Everything seemed to suggest that the Melbourne Storm would finally see their Round 1 record broken in 2026.
After suffering back-to-back grand final defeats and facing a shortened pre-season, the Storm seemed ill-prepared to face the Parramatta Eels, who, despite being in a rebuilding phase, were considered by many to be contenders for the finals.
The loss of Ryan Papenhuyzen was viewed as a significant setback, while fringe half Jonah Pezet and Nelson Asofa-Solomona were also absent.
Although one could argue that Pezet and Asofa-Solomona had minimal impact throughout the 2025 season, and question Papenhuyzen's role in Melbourne's past successes, the truth remains that Papenhuyzen was their primary fullback when fit, Asofa-Solomona provided crucial size and aggression, and Pezet contributed significantly during last year's finals.
The fact that Pezet struggled to make an impact in this match speaks volumes.
However, it wasn't solely the absences that affected Melbourne.
The entire back row that brought them to the grand final-Eliesa Katoa (concussion), Shawn Blore (ankle), and Trent Loiero (concussion)-were all unavailable, and Xavier Coates (achilles) was also out.
Consequently, Ativalu Lisati and Joe Chan were called upon to fill the second-row positions, and they rose to the occasion, delivering standout performances.
Alec MacDonald, filling in at lock, was knocked out early in the game due to what was deemed a high tackle, a decision that sparked controversy.
In the backline, Moses Leo, initially seen as just a winger, stepped up to play center and had a remarkable game, breaking eight tackles from ten runs, leaving the struggling Eels unable to contain the former rugby sevens star.