The Parramatta Eels take on the top=of-the-table Canterbury Bulldogs in Round 7 of the NSW Cup. After a slow start to the season the Eels have rallied to go through the last month of footy undefeated and now set their sights on unseating their archrivals in the curtain raiser at CommBank Stadium. Kick off is at 1:30PM so be sure to check in on the live updates from that point forwards!

NSW Cup Team List

Late Changes

Matt Doorey is out. Toni Mataele starts in the backrow while Jirah Momoisea rejoins the team.

Match Updates

Parramatta kick off in the first half. Sensible opening sets for both teams here as they complete without issue. The Eels unfortunately concede the opening penalty of the game for ruck inteference and the Bulldogs get the first chance of the game to build a proper attacking set.

Hello Matthew Komolafe! The big winger reads the left edge shift of the Bulldogs beautifully and flips the script with a massive interception. He is gunned down after a 40m gain and the Eels are unable to maximise the opportunity he provides as Jordan Rankin gets his cutout pass wrong down the left edge and it rolls into touch.

The Bulldogs repay the favour in kind with an error of their own. Luca Moretti sets up an attacking kick with an excellent run as Jake Arthur sends a bomb up for Komolafe and Cini. It barely sails too long as the Canterbuery winger Blake Wilson is able to win the contest for the ball from his in-goals for a 20m restart.

The Dogs get to their kick but Daejarn Asi takes a high quality catch under pressure before the Eels get their first penalty of the game as the visitors jump the gun. Again Parramatta’s left edge fail to execute properly though as they lose the ball before the line roughly 20m into Canterbury’s half.

Canterbury are playing pretty vanilla here as they complete another set. Lumelume takes their midfield bomb before Ofahiki Ogden blows the defence apart with a huge carry. The Eels look to seize on the chance with a rapid shift to their left as Lumelume gets the chance to streak down the sideline but he has barely put a foot into touch! Right call from the touchy there and the Eels have missed the opening points by a whisker!

Harlem Globe Trotter footy from the Eels in their next set! Ogden again engineering the chance but this time with a lovely ball at the line. To the left again for the Eels where someone, I think Asi maybe, has flicked it behind his back. It travels behind Waqa but he takes it superbly and breaks the line! He is pulled down by the fullback and the Eels take on the left edge short side where a grubber kick nearly sees Lumelume score. It looks like he lost it but the officials say it was off the Dogs and I have to say they got it wrong there.

Full credit to Canterbury from the repeat set though as they aim up and hold the Eels out. They then blow the game open as their winger Wilson splits soft poor ruck defence apart. Cover chasers get him but not before he is over halfway. He links up with his lock forward Tanner who is tackled but a clever kick for Reece Hoffman puts the Dogs on the board.

Try scored by Reece Hoffman. Conversion successful by Bailey Hayward.

Bulldogs lead 6-0

19min gone

A rare penalty for passing off the ground! Bulldogs make a half break down Parra’s left edge but Rankin makes the cover tackle before serious damage can be done and the Dogs promote the ball from the ground as a result.

The Eels build nicely towards a big movement down their left as Rodwell finds Arthur who sends it to Rankin but the five-eighth has grassed it. Rough start to the day for the senior half.

Trouble now for the home team as the #15 Jack Stringer splits the Eels up the guts. Ogden holds down too long on the cover tackle and the referee has zero hesitation to send him to the sin bin. Armed with a golden opportunity to build their lead but they are done for a double movement! What a let off for Parra.

The worst thing the Eels could have done from there is failing to complete their set and sure enoug that is exactly what they do. Lumelume is forced to scramble to cover an overlap early in the next set and does very well to keep the ball in front of him and the Eels show some ticker as they hold the Dogs out.

Oh that is a rubbish penalty. The Dogs are rewarded for a monster milking in the ruck as they get a penalty late in the tackle count. There wasn’t a defender on him and he tripped himself over getting up!

Moretti with a bell ringer! Qualtiy hit there from the lock as the Dogs attack the Eels’ goal line. Canterbury don’t lose their poise though and look to grind the Eels down with a neat grubber that Asi has no choice but to ground it.

The Eels go short but Rankin can’t get it high enough and the visitors win the ball uncontested. Finally the weight of possession coupled with the player advantage gets Canterbury over as a simple set of hands to their left strips the Eels for numbers. Komolafe can’t bat down the final pass as Wilson scores in the corner.

Try scored by Blake Wilson. Conversion unsuccessful by Bailey Hayward.

Bulldogs lead 10-0

32min gone

No, no, no. From bad to worse now for the Eels as the kickoff sails dead on the full. After taking an age to capitalise on the sin bin power play they waste no time this set going straight back to the well with Wilson. Hands again all that is needed as the nimble winger zips down the sideline to score a rapid fire brace.

Try scored by Blake Wilson. Conversion successful by Bailey Hayward.

Bulldogs lead 16-0

35min gone

Dogs get pinged for a crusher. Tackle goes on report as you might imagine. As with most of their other chances in the first half though the Eels get it all wrong. Zac Cini bails them out with a massive 1-on-1 strip though. Gee they needed that.

A penalty follows it up when the Eels are held off the ball as they attack down their right. Momoisea starts the set with just over a minute on the clock. Immediately the Eels go right as Arthur and Asi dig in deep to the line. It looks like it is on for Komolafe but a last ditch hand interrupts the pass.

One last chance for Parra as Jake takes on the line. It is a called shot for Cini as he rolls the ball in behind the line but the Bulldogs custodian Zac Hetherington is on the spot to defuse the threat and keep a clean sheet through 40min for the Dogs.

Half Time

Canterbury Bulldogs 16 lead the Parramatta Eels 0

Second Half

Taumoepenu provides a cracking run from the kickoff as the Eels complete a good set in the pursuit of plenty of points. It is the Bulldogs who produce the first error of the half as they run the ball on the last. The final pass to Skelton is dropped by the big winger.

Arthur sends up a towering bomb at the conclusion of the following set. Hetherington wants no bar of it and lets it bounce and it very nearly proves to be a diabolical decision. It kicks towards the posts and he barely gets there in time ahead of the kick chase.

The Eels cobble together some of their most fluent footy in their next set as Rankin spearheads an attack down the left. He finds Asi in stride who rifles a pass to Lumelume. The left winger pins his ears back for the goal line but is driven into touch a damn near metre short of the line.

There is still a chance here for the Eels as the Dogs lose the ball coming off their lown line but it sputters into nothingness as Parramatta drop the ball on the first tackle.

Note – Waqa Blake has left the field with what looked to be a shoulder injury. Momoisea has replaced him at left centre.

Bit of a dropathon now as the Bulldogs fail to complete their next set. It is compounded by a ruck penalty as the Eels march down field. Arthur and Mataele combine nicely on a switch of play to the left before Parra work right. It is all designed to give Komolafe a tilt at the line but again the cover defence of the Bulldogs is too quick and get across in time to drive him into touch.

There we go! Arthur and Murchie combine on the last as Jake hits that deliberate shallow bomb to the right edge. Murchie goes up AFL style and claims the ball for his own before planting it over the line.

Try scored by Jack Murchie. Conversion successful by Jordan Rankin.

Eels trail 6-16

56min gone

Moretti steams into the line from the kickoff but is very slow to get to his feet as he clutches at his neck. Time is off as he is treated but none of the officials saw anything in the tackle. Dan Keir gets us back underway with Rodwell working behind him. It all comes unstuck on the next play as a shift to the left edge finds only the grass and the Dogs pounce on the loose ball.

While the Eels defend strongly I do have to say the Dogs have butchered a huge overlap on the last. They play short down their left when they had a 4-on-2 out the back!

Arthur steps up and produces a monster 40/20 from the next possession as the Eels get a big chance to narrow the deficit here. Their first raid down the right is met with a batted pass from a defender so they go again. Arthur runs from the scrum and offloads to support before the Eels end up held over the line on the second tackle.

Jake nearly scores on the fourth but Komolafe can’t reel in the cutout pass on the last as the Blue & Gold attack a narrow right edge. It might have been on there but it was hard to tell and Matthew’s drop makes it all moot obviously.

The Dogs finally cross in the second half a few sets later. Young gun halfback Karl Oloapu puts in a cheeky chip kick near Parra’s goal line. Rankin gets across first but his slide for the ball is messy and deflects the pill directly into the feet of former Eel Sam Hughes who toes it ahead and scores under the posts. Backbreaker.

Try scored by Sam Hughes. Conversion successful by Bailey Hayward.

Bulldogs lead 22-6

66min gone

No change in score through the next 6 or so minutes and the game is at something close to a stalemate until Lumelume is penalised for a high tackle on a kick chase. It leads to a rare against-the-run-play passage for the Eels as Rankin essentially intercepts a stabbed kick by Oloapu. He runs and weaves his way downfield before finding Arthur who guns a pass to Cini to his right. Zac makes a further 20m before he is taken high by the cover defenders.

Sadly though the Eels can’t make any noise once again. Arthur takes on the line and gives a nice pass to his right to one of his big men but the ball is lost in contact and the Dogs are let off the hook.

Tack on one final try for the Bulldogs. Jeral Skelton tramples his way over defenders and makes a massive break before he is dragged down by Jayden Yates. The Dogs immediately attack to their right where their five-eighth Khaled Rajab is able to split the sliding defence and score to finish this game.

Try scored by Khaled Rajab. Conversion successful by Bailey Hayward.

Full Time

Canterbury Bulldogs 28 defeat the Parramatta Eels 6

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