It doesn't change the better part of the last three years, but we won the 2026 Witzer Pre-season Challenge on the back of some encouraging trial form.
Gus Gould says trial results mean nothing. What matters is physicality, fitness and energy within systems. The Eels passed that.
The first trial vs the Sharks was a 40–6 cakewalk. The second vs the Roosters, a contender, essentially a full-strength, was a better test.
The Roosters drew early blood, before a lightning storm put a blowtorch on scheduling, pausing proceedings. On resumption of play, it was punch for punch. Sean Russell, with a bear-like fend, busted through and linked up with the Fox to level the scores six-all. Then, 10-6 to the Roosters. Next, 12-10 to the Eels.
Moses had a mixed half. A blazing try: brilliant support play off a Dylan Walker short ball in the middle. A few kicks out on the full. Pezet is showing glimpses, but Moses backs him.
“He’s a very confident kid, very loud," Moses told SEN Radio last week.
“We've been linking up pretty well at training. He loves his footy, I love my footy, so it's been a pretty easy transition."
“It's what we needed, you know what I mean?"
"We need someone with a strong personality in that position that will take chances."
Five minutes before half-time, it was the Roosters young gun that took his chances in a one-two punch. Momentum shifted.
Sam Walker waltzed in bamboozling the Eels. Three minutes later, he and Angus combined to give them a 22–12 lead at the break.
Whyte was a semi-trailer in the middle, and two tries through aerial raids on Simmonson’s corner rang alarm bells. The blowtorch was on.
After 46 years, it felt familiar. Early effort, before the fade. Remember 2024?
Moses was off in the second half. But somehow, in a blur of twenty-four interchanges, Samrani’s nose for the tryline, Joash, Lorenzo, Big Sam, the New Brown and the rest of the Baby Eels, the second half was won 16–0.
Our line speed, 7.1 to 5.8 (pre-contact metres), rushed the Roosters into errors. For anyone who knows what those numbers mean, over 6.0 is good. Over 7.0, raises eyebrows. Ryley Smith take a bow.
We were deserved winners of the Pre-Season Challenge. Even if we are meant to be cursed.
Most winners have ordinary seasons. Manly won in 2023, Brisbane in 2024, and both slid to twelveth. Brisbane, though, won again in 2025 and became premiers.
Lombardi told us winning is a habit. So is losing. Something similar could be said about the Eels' evolving culture.
That ties into good squad depth for our brutal weak-link sport.
In both trials, whatever jerseys were on, 1 through to 28, they all knew what to do. They trusted. They all wore the same badge on the same page.
On Wednesday night's Members' Forum, February 11th, 1EE members heard the same alignment from our CEO, head coach, chairman and GM. The party pies didn’t last long.
That journey probably started three years ago. The club, removing player options from then on, creating new strategies that largely went under the radar.
Trials might mean nothing, but the rest might not.
The Day After.
Replies
One thing I found interesting was what Moses told SEN Radio about Pezet being "loud", "confident" and "a strong personality in that position that will take chances"
"it's (he is) what we needed, you know what I mean?"
"He loves his footy, I love my footy, so it's been a pretty easy transition."
I feel like trials are more a sign of how bright your future will be, it's a lot of your younger and depth options getting a chance to showcase their game. Eels 2027 and onwards looks very bright
-
1
-
2
of 2 Next