Welcome home as Eels put on a show
PARRAMATTA have christened Bankwest Stadium with a Mitchell Moses-inspired 51-6 NRL thrashing of the Wests Tigers.
The Eels were dominant from start to finish, running in nine tries to one in front of a 29,047-strong crowd as they jumped into fifth spot.
Even without talisman Blake Ferguson (ribs) and after losing prop Daniel Alvaro to a head knock in the first tackle of the game, they overawed Michael Maguire’s side with ance.
It was the perfect start to life at their new $330 million home, putting in their best performance in years.
It fell short of their biggest ever win over the Tigers (66-12 in Round 11, 2001), however it was their largest victory under coach Brad Arthur – easily surpassing their 40-4 demolition over St George Illawarra last year.
In the first five rounds the Tigers only conceded 59 points but were blown off the park yesterday. The joint venture lost influential hookan inspired performer Robbie Farah to a head knock in the ninth minute, prompting a reshuffle that saw fullback Moses Mbye move into dummy-half.
The Tigers looked every bit top eight contenders after winning three of their first five, but their middle forwards were badly beaten and made to pay for some lazy defence and poor missed tackles.
The game was as good as over after the Eels opened up a 30-0 lead after 31 minutes thanks to some Moses, Clint Gutherson and Michael Jennings magic. After being booed when his face flashed up on the big screen in the warm-up, Moses etched his name in the Eels’ history books when he ran 70m off a Gutherson break to score the first try at the new stadium.
Moses finished with 19 points and three try assists after setting up four-pointers for Brad Takairangi, Oregon Kaufusi and Reed Mahoney before sealing the win with a field goal.
NRL boss Todd Greenberg hailed the Bankwest Stadium experience as a “gamechanger” that could provide the blueprint for future rectangular arenas.
It was the perfect opening night for a long-suffering fanbase, who had to wait over two years to return to their $330 million new home. And the early feedback suggests it has been worth the wait.
“There’s no doubt this is a game-changer. The venue will redefine the event experience for rugby league fans,” Greenberg said after the game.
“It’s been a long time coming. The facilities are incredible and the view from every seat is fantastic.
“This is about bringing more fans to the footy.”