Parramatta have thrown a major spanner into Manly's top-four ambitions, condemning an uncharacteristically wasteful Sea Eagles side to a 23-14 NRL defeat at CommBank Stadium on Sunday.
Eels shine without stars
Without Mitchell Moses and Junior Paulo, the Eels claimed the sixth and most impressive win of their 2026 campaign. Five-eighth Ronald Volkman was a constant menace, while fill-in halfback Jonah Pezet marked his return to NRL action after three months with the decisive try and a field goal.
Manly, on the other hand, produced one of the most underwhelming showings of Kieran Foran's tenure. The Sea Eagles lost ground in the battle for a top-four finish, making 17 errors and completing at just 68 per cent.
Sea Eagles' early promise fades
Rookie playmaker Joey Walsh, expected to be the club's five-eighth for the rest of the year with Luke Brooks sidelined by an ACL injury, grabbed a try. But moments of magic were few and far between.
Manly were clunky both sides of the ball, despite getting on the board first through a Jamal Fogarty penalty. Parramatta then grabbed the game's first try when a fleet-footed Volkman sidestepped Corey Waddell in the 26th minute.
Hopoate and Fogarty keep Manly ahead
Lehi Hopoate crossed on the left wing and Fogarty added another penalty to give the Sea Eagles an 8-6 halftime lead. The second half began with Dylan Walker recording a strong contender for try assist of the year with a round-the-back pass to set up Eels back-rower Kelma Tuilagi.
But while Walker was still waving to the crowd at the restart, Reuben Garrick noticed, kicked and regathered his own short kick-off. Garrick's quick thinking paid dividends as Manly rolled downfield and finished with Walsh barging his way over with the help of the post padding.
Eels rally late
Isaiah Iongi hit back for the Eels to re-take the lead, and Jason Ryles' men pulled away in the final 10 minutes. After Tuilagi dropped the ball with the line beckoning, Pezet took matters into his own hands, grubbering to himself and touching down. Pezet then nudged an opportunistic field goal to seal victory.
The win saw Parramatta leapfrog Brisbane and Gold Coast into 14th spot on the NRL ladder.
