The Parramatta Eels may be out of finals contention, but the club has a golden opportunity to start looking towards the future.

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And with their season now effectively over, the question needs to be asked.

Is it time for coach Jason Ryles to finally pull the trigger on Lorenzo Talataina and hand him his NRL debut?

The young playmaker has continued to impress in NSW Cup, with his performances continually building a case for an NRL opportunity.

In his latest showing, Talataina once again put his playmaking ability on full display with three try assists and two line-break assists in the side’s 28-26 victory over the Rabbitohs

“He’s a freak to be honest. I can’t wait for him to come up,” Eels star Isaiah Iongi told foxsports.com.au.

Lorenzo Talataina.Source: News Corp Australia

“He’s been carving it up in Cup, so I can’t wait for him to earn his stripes and come into the NRL and show what he can do.”

Earmarked as the future No.6 of the Eels – once Jarome Luai’s one-year stint at the club ends – a debut to the last year’s Under-19s Player of the Year would also give Ryles the chance to throw him in the deep end and see how he handles the step up to NRL level.

A debut would also give Ryles the chance to throw the youngster into the deep end

The remaining rounds for Parramatta are no longer about chasing a finals berth.

Instead, they should be used to find out who can help take them there in the future and there may be no better time for Ryles to find out whether Talataina is ready.

‘Nathan wants to play with more risk!’ | 02:46

HAVE THE WARRIORS MADE A MISTAKE?

A week ago, the Manly Sea Eagles confirmed the signing of Kayliss Fatialofa, one of the Warriors’ most promising prospects coming through their pathways system.

While the deal may have flown under the radar to many rugby league fans, Fatialofa’s form has raised an interesting dilemma for the Warriors.

Did they make a mistake by letting him go?

In his first match since signing for the Sea Eagles (from next year onwards), the young forward produced a best-on-ground showing in his side’s 36-24 win over the Penrith Panthers.

Playing in the back-row, Fatialofa made two line-breaks and 188 running metres (84 of these being post-contact), 25 tackles and provided one try assist.

Meanwhile, former Newcastle Knights sensation Jye Linnane has fit in perfectly at the Warriors and continues to impress in the outside backs.

Linnane scored a quick-fire double inside the opening 25 minutes before finishing the game off with two line-breaks and 141 running metres.

Kayliss Fatialofa.Source: Supplied

PNG KUMULS WINGER MAKES HISTORY

Papua New Guinea international Dudley Dotoi has created history, setting a new record for most tries in a single match for the Townsville Blackhawks in the QLD Cup competition.

Currently leading the competition’s try-scoring charts (22), the 22-year-old winger crossed for a record-breaking five tries over the weekend against the Broncos-affiliated Souths Logan Magpies.

Extremely dominant on the edge, he finished the match with four line-breaks, one try assist and 158 running metres to go alongside his tries as the Blackhawks won by 60 points (66-6).

Meanwhile, halfback Bailey Biondi-Odo provided three try assists and middle Kaiden Lahrs was the best of the forwards with 168 running metres and a four-pointer.

Dudley Dotoi.Source: News Corp Australia