The Eels return to home comforts having put their season firmly back on track by exorcising their Canberra hoodoo with a demolition job on title rivals the Raiders.
Parramatta, stung by their 26-12 round five upset at the hands of the Dragons, grabbed a share of second place by running away in the second half to record their first win in the national capital since 2006.
Off-season recruit Isaiah Papali'i scored his fourth (running over his namesake Josh) and fifth tries to spark the win and cement his status as one of the buys of 2021 so far.
And halfback Mitch Moses was in everything, his kicking game masterful and a constant threat with ball in hand.
Brisbane, meanwhile, looked like they had turned their season around when on course to upset the unbeaten Panthers on Thursday night only for Penrith skipper Nathan Cleary to snatch victory from their grasp.
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The rundown
Team news
Eels: The Eels will start 1-17 with Haze Dunster the 18th man. Keegan Hipgrave was the last player to be left out.
Dylan Brown will return from suspension at five-eighth so Will Smith has moved to the interchange bench with Keegan Hipgrave on the reserves list.
Back-rower Ryan Matterson (concussion) was again a late withdrawal in round six and while the club is working hard to bring him back coach Brad Arthur has reiterated Matterson's health and safety was the Eels' priority.
Matterson and Jordan Rankin were trimmed from the reserves list 24 hours before kick-off.
The Eels have won five of their six games at Darwin’s TIO Stadium.
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Broncos: Brisbane will start 1-17 with Rhys Kennedy the 18th man. Tyson Gamble was omitted an hour before the match.
Centre Herbie Farnworth returns from a shoulder injury and new hooker recruit Danny Levi comes straight into the side on the interchange bench.
Levi joined the club on Tuesday for the remainder of 2021 after starting the year with the Broncos' affiliate club Norths Devils.
In a further boost for Brisbane, Kotoni Staggs's rehabilitation is ahead of schedule and he could be back in action as soon as Magic Round next month.
John Asiata and Jesse Arthars were omitted from the extended bench on Thursday night.
The Broncos have lost their past 12 games away from home.
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Key match-up
Clint Gutherson v Jamayne Isaako: The fullbacks are 1-2 in kick return metres after six rounds. The man they call The King has kept a lower profile in 2021 but is still one of the better fullbacks in the competition. Gutherson's defence has been superb and he is still making his presence felt in attack with three tries and three try assists.
Isaako was one of the few bright spots for Brisbane as they struggled through the opening four rounds. With the Broncos playmakers, and therefore Brisbane's attack, lacking a cutting edge Isaako worked hard to provide some sort of threat.
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Stat attack
Wingers Blake Ferguson and Xavier Coates have been taking Eels and Broncos fans on a rollercoaster ride in 2021. Ferguson (12) and Coates (11) are No.1 and No.2 for handling errors while also ranking in the top 10 for tries - Coates 5th (six tries) and Ferguson eighth (five).
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