Canberra flexed their finals credentials with a dominant 50-12 demolition of Parramatta in Darwin on Saturday night, handing the Eels a brutal dose of reality and sending them to last place on the ladder after six rounds.
Led by a monstrous pack and some electric moments out wide, the Raiders ran in nine tries to two, including a controversial penalty try to Xavier Savage, as they turned the heat up on an already under-pressure Eels outfit.
Parramatta came into the match buoyed by a dramatic golden-point win last week, but were simply no match for a fired-up Canberra side that blitzed them early and didn’t let up.
Joseph Tapine got the scoring started in the 6th minute and finished the night with an outrageous flick pass assist, while Hudson Young bagged a double and Corey Horsburgh laid the platform with 110 first-half metres.
Coach Jason Ryles’ side looked sluggish from the outset, completing just 40% of sets in the first half and offering little resistance through the middle.
Dylan Brown crossed for a solo effort, and a classy second-half try involving Shaun Lane and Josh Addo-Carr offered brief hope — but it was quickly extinguished by a Raiders onslaught
Xavier Savage was awarded a penalty try in the 64th minute after minor contact from Addo-Carr was deemed to have denied a certain try.
The Bunker’s decision sparked debate, but not even that could mask Parramatta’s collapse as Matty Nicholson and Sebastian Kris iced the 50-burger late as the $1.44 favourites with the top online bookmakers.
Coach Ricky Stuart’s Raiders have now won three of their last four and are shaping as a dark horse heading into the middle rounds.
Meanwhile, pressure is rising in Parramatta with their defence leaking 50 for the second time this season and star half Mitchell Moses still sidelined.
Parramatta Eels v Canberra Raiders final score
Canberra Raiders 50
Parramatta Eels 12
Tries – Raiders: Tapine, Young 2, Timoko, Strange, Nicholson, Kris, McIntyre, Penalty Try (Savage)
Tries – Eels: Brown, Addo-Carr
