IN THE MARKET? – CLICK BELOW FOR OPEN HOMES THIS SATURDAY
The Dolphins recovered from a 10-point hole and took control at Suncorp Stadium, beating Parramatta 34-16 on Friday night with a second-half performance built on better ball control and a huge advantage in broken tackles.
The Redcliffe-based Dolphins trailed the Eels 10-0 after 20 minutes on 21 August before Herbie Farnworth and Selwyn Cobbo dragged them back into the contest.
By halftime they were 16-10 ahead. Parramatta did not score again until the 70th minute, by which stage the Dolphins had opened an 18-point lead.
Farnworth completed the night with his second try in the 79th minute before Jamayne Isaako’s conversion made it 34-16.
Eels Strike First
Parramatta had the better of the opening stages.
Ronald Volkman crossed in the seventh minute and Mitchell Moses converted for a 6-0 lead. Brian Kelly then added the Eels’ second try in the 20th minute, although Moses missed the conversion.
The Dolphins were 10-0 down and had also attracted the attention of the officials, with Jack Bostock penalised twice for dangerous tackles and again for a late tackle before being placed on report in the 18th minute.
The response came quickly. Farnworth broke through in the 25th minute and Isaako converted. Three minutes later, Cobbo crossed to level the scores before another Isaako conversion put the Dolphins in front for the first time.
A Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow line break put the Eels under pressure before Isaako crossed in the 35th minute. His conversion attempt missed, leaving the Dolphins 16-10 ahead at the break.
Dolphins Take Over After Halftime
The game moved firmly towards the Dolphins after the restart.
Jack Bostock made the initial break before Isaako crossed for his second try in the 48th minute and converted it himself, stretching the lead to 22-10.
Parramatta were struggling to contain the Dolphins once they found space. The numbers told the story: the home side finished with eight line breaks to four and 45 tackle breaks to Parramatta’s 17.
Max Plath was next through in the 59th minute. Isaako’s conversion made it 28-10 and left the Eels needing three scores.
Parramatta finally broke the run when Kelma Tuilagi crossed in the 70th minute, with Moses converting to reduce the deficit to 28-16.
There would be no late comeback.
Farnworth crossed for his second try with just over a minute remaining and Isaako kicked the conversion as time expired.
Redcliffe-Based Dolphins Win the Numbers Battle
The Dolphins finished with 1,857 run metres to Parramatta’s 1,560 despite possession being split 50-50.
Their completion rate was also significantly better at 82 per cent (32 from 39 sets), compared with the Eels’ 72 per cent (29 from 40).
Defensively, the difference was even sharper. The Dolphins missed 17 tackles and recorded a 92.45 per cent effective tackle rate. Parramatta missed 45, finishing at 83.46 per cent.
For the Redcliffe-based club, it was a night that started badly but finished emphatically: six tries, five conversions and 34 points after being held scoreless through the opening quarter.
Match Details
Dolphins 34 defeated Parramatta Eels 16
Round: 25, 2026 NRL Telstra Premiership
Date: Friday, 21 August 2026
Venue: Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Halftime: Dolphins 16-10
Dolphins tries: Herbie Farnworth (2), Jamayne Isaako (2), Selwyn Cobbo, Max Plath
Dolphins conversions: Jamayne Isaako 5/6
Eels tries: Ronald Volkman, Brian Kelly, Kelma Tuilagi
Eels conversions: Mitchell Moses 2/3
Published 21-August-2026
CLICK ANY LOGO TO SEE PUBLICATION
