On the eve of the NSW squad being named for Origin II, Mitchell Moses made a commanding statement with a brilliant showing to help the Eels beat the Bulldogs 34-12 on Monday.
Alongside fullback Clint Gutherson – who scored a hat trick inside the opening half hour – Moses terrorised Canterbury-Bankstown with his running game and ball-playing and was a leading figure in his side's roaring start, which included providing the last pass for two tries.
A textbook covering tackle on Jacob Preston late in the match at Accor Stadium capped off a performance certain to have given a significant boost to his hopes of nabbing the vacant Blues No.7 jersey.
Moses cover tackle superb
Moses assisted Gutherson's second and third tries, while Daejarn Asi laid on the opener for his captain with a kick and then set Bailey Simonsson up before the break to give Parramatta a 24-6 half-time lead.
King Gutho gets his second
While the second 40 minutes were a more even contest, tries to Will Penisini and Maika Sivo – who shot back to the top of the try-scoring charts with his 16th four-pointer of the year – secured a comfortable win for Parramatta.
In the face of a lopsided possession count, which at times saw the Eels enjoy close to 60 percent of the ball, the Bulldogs will take heart from their ability to stay in the contest.
Great Oloapu run sets up Burton
Teenage half Karl Oloapu set up a Matt Burton try in the first half with a brilliant run, while former Eel Hayze Perham got over just before the hour mark, with Burton converting both.
The victory puts the Eels back within touching distance of the top eight and was a fitting way to celebrate coach Brad Arthur becoming the club's longest-serving coach in his 244th game in charge.
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Match Snapshot
- The Eels' seventh victory of the year puts them one point outside of the top eight heading into Round 16.
- Maika Sivo jumped to the top of the NRL try-scoring charts with his 16th four-pointer of the year. Earlier in the 13th minute he was placed on report for raising a forearm in a hit-up.
- Despite being well beaten on the scoreboard, the Bulldogs were the much better team in terms of set completions, finishing 80 percent of their uses of the ball compared to Parramatta's 64 percent.
- In his club debut Daejarn Asi impressed, setting up two tries and chiming in with a handful of general play kicks.
Asi break sets up Simonsson try
- Kurtis Morrin underwent a second-half HIA which he passed, while Bulldogs centre Jake Averillo left the field late in the game after earlier appearing to struggle with cramp.
- It was Parra's ninth win in their past 11 clashes with the Bulldogs at Accor Stadium.
Play of the Game
After Mitchell Moses sent Tevita Pangai Junior into a spin with some nice footwork, his trusty fullback was again hanging on his shoulder to ensure the half chance became a try. It was a play that summed up the pair's influence on the game perfectly.
Gutherson makes it three in a row
What They Said
"Definitely a step back in some areas, there were some areas I thought we were better at. Defensively we were terrible, the 54 missed tackles shows that. A lot of lack of effort off the ball, no togetherness in our defence and just some really poor tackling." – Bulldogs coach Cameron Ciraldo.
Bulldogs: Round 15
"I hope [I need to find a new halfback next week], I think we should have to. [Mitch] was very good today, I think he has been over the last month. I have got no doubt he can do that for New South Wales. He knew how important today was for us as a team in the context of the season and he delivered." – Eels coach Brad Arthur.
Eels: Round 15
What's Next
The Eels take on another of the big winners from Round 15, the Sea Eagles, at CommBank Stadium on Saturday night, while the Bulldogs are back in action on Sunday when they take on a Sharks side sure to be reeling from a last-up thrashing at the hands of the Storm.