Melbourne Storm vs Parramatta Eels - Round 1, 2026
The result
Melbourne put this one away early and never let up, beating Parramatta 52 to 4 at AAMI Park. Sean Russell scored inside five minutes for the Eels, but the Storm led 18 to 4 at halftime and simply kept scoring, with the margin never again closer than 18 points.
How it unfolded
The Storm ran for 2178 all run metres to the Eels' 1310 and built 13 line breaks to Parramatta's 3. Completion told the same story, with Melbourne finishing at 85 percent against the Eels' 63 percent.
Against projection
Ativalu Lisati scored 74 and Joe Chan 69, both well clear of the numbers Melbourne's cheaper forwards usually put up, while Isaiah Iongi's 57 led the Eels despite coming off after 71 minutes. Jack Howarth's 40 came from a full 80 minutes and a try, while Tyran Wishart managed 42 in only 46 minutes off the bench.
Ownership outcome
Cameron Munster, among the more heavily owned Storm players, delivered 69 points from two try assists, a return likely to have been common across many sides. Jack Williams was the standout for Parramatta regardless of ownership, scoring 55 in a match his side lost by 48.
