CANBERRA RAIDERS 40 PARRAMATTA EELS 16
TOM SMITH, GIO Stadium, Saturday
ETHAN STRANGE ensured Canberra’s pursuit of the minor premiership remained on course, as the Raiders overran the Eels in the Australian capital.
Jed Stuart – son of coach Ricky – and Owen Pattie both completed the first doubles of their NRL careers to help the Green Machine erase their half-time deficit.
Stand-off Strange capped a dominate display with an 80th-minute try to put an exclamation mark on the Raiders’ eighth straight win.
Jason Ryles dropped Newcastle-bound Dylan Brown after his rocky turn at hooker last week, naming Joash Papalii at stand-off and Ryley Smith at dummy-half.
And it was a tough start for the new-look Parramatta, when Stuart and Zac Hosking both touched down inside the opening seven minutes.
However, the Eels soon seized the ascendency.
Charlie Guymer grounded a Dean Hawkins grubber, Zac Lomax found the right corner and Sean Russell snaffled a Joash Papalii chip to send Parra to the sheds up by four.
But the home side ran riot after the restart.
Stuart’s second levelled the scores early in the second half before Canberra slammed on four in the final 20 minutes.
Strange sent Simi Sasagi crashing over, then Pattie found the whitewash twice either side of Matthew Timoko bombing a certain score.
The 20-year-old playmaker then finished the rout by gobbling a Stuart kick at the death.
RAIDERS: 1 Kaeo Weekes, 2 Jed Stuart, 3 Matthew Timoko, 4 Sebastian Kris, 5 Xavier Savage, 6 Ethan Strange, 7 Jamal Fogarty, 8 Josh Papalii, 9 Tom Starling, 10 Joseph Tapine, 11 Hudson Young, 12 Zac Hosking, 13 Corey Horsburgh. Subs (all used): 14 Owen Pattie, 15 Simi Sasagi, 16 Morgan Smithies, 17 Ata Mariota
Tries: Stuart (4, 53), Hosking (7), Sasagi (60), Pattie (73, 78), Strange (80); Goals: Fogarty 6/8
EELS: 1 Isaiah Iongi, 2 Zac Lomax, 3 Bailey Simonsson, 4 Sean Russell, 5 Josh Addo-Carr, 6 Joash Papalii, 7 Dean Hawkins, 8 J’maine Hopgood, 9 Ryley Smith, 10 Junior Paulo, 11 Charlie Guymer, 12 Jack Williams, 13 Dylan Walker. Subs (all used): 14 Tallyn Da Silva, 15 Jordan Samrani, 16 Matt Doorey, 17 Sam Tuivaiti
Tries: Guymer (14), Lomax (29), Russell (38); Goals: Lomax 2/3
SCORING SEQUENCE: 6-0, 12-0, 12-6, 12-10, 12-16; 16-16, 22-16, 28-16, 34-16, 40-16
Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Raiders: Ethan Strange; Eels: Junior Paulo
Penalty count: 5-1; Half-time: 12-16; Referee: Ashley Klein; Attendance: 20,751