Parramatta have taken a long sip from their “schooner of reality” and deserve credit for steadying their season, but if they dish up what they produced against St George Illawarra, Penrith will punish them in round four.
But Eels coach Jason Ryles might be searching for a few schooners after the win on Sunday afternoon was soured by confirmation J’maine Hopgood has ruptured his ACL and will miss the remainder of the season.
Ryles said he did not believe the tackle that led to the injury – which looked like a hip-drop and resulted in a 10-minute sin bin for Ryan Couchman – was deliberate.
But to lose a forward for the season to an illegal tackle – one likely to sideline Couchman for some time – was a bitter blow.
“It’s really disappointing,” Ryles said of Hopgood’s injury. “Those tackles, 99.9 per cent [of the time] the boys don’t mean it, so it’s not intentional. But unfortunately, you keep throwing fatigue into the game and you make them more tired … they happen.”
Back-to-back wins have eased the sting of the Eels’ 52-4 round-one humiliation at the hands of Melbourne, but there was little that was convincing about their scratchy 30-20 victory over the Dragons.
There won’t be nearly as many pats on the back as there were after last week’s stirring come-from-behind win over Brisbane.
Halfback Mitchell Moses was resolute in defence, but the Eels’ attack still lacks fluency, despite Tallyn Da Silva’s outstanding two-try performance in what Ryles said was his best game for the club.
Five-eighth Jonah Pezet’s kicking game, in particular, remains a work in progress. A better side would have put Parramatta to the sword – and Ryles would know it.
“We had to hang in there and found a way,” Ryles said. “If you scrubbed everything and said you’d be two and one, you’d take it.
“We’ll get confidence out of the fact that we’ve found a way to hang in and win.”
Penrith won both clashes against the Eels last season, by eight and 22 points respectively, and form suggests they could cover that again when the sides meet at CommBank Stadium on Saturday.
While Parramatta have built a reputation for ambushing heavyweight opponents, Penrith’s 40-4 dismantling of the Roosters offers little encouragement for the blue and gold.
The Eels would argue they are building towards their best football since their 2022 grand final appearance, but the gap between them and the competition’s elite still appears significant.
If Parramatta are to force their way back into the top eight for the first time since 2022, it will hinge on their middle forwards – an area exposed by Melbourne in round one and again shaky early against the Dragons.
Jack Williams missed a costly tackle to allow Luciano Leilua to score close to the posts, while Jaydn Su’A sliced through a gap between Pezet and Kitione Kautoga.
“Mitchell’s experience helps and Dylan Walker’s experience helps … but our line does get broken a little bit quite too easily,” Ryles said. “That’s more of a concentration thing, as opposed to a technical or a tactical thing.”
The Dragons finished 15th last year and won a third of their games, which you’d have to say is about the line for this season.
There was a touch of Usain Bolt about Josh Addo-Carr as he surged away for the 72nd minute match-winner at the northern end of CommBank Stadium – not so much in top speed, but in the acceleration, long stride and quiet certainty that Dragons halfback Daniel Atkinson was never going to reel him in.
Parramatta hooker Ryley Smith, who racked up a game-high 50 tackles, implored the home crowd for a lift as the Eels repelled a sustained Dragons raid with 15 minutes remaining. It spoke to a growing resilience, but their challenge will be reproducing it consistently – particularly through the middle.
Moses’ class remains their greatest weapon, but against Penrith, it won’t be enough on its own.
“It’s a huge challenge this week,” Ryles said. “Penrith’s been doing what they’ve been doing for six or seven years now, so it’s going to be a great test.”
Tom Decent is the chief sports writer for The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via X or email.