For the last time in 2026 the Eels are in the marquee Friday night slot, taking on a Dolphins team fighting for a top four berth and building to their maiden finals campaign. It promises to be an entertaining clash, but knowing what a promise is worth in the 2026 NRL I reserve the right to say “I called it” when this one becomes a dour defensive struggle that finishes 16-12.
More likely, the points will flow like complaints about recruitment in the Tip Sheet live chat. There is a not unreasonable chance that some of those points will be registered by the Eels, especially after a couple of big attacking games. The Phins may be playing for the top four, but we are playing to overtake Melbourne and Manly for 11th on the ladder. I know what I’d be more inspired by.
There’s not much to play for, there’s plenty to play for. Can the Eels spring the upset? Let’s dig in for a preview and find out!
Game Info
Date: Friday, August 21, 2026
Venue: Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Kick-off: 8:00 PM AEST
Referee: Gerard Sutton
Bunker: Ashley Klein
Weather: Warm, dry
Broadcast: Nine, Fox League, Kayo
Teams
Parramatta Eels
1. Apa Twidle 2. Brian Kelly 3. Will Penisini 4. Jordan Samrani 5. Josh Addo-Carr 6. Ronald Volkman 22. Mitchell Moses 8. Luca Moretti 9. Tallyn Da Silva 10. Junior Paulo 11. Jack Williams 12. Kitione Kautoga 13. Jack De Belin. 14. Harrison Edwards 15. Saxon Pryke 16. Teancum Brown 17. Jezaiah Funa 18. Sean Russell 19. Kelma Tuilagi. 20. Araz Nanva.
A few changes at the fringes for the Eels with Jack De Belin returning at lock, pushing Saxon Pryke to the bench. Frankly I don’t get it, especially with how good Pryke looked last week. Maybe we see a late change, but if that is the case I don’t think it needed this trickery. From all reports De Belin won’t be extended into 2027, and his usage and performance this year suggests he wouldn’t be missed if Pryke took his role.
Dylan Walker is out again, with Pryke’s demotion taking his spot on the bench. Toni Mataele exits the extended bench with Kelma Tuilagi coming in, while Jezaiah Funa might actually get his debut after bench management and HIA conspired to steal his maiden appearance last week. Sean Russell is again the reserve back.
The Dolphins
1. Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow 2. Jamayne Isaako 3. Jack Bostock 4. Herbie Farnworth 5. Selwyn Cobbo 6. Kodi Nikorima 7. Isaiya Katoa 8. Thomas Flegler 9. Jeremy Marshall-King 10. Tom Gilbert 11. Max Plath 12. Kulikefu Finefeuiaki 13. Morgan Knowles. 14. Ray Stone 15. Francis Molo 16. Felise Kaufusi 17. Brian Pouniu 18. Brad Schneider 19. Jake Averillo. 20. Tevita Naufahu.
One main out for the Dolphins with hard running edge Connelly Lemuelu missing with a hamstring injury, he’s replaced by Origin utility Max Plath. Nice if you can do it. One gamer Brian Pouniu is in the “playing numbers” on the bench, one of two outside backs on the six man interchange. Brad Schneider feels the man most likely to play without injury striking; he has spelled at hooker a few times off the bench this year.
Greasy Fast
Tallyn is coming off the best attacking game of his career
The Eels may not be as vulnerable to it as in years gone by, but the Dolphins present a massive speed concern to any opponent. Tabuai-Fidow, Isaako and Cobbo are all zippy, while Bostock and Farnworth are no slouches either and both have the advantage of being able to bust tackles with strength. Even in the halves both Nikorima and Katoa will have watched the Souths footage from round 17 and will be licking their lips, even if Kelma Tuilagi isn’t around anymore to run at.
The big worry is going to be exploiting Will Penisini and Jordan Samrani, neither of whom are noted speedsters and, while capable defenders, pace in space is all but guaranteed to beat them one-on-one. The fastest way to getting them isolated will be quick play-the-balls and spreads, making middle competence more important than usual for the Eels. In that regard Parramatta lines up well enough with the Dolphins pack, but this is still a matchup of the best metre gainers in the competition against the second worst.
Kulikefu Finefeuiaki has been the danger man in that regard, sixth in the NRL in post-contact metres and a very damaging presence on the edge. He is an up and down runner who generates tackle breaks and fast play-the-balls, and a lot is going to come off of his runs even if he isn’t a big creator himself, light on offloading and line breaks. The Eels just have to get numbers in and slow him down.
The entirety of the Dolphins back five (plus most of their reserve outside backs) are in the top 50 NRL metre makers by average per game, giving a fair indicator of the type of footy they play. By contrast the only two Eels in that list are Brian Kelly and Bailey Simonsson. The Dolphins play old fashioned Panther-ball, grinding downfield early in sets with big, powerful backs making tough runs, then barrelling through with tough middle carries and some clever halves working off of the momentum. Knowing it is coming is one thing, stopping it is another.
Parramatta will need every trick in their book to counter the Dolphins. Conceding set restarts is going to be more punishing than usual, a danger for a side that has never met a restart they can’t then follow by conceding a try. Kicking their way out of trouble is one thing, but the Eels need to force turnovers. The Dolphins can make an error, usually in attempting to play expansive footy, and rushing defence, attempted strips and aiming shoulders at footballs in contact might be the way to interrupt their downhill running.
Make no mistake, if the Eels get on the back foot against the Dolphins, tries will come in bunches. In Darwin two years ago we saw this, and they’ve only gotten more potent since then. Strong defensive sets and commitment after conceding is critical, as is consolidating after our own points. Easy to say, difficult to do, but if the Eels want to spring an upset they need to disrupt the Dolphins gameplan.
Brittle Wall
There will be big asks of Samrani on both sides of the ball this week
The Dolphins can definitely be got at. They may have blanked the Sea Eagles last week, but the struggling Dragons and Broncos racked up scores against them in the fortnight prior (albeit in losses), and we’re only six weeks on from the Sharks knocking them off 66-0. They can put up a strong wall, but when it breaks, boy does it crumble. I’m not sure the best way for the Eels to win is to get into a shootout, but some adventurous attacking footy could be rewarded and if the Eels can take an early lead and perhaps force some mistakes as the Dolphins chase points, dreams of victory may be dared.
Parramatta can’t afford some of the lapses we’ve seen most of this year. Strings of bad handling, compounded errors, putting the kickoff out on the full after giving up points, the Dolphins will gladly pile up the points without an invitation, one slid under their door is sure to be accepted.
The handling has improved the last two weeks, but unfortunately has been replaced with other baffling errors. Against Souths it was a sin binning and some compounded defensive issues, against North Queensland it was an inability to take the chances offered early on then some brittle defensive efforts at the line. Josh Addo-Carr needs to be more clinical in his finishing, or just more conservative. It’s okay to take a tackle sometimes. Kicking errors need to be reduced too, whether that is kickoffs out on the full, short dropouts muffed time and again, or attacking kicks going into the in goal.
There were a lot of encouraging signs against the Cowboys that we need to see built upon. Ronald Volkman still ran the play inside more often than I’d like, but he looked outside a lot more too, hit Kautoga short a couple of times and gave his outside men space to work with. His attacking kicking game has been on point too, and if our entire close range attack was just Volkman kicking to Samrani, I wouldn’t be terribly upset.
Tallyn Da Silva had a real coming into his own game last week and needs to build on that too, all the better if his forwards can get him some more quick play-the-balls to work off. He’ll have been worked hard on shoulder tackle technique this week I dare say too, but his defensive concerns will likely need an off season to really improve. For the rest of the year you want to see him demonstrate his attacking upside and show good decision making.
The Game
Apa will need to be tidy at the back
The Eels and Dolphins don’t meet too often, with last year’s contest being a forgettable 20-16 win for the Phins that definitely qualified as a game the Eels let get away. At the very least I’m hoping for a better spectacle than that game. It shouldn’t be hard.
With the Dolphins chasing the top four and the Eels clear of the spoon race, it is hard to see Parramatta out-motivating the Phins here. It is one of those “development” games where you want to see things to get you excited for 2027. Big performances by young players, some good combination work, commitment to defence. After a strong finish to 2025 and what was served up to start 2026 I don’t blame Eels fans for reserving their excitement about any late season efforts here, but this is what puts meaning into otherwise meaningless games.
Jason Ryles isn’t exactly picking teams for the future here, so there is clearly an expectation that a result is possible. I’d like to see better bench management from Ryles to ensure Funa can get a debut (if our first changes are Edwards and Pryke coming on I’ll be most upset) and given both Paulo and Moretti should be fresher than most after mid-season injuries they should be able to take it to the Dolphins pack. If the Phins come in hopeful of an “easy one” before the finals, make them pay.
Fact is, an Eels win here is only going to come via some level of complacency from the Dolphins. In a straight matchup the Phins have too much pace, strikepower, momentum and motivation. If they are for real in 2026 they win this game. I think we make them fight for it, but Parramatta being Parramatta, we’ll give them too many opportunities to get on a roll.
Go you Eels!
Prediction: Dolphins 34 d Eels 20
Man of the Match: Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow
Gol
For most of the season we have gone “two steps forward one step back”, with promising performances followed by very disappointing ones; on that basis we are due for a down. If we make it three up performances in a row that will be real progress – consistency at NRL level is the most difficult skill for young footballers to manage.
That is the great opportunity represented by the Dolphins match
Great news is the coch’s confidence that Junior will be back next year – I thought he was going to leave a massive hole if he’d moved – and the possibility that something maybe sorted out with Ronald – we’ve had Mitchell for most of this year but, unfortunately that isn’t guaranteed moving forward. I think we need to be tying up those we want who are free agents next year and guaranteeing 2028 as well as look at acquisitions. As it stands the only guaranteed losses for next year are Apa and Toni. I regret the loss of them both, I could see a role for each of them in the 19 even in a week when there were no injuries. It would be good to retain the best and most promising of our playing staff so as to avoid the “starting again” syndrome that’s afflicted us for each of the past few seasons