WESTS TIGERS 22 PARRAMATTA EELS 38
CALLUM WALKER, CommBank Stadium, Monday
IT was a game that had just about everything but wooden spooners Parramatta finally registered their second win of the season over a Wests side that looked lost without young talisman Lachlan Galvin.
Most of the talk before this fixture had focused on Galvin’s future, and he was dropped for this clash whilst Mitchell Moses was a welcome returnee for the Eels.
There was little to choose between the two sides in the first half, with Josh Addo-Carr and Isaiah Iongi efforts cancelled out by Terrell May and Jahream Bula four-pointers.
But three Parramatta tries in six second-half minutes devastated the Tigers, with Kelma Tuilagi, Sam Tuivaiti and Iongi sending the Eels into a 26-10 lead with half an hour to go.
When Sunia Turuva and Luca Moretti were sin-binned though for their part in a scuffle and Iongi too received a yellow card for a professional foul, Wests clawed their way back.
First Alex Seyfarth crashed over, before Luke Laulilii brought the Tigers back to within four at 26-22.
But, with the Eels back up to a full compliment, two late tries from Bailey Simonsson and Addo-Carr saw everyone in a blue-and-gold jersey breathe a sigh of relief.
TIGERS: 1 Jahream Bula, 2 Sunia Turuva, 3 Brent Naden, 4 Starford To’a, 5 Luke Laulilii, 6 Jarome Luai, 7 Adam Doueihi, 8 Terrell May, 9 Api Koroisau, 10 Fonua Pole, 11 Samuela Fainu, 12 Alex Seyfarth, 13 Alex Twal. Subs (all used): 14 Tallyn Da Silva, 16 Jack Bird, 17 Sione Fainu, 18 Tony Sukkar
Tries: May (23), Bula (28), Seyfarth (62), Laulilii (68); Goals: Doueihi 3/4; Sin bin: Turuva (54) – fighting
EELS: 1 Isaiah Iongi, 2 Josh Addo-Carr, 3 Will Penisini, 4 Sean Russell, 5 Bailey Simonsson, 6 Dylan Brown, 7 Mitchell Moses, 8 Jack Williams, 9 Ryley Smith, 10 Junior Paulo, 11 Kelma Tuilagi, 12 Kitione Kautoga, 13 J’maine Hopgood. Subs (all used): 14 Dylan Walker, 15 Luca Moretti, 16 Matt Doorey, 17 Sam Tuivaiti
Tries: Addo-Carr (15, 78), Iongi (33, 48), Tuilagi (42), Tuivaiti (45), Simonsson (75); Goals: Russell 3/6, Moses 1/1, Smith 1/1; Sin bin: Moretti (54) – fighting, Iongi (59) – professional foul
SCORING SEQUENCE: 0-2, 0-6, 6-6, 10-6, 10-10; 10-16, 10-22, 10-26, 16-26, 22-26, 22-32, 22-38
Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Tigers: Terrell May; Eels: Mitchell Moses
Penalty count: 10-8; Half-time: 10-10; Referee: Liam Kennedy; Attendance: 26,145
