A flicker of hope, at last.
It wasn’t a win, and finals football remains a fading hope, but for the first time in 2026 there was something in the Eels’ performance worth building on.
The Eels lost 14-12 to the New Zealand Warriors in Round 4, a game they were genuinely in contention to win with an Eels pass ruled forward in the dying moments determining the final result.
Meanwhile, the Knights slipped to a 30-12 loss on the road to the Brisbane Broncos, after being level at the break.
Two sides are well separated on the ladder, but both arrive at Magic Round with something to prove.
Can the Eels build on a gutsy near-miss to grab their first competition points of the season, or will the class of a finals-calibre Knights outfit prove too much once the contest opens up?
Game Info
Date: Sunday, August 2, 2026
Kick-off: 3:15 PM AEST
Venue: Geohex Park, Wagga Wagga
Referee: Ethan Klein
Broadcast: Foxtel and Nine Gem
Live Stream: Kayo & Nine Now
Team Lists
Parramatta Eels
1. Abbi Church 2. Zali Fay 3. Fleur Ginn 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. Chloe Jackson 21. Kiana Takairangi 22. Kate Fallon
Fleur Ginn comes into the centres, with Kate Fallon, Chloe Jackson and Kiani Takairangi all added into the extended bench as Steve Georgeallis freshens his outside backs.
Rory Owen will miss Magic Round after failing a Head Injury Assessment last Sunday. Lindsay Tui shifts into the run-on side after missing the Warriors clash.
Lindsay Tui
Newcastle Knights
1. Lucy Spain 2. Shanice Parker 3. Sidney Taylor 4. Tenika Willison 5. Mercedez Taulelei-Siala 6. Kirra Dibb 7. Georgia Roche 8. Tayla Predebon 9. Olivia Higgins 10. Tiana Davison 11.Amelia Pasikala 12. Jules Kirkpatrick 13. Kayla Romaniuk 14.Botille Vette-Welsh 15. Sienna Yeo 16. Grace Giampino 17.Simone Karpani 18. Cheyelle Robins-Reti 19. Nakia Davis-Welsh 20. Fane Finau 21. Joeli Morris 22. Stella Lewis
Amelia Pasikala is named in the starting lineup after an impressive performance against the Broncos.
Fane Finau will join the reserves list, and Simone Karpani returns to the side, being named on the bench.
The Game
The numbers back up what the eye test suggested against the Warriors.
For the first time this season, the Eels looked like they could match the power and pace of an opponent.
With 52% possession and an 88% completion rate, Parramatta controlled large stretches of the contest and had every chance to cause an upset before New Zealand’s class showed late.
Defensive discipline remains, with 40 missed tackles again giving the opposition attack easy metres.
However, the platform through the middle for the Eels and their composure with the ball in hand improved compared to previous weeks. That created enough disruption in the Warriors defence for Abbi Church to deliver a best on field performance that left daylight in second place.
Abbi Church
The Knights, by contrast, will be disappointed with how their battle with the Broncos unravelled.
Level 12-12 at half-time, they were unable to build any second-half pressure and missed 31 tackles as Brisbane’s superior power in the middle third took over.
Their 75% completion was better than the Broncos’, but a lack of go-forward and poor metres let them down when it mattered.
Against an Eels side building genuine confidence, the Knights can’t afford another stop-start effort.
If their middle forwards fail to find quick play-the-balls early, Parramatta’s spine will look to play with width and tempo.
This game will be won in that middle-third collision.
The Knights have the size advantage up front through Tayla Predebon and Tiana Davidson; however, the Eels’ Keilee Joseph proved last week that she adds much-needed go-forward and experience to a pack that has too often folded under repeat sets.
Out wide, Mercedez Taulelei-Siala remains the Knights’ most dangerous weapon, and Parramatta’s edge defence, exposed on and off all season, will need to find an extra gear to keep her quiet.
The winner?
This is shaping as a winnable game for the Eels, but for that to happen the belief earned against the Warriors must carry through to Wagga Wagga.
The Knights have shown enough this year to suggest they’ll find a way to grind out the result, but a repeat of last week’s second-half fade would hand the Eels the chance they’ve been chasing all season.
Much like the Eels clash with the Warriors, I expect this to be a tight arm wrestle rather than a repeat of the heavy defeats Parramatta suffered earlier this season.
Can the Eels deliver a composed 70 minute performance to earn their first competition points of the season?
They’ll go close but not close enough.
Prediction: Knights by 6
Player of the Game: Mercedez Taulelei-Siala
Kye Ferreira
