo-Carr on the left side proved fruitful and Volkman’s long kicking game was a passable imitation of what we get from Moses. If the halves can clean up the basic errors (looking at those forward passes in particular), the team tightens up its options on breaks and we get more support there for threats like Kautoga and Tuilagi when they poke through the line, then there will be enough points in this team to beat a suddenly shaky Bulldogs defence.

The Bulldogs are struggling more than most with this edition of six again football, where barrelling down the middle and limiting mistakes is an ideal gameplan. It isn’t so much that their side can’t do it, they sit mid pack for most key attacking statistics such as metres and post-contact, possession, error rate and tackle breaks, but their ability to finish things off and cross the line, to take advantage of a repeat set or a six again, is among the worst in the competition.

This could be good news for an Eels side that concedes a try if somebody in a striped shirt tries to swat away a fly, or it could demonstrate just how bad things are for Parramatta that even a Bulldogs team that can’t capitalise on repeat sets can break them down when given the chance. The defence has given me no confidence to bet on the former, but it is an avenue of potential relief for a team that concedes 30s for fun.

There are also the strong individual performers that could break a game open. Jordan Samrani is making things happen while Josh Addo-Carr looked a new man last week and will be itching to make something of his speed. Brian Kelly wins one-on-one matchups for fun in attack and has sneakily been one of the Eels’ best in 2026. Kautoga was a force of destruction on the edge last week, Kelma Tuilagi left a Sandon Smith shaped divot in the turf from running over him all afternoon, and Dylan Walker will enjoy having some fired up young middles looking to prove themselves running off his shoulder, in Tuivaiti and Brown. The points are there if the defence can just hold on.

The Game

Very nice to have big Sam back

I don’t know why, but I feel good about this one. Maybe I’m trying to vibe a win into existence, maybe I overrate how bad the Bulldogs are, or maybe I’m prescient and see an Eels team that is going better than the Bulldogs getting over the top of them and skipping clear of the bottom of the ladder. Maybe I just hate the Bulldogs. Actually that’s not a maybe, I definitely hate the Bulldogs.

The Bulldogs have scored 30 just twice this year, once against Penrith in one of the great anomalies of 2026, the other against Melbourne without Origin players, and even then they were down 18-6 at halftime. They won’t be a pushover, but they certainly can be pushed over with a bit of grit, mettle and resistance. If the Eels have got it in them, they can get the job done here.

Lets be bold and tip them in here. It won’t be easy, but the Bulldogs haven’t been able to get out of their own way all season long, and I think the Eels can take advantage of that. If they can just clean up the edge defence, there is a football team here, but that is a mammoth cleanup job. Let’s start with mopping the floor with blue and white on Monday afternoon.

Go you Eels!

Prediction: Eels 28 d Bulldogs 18

Man of the Match: Kitione Kautoga

Gol

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