Matchday Details
Saturday, 23rd August – 7:35pm (AEST) – CommBank Stadium
📺 Broadcast: Nine / Fox League / Kayo
Referee: Wyatt Raymond | Bunker: Adam Gee
Eels
1. Isaiah Iongi 2. Zac Lomax 3. Viliami Penisini 4. Dylan Brown 5. Josh Addo-Carr 6. Josah Papalii 7. Mitchell Moses 8. J’maine Hopgood 9. Ryley Smith 10. Junior Paulo 11. Kelma Tuilagi 12. Jack Williams 13. Dylan Walker 14. Tallyn Da Silva 15. Charlie Guymer 16. Matt Doorey 17. Jordan Samrani 18. Dean Hawkins 19. Haze Dunster 20. Dan Keir 21. Toni Mataele 22. Joey Lussick
Roosters
1. James Tedesco 2. Junior Tupou 3. Billy Smith 4. Robert Toia 5. Mark Nawaqanitawase 6. Hugo Savala 7. Sam Walker 8. Naufahu Whyte 9. Connor Watson 10. Lindsay Collins 11. Angus Crichton 12. Siua Wong 13. Victor Radley 14. Benaiah Ioelu 15. Salesi Foketi 16. Egan Butcher 17. Spencer Leniu 18. Ethan King 19. Blake Steep 20. Taylor Losalu 21. Sandon Smith 22. Tom Rodwell
Match Preview
Two teams, two rebuilds. The Eels, under Ryles, have cleared out nearly 90% of the squad that played in the 2022 Grand Final and have generally been trending in the right direction. Their opponents, the Roosters, dislike the word rebuild, though that is exactly what they’ve done. Despite this, they currently sit eighth and still have a chance to feature in this year’s finals.
The Eels have made only minor changes from last week’s side, with Luca Moretti’s injury shifting Dylan Walker into the starting team and Jordan Samrani onto the bench. After one of their more disappointing performances, they will be desperate to rebound.
The Roosters lose Daniel Tupou to a concussion, with Junior Tupou taking his place. Siua Wong returns to the back row, pushing Naufahu Whyte to prop, and Spencer Leniu to the bench. In red-hot form with three straight wins, all by significant margins, they will be eager to continue their surge toward the finals.
The home side will be chasing greater cohesion between their spine players this week. Last round was the first time they had their potential 2026 spine on the field together. As usual, Isaiah Iongi was a constant threat, while Joash Papalii continues to find his feet at five-eighth — he has been electric at fullback when used there but is still adjusting to life beside Mitch Moses.
It is difficult to find a Rooster who isn’t playing well. Collectively, they’ve been dominant. An underrated danger is Whyte, who has stepped up significantly this season. With the retirement of enforcer Jared Waerea-Hargreaves last year, the Roosters may have uncovered their next one. On top of that, captain James Tedesco is arguably playing the best football of his career. He has been hugely influential in their success and will be a major challenge for the Eels.
The Eels generally struggle against the Roosters, having lost the last four meetings. With the visitors’ form as strong as it is, that trend looks unlikely to change. Expect the Eels to compete, but the Roosters should win comfortably.
Prediction
RLZ Tip: Roosters by 14.
See our full Round 25 Predictions (live Wednesday 12pm) here: 2025 NRL Tipping: Round 25 Writer Predictions
Have your say: Who wins? Drop your tip in the comments or vote in our poll.
Related Links
- Round 25 Late Mail
- 2025 NRL Round 24 Injury List
