The Eels, coming off a near-remarkable comeback, are looking to give their fans another victory at home in their second-last game of the season at CommBank. However, the Cowboys, who are currently sitting in eighth position, need to keep winning to guarantee a finals berth this year.

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Matchday Details

Saturday 15th August – 5:30pm (AEST) – CommBank Stadium, Sydney
📺 Broadcast: Nine / Fox League / Kayo
Referee: Todd Smith | Senior Review Official: Grant Atkins

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

North Queensland Cowboys: 1. Scott Drinkwater, 2. Braidon Burns, 3. Zac Laybutt, 4. Tom Chester, 5. Murray Taulagi, 6. Jake Clifford, 7. Jaxon Purdue, 8. Griffin Neame, 9. Reed Mahoney, 10. Jason Taumalolo, 11. Heilum Luki, 12. Kai O’Donnell, 13. Reuben Cotter (c), 14. Soni Luke, 15. Thomas Mikaele, 16. John Bateman, 17. Coen Hess, 18. Sam McIntyre, 19. Ethan King, 20. Kaiden Lahrs, 21. Mason Kira, 22. Liam Sutton

Match Preview

The Eels have one role now: become the team that throws a spanner in the works for others. In this instance, they will want to unravel the Cowboys’ finals aspirations, which essentially hinge on winning their remaining games of the season.

Last week, the Eels came painfully close to toppling the Rabbitohs. It was all the more remarkable given they’d conceded 28 points in the first half, only to claw their way back to 28-24. Though the first half was unquestionably poor, their performance across the full 80 minutes showed the fight and grit they’ve maintained throughout most of the season. Meanwhile, the Cowboys recorded a win against a deplorable Titans outfit. Though it was a good result, they were at times far from convincing, and it remains to be seen whether they’ve truly earned the right to play finals footy.

The Eels’ season wouldn’t be complete without another set of injuries. Both Isaiah Iongi and Sam Tuivaiti are injured for the second time this season and are gone for the year. Apa Twidle comes in for Iongi, while Junior Paulo moves from the bench into the starting side. Dylan Walker returns to the team, while Sean Russell has been named on the extended bench. For the Cowboys, the only change sees Reed Mahoney return from concussion, moving Soni Luke to the bench.

There’s a very simple premise that, over the past two weeks, the Eels have continued to ignore: hold the ball. Their scrappy win against the Tigers saw them commit 19 errors, and though this number was greatly reduced last week, they spilled the ball in the opening set. That would become the first domino in a series of events leading to a diabolical first half. As obvious as it sounds, this is the first foundation of their game: play with some brains and protect the football.

The Cowboys need to put together a solid 80-minute performance in which they control the game from start to finish, especially against teams like the Eels who sit lower on the ladder. Though last week’s win was convincing on the scoreboard, they were up against a Titans outfit that squandered numerous opportunities in good field position. Better sides will not be so forgiving.

The Eels have actually done a better job through the middle of the field lately, with their forwards punching through the line and generating quick ruck speed. It’s been a rarity for them this year, and it’s no surprise that when they do find momentum through the middle, they give halfback Mitchell Moses every opportunity to create space for his outside backs. It’s a fairly evenly matched pack this week, so whichever side gets the jump at the ruck will likely create the better attacking opportunities.

Where will the points come from? For the Eels, they probably aren’t coming from Josh Addo-Carr at the moment. His form has largely been down this year, and it was never more obvious than last week, when he bombed two tries and watched a 40/20 roll over the sideline to effectively seal the game. As an incumbent Australian winger on the eve of a World Cup, he will be looking to back his speed and cross the line a few more times before the season ends.

The Cowboys will look to the speed of players like Tom Chester to take advantage of an Eels defence that struggled to contain a similar speedster in Matthew Dufty last week. Too often, Parramatta get numbers into tackles without wrapping up the ball, allowing the opposition to find an offload before quickly shifting the football to the fastest man available. It’s a weakness the Cowboys will surely have in mind.

These two sides have met 50 times, with the Eels winning 27 of those encounters. The big stat here, however, is that Parramatta have never lost to the Cowboys at CommBank Stadium. Furthermore, you have to go back to 2023 to find the last time North Queensland actually beat them.

Ultimately, though the Cowboys have more to play for, the Eels have done enough in recent weeks to suggest they’re building towards another win. If they can hold the ball, win the battle through the middle, and give Moses enough opportunities to dictate the game, they have every chance of once again putting a serious dent in the Cowboys’ finals aspirations.

Prediction

RLZ Tip: Eels by 7.
Full Round 24 tips → /nrl-round-24-predictions-2026/
Bold call: Apa Twidle to continue his try-scoring form in his second appearance for the Eels.

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Nathan Smith
Eels tragic.
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