By Anthony Eltarraf
After a disappointing loss to the Magpies last week, the Parramatta Eels dominated the St George Illawarra Dragons 40-8 at Bankwest Stadium.
The Eels started fast and strong, scoring early on through a scrappy Haze Dunster try. A grubber that couldn't be gathered by the Dragons’ left side allowed for the Parramatta winger to collect the loose ball and score the first try of the game, which was converted by five-eighth Jordan Rankin.
The Dragons, in similar fashion to last week, showed their fight in trying to turn the momentum of the game around, and they did just that through a lovely spread to winger Jordan Pereira, who finished brilliantly in the corner. Dragons’ five-eighth Siti Moceidreke missed the conversion however, keeping the Eels’ lead at two points.
The home side then answered with back-to-back tries from young halfback Jakob Arthur, who showed his running ability to get over the line, and Solomone Naiduki, who touched down in the corner. Both tries were converted again by Rankin.
NSW Cup Highlights Eels v Dragons Round 5
The Dragons wouldn’t give up, however, and a try to Max Feagai in the Dragons’ right corner this time put the away side back in the game, but another missed conversion made the potential comeback even tougher.
Parramatta refused to let their lead slip, with young star Arthur scoring his second try of the game to take his side to a 24-8 lead at halftime.
It was all the Eels in the second half with deserved tries to Sean Russel and Jordan Rankin extending the home side’s lead to 36-8. The final try saw second-rower Elie El-Zakhem course through a gaping hole in the Dragons’ defence, securing a dominant 40-8 victory for the Parramatta Eels at Bankwest Stadium.
