Everything's rosy for Eels following triumph over Cowboys
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Brisbane continues to be a happy hunting ground for Parramatta in 2024, following a 20-6 victory over the Cowboys which leaves them 2-0 in matches played north of the NSW border this season.
Tries to centre Rosie Kelly and interchange dynamo Rosemarie Beckett saw Parramatta out to a 16-6 lead after 41 minutes and from there they didn't take the foot off the pedal, scoring a fourth 14 from time to secure their second win of the year.
Following on from a first-up thumping of the Broncos at Suncorp Stadium and a narrow loss to the Sharks back in Sydney last weekend, the Parramatta pack dominated up front and their skill players took full advantage on the back of it.
Aggressive defence from the Eels
Papua New Guinea international Elsie Albert led the way with a 215-metre haul, while captain Mahalia Murphy and lock Kennedy Cherrington were also excellent in possession.
While they showed glimpses of the team which had scored seven tries a week prior against the Dragons, North Queensland were ultimately found wanting in attack time and time again, while both tries from Beckett were accompanied by below standard defensive efforts.
The game flowed freely through the opening quarter of the match, with just one error made across the first 20 sets, with Kelly first to get over after wrestling free from an attempted tackle over the line.
China Polata Try
While they leaked next after allowing North Queensland forward China Polata to stroll through from close range, the Eels finished the stronger and led 12-6 at the break.
A darting effort from Beckett and a second conversion from Rachael Pearson made the gap six and it should have been more as well, but for a cold drop from Monique Donovan with an open run to the line in front of her.
Rosemarie Beckett 1st Try
Just seven minutes into the second period Beckett punished the Cowboys again with a simple run from dummy-half to get over for her second.
Abbi Church's four-pointer to put the result beyond reach with 14 to play was a fitting reward for the busy fullback, who had 184 run metres by full-time to go with seven tackle busts and two line breaks.
Match: Cowboys v Eels
Round 3 -
home Team
Cowboys
8th Position
away Team
Eels
3rd Position
Venue: Totally Workwear Stadium, Brisbane
Match Snapshot
- The result means both the Eels' wins in 2024 have come on Brisbane soil, following on from the first-up victory over the Broncos at Suncorp Stadium.
- North Queensland missed 50 tackles in the defeat, 20 more than Parramatta.
- Elsie Albert led the way with 215 run metres in the middle of the park and 20 tackles.
- The Cowboys have now won only two from seven at Queensland venues.
- Monique Donovan was placed on report in the first half, with Cowboys prop Lily Peacock following in the second period.
Play of the Game
A determined effort to kick off a strong game for rugby union convert Rosie Kelly. Kelly turned down the opportunity to be part of next year's union world cup with New Zealand in order to take up a deal with the Eels and is making every post a winner.
Rosie Kelly Try
What They Said
"I just thought they controlled it better than us and pretty much executed what they wanted to execute. I don't think we went [down the middle] enough to be fair and we sort of didn't get any plays off the back of that... we've got a lot of work to do there." – Cowboys coach Ricky Henry.
Cowboys: Round 3
"Today in the second half, physically we toughed it out. There were a few niggling injuries and players played through that. We got into the grind, went set for set and we earned our tries through fatigue. In a nutshell that was the game." – Eels coach Steve Georgallis.
Eels: Round 3
