Dwell
Parramatta’s Mitchell Moses has celebrated his long-awaited contract extension by kicking the match-winning area aim towards native rival Penrith, icing a 17-16 extra-time win that kickstarts the Eels’ season.
Up 16-14 with 20 seconds to play in a high-quality grand-final rematch, Parramatta gave the Panthers one final probability to equalize when Junior Paulo struck Zac Hosking flush across the chin and located himself sin-binned.
Nathan Cleary kicked for contact and as soon as the ball was in play, drilled a two-point area aim to tie the sport because the siren sounded.
However Mitch Kenny’s excessive shot on Waqa Blake lowered the guests to 12 within the first minute of additional time and marched the Eels upfield the place Moses iced the sport.
Each Kenny and Paulo can count on scrutiny from the match evaluate committee for his or her pictures.
Thursday’s win at CommBank Stadium will give the Eels untold confidence following a 0-Three begin that threatened to carry their premiership tilt unstuck earlier than it had begun. In 115 years {of professional} rugby league in Australia, solely as soon as has a aspect began a season 0-Four and gone on to hoist the trophy.
As an alternative of folding for a fourth-straight week, Parramatta turned in its most disciplined and affected person efficiency but to show the way it was capable of come inside placing distance of final season’s title.
Penrith, in the meantime, has begun its premiership protection with one win and two losses. With out Viliame Kikau and Api Koroisau, its assault has been beneath its grand final-winning greatest, producing solely 44 factors throughout its first three video games in comparison with 86 in the identical interval final 12 months.
Hours after signing his highly-anticipated contract extension, Moses had some nice moments in regulation time, together with two pressured dropouts, a one-on-one sort out on Luke Garner near the road and successful on Jarome Luai that pressured an error within the first half.
The Eels managed the territory battle early, finishing at 94 % all through the primary half. They seemed most probably on their left, the place the Panthers have been left weak by a hamstring harm to Liam Martin on sport day.
Dylan Brown break up the protection with a grubber kick that discovered Bryce Cartwright within the 14th minute and two Penrith errors in fast succession invited the Eels to proceed their dominance.
It was the Panthers who have been subsequent to attain, although, and towards the run of play.
Isaah Yeo managed to get his arms free in a sort out and offload to Scott Sorensen, contemporary off the interchange bench, and the omnipresent Dylan Edwards was there to complete issues off.
A Cleary penalty aim leveled the scores 8-Eight on the halftime siren.
On his NRL debut, 23-year-old Penrith junior Brendan Palms broke the stalemate for Parramatta after his teammates unfold the ball down the suitable aspect halfway by the half.
Moses’ second penalty aim prolonged the result in eight however Penrith had ample time, first coming inside two factors due to a Zac Hosking attempt, after which equalizing within the closing 20 seconds due to Cleary.
However Cleary, the sport’s greatest clutch participant, was trumped in further time by fellow No.7 Moses.
-AAP
