The Pirtek Parramatta Eels NYC side has come out of the bye week firing and been narrowly defeated 24-22 by the third-placed Sydney Roosters at Parramatta Stadium.
A hat trick of tries to the rampaging Joseph Ualesi wasn't enough to stop a hungry Roosters side from coming back to snatch the lead and a last-minute victory.
Andrew Webster's charges started on the back foot as Roosters winger Brendan Elliott sliced through the Eels defence for a classy try in the left hand corner early in the piece.
But the blue and gold quickly answered back with captain Joseph Ualesi leading the charge for points, barging over the tryline and adding a second four-pointer for the Eels later in the half.
Fullback Corey Makelim joined him on the scoreboard, while Roosters half Tyler Cornish and winger Jack Goodsell were both too elusive for the Parramatta defence, adding another two tries for the Sydney Roosters.
The Roosters were equally sharp after oranges, as centre Rhyse Martin took his side to an 18-16 lead, but from the 42nd minute on, the blue and gold were dominant on the back of a rolling forward pack.
Captain Joseph Ualesi added a third try to his tally for the night as he snatched up a loose ball inside the ten metre line to re-establish a 22-18 lead.
As the clock ticked down the game opened up, with the Eels allowing the opposition a piggyback downfield through some misplaced offloads and a timely penalty to the Sydney Roosters.
At last, in the final five, fullback Nene McDonald capitalised with a breakaway try under the posts and Cornish added the extras for the 24-22 win.
Parramatta Eels - 22 (Ualesi 3, Makelim. Goals: Gorman 3/4)
A hat trick of tries to the rampaging Joseph Ualesi wasn't enough to stop a hungry Roosters side from coming back to snatch the lead and a last-minute victory.
Andrew Webster's charges started on the back foot as Roosters winger Brendan Elliott sliced through the Eels defence for a classy try in the left hand corner early in the piece.
But the blue and gold quickly answered back with captain Joseph Ualesi leading the charge for points, barging over the tryline and adding a second four-pointer for the Eels later in the half.
Fullback Corey Makelim joined him on the scoreboard, while Roosters half Tyler Cornish and winger Jack Goodsell were both too elusive for the Parramatta defence, adding another two tries for the Sydney Roosters.
The Roosters were equally sharp after oranges, as centre Rhyse Martin took his side to an 18-16 lead, but from the 42nd minute on, the blue and gold were dominant on the back of a rolling forward pack.
Captain Joseph Ualesi added a third try to his tally for the night as he snatched up a loose ball inside the ten metre line to re-establish a 22-18 lead.
As the clock ticked down the game opened up, with the Eels allowing the opposition a piggyback downfield through some misplaced offloads and a timely penalty to the Sydney Roosters.
At last, in the final five, fullback Nene McDonald capitalised with a breakaway try under the posts and Cornish added the extras for the 24-22 win.
