The final game of the season for both clubs may have little impact on the ladder, but there is still plenty of intrigue at WIN Stadium. The Dragons will be eager to avoid ending a difficult campaign on a sour note and give Damien Cook a winning farewell, while the Eels are looking to build on recent strong performances after upsetting Cronulla last week. With neither side under pressure and several attacking threats on display, this could develop into one of the most entertaining and free-flowing matches of the final round.

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Matchday Details

Sunday, 6th September – 2:00pm (AEST) – WIN Stadium, Wollongong
📺 Broadcast: Fox League / Kayo
Referee: Liam Kennedy | Senior Review Official: Wyatt Raymond

St George Illawarra Dragons: 1. Daniel Atkinson, 2. Mathew Feagai, 3. Moses Suli, 4. Valentine Holmes, 5. Tyrell Sloan, 6. Lyhkan King-Togia, 7. Kyle Flanagan, 8. Toby Couchman, 9. Damien Cook (c), 10. Blake Lawrie, 11. Dylan Egan, 12. Hamish Stewart, 13. Loko Jnr Pasifiki Tonga, 14. Connor Muhleisen, 15. Ryan Couchman, 16. Josh Kerr, 17. Jacob Halangahu, 18. Jacob Webster, 19. Setu Tu, 20. Ryan Hutchinson, 21. Kade Reed, 22. Nick Tsougranis

Parramatta Eels: 1. Apa Twidle, 2. Brian Kelly, 3. Will Penisini, 4. Jordan Samrani, 5. Josh Addo-Carr, 6. Ronald Volkman, 7. Mitchell Moses, 8. Luca Moretti, 9. Tallyn Da Silva, 10. Junior Paulo, 11. Jack Williams, 12. Kitione Kautoga, 13. Saxon Pryke, 14. Harrison Edwards, 15. Jack De Belin, 16. Teancum Brown, 17. Dylan Walker, 18. Tyrese Lokeni, 19. Sean Russell, 20. Kelma Tuilagi, 21. Jonah Pezet, 22. Ryley Smith

Match Preview

One of the final games of the regular season — and the final game for both of these sides — presents itself as one of little consequence. The Dragons cannot avoid the spoon, and the Eels cannot make the eight. With little left to lose, expect both teams to play a bit of backyard footy.

After a brief run of form, the Dragons have conceded 88 points across the past two weeks. It is an exclamation point on what has been the worst season in the joint venture’s history. The least they can do, they’ll be thinking, is send Damien Cook off a winner and give their fans a winning performance to close out the season. Meanwhile, the Eels were impressive in a 38-18 win over the Sharks. Again, they showed they have plenty in the tank, having now beaten two top eight sides in the past month. They just needed the consistency to find those extra couple of wins that could have had them playing finals football.

There is just one change for the home side, with Blake Lawrie coming in to start at prop, Loko Jnr Pasifiki Tonga moving to lock, and Ryan Couchman shifting to the bench. For the Eels, Jordan Samrani returns to the centres, while Jack De Belin and Tyrese Lokeni are part of the extended bench.

If this game is going to be played with flair and attack, there are plenty of players capable of providing it. For the home team, Tyrell Sloan has been an excitement machine of late, scoring five tries in the past six weeks and raising questions over whether he is moving to England too early. Meanwhile, Ronald Volkman has been tearing defences apart with Shaun Johnson-like footwork, including an exciting try against the Sharks last week. His recent form has given the Eels even more reason to hasten their efforts to tie him down before they lose him.

Both hookers should find plenty of opportunities. Cook, one of the modern game’s best runners from dummy-half in his prime, is playing his final game at the club where it all started. Opposite him is possibly one of the best up-and-coming running hookers in the game, Tallyn Da Silva. Last week, his two-try haul saw him break the record for the most tries by a hooker in a single season in the NRL era.

Though this game is likely to feature attack on all fronts, let’s not forget about the hard-working defenders each side has to offer. For the Dragons, Hamish Stewart is a guy who never falters. With 971 tackles, he’s made more than any other player this season — all the more impressive considering he does it at 94.6% efficiency. Harrison Edwards is the Eels’ unsung hero in that regard. Having completed 46 tackles in just 52 minutes last week, he’s become an integral part of their rotation.

These two teams have met 45 times, with the Eels holding a slight advantage with 25 wins. However, the Dragons have won five games to two at WIN Stadium. Ultimately, though this will be an emotional farewell for Cook, the Dragons simply haven’t been good enough of late, while the Eels have shown there’s still plenty of points in them. Expect both sides to rack up a score, with the Eels ultimately coming out on top.

Prediction

RLZ Tip: Eels by 20.
Full Round 27 tips → /nrl-round-27-predictions-2026/
Bold call: Josh Addo-Carr to score two tries.

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Nathan Smith
Eels tragic.
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