On a night when Tigers centre Brent Naden suffered a serious knee injury and Terrell May impressed for his new club, it was Iongi whose star shone brightest.
The Eels fullback scored a try and set up another, in his first full hit-out in the No.1 jersey after a brief 25-minute stint last week.
Signed from Penrith with a single NRL game to his name, Iongi looms as a crucial part of Jason Ryles' first year as coach after the Eels moved Gutherson on.
And the initial signs were good for Iongi on Friday night during a 60-minute hit out at Leichhardt Oval.
The No.1 broke seven tackles for the game, and made an immediate statement when he scored the Eels' first.Â
Swinging around behind a 30-metre scrum to take the ball at first receiver, Iongi dummied and burnt three Tigers defenders for his opening try.
The 21-year-old then set up the Eels' next before halftime, putting a cut-out ball on the chest of winger Sean Russell to score.
With Dylan Brown and Mitch Moses rested, and Josh Addo-Carr kept on ice for the first hour, Parramatta's attack otherwise lacked polish at times on Friday night.
The Tigers, meanwhile, gave the 4812 fans at Leichhardt plenty of hope for 2025.
It was at the same ground that Tigers players were given a standing ovation at halftime in a trial against Manly in 2021, before yet another doomed campaign.
But unlike so many false dawns in recent years, there is genuine reason for hope at the joint-venture in 2025.
With big-name recruit Jarome Luai and hooker Api Koroisau kept in cotton wool on Friday night, Lachlan Galvin and Adam Doueihi stood up.
Galvin had a moment of brilliance when he burst through and combined with Doueihi to put Jeral Skelton over in the first half.
Doueihi's kicking game was also on song while in the halves, grubbering for a Naden four-pointer and landing a 40-20 in the set before a Jack Bird try.
May was also particularly impressive, running 112 metres in the first half alone.
For all the hype and excitement around four-time premiership winner Luai's arrival, the Tigers need props May, Royce Hunt and Fonua Pole to make an impact.
Naden was the one sour point for the Tigers.
The centre was left with a dislocated knee cap after his knee twisted in an awkward tackle, prompting serious concerns about a long injury lay off.
Naden is off contract at the end of the year, with any injury potentially having longer-lasting impacts in his bid to earn another NRL deal.
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