Darren ArthurMar 13, 2026, 11:30 AM

CloseDarren has been a keen follower of sport his entire life, developing a strong love of rugby league, cricket, baseball and just about any competitive event involving an Australian athlete. Darren’s editorial journey included stops at AOL|7, Wide World of Sports and Sportsfan.

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The Parramatta Eels, completely humbled 52-4 in Round 1 by the Melbourne Storm, travelled to Brisbane to face the reigning premiers to open Round 2. The Broncos had lost their Round 1 clash to a machine-like Panthers side, and were determined to bounce back in front of another large home crowd.

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No team wants to start a season 0-2, so both would be throwing everything at this clash, but it was clear to most, the Broncos were easily the superior team.

There are 436,541 NRL tippers in Australia’s biggest rugby league tipping site, ESPNfootytips. Just 6% of those tippers believed the Eels would beat the Broncos. We don’t have the exact figures, but I would hazard a guess that of that 6%, at least 110% would be die-hard Eels fans stubbornly supporting their team.

There was no logical train of thought that could lead you to believe that the Eels would win. At best there was a nagging realisation, in the back of the mind, based on years of tipping frustration, that mastering early season NRL form was like trying to nail jelly to a wall.

Kelma Tuilagi of the Eels caused the Broncos defence problems all night. Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

The Eels made some minor changes to their lineup, with Josh Addo-Carr returning on the wing, Sean Russell moving to centre and Brian Kelly dropped. J’maine Hopgood was out suspended and Jack Williams was pushed to the front row, with Kelma Tuilagi returning to the back row. Of the few changes, Tuilagi would prove to be key. His edge running was devastating, crossing for two tries as he terrorised Ezra Mam and the Broncos edge defenders. Did the 6% know what a vital piece of the victory puzzle Tuilagi would be?

How could anyone know that the Broncos, who finished the 2025 season with the second best for-and-against differential, would leak points all night. The Eels seemed to be able to score tries whenever they needed to. The same Eels who simply stopped tackling against the Storm, found defensive resolve when most needed at Suncorp Stadium.

The “world’s most entertaining player” Reece Walsh started the contest like he needed to leave at halftime. He was in everything, touching the ball several times in each set of six, probing the Eels for weaknesses. He crossed for the first try of the night after just four minutes, splitting the Eels goal-line defence with some typically dazzling footwork and determination.

After 11 minutes the Broncos had eased to a 12-0 lead and the signs were ominous for the visiting Eels. Enter Tuilagi, whose solo effort from 20 metres out, was nothing short of inspiring.

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Payne Haas ran off a perfectly timed pass from front-row partner Patrick Carrigan in the 15th minute and the natural order of the game was restored. The Broncos were well in control, surprisingly taking a penalty shot at goal, to lead 20-6. Did the Broncos relax, reassured that they were in for a walk in the park?

The Eels came at them hard and scored three tries in five minutes before the break, including a second to Tuilagi to take an unlikely 22-20 halftime advantage.

Into the second half, Walsh was left wishing he had left at the break. He dropped two crucial kicks, both of which led to Parramatta tries as the game ebbed and flowed. Two Isaiah Iongi tries answered by second four-pointers to Kotoni Staggs and Walsh. Walsh’s 60th minute effort was converted to put the Broncos ahead 32-28. Again order had been restored, and the majority of tippers breathed a sigh of relief. The Broncos would surely wrap the game up from there.

The second of Walsh’s dropped kicks saw the Eels regain the lead with a converted Sean Russell try in the 67th minute, before Jonah Pezet rubbed salt into the wounds of his future club with a brilliant solo effort try to seal the result.

The Eels had done it, bounced back from a 52-4 drubbing to upset the reigning premiers 40-32 in Brisbane. The 6% of ESPNfootytips tippers smiled and nodded their heads knowingly. Of course the Eels could beat the Broncos, never in doubt.

For the rest of us, we’ll just keep hammering that nail into the jelly, hoping something sticks to the wall.