The Tigers kept their finals hopes alive and consigned Parramatta to yet more heartbreak with a stunning comeback to win 51-26 in Round 22 last season.
Trailing 22-6 midway through the opening half following an early Eels blitz – largely inspired by Ben Roberts who scored one and set up two more – the Tigers scored two quick tries right before the break through Chris Heighington and Matt Utai, then survived another Parramatta surge in the second half to race away with the win.
The turning point came in the 44th minute with the Eels leading 26-18. A Chris Sandow chip-and-chase looked certain to bring another try until Marika Koroibete put a huge hit on the runaway halfback. In the next set the Tigers went the length of the field, with Utai scoring his second following a Blake Ayshford break to ensure it was game on once more.
Having drawn to within a try, the Tigers exploded to life with Koroibete centre stage. He scored his first with a stunning 30-metre dash and a second from a Marshall cut-out pass. Tim Moltzen was the next to benefit from Marshall’s magic before Koroibete scored two more in the final five minutes to make it four as the Tigers finished with a bang.
The Tigers completed 32 sets to Parramatta’s 23 and missed 16 fewer tackles with forwards Keith Galloway and Heighington impressing with 165 and 155 metres respectively. However their efforts paled in comparison to Koroibete who added 196 metres to go with his four tries.
Fullback Jake Mullaney starred for the Eels with three line-breaks, eight tackle-breaks and 131 running metres to his name.
