Live Coverage | The Knock-On Effect NSW Cup - Round 18

Eels hang on against strong-finishing Rabbitohs

Alex Hrissis

Game Summary

The Parramatta Eels survived a scare from the South Sydney Rabbitohs in Round 18 of the Knock on Effect NSW Cup on Thursday night with the home side producing enough class to win 20-16 and temporarily put themselves within striking distance of the top-five.

The win sees the Eels move up to sixth place on the ladder, after jumping to a 20-4 lead early in the second  half and then just holding on in a two-try late fightback from the Rabbitohs.

Centres for both teams scored hat-tricks – Samuel Loizou for the Eels and Fletcher Myers for the Rabbitohs.

Parramatta opened the scoring at CommBank Stadium in the first set of the game.

Speedy halfback Ethan Sanders made a break down the field and was tackled just short of the try line.

Some slick passing down the right edge followed and Zac Cini threw a cutout pass to Loizou who dived over comfortably to give his side the lead (4-0).

The Eels doubled their scoreline following strong field advancement with another tidy cut-out pass, this time from Sanders to Lorenzo Mulitalo, who was unmarked and scored with ease (10-0).

The Eels scored their third on the trot down that dangerous right edge yet again, with Loizou claiming another try.

The centre received some nice early ball and dashed past defenders into a gap to score. Sanders converted his first try of the night (14-0).

South Sydney bounced back late in the first half scoring their first points through centre Fletcher Myers.

Adam Christensen passed a quick ball to Myers who punched through a lapse in the defensive line to score comfortably (14-4).

The away side grabbed another try with minutes before half time through Myers yet again. The skilful outside back scooped the ball up from dummy half to dive over and collect his second of the day (14-8).

That remained the half-time score but Parramatta replied early after the break with Loizou claiming his hat-trick and extending the lead to 12 points.

Five-eighth Daejarn Asi kicked a tidy short ball through the defence for Loizou to dive on (20-8).

South Sydney finally got back into scoring mode, when fullback Jye Gray used his speed to break through the line and pass to Leon Te Hau to cross in the corner (20-12).

The Rabbitohs posted a late try with four minutes to go, when Myers sprinted down the wing and put in a grubber for Leonard Skelton. He kicked a second time and it was Myers who crashed over the line for his third of the night (20-16).

With four minutes left on the clock it was a frantic finish but an unchanged scoreline.

Talking Points

• Ethan Sanders showed off his NRL credentials with a fine performance at halfback, steering his team around the park with a strong kicking game plus a try assit.
• Eels lock Luca Moretti produced a dominant performance through the middle, making strong tackles and running hard at the line.
• Fletcher Myers was a shining light for South Sydney, bagging himself three tries.
• That hat-trick was matched by Eels’ Samuel Loizou.

Key Moment

The Eels showed their intentions early on in the match. South Sydney winger Leon Te Hau made a fast break down the wing and looked like he was about to score a comfortable try until Mulitalo made a strong tackle to deny his opposing winger.

What’s Next?

In Round 19 of The Knock-On Effect NSW Cup the Eels will host the New Zealand Warriors next Saturday (13 July), while South Sydney will face off against the North Sydney Bears on Sunday (14 July).

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