But the players missing from last year – Ryan Papenhuyzen, Nelson Asofa-Solomona, Eliesa Katoa (out for the season) and Xavier Coates (out for three months) – are all elite and not easily replaced.
Then there’s the way Parramatta play and have really grown into their game under Jason Ryles, who also knows Melbourne back-to-front as Bellamy’s old assistant.
Parramatta’s attack is unstructured and focuses on ball movement, which reduces the impact of the wrestle and can trouble Melbourne’s defensive structure.
I love the way the Eels play. And towards the end of last year and throughout the pre-season trials, they’ve seemingly looked better and better with every game.
Now they’ve grown used to Ryles’ systems and style, their ball movement is increasing, especially through their middle forwards.
Props Junior Paulo and J’maine Hopgood are so effective with their short passing game and Jack de Belin can fit into that style as he trades the Red V for blue and gold.
Kitione Kautoga is an underrated threat out wide too and someone who has improved out of sight. He runs incredible lines and you can see the trust Parramatta’s halves have in him already.
And then Paulo is so good at challenging the defensive line that he’s a threat both through the middle and lurking out wide on the right edge.
Really, it’s not fair to have such a big, skilful man lining up opposite the playmakers, and there’s an art to what he does in the tackle.
With his size and footwork, Paulo attracts three defenders so often, and when he runs with the ball in his left hand it’s similar to when right-handed boxers come up against a south paw. The change-up is all that’s needed to get an advantage.
And then when he’s hanging out wide, he’s just as dangerous with the ball in his other hand. It sounds easy, but there’s a reason why he’s been one of the NRL’s best offloaders for more than a decade – he’s truly elite.
The champions and the new combo
The playmaking battle is worth watching all on its own and I can’t wait to see how Mitchell Moses and Jonah Pezet combine.
I had a chat with Jonah during the off-season and I think he could end up playing a fair bit of first receiver as the year goes on. If he and Moses can strike that balance, look out, because unlocking the skipper’s speed and running game is a fascinating prospect.
They’re both very creative halves, while Moses also brings the best long kicking game in the competition. We saw it most famously in the Origin game Mitch dominated at the MCG two years ago when he kicked Queensland to death in 40 minutes.
His boot is such an advantage, either keeping the foot on an opponent’s throat, or just as critically, helping to relieve pressure on his own forwards by booting them out of trouble.
Moses’s long kicking game gives Parramatta the advantage in that area, but then we’re talking about Cameron Munster and Jahrome Hughes. They’ve done everything in the game and are just out-and-out champions.
For mine, Munster’s record has him sitting comfortably alongside the greatest five-eighths rugby league has seen.
Parramatta will make this a fascinating, tight match-up, and I think it’s a genuine even money, flip of a coin contest. I just can’t go past Bellamy’s record, but I won’t be at all surprised if Parramatta are the team to end it.
Joey’s tip: Storm by two
First try-scorer: Sua Fa’alogo
Man of the match: Cameron Munster
Vegas: The good, bad and controversial
It was another fantastic way to start our season in Las Vegas, and as for the controversy that came around the match-defining call that saw Ryan Couchman penalised for stripping Bronson Xerri of the ball – I think the officials got it right.
For mine, Couchman played for the ball with a stripping technique. If he had been making a more conventional tackle, he would have been in closer and tighter – in the gap between he and Xerri before contact, I see a raking movement and intention for a two-man strip. The penalty was the right call.
As for the four sides and what they can take away from the weekend?
Dragons: They were so brave and gutsy, they defended for so long, it chewed up so much energy and their attack suffered.
St George Illawarra still need more creativity from their halves and someone to straighten their attack, though that was of course the first NRL game Daniel Atkinson and Kyle Flanagan have played together.
Their young forwards are so promising but that loss will sting – it’s another agonisingly close defeat after nine losses last year by eight points or less.
Bulldogs: It wasn’t all that pretty, but that win confirmed what so many expect this year – Canterbury are a top-four side. It was effectively a carbon copy of the form line we had last year.
The Dogs are still tough, fit and gritty. And they’ve still got question marks around how many points their spine can engineer, and the big one: can they deliver when the pressure is really on? We won’t have that question answered for another six months either. We’ll only learn whether the Bulldogs have that extra premiership-winning gear in September.
The Bulldogs will be a top four side again in 2026.Credit: Getty Images
Knights: I was very impressed with Newcastle, especially when Fletcher Sharpe was popping up everywhere and dominating – thankfully his knee injury is expected to only keep him out for a couple of weeks.
As coach Justin Holbrook mentioned leading into the game, he wanted to see an unpredictable attack, and a 12-7 offload count was the right way to do it. What pleased me most was the way Newcastle’s best players took their chances – none better than when Tyson Frizell created some second phase play leading up to Bradman Best’s try.
It was the perfect example of how to execute – taking a calculated risk around halfway as the defence is passive and starting to think about kick defence, before the Knights spine all combine. Phoenix Crossland to Sandon Smith, Kalyn Ponga and Best finishing.
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Newcastle will get better and if Ponga stays fit, they’re heading in the right direction.
Cowboys: A poor start to the season. If they can’t turn that performance around – even with Scott Drinkwater hampered by a rib issue – things could get ugly given everyone knows the pressure coach Todd Payten is under. Their next game is against the Tigers on a Saturday afternoon at what will be a heaving Leichhardt Oval. Put simply, they just need to win. Any way, any how.
