Eels Blogs

You'd be forgiven for sensing Parramatta Eels fans were quietly puckering and unpuckering in the lead up to kick-off with the side's capitulation to the Dragons two weeks ago still fresh in their minds.

A well constructed win against Canberra gave Parramatta plenty of confidence, however the Broncos turned up against the Penrith Panthers and threatened a massive boil over until they faded late.

Parramatta's recent form against the Broncos had seen them win four on the trot despite a scare in round one.

Awaiting the two sides and throwing a spanner in the works was the oppressive heat and humidity of Darwin in April that saw the temperature sitting at 30 degrees at kick-off. A pretty sharp contrast to the single degree temperatures being experienced in Sydney.

From the opening kick off though, Brisbane lacked the intensity they showed last week. Xavier Coates spilled Clint Gutherson's kick in trying to put it out on the full and the Eels took full advantage through Maika Sivo.

Brisbane threatened to make a game of it though when Tevita Pangai Junior crashed over to level the scores.

The Eels quickly got into their rhythm. Isaiah Papali'i continued his excellent form throughout the game and added another try to his growing tally. Not only that, but he seamlessly switched between the left edge and middle during the match.

The Blue and Gold forwards rumbled and barged their way through an at times, wafer thin Broncos middle. Mitchell Moses turned the screws at the business end, forcing four goal line drop outs in the first half which inevitably led to a flood of points late in the first stanza.

Brad Arthur rotated his bench well. At the 20 minute mark the middle rotation of Reagan Campbell-Gillard, Junior Paulo and Nathan Brown began to make way due to the oppressive conditions. Oregon Kaufusi, Will Smith and Bryce Cartwright entered the fray and set about putting the hammer down. 

Kaufusi in particular was impressive. He had one of his longest stints from the bench for his career and looked incredibly comfortable out there, bagging himself a try to boot.

Cartwright seemed to find his groove, proving himself a legitimate threat on the left edge. His smooth hands gave Sivo his second try of the match while he also managed a line break and a barge over try for himself.

Bryce's performance does merit some special attention because it wasn't just his attack. In defence he continuously put his body on the line, did plenty of clean up work and was an effective bodyguard for Moses.

Wiremu Greig was also handed two separate stints in his second NRL game and he seemed to relish the contact in the middle of the field, taking on Matt Lodge confidently and running over him.

There was some sloppiness past the 60 minute mark as the heat sapped the energy of both sides. However, with the Eels up 36-6 it wasn't too much to worry about with the side comfortably defending their mistakes.

The reintroduction of Parramatta's starting middles also seemed to click the Eels back into gear as they slammed on a couple of quick tries at the end of the game.

Moses' effort down the sideline when he took a sweetly timed Bryce Cartwright pass down the left edge, grubbered for himself, karate kicked the ball back in field and the ever present Gutherson swooped to cap the game. I would've said ice but the heat in Darwin probably means ice melts the moment it hits the air.

Parramatta's 40 point win moves them into second where they will finish at the end of round seven. Not only that but they continue their 769 day run inside the NRL top eight, which is the longest currently active streak in the competition.

The Eels will head to ANZ Stadium next week as they take on the Canterbury Bulldogs on Saturday evening.