The Eels wanted the supercoach of yesteryear but they may have lucked out by getting a future force in Jason Ryles.
Parramatta continued their rapid rebuild under Ryles with a 30-10 upset win over Manly despite being without star NSW duo Mitchell Moses and Zac Lomax.
They initially chased Wayne Bennett 12 months ago when they were looking for a full-time replacement for Brad Arthur but Ryles has lived up to his reputation as an NRL coach in waiting by reinvigorating the Eels.
Hard decisions were made and gambles were taken on young players but they have now won four of 11 matches to exceed expectations and, perhaps momentarily, rise off the bottom rung of the ladder ahead of premiers Penrith.
1. Young talent everywhere at Eels
Isaiah Iongi put in his best performance as an Eel with the rookie fullback showing that the most painful of the club’s recent cuts, excising former skipper Clint Gutherson, will prove worthwhile in the end.
Iongi burst through for a crucial try early in the second half on his way to running for more than 200 metres and outshining his much more experienced opposite number Tom Trbojevic.
And he was not the only newbie impressing out wide with centre Jordan Samrani and first-gamer Joash Papalii combining on the right edge.
Both players were poached from Canterbury in the off-season, much to the chagrin of their bitter rivals.
Papalii, who represented Australian Schoolboys and NSW Under 19s, was thrust into the action on the wing after Will Penisini was concussed after just two minutes.
Samrani, a veteran by comparison with seven NRL games under his belt, scored in the 23rd minute after running off Papalii’s shoulder to accept a skilfully executed pass to apply sideward pressure as he slid across the try line before being bundled over the cornerpost.
Papalii also touched down when he backed up Dean Hawkins with the fill-in halfback unfurling a superb pass on the bounce out wide as the cover defence swarmed on him.
He also pulled off a well executed try-saving tackle to bundle Lehi Hopoate into touch a split-second before he touched down in the corner midway through the second half which could have put a whole new complexion on proceedings.
2. No excuses for Sea Eagles
Manly were missing a few of their top-liners but they should have been way too strong against the team running last which was without its two best players.
And perhaps they thought as much because the Sea Eagles played like a team that expected to win rather than one that was determined to do what was necessary to earn the two competition points.
They weren’t terrible, it’s just that they didn’t throw much at Parra.
Manly completed at a high rate, matched the Eels in most statistical categories but lacked any real adventure with the ball in hand.
Jack Williams is tackled. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
Their defence was mostly sound but they were made to pay by their less-experienced opponents, who ended up with five tries from as many line breaks.
Daly Cherry-Evans was their only player unavailable due to Origin with Ben Trbojevic (illness), Josh Aloaia (shoulder), Tof Sipley (suspended), Taniela Paseka (Achilles) and Jack Trbojevic (concussion) also sidelined.
But there can be no excuses given the team they put on the field held a major advantage in experience and impact … not that it showed in the end.
3. Blue and gold never say die
Often it can be better not to score the first try.
Manly touched down in the ninth minute when Lehi Hopoate steamed onto a Tolu Koula touch pass as the visitors targeted Parra’s rookie duo on the right edge.
The training drill nature of the try made it seem like more were to come but the Eels did not get the memo.
After Samrani bagged his try and Papalii, Hopoate hit back to level the scores before Hawkins judiciously held up a pass for Sharks recruit Jack Williams to slice over for a 16-10 half-time buffer.
Hawkins created space for Iongi to shrug off Luke Brooks’ ineffective tackle and when a grubber from the halfback ricocheted off Kelma Tuilagi’s face, the fullback pounced to put J’maine Hopgood over for an 18-point buffer with as many minutes left on the clock.
A penalty goal all but ended any thought of a late Manly comeback and the win ensured Parramatta will finish the round no more than two points off eighth spot.
4. Tale of two makeshift halves
Hawkins saw the writing on the wall after getting just 14 starts at NRL level in four seasons at South Sydney and opted for the tough gig of being Moses’ back-up at Parra.
When the skipper was injured early in the season, so was Hawkins and he missed the first couple of rounds.
Friday night’s win over Manly was just his fifth appearance for 2025 and first since Round 6 and the 26-year-old played like someone who knows they have to do all they can just to have a hope of another look-in later in the season.
He thoroughly outshone halves partner Dylan Brown, organising the Eels in each attacking set and providing valuable support to his teammates after feeding them into breaks.
5. The other half
Manly halfback Jake Arthur was in a similar boat – getting a rare start with Daly Cherry-Evans in Maroons camp.
In his first match since 2023, the former Eels playmaker copped a heavy knock after just five minutes and there were fears that his comeback match would be a short-lived affair.
Thankfully he passed his head injury assessment but he was unable to spark much in attack for Manly with Brooks also failing to have an impact in the face of the blue and gold onslaught.
The 22-year-old will probably get two more chances in Round 15 and 18 to deputise for DCE but such is the cut-throat nature of the NRL, the off-contract half needs a big performance or two in order to earn another deal in 2026.
The Kick: A promising season fading fast
The Sea Eagles couldn’t have been more impressive in Round 1 when they thumped North Queensland 42-12.
Since then they have gone 4-6 and looked nothing like a title contender.
They’ve looked imperious at times – a 40-12 thrashing of Canberra and a 26-10 triumph over Penrith – but they have also lost to the Dragons at Brookvale and conceded 30 or more on four occasions in defeat.
Last week’s road win over the Cowboys appeared to indicate they were getting back to their best but even with the surprise inclusion of Tom Trbojevic after he was not wanted by NSW, they were flat against Parra to “earn” their 20-point drubbing.
They have alternated between loss and victory over the past five weeks so if their fans believe in numerical patterns, they should be sure things next Saturday against the Broncos at Brookvale.
But if they put in another performance like this one, they will be struggling to avoid their fourth straight defeat at their once intimidating home ground.
