PARRAMATTA EELS 36 GOLD COAST TITANS 20
TOM SMITH, CommBank Stadium, Sunday
ROOKIE fullback Isaiah Iongi lit up CommBank Stadium as Parramatta powered past Gold Coast in the final game of the round.
The explosive 21-year-old set up three tries to help the Eels move off the foot of the ladder at the Titans’ expense.
Eels centre Will Penisini had a dramatic last quarter hour, grabbing the two tries that sealed the result then getting sin-binned for a lifting tackle on Beau Fermor.
The Titans’ cause wasn’t helped by halfback Jayden Campbell failing a head-injury assessment in the first half.
Prop Jaimin Jolliffe became the unlikely first try-scorer inside four minutes.
But the hosts quickly took control, once Sean Russell scored on the end of a looping Iongi pass and Joey Lussick dived over from dummy-half.
An Iongi bomb then beat opposite number AJ Brimson, handing Charlie Guymer four points.
However, Chris Randall’s solo charge and Alofiana Khan-Pereira’s intercept kept Gold Coast in the hunt by the break.
Early in the second half, Iongi grubbered to Dean Hawkins to restore the Eels’ buffer, but Khan-Pereira’s second in the left corner put the visitors within a try with 15 minutes remaining.
However, Penisini pounced twice – the first thanks to Lomax’s aerial brilliance to claim a Hawkins bomb, the second courtesy of a Hawkins offload – to clinch Parra’s win, despite his late indiscretion.
EELS: 1 Isaiah Iongi, 2 Zac Lomax, 3 Will Penisini, 4 Sean Russell, 5 Josh Addo-Carr, 6 Joash Papalii, 7 Dean Hawkins, 8 Jack Williams, 18 Joey Lussick, 10 Junior Paulo, 11 Kelma Tuilagi, 12 Kitione Kautoga, 13 J’maine Hopgood. Subs (all used): 9 Ryley Smith, 14 Dylan Walker, 15 Matt Doorey, 19 Charlie Guymer
Tries: Russell (12), Lussick (16), Guymer (21), Hawkins (49), Penisini (67, 71); Goals: Lomax 6/6; Sin bin: Penisini (79) – lifting tackle
TITANS: 1 AJ Brimson, 2 Alofiana Khan-Pereira, 3 Jojo Fifita, 4 Phillip Sami, 5 Allan Fitzgibbon, 6 Kieran Foran, 7 Jayden Campbell, 8 Jaimin Jolliffe, 9 Sam Verrills, 10 Reagan Campbell-Gillard, 11 Chris Randall, 12 Beau Fermor, 13 Klese Haas. Subs (all used): 14 Jacob Alick-Wiencke, 15 Iszac Fa’asuamaleaui, 16 Tino Fa’asuamaleaui, 17 Moeaki Fotuaika
Tries: Jolliffe (4), Randall (29), Khan-Pereira (35, 63); Goals: Campbell 1/1, Fermor 1/3
SCORING SEQUENCE: 0-6, 6-6, 12-6, 18-6, 18-12, 18-16; 24-16, 24-20, 30-20, 36-20
Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Eels: Isaiah Iongi; Titans: Alofiana Khan-Pereira
Penalty count: 1-5; Half-time: 18-16; Referee: Gerard Sutton; Attendance: 8,074