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No matter where the two teams are on the ladder, Easter Monday battles between the Eels and Tigers rarely disappoint – and 2025 was no different.
Adding to the hype was a week of controversy with the dropping of Lachie Galvin to NSW Cup after news that he’d be leaving the club at the end of 2026. It sparked reports of discontent with Benji Marshall’s coaching and subsequently players posting negative content about their young teammate.
But on the field, it was the Mitch Moses show. He made his return from injury earlier than expected, guiding his side to an important second win of the season, in a game that got physical and fiery at times.
Coming into the game with just one win in seven games, the Eels were clearly struggling to gel as a team and play like a coordinated unit.
With their star halfback on the field, they were soon playing like a completely different side. There was more shape to the attack and patience early in the game, as Parramatta methodically broke down the Tigers on their own line.
Eels celebrate after scoring a try. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)
Moses sealed back-to-back sets with a pinpoint 40-20, and with the Tigers on the back foot, he steered the play side to side, until Josh Addo-Carr crossed in the corner for the game’s opening try.
It wasn’t just the try assist in the first half, but his kicking; he had six kicks for 245 metres in the first half.
His impact also rubbed off on Dylan Brown, who was playing freer than when he was running the show, making 116 metres in the first half, including an exciting line break where he looked at one stage like he may have gone all the way.
Putting the icing on the cake, Moses had a perfect kick in the final 10 minutes, just as the Tigers were gaining momentum for Bailey Simonsson to score and seal the win.
Coach Jason Ryles praised his calming influence in his post-game press conference.
“He (Moses) just has a presence in our footy team and when he plays, we’re a little bit more organised for longer,” Ryles said.
“His kicking game certainly helps us, he’s a quality player and I’m glad we’ve got him.”
Putting the Lachie Galvin issue aside, before the game, former Blues Assistant Coach Greg Alexander noted that this match-up was virtually a State of Origin halfback audition between Moses and Jarome Luai.
It wasn’t a direct competition, given that Luai was playing in his previous position at the Panthers, five-eighth, in Galvin’s absence, and Adam Doueihi wore the No.7.
With the game slipping away, Luai stepped in to take more of a hands-on role, appearing to shift back to first receiver late in the game.
Cooper Cronk noting that he may not have had his usual impact passing, was still damaging with his foot.
“With your team on the canvas and backs against the wall, Jarome Luai has not run the football, but he’s laid on two try assists from two kicks,” the former Maroons star said in commentary.
The two tries got the Tigers back to within four points to set up a thrilling final 11 minutes, before Parramatta closed it out with the final two tries.
He may have been upstaged by Moses and his winning effort for the Eels, but perhaps coach Benji Marshall should keep him at halfback, whether Galvin makes a return or not in the coming weeks.
It wasn’t just the battle of the halves but also the exciting young fullbacks: Jahream Bula and Isaiah Iongi who both showed their attacking flair in scoring for their teams.
Bula was part of the Tigers’ comeback to take the lead in the first half, coming up with his team’s second try with an impressive run.
Just moments before, both Cronk and Greg Alexander highlighted how dangerous he was, almost predicting the four-pointer from the fullback.
“He is an excitement machine,” Alexander remarked.
“The spark of Jahream Bula is starting to cause havoc,” Cronk added.
He finished with 14 runs for 156 metres, including two line breaks and eight tackle breaks.
Moses also acknowledged during his halftime interview that he was “cutting us to shreds”.
Not to be outdone was his Eels counterpart, who came up with a double on either side of half-time.
Iongi even ended up in the sin bin for a professional foul for taking out Starford To’a during a kick chase, capping off an eventful game.
While attention was on Moses on his return, coach Ryles told Fox League that he is an important part of the Eels side, and is only getting better.
“He’s learning his trade on the run and a lot of the things that he has been doing he’s been doing every week, but he got the fruits of it today,” he said.
“The biggest thing is that physically he is talented and he has got some real strengths that help us with his speed and awareness on the field.
“He’s a good learner, so if you show him something once, he’s able to go and correct it straight away.
“We are happy with how he is going, he’s on a trajectory to be really good for us going forward.”
It was threatening to be a long afternoon for the Wests Tigers early in the second half, when the Eels scored three straight tries.
Parramatta had all the momentum, and in contrast, the Tigers were not showing the same flair and heart that they had in previous games this season.
That was until the sideline scuffle that resulted in a player from both teams being sent to the sin bin, followed by Iongi’s professional foul that left it 12-on-11 at one stage.
From there, the Tigers were able to respond with two tries in six minutes to set up a thrilling finish. It was a different attitude from the club in recent seasons, where they could have dropped away, allowing Parramatta to run up a cricket score.
But despite the margin getting inside a try, Parramatta just wanted it more, closing out the game stronger. However, Marshall didn’t want to blame the Galvin drama for the loss.
“It’s been a big week, no doubt, so to get out there and try and play is the first part,” Marshall said.
“But I don’t think that was an excuse for some of the things that happened today.”
The referees have got in the habit of needing to find an instigator in anything that resembles a scuffle or heated confrontation, sending a player from each team to the sin bin.
It results in the pointless exercise of reducing both teams to 12 men, similar to ice hockey.
Punches were already outlawed, and there is no suggestion that any player threw any strikes. It was just largely shirt-grabbing, barging and yelling at each other. No one was getting hurt, it was even used by the Tigers as some form of motivation to take back some momentum, leading to back-to-back tries.
So it’s not illegal actions that are being penalised by sitting players down; it’s just the optics of push, shove and showing some agro that the NRL administration doesn’t like.
On this occasion, Sunia Turuva threw Ryley Smith to the ground after a strong tackle over the sideline with players rushing in to remonstrate. After the players had their had their say, and showed a bit of aggression, it should have been play on – Parramatta were getting the ball – or at worst a penalty for Turuva’s unnecessary niggle.
Moses revealed post-game that players were warned that the next heated or overly physical incident would be sent to the bin, but in a physical game like rugby league, just let the push and shove go unless it steps over a line.
Surprise, surprise. It may speak to the quality of the game, the one area of letdown out of Easter Monday is that fans still don’t know what is or is or isn’t a sin bin.
Straight from the kick-off, Kelma Tuilagi collected Terrell May with a forceful shoulder to the head. Cooper Cronk commenting on Fox League: “It was more than a report”.
It was only discovered and placed on report, without penalty or sin bin, after a much lighter tackle from Fonua Pole on Junior Paulo that led to the Eels opening the scoring from a penalty goal.
Straight after the game, it was revealed that the Eel is facing at least three games on the sideline if he pleads guilty to a grade-two shoulder charge. Yet virtually nothing was done on the field.
Then, early in the second half, the officiating was in the spotlight when Tuilagi stayed down with a leg injury. The officials eventually ruled that it was a hip drop despite not coming in contact with his legs.
It didn’t affect the second-rower who scored the first try after the break.
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, all that players and fans want is consistency in decisions, especially when they are clear and obvious.
– with AAP
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