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Parramatta Eels Match Reports For Each Round(updated 17/5)Eels Dig Deep To Record Historic Victory
Saturday 15 March 2008 The Pirtek Parramatta Eels have pulled off the second biggest comeback in the club’s history to defeat the Bulldogs 28 points to 20 in their Telstra Premiership season opener at ANZ Stadium. In front of an outstanding round one crowd of 25,065, the Eels trailed 20 points to nil after a first half that saw the Bulldogs cross for three tries. They then crossed for five of their own after the break to record their biggest comeback win since turning around a 22 point deficit to defeat Canberra 30 points to 22 in round nine of the 1987 season. Halfback Brett Finch was the catalyst for victory, playing a hand in all of his side’s tries as they went on to record what at first seemed an unlikely result. The Eels were on the rack from the outset, the Bulldogs opening their account in just the third minute of play through a try to lock Lee Te Maari. Hazem El Masri’s conversion made it six-nil in favour of the Dogs. Handling errors compounded the pressure on the Eels in the first half, completing just two from five sets of six in the opening ten minutes and allowing the Dogs to set up camp inside their red zone. Despite a couple of chances the Eels were unable to hit back and would soon find themselves falling further behind, El Masri adding another two points after Daniel Wagon and Fuifui Moimoi were penalised for a lifting tackle in front of goal. Another mistake deep in Eels territory laid the platform for the Bulldogs second try on the half hour, Willie Tonga managing to get the ball down out wide after he’d earlier appeared to be held up. Again El Masri converted from out wide for a 14-nil Bulldogs lead. The winger was in the thick of the action three minutes later, exploiting an overlap out wide to score and convert his side’s third try. Trailing 20-nil the Eels started the second half knowing they needed to score first and that they did, Brett Finch kicking for the corner and finding the waiting arms of Eric Grothe who scored out wide. Luke Burt, in his 150th first grade game, converted from the sideline and the Eels were alive at 20-6. Four minutes later they were in again and again it was Finch at the centre of the action, standing in the tackle before offloading late to Feleti Mateo who scored beside the posts. Burt converted and all of a sudden the Eels had reduced the gap to eight points at 20-12. With a better hold on possession the Eels look to make the most of it and after surviving a scare down the other end they went within two points of evening it up, Joel Reddy scoring an converted try off another Finch kick in the 57th minute of play. After a torrid first half debutant Taulima Tautai laid on the play that would deliver the Eels the lead, putting a massive hit on Tim Winitana to turnover possession on the Bulldogs 30 metre line ten minutes from full time. One set of six later the Eels put it through the hands to Reddy, who touched down again out wide to put the home side two points clear. The Eels then survived consecutive sets on their own line before Mateo secured the victory, touching down after the ball ricocheted off his head in the final minute of the match. Burt converted to cap a magic second half, the Eels running out 28-20 winners. PIRTEK PARRAMATTA EELS 28 Tries: Joel Reddy 2, Feleti Mateo 2, Eric Grothe Goals: Luke Burt 4/5 BULLDOGS 20 Tries: Lee Te Maari, Willie Tonga, Hazem El Masri Goals: Hazem El Masri 4/4 At ANZ Stadium Crowd: 25,065 Referee: Jason Robinson Half Time: Bulldogs 20-nil EELS V BULLDOGS – AS IT HAPPENED 3rd Minute: Bulldogs score first, Lee Te Maari scoring down the short side. Hazem El Masri converts. Bulldogs 6-nil. 25th Minute: Daniel Wagon and Fuifui Moimoi are penalised in front of the posts for lifting in the tackle. El Masri converts the simplest of kicks. Bulldogs 8-nil. 30th Minute: Willie Tonga goes over for the Bulldogs second, which El Masri converts. Bulldogs 14-nil. 33rd Minute: El Masri fully exploits an overlap down the right hand side, scoring and converting wide out. Bulldogs 20-nil. Half Time: Pirtek Parramatta Eels nil – Bulldogs 20 46th Minute: The Eels find their way across, a Brett Finch cross field kick finding Eric Grothe who scores in the corner. Luke Burt converts from the sideline. Bulldogs 20-6. 50th Minute: Finch gets involved again and lays on the Eels second, Feleti Mateo running a good support line to score beside the posts. Burt converts. Bulldogs 20-12. 57th Minute: The Eels third is a carbon copy of the first, Joel Reddy scoring off a Finch cross field kick. Burt’s conversion is good. Bulldogs 20-18. 70th Minute: The Eels put it through the hands to Reddy who scores just inside the right hand corner post. Burt’s conversion attempt is unsuccessful. Eels 22-20. 80th Minute: Feleti Mateo scores his second try to secure the win. Burt converts. Eels 28-20. Full Time: Pirtek Parramatta Eels 28 – Bulldogs 20 EELS OPEN TOYOTA CUP ACCOUNT WITH DEFEAT OF DOGS Parramatta got round one off to the best possible start, scoring a come from behind 30-24 victory over the Bulldogs in the Toyota Cup. The Eels trailed 16-nil late in the first half and 20-6 early in the second before launching an audacious comeback, four second half tries seeing them come home with a wet sail to take victory. For the home side halves Daniel Mortimer and Kris Keating were outstanding, with the latter scoring two tries to get his side back in the match. The Mannah brothers, Tim and Jonathon, were also at the forefront, providing the Eels with some much needed go forward across the match. The Bulldogs got off to a flyer, first half tries to Sene Tala, Ben Barba and Jake Foster seeing them lead 16-nil approaching half time. The Eels struck back before half time, Taputoa Rea finishing off some enterprising work from Mortimer to cross out wide. Tony Williams conversion reduced the Dogs lead to 16-6 at half time. The Eels were dealt a further setback soon after the resumption, Barba scoring his second try to extend the Dogs lead to 14 points once more. From there it was all the Eels as Keating and Mortimer, with supporting roles from fullback Domenic Nasso and replacements Luke Mottinelli and Luke Latham, spurred Parramatta to victory. Keating finished with a double for the Eels with the others going the way of Rea, Nasso, and Latham, while Tony Williams finished with four goals from five attempts. Mortimer added a vital penalty goal late in the piece to secure the win. PARRAMATTA 30 Tries: Kris Keating 2, Taputoa Rea, Domenic Nasso, Luke Latham Goals: Tony Williams 4/5, Daniel Mortimer 1/1 BULLDOGS 24 Tries: Ben Barba 2, Sene Tala, Jake Foster, Rhys Jack Goals: Ben Barba 2/5 At ANZ Stadium Referee: Brett Suttor http://parraeels.com.au/news/news1718.shtml |
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Eels Lose To Warriors In Auckland
Sunday 23 March 2008 The Pirtek Parramatta Eels have fallen to a pumped up New Zealand Warriors outfit in round two of the Telstra Premiership, paying dearly for their errors as the Warriors ran out a 30 points to 16 winner. The Eels trailed by just two points midway through the second half, only to see the Warriors score three tries in seven minutes to put the result beyond doubt. After absorbing a mountain of early pressure the Eels took the lead on ten minutes through a Luke Burt penalty. Ten minutes later the Eels were in for their first try, Feleti Mateo handling twice in ensuing plays before firing a two man cut out pass to Eric Grothe who scored in the corner for a 6-nil lead. The Warriors returned serve soon after, Manu Vatuvei muscling his way over in the corner in the 24th minute of the match. Michael Witt converted from the sideline and the scores were tied again at 6-all. It would only take two minutes and one set of six before the Warriors went in again, a Grant Rovelli grubber taking a nasty deflection off the legs of an Eels defender before popping up neatly into the hands of centre Jerome Ropati. With just one man to beat Ropati fired a pass inside to Rovelli who raced away to score under the posts. The next scoring play of the match wouldn’t come until six minutes half time and it would be the Eels who’d do the damage, Joel Reddy running it in off some good handling out wide. Again Burt’s attempt wet close without going over, leaving the Warriors holding onto a two point lead. It then took just seven minutes for it all to come undone for the Eels as the Warriors ran in three straight tries to take their lead out to 20 points. The first went the way of Vatuvei, who scored off a clever kick in behind the line on 54 minutes, while Brent Tate scored just two minutes later to take the score along to 24-10. Then a 50 metre Vatuvei break led to Evarn Tuimavave scoring under the posts to hand the Warriors a 20 point lead with 18 minutes left on the clock. There the score stayed until the final minute when Luke Burt crossed for a consolation try, the Eels third of the match, however the win would go the Warriors way by 30 points to 16. TELSTRA PREMIERSHIP PIRTEK PARRAMATTA EELS 16 Tries: Eric Grothe, Joel Reddy, Luke Burt Goals: Luke Burt 2/4 NEW ZEALAND WARRIORS 30 Tries Manu Vatuvei 2, Grant Rovelli, Brent Tate, Evarn Tuimavave Goals: Michael Witt 5/5 At Mt. Smart Stadium, Auckland Crowd: 15,250 Referee: Shayne Hayne EELS v WARRIORS – AS IT HAPPENED 10th Minute: A Luke Burt penalty goal from 25 metres puts the Eels into the lead. Eels 2-nil 20th Minute: The Eels score the first try of the match, Eric Grothe touching down just inside the right hand corner post off good lead up work from Feleti Mateo. Luke Burt’s conversion attempt hits the post. Eels 6-nil. 24th Minute: The Warriors score through winger Manu Vatuvei. Michael Witt converts from the sideline. Scores 6-all. 26th Minute: The Warriors get their second, Grant Rovelli starting and finishing a 50 metre passage of play by scoring under the posts. Wit converts. Warriors 12-6. Half Time: Pirtek Parramatta Eels 6 – Warriors 12 46th Minute: The Eels open the scoring for the second half through a try to Joel Reddy. Burt’s attempt from the sideline is just short. Warriors 12-10. 54th Minute: The Warriors hit back with Vatuvei scoring his second for the match. Again Witt converts from the sideline is good. Warriors 18-10. 57th Minute: A neat second man play sees Brent Tate score for the Warriors. Witt converts. Warriors 24-10. 61st Minute: Vatuvei is again in the thick of the action as the Warriors score their fifth, a 50 metre break resulting in a try on the very next play to Evarn Tuimavave. Witt converts. Warriors 30-10. 80th Minute: Burt barges across for a consolation try for the Eels. He then converts as the siren rings in the background. Warriors 30-16. Full Time: Pirtek Parramatta Eels 16 – Warriors 30 Eels Make It Two From Two In The Toyota Cup Parramatta made it two wins from as many matches in the Toyota Cup, winning a see sawing encounter against the New Zealand Warriors 26 points to 22. Daniel Mortimer was again outstanding for the Eels, scoring his side’s first two tries, while goal kicking second rower Tony Williams finished with 14 points for the match after scoring a double of his own and kicking three conversions. The Eels were forced to weather an early onslaught with tries to Warriors centres Rusty Bristow and Kurt Kara seeing the home side lead by eight points to nil after 20 minutes. Mortimer pegged one back for the Eels soon after, with Williams’ conversion narrowing the gap to two points. However when Kara withstood the touchline and three defenders to score out wide nine minutes before half time the Warriors looked to be in a strong position at 12-6. Mortimer was next to bring up a double, catching the defence napping with a neat show and go the halfback scored under the posts without a hand being laid upon him. Williams’ second goal saw the two sides head into half time locked at 12 apiece. The Eels hit the front soon after the break with Williams barging over wide out for a 16-12 lead. However the Warriors were far from done, replacement Sione Luisi scoring their fourth try after a quarter of an hour. A change of goal kicker saw no improvement in the Warriors fortunes, Isaac John missing a relatively easy shot to see the home side’s record sit at none from four for the afternoon. An Eels breakout was converted into maximum points by fullback Domenic Nasso approaching the midpoint of the half, the ensuing conversion giving the visitors a six point buffer. And when Williams touched down for his second try nine minutes from full time the Eels looked to have it in the bag. Warriors prop Leeson Ah Mau made it interesting three minutes later, scoring beside the posts for John to convert and set up a grandstand finish. However the young Eels would withstand the last ditch Warriors fight back to run out a four point winner 26 points to 22. TOYOTA CUP PARRAMATTA EELS 26 Tries: Daniel Mortimer 2, Tony Williams 2, Domenic Nasso Goals: Tony Williams 3/5 NEW ZEALAND WARRIORS 22 Tries: Kurt Kara 2, Rusty Bristow, Sione Luisi, Leeson Ah Mau Goals: Isaac John 1/2, Kevin Locke 0/3 Referee: Leon Williamson http://parraeels.com.au/news/news1724.shtml |
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One Point Wonders Get Eels Home In Golden Point Thriller
Friday 28 March 2008 An extra time field goal to Luke Burt field has handed the Pirtek Parramatta Eels a 24-23 golden point victory over the Newcastle Knights in round three of the Telstra Premiership at Parramatta Stadium. Burt’s strike only came about after skipper Nathan Cayless kept the Eels in the game with a field goal of his own to even it up three minutes from full time. The dual strikes came at the end of a pulsating match during which both teams had genuine shots at victory. After a shaky start that saw the Knights cross the stripe only to be called back for a forward pass it was the Eels that would be first on the scoreboard, Jarryd Hayne finding the tryline for the first time in season 2008 six minutes in. With the Eels attacking the Knights line a Brett Finch kick took a freakish bounce off the legs of a defender before rocketing into the waiting arms of Hayne, who beat the last line of defence with a mean left foot step to score under the posts. 6-nil would soon become 10 with Hayne scoring his second just three minutes later, steaming onto a short ball from Finch to score out wide. The joy of a boisterous crowd of 15,176 would be silenced on 12 minutes with the Knights crossing for their first, centre Keith Lulia getting on the end of a long cut out ball to score in the corner. Kurt Gidley’s sideline conversion was on song to reduce the Eels lead to four points. The next scoring play would not come until the half hour and again it would come through the Knights attacking down the Eels right hand side, wing Cooper Vuna touching down just inside the dead ball line to give his side a 12-10 lead. The home side would only trail for five minutes, with Eric Grothe carrying Gidley over the line to slam it down in the corner for a 14-12 buffer. Two minutes later the Eels were in again off a fast break from Feleti Mateo, who turned it inside for Finch to score under the posts. Burt’s conversion put the Eels into the break ahead 20 points to 12. The Knights opened the scoring for the second half an uneventful 17 minutes after the resumption, centre Wes Naiqama grabbing the crumbs of a spilt kick for the corner to touch down for the easiest of tries. Again Gidley was deadly accurate with the boot, the Eels lead whittled back down to two at 20 points to 18. Five minutes later the Knights went in again with Lulia scoring his second, however the try went unconverted, leaving the Knights clinging to a two point lead. Burt removed the gap with a penalty goal from in front 12 minutes from time, while Jarrod Mullen edged the Knights back into the lead with a field goal that bounced off the post before going over in the 74th minute of play. To the delight of the crowd the match was sent into golden point extra time when Cayless slotted a field goal of his own three minutes later. The Eels earned back to back sets after the kick off and after three and a half minutes Burt stepped up to slot the winning field goal, making no mistake from 20 metres out. The win is the Eels second for the season and provides them with a good platform ahead of next week’s trip to Townsville to play the Cowboys. TELSTRA PREMIERSHIP PIRTEK PARRAMATTA EELS 24 Tries: Jarryd Hayne 2, Eric Grothe, Brett Finch Goals: Luke Burt 3/5 Field Goals:Nathan Cayless 1, Luke Burt 1 NEWCASTLE 23 Tries: Keith Lulia 2, Cooper Vuna, Wes Naiqama Goals: Kurt Gidley 3/4 Field Goals: Jarrod Mullen 1 At Parramatta Stadium Crowd: 15,176 Referee: Tony Archer EELS V KNIGHTS – AS IT HAPPENED 6th Minute: The Eels score the first try of the night, Jarryd Hayne touching down off a Brett Finch kick. Luke Burt converts. Eels 6-nil. 9th Minute: Hayne goes in for his second off a bullet like Finch pass. Burt’s kick is wide. Eels 10-nil. 12th Minute: The Knights go across through centre Keith Lulia. Kurt Gidley converts. Eels 10-6. 30th Minute: Cooper Vuna scores for the Knights. Gidley converts. Knights 12-10. 34th Minute: Eric Grothe gets on the end of some great led up work from Luke Burt and Joel Reddy to touch down in the corner. Burt’s conversion attempt is wide. Eels 14-12. 37th Minute: Brett Finch scores under the posts after a great break from Feleti Mateo. Burt converts. Eels 20-12. Half Time: Eels 20 – Newcastle 12 57th Minute: Wes Naiqama scores off a kick for the Knights. Gidley converts. Eels 20-18. 62nd Minute: Lulia scores his second try of the night to put Newcastle back in front. Gidley’s conversion attempt misses. Knights 22-20. 68th Minute: Burt levels it up with a penalty goal from in front. Scores locked at 22-all. 74th Minute: Jarrod Mullen nails a field goal for the Knights. Knights 23-22. 77th Minute: Nathan Cayless replies with a field goal from in front. Scores locked 23-23. End of Regular Time: Eels 23 – Newcastle 23. 84th Minute: Burt calmly slots a field goal from 24 metres to give the Eels the win in golden point extra time. Eels 24-23. Full Time: Eels 24 – Newcastle 23. EELS MAKE IT THREE FROM THREE IN TOYOTA CUP The Pirtek Parramatta Eels have kept their undefeated Toyota Cup record alive, defeating the Newcastle Knights 18 points to 10 at Parramatta Stadium. For the third time in succession the Eels fought back from an early deficit to record what turned out a comfortable victory, the Knights joining the Bulldogs and Warriors as scalps for 2008. The Knights started strongly and hit the lead through an unconverted try to second rower Jason Schirnack after 15 minutes, however the Eels hit back ten minutes later through one of their own to Daniel Mortimer. Mortimer’s try was converted by Tony Williams and the Eels had the lead at 6 points to 4. Their joy would be short lived however with replacement Byron Fruean scoring to put the Knights out to a 10-6 half time lead. The first half finished with the Eels on the attack and the second started in exactly the same fashion, a try to centre Taputoa Rea putting them back into the lead shortly after the resumption. From there they were never headed, a third try nine minutes from time to Mase Laulu Togagae putting the result beyond doubt as the Eels ran out 18 points to 10 winners. TOYOTA CUP PARRAMATTA 18 Tries: Daniel Mortimer, Taputoa Rea, Mase Laulu Togagae Goals: Tony Williams 3/3 NEWCASTLE 10 Tries: Jason Schirnack, Byron Fruean Goals: Marty Paulson 1/2 At Parramatta Stadium http://parraeels.com.au/news/news1730.shtml |
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Eels Lose To On Song Cowboys In Townsville
Saturday 5 April 2008 The Pirtek Parramatta Eels have crashed to their second defeat of season 2008, going down 38 points to 14 to a fired up North Queensland outfit at Dairy Farmers Stadium. In front of a parochial home crowd of 19,231 the Cowboys dominated possession from the outset and never relinquished control of the match, scoring six tries to three to run out convincing winners. The loss is the Eels second on the road this season while the Cowboys broke their duck having lost three straight matches to kick off 2008. The Eels saw little of the ball in the opening ten minutes and the Cowboys made them pay, crossing for two tries to race out to a 12-nil lead. The first went the way of prop Carl Webb, who burrowed over from dummy half in the fourth minute of the match. The second was scored by five eight Justin Smith off a neat Aaron Payne break, Jonathon Thurston converting both tries to make it 12-nil in favour of the Cowboys. Regaining the ball and their composure it wouldn’t be long before the Eels found the tryline, just their third full set of six seeing Brett Finch touch down off a well place Tim Smith grubber kick. Luke Burt’s conversion narrowed the gap to six points at the twenty minute mark. The Cowboys hit back approaching the half hour, Ashley Graham touching down wide out to make it 18-6 in favour of the home side. Undeterred Finch was in the thick of the action soon after, firing a well placed cut out ball to Eric Grothe who replied by scoring in the corner. With Burt’s conversion attempt just going wide the Eels trailed by eight points, a Thurston penalty on half time stretching the buffer to ten at the break. There the score stayed until the 17th minute of the second half, when after an evenly matched start to the stanza the Cowboys scored through second rower Jacob Lillyman. Trailing 26-10 the Eels suffered another blow just three minutes later, Mark Henry scoring in the corner to put the result beyond doubt at 32 points to 10. The Cowboys rubbed salt into the wound five minutes from fulltime with replacement Anthony Watts scoring a try, which Thurston converted to ensure he’d finish with a 100 percent record for the night. Eels winger Taulima Tautai got one back for the Eels two minutes from the end, the winger’s four pointer taking the final score along to 38 points to 14 in favour of the home side. The Eels return home Sunday to prepare for their round five clash with the Titans at Parramatta Stadium on Friday night. TELSTRA PREMIERSHIP NORTH QUEENSLAND 38 Tries: Carl Webb, Justin Smith, Ashley Graham, Jacob Lillyman, Mark Henry, Anthony Watts Goals: Jonathon Thurston 7/7 PIRTEK PARRAMATTA EELS 14 Tries: Brett Finch, Eric Grothe, Taulima Tautai Goals: Luke Burt 1/3 At Dairy Farmers Stadium Half Time: Cowboys 20-10 Referee: Bernard Sutton Crowd: 19,231 EELS V COWBOYS – AS IT HAPPENED 4th Minute: The Cowboys open the scoring through a try from dummy half to Carl Webb. Jonathon Thurston converts. Cowboys 6-nil. 8th Minute: The Cowboys convert their wealth of possession into more points, a scooting break by hooker Aaron Payne resulting in a try to Jason Smith. Thurston again converts. Cowboys 12-nil. 18th Minute: The Eels score their first, Brett Finch touching down off a deft kick in behind the line from Tim Smith. Luke Burt converts. Cowboys 12-6. 28th Minute: The Cowboys spread it wide and go in for their third, Ashley Graham touching down on the left flank. Thurston converts from the sideline. Cowboys 18-6. 36th Minute: Finch spots an overlap and throws a cut out ball to Eric Grothe, who beats two defenders to score in the corner. Burt’s conversion attempt is just away to the right. Cowboys 18-10. 40th Minute: The Eels are penalised wide out on the left and 30 metres back. Thurston’s shot is good. Cowboys 20-10. Half Time: Eels 10 – Cowboys 20. 57th Minute: The Cowboys extend their lead through a try to Jacob Lillyman. Thurston converts. Cowboys 26-10. 60th Minute: Mark Henry gets the video referee’s nod after going in for the Cowboys fifth try. Thurston converts. Cowboys 32-10. 75th Minute: Replacement Anthony Watts scoops up a spilt ball and runs 30 metres to score without a hand being laid upon him. Thurston converts. Cowboys 38-10. 78th Minute: Taulima Tautai scores his first ever try in first grade for the Eels. Burt’s conversion attempt is away to the left. Cowboys 38-14. Full Time: Eels 14 – Cowboys 38. LAST MINUTE DRAW KEEPS EELS UNDEFEATED IN TOYOTA CUP A final minute try to prop Jonathon Mannah has secured the Eels a 26-all draw with the Cowboys in their Toyota Cup clash at Dairy Farmers Stadium. The result means the Eels are the only undefeated side in the competition after four rounds. Cowboys replacement Tom Humble looked to have put the result beyond doubt just minutes from full time after he scored under the posts to make it 26-20 in favour of the home side. However Humble was humbled when his conversion attempt sprayed wide, leaving the home side vulnerable heading into the final minutes. The Eels launched a late raid and Mannah did the job, crashing down next to the posts for Tony Williams to convert after the siren for a hard earned draw. Both sides scored two tries in a first half more notable for turnovers in possession early in the tackle count. The Eels crossed first through Shaun Cox to go out to a four nil lead early on, only for the Cowboys to hit back with two of their own to hold a 10-nil lead late in the half. The first went the way of hooker and captain Ryan Carr, while the second was scored by lock Nick Slyney. The Eels hit back on the cusp of half time, a Marty Lewis try wide out converted by Tony Williams for a 10-all half time scoreline. Controlling the ball after the resumption two quick four pointers saw the Eels take command of the match, with Domenic Nasso and David Baumann finding the stripe to take the score along to 20-10 in Parramatta’s favour. A Ray Thompson try 23 minutes from full time got the Cowboys back to within a converted try of the lead, Stephen Beaumont’s conversion reducing the deficit to 20-16. Eight minutes later the Cowboys took the lead once again, prop Shaun Maloney crashing over for Humble to convert for a 22-20 lead. Humble went from hero to villain soon after, setting the stage for Mannah’s strike and the eventual 26-all scoreline. TOYOTA CUP PARRAMATTA EELS 26 Tries: Shaun Cox, Martin Lewis, Domenic Nasso, David Baumann, Jonathon Mannah Goals: Tony Williams 3/5 NORTH QUEENSLAND 26 Tries: Ryan Carr, Nick Slyney, Ray Thompson, Shaun Maloney, Tom Humble Goals: Stephen Beaumont 2/3; Tom Humble ½ At Dairy Farmers Stadium http://parraeels.com.au/news/news1738.shtml |
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Eels Fight Hard In Loss To Titans
Friday 11 April 2008 A late second half comeback was not enough to save the Pirtek Parramatta Eels from their third loss of the 2008 season, the Eels going down to the Gold Coast Titans 28 points to 20 at Parramatta Stadium. The Titans scored five tries to three and managed to withstand the Eels rally to secure their fourth victory of the year, skipper Scott Prince instrumental in the visitors’ eventual eight point victory. The Eels were left to rue another slow start which saw them trailing by 10 points by midway through the first half. Former Eels Matt Petersen and Aaron Cannings did the damage for the Titans, with Petersen touching down in the 16th minute of play and Cannings in the 24th to see Gold Coast race out to an early lead. Half Tim Smith laid on the Eels first try soon after, stepping in behind the defensive line before offloading for Nathan Hindmarsh to score. Luke Burt converted from midway between the posts and the sideline to reduce the deficit to four at 10-6. Titans hooker Nathan Friend then exploited some slow to react goal line defence to send the visitors back out to a 10 point lead, Prince converting Friend’s four pointer to make it 16-6 in favour of the Gold Coast on the cusp of half time. Burt clawed two points back for the Eels after the half time siren, converting a penalty after Jarryd Hayne was brought down without the ball. The second half was uneventful until Prince stamped his authority 12 minutes in, taking the ball one phase after a Titans breakout he kept the defence guessing before waltzing over to score under the posts. With his conversion making it 22-8 in favour of the Titans it appeared hope was lost for the home side. A Joel Reddy try midway through the half gave the Eels life at 22-14 and Eric Grothe was unlucky not to get the Eels even closer when he was bundled into touch just short of the line soon after. Then a piece of Brett Finch brilliance brought the match alive. Getting the ball 25 metres out from the line and with a wall of defence in front of him Finch put a grubber through before somehow winning the race to score. Burt’s conversion made it a two point ball game with 12 minutes left to play. Having been given life the crowd of 13,321 found their voice, however they were silenced five minutes from time when Titans replacement Josh Graham barreled his way over for a video referee awarded try. Prince’s conversion made it 28-20 in favour of the Titans and with it the match was gone. The loss means the Eels remain on four competition points from five matches, two clear of next week’s rivals Manly. TELSTRA PREMIERSHIP PIRTEK PARRAMATTA EELS 20 Tries: Nathan Hindmarsh, Joel Reddy, Brett Finch Goals: Luke Burt 4/4 GOLD COAST TITANS 28 Tries: Matt Petersen, Aaron Cannings, Nathan Friend, Scott Prince, Josh Graham Goals: Scott Prince 4/5 At Parramatta Stadium Crowd: 13,321 Referee: Jared Maxwell EELS V TITANS – AS IT HAPPENED 16th Minute: The Titans score the first try of the match through Matt Petersen. Scott Prince’s conversion attempt goes wide. Titans 4-nil. 24th Minute: The Titans go 10 up with Aaron Cannings scoring their second try. Prince converts. Titans 10-nil. 28th Minute: Nathan Hindmarsh crashes over off a Tim Smith short ball to get the Eels on the board. Luke Burt converts. Titans 10-6. 35th Minute: Titans hooker Nathan Friend shrugs off three would-be tacklers to score his side’s third try. Prince converts. Titans 16-6. 40th Minute: Burt kicks a penalty goal after Jarryd Hayne is taken out without the ball. Titans 16-8. Half Time: Eels 8 – Titans 16. 52nd Minute: Prince does it all himself to score under the posts. He converts. Titans 22-6. 61st Minute: Joel Reddy scrambles over the line for the Eels second try. Burt converts. Titans 22-14. 67th Minute: Brett Finch wins the race to the ball to score for the Eels. Burt converts. Titans 22-20. 75th Minute: Josh Graham scores a vital try for the Titans. Prince converts. Titans 28-20. Full Time: Eels 20 – Titans 28. Eels Still Undefeated In Toyota Cup After Win Over Titans Parramatta remains undefeated and on top of the Toyota Cup ladder after scoring a 30-14 defeat of the Gold Coast in their round five encounter at Parramatta Stadium. The Eels were dealt two lucky breaks inside the first five minutes and found themselves suddenly leading 10 points to nil. Their first try came about after the kick off ricocheted off the head of a Titans player, resulting in a scrum feed to the Eels. One set later the home side scored wide out through winger Ben McLennan. Back in Titans territory soon after a Kris Keating grubber took a wicked bounce off the goal post pad and into the waiting arms of prop Tim Robinson, who then touched down. Tony Williams’ conversion made it 10-nil to the Eels. The Titans hit back through a try to Siosaia Vave however two Keating tries in close succession made it 22-6 to the Eels at half time. A try to back rower David Baumann stretched the Eels lead even further after the break, seeing them lead by 24 points by the midpoint of the half. Two unconverted tries to winger Esi Tonga completed the scoring for the Titans while Williams added a penalty goal to see take the final score along to 20-14 in favour of the Eels. The Eels remain in the competition lead on nine points, and remain the only undefeated team in the Toyota Cup after five rounds. TOYOTA CUP PARRAMATTA EELS 30 Tries: Kris Keating 2, Ben McLennan, Tim Robinson, David Baumann Goals: Tony Williams 5/6 GOLD COAST 14 Tries: Esi Tonga 2, Siosaia Vave Goals: Sam Stewart 1/3 http://parraeels.com.au/news/news1746.shtml |
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Sea Eagles Trump Eels In The Wet
18 April 2008 The Pirtek Parramatta Eels have slumped to their third straight loss, going down to Manly by 20 points to 16 on a wet night at Parramatta Stadium. The Eels again gave up an early lead, trailing 10-2 just before half time before a second half fight back saw them lead by two at 16-4. However goal line defence let the Eels down, conceding two tries in each half to finish round six with just two wins to their name. The night began badly for the Eels, who conceded a try to Michael Bani in just the fifth minute of play. With the Eels trying to work the ball back off their own line a miscued pass saw Bani swoop, the winger scoring in the corner for a 6-nil lead. The try came at a price for the visitors, Steve Menzies limping off the field after making a crucial break in the lead up. Luke Burt got the Eels on the board with a penalty from close range soon after, however Manly probed the Eels line and got their second on the quarter hour mark. An Orford kick in behind the line found a flying Michael Robertson, who showed great wet weather skills to plant the ball in goal. The Eels enjoyed a wealth of possession for the remainder of the half however despite spending the majority of their time inside Manly’s fifty they’d only manage to add a second penalty goal, heading into the break trailing by six at 10 points to 4. Brett Stewart mesmerised the defence to stretch Manly’s lead even further six minutes after the break, scoring in the corner to take the score along to 14 points to four. However the Eels showed some spark to score their first soon after, Chad Robinson getting the nod from video referee Steve Clark after Manly fumbled a Nathan Hindmarsh grubber to the in goal in the 55th minute. Burt’s conversion made it a four point game at 14-10. The fullback was in the thick of the action five minutes later as the Eels took the lead for the first time, getting on the end of a sweetly placed Feleti Mateo kick to score 10 metres to the left of the posts. His conversion put the home side ahead by two at 16-14. The Eels dominated until Heath L’Estrange strolled over for the decisive try six minutes from full time, Orford nailing the easiest of conversions to put the Sea Eagles out to what proved to be a match winning four point lead. The 20-16 scoreline saw many of the 14,025 hardy souls in attendance heading for the exits early, the Eagles four tries to two more than enough to get them home. The Eels now have a week off for the bye, their next match against Penrith at CUA Stadium on Saturday May 3. TELSTRA PREMIERSHIP PIRTEK PARRAMATTA EELS 16 Tries: Chad Robinson, Luke Burt Goals: Luke Burt 4/4 MANLY 20 Tries: Michael Bani, Michael Robertson, Brett Stewart, Heath L’Estrange Goals: Matt Orford 2/4 At Parramatta Stadium Crowd: 14,025 Referee: Shayne Hayne EELS V SEA EAGLES – AS IT HAPPENED 5th Minute: Manly opens the scoring through a scrambled try to Michael Bani. Matt Orford converts from the sideline. Manly 6-nil. 10th Minute: The Eels attack and win a penalty on Manly’s line. Luke Burt gets them on the board with a penalty goal from just to the right of the posts. Manly 6-2. 15th Minute: Michael Robertson scores Manly’s second. Orford’s conversion attempt is wide. Manly 10-2. 38th Minute: Burt kicks his second penalty, again from just to the right of the posts. Manly 10-4. Half Time: Pirtek Parramatta Eels 4 – Manly 10 46th Minute: Brett Stewart scores in the corner for Manly. Orford misses the conversion. Manly 14-4. 55th Minute: Chad Robinson makes the match come alive, scoring the Eels first try off a Nathan Hindmarsh grubber. Burt’s conversion narrows the gap to four points. Manly 14-10. 60th Minute: Burt touches down off a brilliant Feleti Mateo cross-kick. Burt converts. Eels 16-14. 75th Minute: Heath L’Estrange scores the decisive try for Manly. Orford converts. Manly 20-16. Full Time: Manly 20 – Pirtek Parramatta Eels 16. EELS CLINICAL IN COME FROM BEHIND TOYOTA CUP DISPOSAL OF MANLY The Eels kept their undefeated record alive in the Toyota Cup, living up to their heartbreak kids reputation by again coming from behind to defeat Manly 23 points to 16. For the fourth time this season the Eels gave away a lead before mercilessly hunting down their prey with a clinical second half display. With the rain playing havoc the Sea Eagles played a complete first 40 minutes to head into the break leading 14-nil. Two first half tries to centre Matt Grieve saw the Sea Eagles capitalise on a clear tactic to take to the skies, with bombs playing a hand in both four pointers. Eagles scrumhalf Daly Cherry-Evans converted one and added two penalties to send the visitors into the break leading by 14, he then added another after the resumption to make it 16-nil to Manly. It wasn’t until the 56th minute that the Eels picked up their first, building pressure they found the line through towering centre Tony Williams. Williams converted his own try to narrow the gap to 10 points. The next went the way of replacement Taniela Lasalo, who carried three defenders on his back as he charged his way over to make it 16-10. With momentum now in their favour the Eels struck again to even it up at 16-all, Daniel Mortimer showing some deft skills to soccer ahead three times before regathering to score next to the posts. Williams nailed the easiest of conversions to tie it up at 16 apiece. With their confidence well and truly back the Eels showed more broken play brilliance to score their fourth and final try, lock Marty Lewis getting the ball flat footed on the last before kicking for the corner for a flying Lasalo who scored wide out. The win was secured two minutes from time and it was again Mortimer’s boot that would lay it on, a field goal from 25 metres putting the Eels out to an eventual 23-16 victory. TOYOTA CUP PARRAMATTA EELS 23 Tries: Taniela Lasalo 2, Tony Williams, Daniel Mortimer Goals: Tony Williams 3/4 Field Goals: Daniel Mortimer 1 MANLY 16 Tries: Matt Grieve 2 Goals: Daly Cherry-Evans 4/5 At Parramatta Stadium http://parraeels.com.au/news/news1753.shtml |
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Eels Savouring Victory Over Panthers
Saturday 3 May 2008 The Pirtek Parramatta Eels have scored a pressure relieving 26 points to 18 victory over Penrith in their round eight Telstra Premiership clash at CUA Stadium. In a season defining effort the Eels turned around an eight point deficit then ran in four tries in 11 minutes to stamp their authority on the match. After scoring the first try of the match the Eels went into their shells, allowing Penrith to score twice on the way to a 14-6 half time lead. However there were signs of better times ahead and playing at first a more composed then more adventurous brand of Rugby League in the second half they ran away with the win. With five players backing up from City-Country the Eels got off to a shaky start, a third minute bomb from Country half Brett Finch going 10 metres back towards their goal line. However after repelling the Panthers with some hard goal line defence the Eels scored on their first trip inside Penrith’s 22, a neat second man play from hooker Matt Keating sending Daniel Wagon in under the posts without a hand being laid upon him. Luke Burt added the extras to bring up his 1000th First Grade point and put the Eels out to a 6-nil lead after 12 minutes. Three minutes later the Panthers had their first, skipper Petero Civoniceva repelling the attempted tackles of Matt Keating and Luke Burt to score a try that took video referee Graeme West ten replays to award. Jarrod Sammut converted from beside the posts to level it up at 6-all. Soon after the Panthers took the lead, big man Tony Puletua hitting the line wide out to score 12 metres in from the left hand touch line. Sammut’s conversion attempt rocketed into the left post before going through for a 12-6 lead to the Panthers. The Eels fell into a hole for the remainder of the first half, Penrith playing a far more adventurous brand of football for little reward. The only addition to the scoreboard before the break came off the boot of Sammut, who nailed a goal from in front after the Eels were penalised for a drop out not going ten, however the Panthers were unlucky not to extend their lead further with referee Ben Cummins ruling Nathan Smith was held up over the line just before half time. Luck played a hand twice for the Eels after the resumption, the end result of which was the narrowing of the deficit to four points at 14-10. First the Panthers had what looked to be a legitimate length of the field try disallowed, with referee Cummins ruling Michael Gordon had caught the ball on the full in the in goal before he sprinted 95 metres to lay on a try for Luke Priddis. Then Nathan Hindmarsh touched down for the Eels in the 11th minute of the half, the Country representative scoring off a Feleti Mateo kick which only came about after play had appeared to break down. Burt missed the conversion however the Eels were back in the hunt at 14-10. Quick hands on the short side saw the Eels take the lead three minutes later, Jarryd Hayne and Taulima Tautai combining before flinging it back in the other direction to Mateo who scored in the right hand corner. Burt converted from wide out to see the Eels lead again 16 to 14. Two sets of six later the Eels were in again, a beautiful ball across the ruck setting Weller Hauraki on a path to the tryline. The back rowers first try in First Grade was converted by Burt, seeing the Eels out to an eight point buffer with 20 minutes left to play. With offloads hitting the mark the Eels scored their fourth try in 11 minutes, Joel Reddy going over in the corner after the ball was kept alive by Mateo, Finch and Matt Keating. The Panthers kept themselves in the hunt with a try to Michael Jennings five minutes from full time, however their cause was then set back when Sammut’s conversion attempt hit the post and bounced back into the field of play. That was where it finished, Eels fans in the crowd of 18,724 erupting as full time sounded. Representative players Finch, Hindmarsh, Mateo, Jarryd Hayne and Chad Robinson were outstanding for the winners, as were interchange players Hauraki and Junior Paulo, fullback Luke Burt, skipper Nathan Cayless and the Keating brothers, Matt and Kris. The Eels next match is on Mothers Day, Sunday 11 May against St George Illawarra at ANZ Stadium. PIRTEK PARRAMATTA EELS 26 Tries: Daniel Wagon, Nathan Hindmarsh, Feleti Mateo, Weller Hauraki, Joel Reddy Goals: Luke Burt 3/5 PENRITH 18 Tries: Petero Civoniceva, Tony Puletua, Michael Jennings Goals: Jarrod Sammut 3/4 At CUA Stadium Crowd: 18,724 Referee: Ben Cummins EELS V PANTHERS – AS IT HAPPENED 10th Minute: Daniel Wagon scores for the Eels. Luke Burt converts. Eels 6-nil. 15th Minute: Petero Civoniceva scores Penrith’s first. Jarrod Sammut converts. 6-all. 18th Minute: Tony Puletua barges his way over for the Panthers. Sammut converts. Penrith 12-6. 35th Minute: Sammut adds a penalty goal. Penrith 14-6. Half Time: Penrith 14 Eels 6 51st Minute: Nathan Hindmarsh scores off a Feleti Mateo kick. Burt misses the conversion. Penrith 14-10. 54th Minute: Mateo finishes off a 60 metre movement with a try. Burt converts. Eels 16-14. 58th Minute: Weller Hauraki scores his first try in First Grade to stretch the Eels lead further. Burt converts. Eels 22-14. 61st Minute: Joel Reddy touches down in the corner for the Eels. Burt misses the conversion. Eels 26-14. 75th Minute: Michael Jennings scores on the left for the Panthers. Sammut’s conversion attempt hits the posts and bounces back into the field of play. Eels 26-18. Full Time: Eels 26 Penrith 18 EELS DEALT FIRST LOSS IN TOYOTA CUP Parramatta’s undefeated run in the Toyota Cup has been brought to an end with Penrith running in three late tries to defeat the Eels 44 points to 18 at CUA Stadium. The Eels trailed by eight and were pressuring the line ten minutes out from full time when the Panthers kicked up a gear, turning a 26-18 lead to an eventual 26 point victory. The loss in the top of the table encounter is the first for the Eels in the Toyota Cup since it kicked off two months ago. Tony Williams, Tim Robinson and Joe Mataele score tries for the Eels with Williams also adding three conversions, while for the Panthers winger Junior Tia-Kilifi scored three of his own in an eight try display. PARRAMATTA 18 Tries: Tony Williams, Tim Robinson, Joe Mataele Goals: Tony Williams 3/3 PENRITH 44 Tries: Junior Tia-Kilifi 3, Zoram Watene, William Isa, Wade Graham, Trent Iselin, Lachlan Coote Goals: Lachlan Coote 6/8 Referee: Gerard Sutton http://parraeels.com.au/news/news1766.shtml |
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Eels One Point Winners Over Dragons
Sunday 11 May 2008 The Pirtek Parramatta Eels have scored back to back wins for the first time in 2008, holding off a fast finishing St George Illawarra outfit 19 points to 18 at ANZ Stadium. Both teams finished with three converted tries apiece, a 74th minute field goal to Brett Finch the difference between the two after 80 minutes. However it was the Eels defence that arguably won them the match, keeping the Dragons to three tries despite the visitors making twice as many line breaks over the course of the game. The Eels struck first with Eric Grothe showing great strength to touch down out wide after being handed a tough run to the line. Luke Burt nailed the sideline conversion for an early 6-nil lead. They were then forced to withstand a mountain of pressure on their own line, their defence holding firm in the face of repeated Dragons sets. The visitors looked to have their first just past the half hour mark, Jason Nightingale touching down after the ball was jarred from Grothe’s grasp in the tackle. Video Referee Steve Clark came to the Eels rescue, ruling no try after Matt Cooper was judged to have stripped the ball. Two minutes later Burt compounded the Dragons pain, scoring off a Nathan Hindmarsh break before converting his own try. Chase Stanley restored order three minutes before the break, scoring off a Mark Gasnier flick pass to bring the score back to 12-6 Parramatta’s way. The Eels did their best to hand the Dragons an equalizer soon after the resumption, a charge down and intercept seeing the visitors with repeat sets deep inside Eels territory. But once again the Eels goal line defence held firm, even when a piece of Soward brilliance gave Stuart Webb a clear shot at the line. Instead of leveling it up some outstanding cover defence from Joel Reddy ushered Webb into touch just inches short. The fruits of the Eels labour came 12 minutes into the half, when Jarryd Hayne touched down without a hand laid upon him to make it 18-6 in favour of the home side. Nightingale then crossed for the Dragon’s second try on the hour, Soward then Matt Cooper firing well timed passes to put the winger away. Soward added the extras from the sideline to make it a six point game once again. Eels hooker Matt Keating came up with a crucial play seven minutes out from full time, nailing a 40-20 after yet another period of sustained Dragons pressure. From the ensuing set Brett Finch nailed a field goal to hand his side a seven point buffer heading into the final five minutes of the match. The Dragons resorted to taking early tackle options in an attempt to get themselves over the stripe and back into the game, only to find an Eels defence up to the task on more than one occasion. A runaway try to Matt Cooper off the yet another charge down made the final minute critical for the Eels, the Dragons with just three plays to steal the win. A scrambling Brett Finch cleaned up a Soward chip kick to close out the win, Parramatta triumphing 19 points to 18. PIRTEK PARRAMATTA EELS 19 Tries: Eric Grothe, Luke Burt, Jarryd Hayne Goals: Luke Burt 3/3 Field Goals: Brett Finch 1/1 ST GEORGE ILLAWARRA 18 Tries: Chase Stanley, Jason Nightingale, Matt Cooper Goals: Jamie Soward 3/3 At ANZ Stadium Crowd: 16,313 Referee: Sean Hampstead EELS V DRAGONS – AS IT HAPPENED 7th Minute: The Eels open the scoring through a try to Eric Grothe. Luke Burt converts from wide out. Eels 6-nil. 35th Minute: Burt scores under the posts, then converts. Eels 12-nil. 37th Minute: Chase Stanley goes over in the corner for the Dragons. Jamie Soward converts from the sideline. Eels 12-6. HALF TIME: Eels 12 Dragons 6 52nd Minute: Jarryd Hayne runs it in for a try on the left flank. Burt again converts from the sideline. Eels 18-6. 60th Minute: Jason Nightingale touches down for the Dragons’ second. Soward converts. Eels 18-12. 74th Minute: Brett Finch is successful with a shot at field goal. Eels 19-12. 79th Minute: Matt Cooper scores for the Dragons. Soward converts. Eels 19-18. FULL TIME: Eels 19 Dragons 18 DRAGONS INFLICT EELS SECOND STRAIGHT TOYOTA CUP LOSS Parramatta has crashed to its second straight defeat in the Toyota Cup, going down 34 points to 24 to St George Illawarra at ANZ Stadium. The Eels started disastrously and trailed by ten points to nil after as many minutes. Tries to wingers Joe Vickery and Henry Raiwalui had the Dragons on the front foot while a second to Vickery midway through the half saw them extend their lead even further. Down by 14 the Eels attacked the Dragons line however it would be some time before they breached the defence, Kris Keating marking his return from First Grade with a try under the posts shortly before the break. Tony Williams converted for a 14-6 half time scoreline. Keating was in the thick of the action again soon after, providing a neat hand off for second rower David Baumann to score. Williams again converted to narrow the gap to two points at 14-12. From there it all went wrong for the Eels, conceding tries to Clifford Morris, Dean Whare and Jake Marketo to all but find themselves out of contention with 18 minutes left on the clock. Daniel Mortimer gave the Eels some hope scoring from dummy half with 15 minutes remaining, Williams’ conversion leaving the Eels trailing by two converted tries at 30-18. However a simple try to Dragons centre Kane Linnett soon snuffed out any hope of an Eels comeback, the visitors seventh four pointer re-establishing a 16 point lead. Eels winger Owen Lauofo finished the scoring for the match, touching down off some good lead up work from Mase Laulu Togagae to see the score finish at 34-24 in the Dragons favour. ST GEORGE ILLAWARRA 34 Tries: Joe Vickery 2, Henry Raiwalui, Clifford Morris, Dean Whare, Jake Marketo, Kane Linnett Goals: Sam Morath 2, Nathan Dureau 1 PARRAMATTA EELS 24 Tries: Kris Keating, David Baumann, Daniel Mortimer, Owen Lauofo Goals: Tony Williams 4 At ANZ Stadium Referee: Gavin Badger http://parraeels.com.au/news/news1773.shtml |
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Roosters Too Good For The Eels
10.46pm, Friday 16 May 2008 The Pirtek Parramatta Eels have fallen to their fifth loss of 2008, succumbing to a second half Sydney Roosters onslaught en route to a 32-12 loss at Parramatta Stadium. The Eels scored first and led 8-6 at half time, but from the second minute of the second half it was all the Roosters as they powered away to victory. Mitchell Pearce and Braith Anasta provided the one two punch for a Roosters outfit missing four State of Origin representatives, strangling the life out of the Eels in a second half punctuated by some outstanding attacking kicks. Having headed into the break leading by two the Eels were never in it in the second forty, conceding five second half tries to lose by 20. The match was anyone’s early, a torrid opening quarter looked set to pass without a point scored until repeat sets inside the Roosters red zone saw the Eels open their account on 18 minutes. A 20 metre Brett Finch cut out ball found an unmarked Eric Grothe who touched down for his sixth try of the season. Luke Burt’s sideline conversion sailed through the posts to hand the Eels an early 6-nil buffer. Braith Anasta tied the scores for the Roosters ten minutes later, the five eighth stepping twice off his right foot to beat the defence before scoring adjacent to the posts. Amos Roberts converted to lock the scores at 6-all. The Eels were struck a blow on the half hour with centre Ben Smith limping off the field in just his second game back from a knee reconstruction. Burt went some way towards easing the pain just before the break, nailing a 40 metre penalty to send the Eels into half time holding onto a slender two point lead. Their joy was short lived, Roosters centre Sia Soliola sliding in for his side’s second try just two minutes after the resumption, Roberts’ conversion making it 12-8 to the visitors. Three minutes later a Mitchell Pearce 40-20 maintained his side’s excellent attacking platform, and from the next set of six Setaimata Sa scored to put the Roosters out to a sudden eight point lead. With their confidence up the Roosters twisted the knife, Anasta scoring his second and his side’s fourth in the 55th minute of the match, touching down off a sweetly placed kick from Pearce. Roberts’ conversion put the Roosters out to a 14 point lead and the Eels had it all to do. Referee Shayne Hayne then provided the Roosters the possession that led to their next try, penalising Nathan Hindmarsh for what replays soon confirmed was alegal one on one strip. Six plays later Brent Grose did well to touch down off an Anasta kick, taking the score along to 26-8 in the Roosters favour and setting Eels fans on a path for the exits a full 12 minutes out from full time. Joel Reddy showed great strength to score out wide for the Eels seven minutes before the bell, getting the ball five metres out and repelling two defenders to slide over to take the score along to 26-12. However the final say would go the way of the Roosters and Pearce, who picked off an intercept before running away to score under the posts for a 32-12 full time scoreline. The Eels have the bye in round 11, their next match against the Broncos in Brisbane on Friday 30 May. TELSTRA PREMIERSHIP SYDNEY ROOSTERS 32 Tries: Braith Anasta 2, Sia Soliola, Setaimata Sa, Brent Grose, Mitchell Pearce Goals: Amos Roberts 4/6 PIRTEK PARRAMATTA EELS 12 Tries: Eric Grothe, Joel Reddy Goals: Luke Burt 2/3 At Parramatta Stadium Crowd: 16,211 Referee: Shayne Hayne EELS V ROOSTERS – AS IT HAPPENED 18th Minute: Eric Grothe makes the most of an overlap down the right to score untouched. Luke Burt converts from the sideline. Eels 6-nil. 28th Minute: Braith Anasta produces two great right foot steps to score the Roosters first points. Amos Roberts converts. 6-all. 39th Minute: Burt nails a penalty from 40 metres. Eels 8-6. HALF TIME: Eels 8 – Roosters 6. 42nd Minute: Sia Soliola scores the Roosters second try. Roberts converts. Roosters 12-8. 46th Minute: Setaimata Sa barges over three tackles after a Mitchell Pearce40-20. Roberts misses the conversion. Roosters 16-8. 55th Minute: Pearce’s boot the Eels undone again, Anasta crossing for his second off a neat kick in behind the line. Roberts converts. Roosters 22-8. 68th Minute: Brent Grose scores for the Roosters off an Anasta kick. Roberts misses the conversion. Roosters 26-8. 73rd Minute: Joel Reddy touches down out wide for the Eels. Burt's conversion misses. Roosters 26-12. 77th Minute: Mitchell Pearce scores an intercept try for the Roosters. Roberts converts. Roosters 32-12. FULL TIME: Roosters 32 - Eels 12. EELS BACK ON TRACK IN TOYOTA CUP The Pirtek Parramatta Eels have got their season back on track crossing for six tries in a 33-20 defeat of the Sydney Roosters at Parramatta Stadium. The Eels shrugged off the midweek loss of skipper Tim Mannah to a fractured kneecap, dominating the back end of each half to record a tough win. The Roosters scored first through a try to second rower Tom Symonds, who scooped up a loose pass to touch down in the corner for a four nil lead. It would prove to be the only points of the half for the visitors who could only watch on as the Eels ran in three tries to head into the break ahead 17-4. The first Eels try went the way of Daniel Mortimer, who stepped neatly off his left foot before touching down midway between the posts and the sideline. Tony Williams converted to put the Eels into the lead. They then worked the left flank for t heir next two tries, the first going the way of winger Taputoa Rea and the second to a leaping Tony Williams. Williams converted the Rea try and Mortimer added a late field goal to send the Eels into the break ahead by 13 at 17 points to four. The Roosters started the second half as they did the first, a converted try to lock Matt Hall putting them back in the contest at 17-10. But Eels replacement Luke Mottinelli would soon re-establish the lead, scoring from dummy half to make it 23-10 the way of the home side. The Roosters revived their chances scoring two tries inside three minutes, Symonds scoring the first in the 64th minute while the second went the way of massive prop Stanley Waqa. Cronin converted the Symonds try to make it 23-20 to the Eels with 13 minutes left to play. With their match hanging by a thread Parramatta looked to settle and that they did, a Kris Keating cut out pass finding Dom Nasso who scored wide out to make the buffer seven points once again. Williams then converted from the sideline to put the result beyond doubt at 29-20. A Joel Latham try under the posts 32 seconds from full time complimented the Eels, the score finishing at 33-20 in Parramatta’s favour. TOYOTA CUP PIRTEK PARRAMATTA EELS 33 Tries: Daniel Mortimer, Taputoa Rea, Tony Williams, Luke Mottinelli, Domenic Nasso, Joel Latham Goals: Tony Williams 4/5 Field Goals: Daniel Mortimer 1 SYDNEY ROOSTERS 20 Tries: Tom Symonds 2, Matt Hall, Stanley Waqa Goals: Ben Cronin 2/4 At Parramatta Stadium http://parraeels.com.au/news/news1780.shtml |