A Will Kennedy hat-trick led the Sharks to a 30-26 win over the Eels in a Friday night shootout at CommBank Stadium.
Both sides scored five tries but in the end it was the goalkicking of Braydon Trindall that proved the difference as the Sharks opened their account for 2023 and retained the Johnny Mannah Cup.
An early offside penalty against the Sharks invited Parramatta into the red zone and J'maine Hopgood delivered a perfect flick pass for Reagan Campbell-Gillard to cross for the opening try.
Two minutes later Hopgood came to the fore again with a superb offload to Josh Hodgson who found Clint Gutherson, the skipper showing great hands to move the ball on to Dylan Brown and then Waqa Blake and finally out to Maika Sivo to power away for the second try.
The Sharks hit back in the 15th minute after Briton Nikora steamed into a hole from close range after taking a short ball from Trindall.
Sharks fullback Will Kennedy then made it four tries in the space of 15 minutes when he exposed the Eels' left side defence to score and the visitors had taken the lead at 12-10.
The Eels fly out of the blocks
Bench forward Cameron McInnes threatened to put the Sharks further ahead with half-time approaching but he lost the ball a metre out as the Eels defence muscled up.
A dropped ball by Kennedy handed Parra field position and halfback Mitch Moses broke through a Jesse Ramien tackle to score wide out to make it 14-12 to the home side.
Kennedy slices through
Kennedy made amends soon after when he backed up a Matt Moylan break and raced away to give the Sharks the lead but Sivo's second in the 44th minute put the Eels back in front as the sides continued to trade tries.
After defending their line grimly for three sets the Sharks broke away through an intercept by Ronaldo Mulitalo, who was cut down by Moses in a great cover tackle. With the Eels struggling to get back onside, Siosifa Talakai found Kennedy who danced his way across the line for his third try and the Sharks led 24-20 with 23 minutes to play.
On the hour mark the Sharks went further ahead when Mulitalo soared above Bailey Simonsson to bring down a Moylan bomb to score and Trindall's sideline conversion made it 30-20.
With seven minutes to play it was Moses racing away for his second try courtesy of more great lead-up work by Hopgood and the Eels were back within four points.
The Eels then mounted one last raid but Blake dropped the ball in the left hand corner and Ramien picked up the scraps and the chance was lost.
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Match snapshot
- Eels halfback Mitch Moses grabbed two tries in his 200th NRL game but the playmaker has now lost his 50th, 100th, 150th and 200th match.
- Eels prop Junior Paulo played his 150th game for the Eels.
- Reagan Campbell-Gillard's try was the 18th of his career in his 185th game. He also ran for 180 metres on the night.
- The Eels lost their captain's challenge in the 30th minute when they unsuccessfully challenged a knock on call against Bailey Simonsson.
- Centre Siosifa Talakai was a powerhouse for the Sharks with 149 run metres and four tackle breaks.
- Blayke Brailey worked the house down in defence for the Sharks with 46 tackles.
Nikora hits back
- Eels fullback Clint Gutherson was sent for a HIA in the eighth minute which he passed and was able to return to the match.
- The Eels have now lost consecutive games at CommBank Stadium for the first time. It is the first time since 2018 they have started a season with back-to-back losses.
- Eels winger Maika Sivo has 38 tries in 39 games at CommBank Stadium.
- Dale Finucane was a tower of strength for the Sharks with 13 runs for 135 metres and 42 tackles.
- J'maine Hopgood had 168 running metres, two try assists and 46 tackles in another standout display for the Eels.
Moses gets one in his 200th
Play of the Game
Some Matt Moylan magic in the 37th minute opened the door for livewire fullback Will Kennedy to grab his second try of the night. Taking the ball five metres on his own side of halfway, Moylan went to the line and bamboozled Eels lock J'maine Hopgood with a show-and-go. With the cover defence closing in, Moylan found his fullback looming in support and Kennedy raced 30 metres to put his team back in front. Kennedy ran for183 metres on the night to go with three line breaks and the first hat-trick of his career.
Magic Moylan provides the assist
What They Said
"I thought the effort was good, we were there until the death, even though we scored five tries, you can't have five tries put on you... I thought the effort was there, so we have to make sure we keep coming with the effort, but just some big moments at crucial times cost us. We had our opportunities; we controlled the game (well), played field position there, just a couple of moments that we didn’t get right in the end hurt us. This is a good challenge, we will learn about our group. Milestones are very important so we are disappointed for Mitch and Junior." - Eels coach Brad Arthur
Eels: Round 2
“I am sure it was a cracking game for the neutrals to watch, thought it was ebbing and flowing. You don’t come here and get a free hit and they were playing for Mitch’s 200th and Paulo’s 150th. I thought we had an opportunity to put the screws into them, bit disappointed we let them off the hook there, but also I am proud of the spirit amongst them and the effort. We’ll get the tactical and technical parts right. Relying on each other like we did tonight, I am happy about that." - Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon
Sharks: Round 2
What's Next
The Eels kick off Round 3 with a trip to 4 Pines Park to face old foes Manly while the Sharks get a couple of extra days to recover before tackling the Raiders in Canberra on Sunday.