Mitchell Moses – on the identical day he re-signed with Parramatta – has landed the match-winning area purpose in opposition to Penrith, icing a 17-16 extra-time win that kickstarts the Eels’ season.
Key factors:
- It was the Eels’ first win of the season
- Nathan Cleary pressured further time with a two-point area purpose within the dying seconds of the second half
- The Panthers now maintain a 1-2 win-loss file
Up 16-14 with 20 seconds to play in a high-quality grand-final rematch, the Eels gave the Panthers one final likelihood to equalise 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 purpose to tie the match because the full-time siren sounded.
However Mitch Kenny’s excessive shot on Waqa Blake diminished the guests to 12 within the first minute of additional time and marched the Eels upfield the place Moses iced the match.
Thursday evening’s win on the Western Sydney Stadium will give the Eels untold confidence following a 0-3 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 facet began a season 0-4 and gone on to hoist the trophy.
As an alternative of folding for a fourth straight week, the Eels turned of their most disciplined and affected person efficiency but to exhibit how they had been in a position to come inside putting distance of final season’s title.
The Panthers, in the meantime, have begun their premiership defence with one win and two losses. With out Viliame Kikau and Api Koroisau, their assault has been beneath its grand final-winning finest, producing solely 44 factors throughout their first three matches in comparison with 86 in the identical interval final 12 months.
Hours after it was reported he had signed his extremely anticipated contract extension, Moses had some nice moments in regulation time, together with two pressured dropouts, a one-on-one deal with 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 per cent throughout the primary half. They seemed likeliest on their left, the place the Panthers discovered themselves susceptible within the absence of injured Liam Martin (hamstring).
Dylan Brown cut up the defence 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 had been subsequent to attain, although, and in opposition to the run of play.
Isaah Yeo managed to get his arms free in a deal with and offload to Scott Sorensen — recent off the interchange bench — and the omnipresent Dylan Edwards was there to complete issues off.
A Cleary penalty purpose levelled the scores 8-8 on the half-time siren.
On his NRL debut, 23-year-old Penrith junior Brendan Fingers broke the stalemate for Parramatta after his teammates unfold the ball down the precise facet halfway by means of the half.
Moses’s second penalty purpose prolonged the result in eight factors however Penrith had ample time, first coming inside two factors because of a Zac Hosking strive, after which equalising within the ultimate 20 seconds because of Cleary.
However Cleary was trumped in further time by his reverse quantity Moses.
AAP
