At Go Media Stadium, the Parramatta Eels stunned the New Zealand Warriors with a 30–20 victory. What a night for the Eels, who defeated the Warriors with what may have been their best game of the season in response to a week from hell. For them, it could have turned out quite differently. The host team controlled the majority of the first half of the game and held the majority of the field position and possession, but they were unable to break through the strong Eels defense.
The Eels’ efforts paid off in the 17th minute when winger Jake Tago scored a goal to cap off a deft and deliberate back line stretch that brought to mind the team’s best moments in the finals. Shortly after, Joey Lussick took over, and the Eels were not only ahead by 12 but also in complete control of the game, largely due to their excellent defense.
But shortly before the half, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, who was chosen to start on the wing for tonight’s game, would score for the Warriors, giving the home team a slim chance to get back into the game. The RTS attempt had an air of controversy, as Parramatta believed Kurt Capewell had hindered Dylan Brown during the build-up. Other than a Warriors four-pointer, nothing was going to come of it. In the 35th minute, Daejarn Asi would increase the Eels’ advantage after a subpar short drop out from Shaun Johnson found Clint Gutherson, who then floated infield and found a barnstorming Asi, who scored with a swift escape.
The Eels had a 14-point lead and the wind in their sails going into halftime thanks to that try and a botched Johnson penalty goal attempt. Much of the same happened in the second half as Parramatta deliberately attacked and defended, leaving the Warriors unable to match their visitor’s intensity.
Similar to the first half, it would be difficult to score until halfway through, when Blaize Talagi ran onto a pass from Brown and scored unnoticed. After the Talagi try, Fox League’s Dan Ginnane declared, “This is some night for the Parramatta Eels.” Was it not only for the benefit of the Eels, who will be saddened that a player with Talagi’s skill set won’t be wearing blue and gold the following season? Five minutes later, Brown reestablished his dominance in the match.
Once again, he went for the right side of the pitch, displaying his strength and sneaking past the Warriors defense to find his captain, Gutherson, providing support through the middle. The performance was hailed by Fox League’s Dan Ginnane as “as inspired as the Parramatta Eels have been in 2024.” The Warriors scored two late touchdowns through Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, Marata Niukore, and Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, but they were only little more than consolation tries. Gutherson’s would be Parramatta’s final try of the game.
Rugby league fans were taken aback by Parramatta’s performance, as many had anticipated them to easily defeat a Warriors team that was battling for survival in front of an enthusiastic, sold-out crowd. This performance should give new head coach Jason Ryles a lot of confidence, especially considering how the Eels defended for the majority of the game. New Zealand will be disappointed that they were unable to advance their finals claim. They played the majority of this match flat, failing to put pressure on an Eels defense that was unwavering until the very end. They scored two tries against 12 men in the final seconds of the game.
Their season now hangs heavily in the balance.
WHAT WE LEARNED
BRILLIANT BROWN STANDS UP
Without Mitchell Moses, a lot of Parramatta’s attacking onus fell on the shoulders of Dylan Brown.
Not wearing the No.7 jersey, as he has at points without Moses this season, Brown was back at his absolute best against the Warriors.
Typically a left-sided attacking player, who made their name developing an electrifying combination with Eels left back rower Shaun Lane, the brilliance of Brown’s Warriors performance was that his influence was felt on both sides of the field.
Midway through the second half, he provided Eels left centre Blaize Talagi with a deft pass for the young centre to run onto and score.
A few minutes later, the Eels five-eighth dummied and burst down the right hand side of the field before finding Clint Gutherson in support for the Eels final try of the night.
Brown finished the game with two try assists, one line break, one line break assist and 112 running metres from 10 runs.
He was assisted by halves partner Daejarn Asi shouldering much of the organisational burden and kicking responsibilities, which freed Brown to focus on what he does best: running the football.
It’s fair to say the formula was successful, with Brown’s performance sure to fill incoming Eels coach Jason Ryles with a mountain of confidence about the side’s attacking potential next year.
EELS DEFENCE GOOD NEWS FOR RYLES
Speaking of Jason Ryles, wouldn’t he have been filled with immense confidence in the way Parramatta defended against the Warriors, particularly during the game’s opening stages.
In the opening 15 minutes of the contest, the hosts had 84% of the territory and had been tackled 23 times in Parramatta’s half.
Yet their field position was unable to be converted into points, largely due to an extremely resilient Eels defensive line that simply did not want to be beaten.
By full time, the Warriors had 20 more tackles inside the Eels 20 metre zone than the Eels had in theirs, and had more than double the amount of tackles inside the Eels half.
The fact they were unable to win, and that half of their tries came in against 12 men, will fill Ryles with unrivalled confidence that he’s inherited a club that’s not as far from their best as once perceived.
Given the former Storm and Roosters assistant coach has been billed as a defensively minded coach, and the Eels at their best have been renowned for their free flowing attack more so than their defensive solidity, there exists a strong platform from which Ryles can build.
WHERE DOES THIS LEAVE THE WARRIORS?
Heading into Round 22, the Warriors had less than a 5% chance of qualifying for the finals according to Fox League’s Run Home.
Their chances were slim, though not impossible. But they needed a win over the Eels to keep their season alive and ensure they will be well in the finals hunt over the final rounds of the season.
That they failed to extract the result they needed from their clash with the Eels leaves their season hanging well in the balance, with the gap between themselves and the fringes of the top eight likely to grow by the end of the weekend.
Perhaps most disappointingly for Andrew Webster will be the fact his side never really looked up for the fight against an Eels side playing for pride and pride alone over the back half of the season.
They now need a minor miracle to qualify for the finals, especially considering they play the Dolphins, Manly, Bulldogs and Sharks over the next month, all quality sides fighting tooth and nail for top four and top eight finishes.