Eels show they are contenders
SEMI Radradra, take a bow.
An attacking masterclass from the Parramatta winger has boosted the Eels’ chances of a top four finish, after the side thrashed Brisbane 52- 34 at Suncorp Stadium last night.
The Fijian flyer embarrassed Brisbane on their own turf, scoring four tries in a stunning performance that will send chills down the spine of Parramatta’s top eight foes.
The Eels showed very early on that they had turned up to put the Broncos to the sword, after Kirisome Auva’a scored the fastest try in NRL- era history, crossing the line after just 12 seconds.
But it was Radradra who proved to be Brisbane’s biggest nightmare, scoring a hat- trick within the opening 20 minutes before continuing that pain into the second stanza with his final four- pointer coming just four minutes into the half.
It was the perfect performance from the giant winger – he ate up 238m off eight runs and made 11 tackle busts to cause the ultimate upset.
The last time these two sides met in Round 21, Parramatta forced another upset with a 28- 14 victory in Sydney.
In the weeks since, Brisbane went on a three- game winning streak to become branded as true premiership contenders while Parramatta suffered a loss to Newcastle and did just enough to beat Canterbury and the Gold Coast.
However, what the Eels showed last night was that when they need to, they can really deliver on the big stage.
Brad Arthur’s men may not produce as much spark when taking on lowerplaced teams, but when it comes to their top four rivals, they continue to prove that they are not finals pretenders.
There was cause for concern when Brisbane attempted to make a second half comeback – scoring two tries in five minutes – but the revival was shortlived.
Even with a 15- man bench – following injuries to Tepai Moeroa ( concussion) and Frank Pritchard ( shoulder) – the Eels managed to stave off the Broncos and extend their lead through tries to Brad Takairangi, Michael Jennings and David Gower in the final 15 minutes.
If only they could play the Broncos every week.
The Eels have now moved into fourth place on the ladder and will hold that spot if the Roosters can beat the Sharks on Saturday.