Oh boy, where do I begin?
Disappointment, frustration, or wondering what direction the rest of the season is bound for.
The Eels lost 50-12 to the Gold Coast Titans in Round 3; meanwhile, the Warriors won 42-4 over the North Queensland Cowboys.
Teams are having their best games against the Eels; that’s not the Blue and Gold side the fans want to see, let alone what we know they are truly capable of when they are playing to the best of their ability.
In contrast, the Warriors are playing with confidence, putting each other in position to showcase their speed, support play and maximise their opportunities in possession.
Can the Eels find a way to contain the in-form New Zealand Warriors, or will we see a similar result once again?
Game Info
Date: Sunday, July 26, 2026
Kick-off: 12:00 PM AEST
Venue: Eric Tweedale Stadium, Sydney
Referee: Rochelle Tamarua
Broadcast: Foxtel and Nine Gem
Live Stream: Kayo & Nine Now
Team Lists
Parramatta Eels
1. Abbi Church 2. Zali Fay 3. Rory Owen 4. Lindsay Tui 5. Martha Mataele 6. Rosemarie Beckett 7. Rachael Pearson 8. Elsie Albert 9. Taneka Todhunter 10. Ryvrr-Lee Alo 11. Fontayne Tufuga 12. Mahalia Murphy 13. Keilee Joseph 14. Rueben Cherrington 15. Tess McWilliams 16. Boss Kapua 17. Khyliah Gray 18. Jasmin Morrissey 19. Jayde Herdegen 20. Kiana Takairangi 21. Kate Fallon
The biggest off-season signing for the Eels finally makes her club debut. Keilee Joseph returns from injury and will provide needed experience and grit in a side that is struggling to perform.
Keilee Joseph
Khyliah Gray moves back to the bench; Rosemarie Beckett will start in the five-eighth position after Cassey Tohi-Hiku was given a two-match ban for a hip drop on Titans half Teagan Levi.
The Eels five eighth will miss the Warriors clash and the trip to Wagga Wagga to play the Newcastle Knights and will return in Round 6 against the Sydney Roosters.
Rysh’e Fa’amausili will also miss the Warriors match following a head knock.
Steve Georgeallis seems to have made a tactical adjustment, with Taneka Todhunter starting at dummy-half and Rueben Cherrington starting the game on the bench.
New Zealand Warriors
1. Apii Nicholls 2. Payton Takimoana 3. Tysha Ikenasio 4. Stacey Waaka 5. Ocean Tierney 6. Emmanita Paki 20 Gayle Broughton 8. May Hill-Moana 9. Jasmin Huriwai 10. Metanoia Fetalaiga 11. Christabelle Onesemo-Tuilaepa 12. Shakira Baker 13. Kaiyah Atai 7. Patricia Maliepo 15. Harata Butler 16. Ivana Lauitiiti 17. Annetta Nuuausala 22. Maarire Puketapu 14. Capri Paekau
Warriors winger Payton Takimoana makes a return from a shoulder injury earlier than expected, replacing Lavinia Tauhalaliku.
Mya Hill-Moana will start in the front row, shuffling Kaiyah Atai into lock.
Annetta Nuuausala will join the bench, and Metanoia Fetalaiga slots in the other starting front row spot.
In a late change, Gayle Broughton returns at halfback with Maliepo reverting to the bench.
The Game
Strangely, the Eels completed at a high percentage (84%) yet they barely ran 837 metres against the Titans.
Their sets were slow and low-value, with lots of one-out hit-ups going nowhere, rather than genuine go-forward or attack that asked questions.
Parramatta failed to win the ruck to get quick play-the-balls, so consequently Rachael Pearson struggled to engineer the attack. Perhaps the inclusion of Keilee Joseph and Boss Kapua will ignite some punch through the middle this week.
Boss Kapua
In comparison, the Warriors completed at a lower percentage to the Eels last week (81%), but made far better use of the possession in their match, gaining 9.5 metres per carry and 663 post-contact metres against the Cowboys.
That’s the real battleground. The Warriors pack is built to keep asserting their ball-carrying dominance.
Kaiyah Atai offers ball-playing ability should they need a secondary creative outlet beyond the halves.
Where the Warriors will be dangerous on Sunday is on their right edge with Stacey Waaka at centre combining with Ocean Tierney. Parramatta’s edge defence will need tighten up or it could get ugly.
The Eels’ issue isn’t just ball in hand, it’s a defensive system that conceded 13 line breaks against the Titans.
Defenders are getting isolated, with the middle folding under repeat pressure, which exposes their edges.
The winner?
The fate of this game will begin with ruck speed and middle-forward collision, then edge-execution second.
I expect the Warriors’ superior physicality and ability to play expansive footy to test the Eels defence. Once their structured and unstructured attack hits top gear, the line breaks will follow.
The Eels will need to communicate and scramble in defence for 70 minutes to apply pressure on the field and on the scoreboard. Better discipline, better use of possession and better field position will also be essential.
We’ve seen no evidence of that so far this season, but we can hope to see it this week. Actually, we need to see it.
Prediction: Warriors by 12
Player of the Game: Gayle Broughton
I don’t know what the problem is, they are way off the pace of the game. We desperately need a decent 7, the one we have is way too slow, I had to put the TV in fast forward just to see if she was moving.
Steve, I think that Layne Morgan was going to be on option at half until her injury. As it is, she is likely to be out for at least another three weeks.
We have 4 genuine NRLW players, Church,Owen, Albert and Joseph.
The rest are kids and others that are either massively overrated or have played way too long.
Sorry but Mahalia Murphy is way too unfit to play at this level and is about 15 kgs overweight.
She is ineffective in tackle and cannot get back to marker leaving gaps.
The very fact that she is captain of the club shows the level we are at.
It’s been generally acknowledged that she’s been the worst player on the field in each of the 3 games this year but she still gets picked.
I know it’s not going to be politically popular but the coach just has to show some fortitude here and remove her otherwise he won’t be coaching for too much longer.
Rachael Pearson was a decent player back in the day but that sunset was two seasons ago.
How she scored another contract defies belief.
Cassie Toki Hiku is a basic catch and pass. Limited speed and offers nothing.
She is amongst a number of our playera who we rate way way beyond their abilities.
I dont know who is responsible for their aerobic fitness but whoever it is they need to be shown the door ASAP.
Yet again, the excuses roll out about injuries.
Poor ol Keilee Joseph must wonder what the hell she has rolled into as the gulf in professionalism between the Broncos and the Eels is immeasurable.
At the end of the day, if the club isnt serious about this team, then they need to fold it and give back the licence.
The girls are trying their best but that’s not the point.
The lack of recruitment, (where have we heard that before ?) and the low standards are degrading the club.
We are having a hard enough time holding onto supporters in our men’s program without the women’s program making us look like a joke.
If the titans had kicked their goals they would have put 70 on us.
When we play the Roosters or the Broncos we may be the first NRLW to conceed 100.
That will be a record to be proud of !