The Eels suffered a 30-14 defeat to the Brisbane Broncos at CommBank Stadium on Friday.
The Eels offered attacking threat from the outset, but poor execution failed them in crucial moments.
An early Bailey Simonsson try was rubbed out by the Bunker for a knock on, before a break down the right edge fizzled out with a poor pass.
A Parramatta penalty goal put the Eels ahead 2-0, but the Broncos bagged the opening try when Ezra Mam broke free from deep in his own red zone and found Reece Walsh in support.
Brisbane went long-range once again for their second try, as Deine Mariner got on the outside of the Eels’ defence and ran 45 metres to make it 12-2.
The Eels responded well to the double setback, as Blaize Talagi struck with his first NRL try in the no. 1 jersey.
Blaizin' hot try by Talagi
The rookie back drifted right in an attack on Brisbane’s goal-line, before slicing back inside with a devastating sidestep to streak away and score.
Sean Russell’s successful conversion cut the deficit to four points, but a cruel end to the first half reasserted Brisbane’s lead.
A fumbled shortside raid saw Mariner take possession and run 75 metres untouched to complete his double on the stroke of halftime and make it 18-8 at the break.
The Eels kicked off the second half in perfect fashion as they kept their comeback hopes alive, with Dylan Brown delivering a big moment in his Co-Captaincy debut.
Captain Dyl delivers
After Mariner picked up the scraps of a dropped bomb deep in his red zone, Brown closed in on him and ripped the football from his grasp to fall over the try line and score.
The Eels were right in the contest at 18-14, but two terrific tries to Brisbane put the contest to bed.
Ezra Mam touched down from a chip-and-chase, before Selwyn Cobbo pounced on a spectacular grubber to complete the scoring.
The Eels will aim to return to winning ways when they face Melbourne Storm next Sunday in NRL Magic Round.
