Following a successful pre-season challenge, legal victories, and impressive showings from up-and-coming players, the Parramatta Eels launched their season with high hopes.
However, those hopes were quickly crushed as they faced a 52-4 defeat against the Melbourne Storm in their first match.
What was anticipated to be a closely contested game devolved into a lopsided rout.
Despite entering as favorites and maintaining a remarkable 23-year streak of season-opening wins, the magnitude of Parramatta's loss was unexpected.
"If you asked me before the game if it was going to end up like that, I would've definitely said no," coach Jason Ryles revealed during the post-match press conference.
Team captain Mitchell Moses shared a similar sentiment, expressing his disbelief.
"Like what Rylesy said. If you told me it was gonna be like that at the start of the day, I would've told you you were crazy," he remarked.
The game's opening moments hinted at the impending disaster, highlighted by a J'maine Hopgood sin bin just seconds into the match, which left many viewers scratching their heads.
When asked about the contentious decision...