Ashes Third Test, Headingley

Australia lead the series 1-0 after winning the first Test at Edgbaston and drawing at Lord's.

The Aussies will be without former captain and the best batsman in the world after Steve Smith was ruled out with concussion following a Jofra Archer bouncer that struck him on the neck in his first innings at Lord's.

Marnus Labuschagne is expected to fill Smith's spot like he did at Lord's when he entered the fray as Test cricket's first ever concussion substitute where he scored an admirable 59 runs, helping to steer Australia to a draw on the final day.

It's expected that Peter Siddle will drop out of the side to allow for the return of James Pattinson who was rested for the second Test. Mitchell Starc seems destined to remain on drinks duty.

England meanwhile are expected to name an unchanged 11 although they may tinker with the make up of the batting order. Joe Root has struggled at first drop, while Jason Roy has failed to make the switch from opening in the ODI team to becoming a Test opener. Root is expected to move down to four with Joe Denly jumping into the number three position.

Many are talking about the effect of Jofra Archer's entry into Test cricket. Interestingly, his debut performance lands him as just the 312th best bowler on debut with overall figures of 5/91. He need only look across at his opponents in Pat Cummins (7/117) and Josh Hazlewood (7/142) who had better debut figures.

The Headingley pitch is rumoured to be a slow deck that will crumble and break up towards the end of the match. An interesting decision by the ground staff there given Australia's Nathan Lyon has been collecting wickets for fun and spun the English into knots in the first Test.

As always the toss will be important and Tim Paine will be hoping his luck continues. This will likely be a bat first pitch because no one will be looking to bat last on a decaying deck.

Play starts at 8pm AEST tonight so get your picture-in-picture going or set up a second screen to make sure you don't miss the first ball while watching the Eels belt the Dogs.

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Yehez replied to Eli Stephens's discussion Jonah Pezet so far
"Pretty much where I am. "
4 minutes ago
Mallee57 replied to Eli Stephens's discussion Jonah Pezet so far
"It was a stupid decision signing him in the first place "
17 minutes ago
Mallee57 replied to Blue and gold 4ever's discussion J'MAINE HOPGOOD Salary cap relief
"It's Parramatta not the Storm, Penrith or Roosters"
19 minutes ago
Mallee57 replied to Eli Stephens's discussion Iongi breach notice
"NRL corruption on display again. Why not give 5 days before the bye weekend instead of against Penrith their Pin  Up team"
21 minutes ago
Yehez replied to Poppa's discussion Poppa's Corner: We made a mistake, lets admit it, move forward; and it looks like we are overrated!
"1. Our juniors are doing alright. THey've lost one game so far. Jersey Flegg also winning.
2. NSW Cup destroyed Melbourne earlier and lost to the Dragons which are quite good at reggies. 
3. Even if we drop Pezet, Talataina or Papalii will show some…"
32 minutes ago
Poupou Escobar replied to Poppa's discussion Poppa's Corner: We made a mistake, lets admit it, move forward; and it looks like we are overrated!
"I'm starting to think Talataina will be a star, despite his size. He has been our best player across two reserve grade games this year. He is certainly not out of place, including in defence."
1 hour ago
Poupou Escobar replied to Poppa's discussion Poppa's Corner: We made a mistake, lets admit it, move forward; and it looks like we are overrated!
"Moses has been dangerous at five-eighth and Pezet has allowed it to happen."
1 hour ago
Perpetual Motion replied to Make Parra Great Again's discussion Time to throw good $$$ for Mariota
"Fair point."
1 hour ago
Make Parra Great Again replied to Make Parra Great Again's discussion Time to throw good $$$ for Mariota
"its about dominance, size and strength. The guys you mention are 2nd rowers, not starting meter eating props.
Watch Moses Leota & Lindsay Smith flog our butts in the first 20mins this week"
2 hours ago
Parra-all-the-way replied to Make Parra Great Again's discussion Time to throw good $$$ for Mariota
"More concerned about our tackling depth, we have guymer, luca, jdb or even teacup brown. Our tackling depth is terrible, and it worries me that tago maybe next cab off the rank. Id rather blood a junior than him. "
2 hours ago
fake midget pseudoachondroplasia replied to Eli Stephens's discussion Jonah Pezet so far
"I am not excusing losses or poor defence but people have to have realistic expectations of where we are as a side.  
Outside round 1 vs Melbourne we have managed to score plenty of points with Pezet more involved in tries then Moses.
His defence is…"
2 hours ago
Parraboy replied to Eli Stephens's discussion Iongi breach notice
"How do u kmow
penr is going to flog us? Never know what happens, fuck it'll be huge if we pull it off "
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HH - Love You Iongi Time! replied to Eli Stephens's discussion Jonah Pezet so far
"Love your work Poppa"
3 hours ago
Yehez replied to Eli Stephens's discussion Jonah Pezet so far
"His defence requires work, it's a bit of a comedown from Dylan Brown. 
He has an x-factor about him, he always has a threat to him in attack and is a good kicker.
So overall he's good. But he's here for 1 year and so we need to maximize his good and…"
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HH - Love You Iongi Time! replied to Eli Stephens's discussion Iongi breach notice
"Brandon Smith has faced no repercussions in an incident bringing the game into disrepute.
NRL are the new Muppet Show. "
4 hours ago
HH - Love You Iongi Time! replied to Eli Stephens's discussion Iongi breach notice
"It's from several years ago, sanction my nut sack NRL."
4 hours ago
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Keaon done deal

As of Thursday, December 11, 2025, South Sydney Rabbitohs forwardKeaon Koloamatangi has reportedly agreed to a deal with the Parramatta Eels, but it is not yet officially announced by the clubs.  Soon to be announced.

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14 Replies · Reply by Poppa Jan 9
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