PARRAMATTA EELS 8 CANTERBURY BULLDOGS 16
TOM SMITH, CommBank Stadium, Sunday
THE ABSENCE of injured stars Matt Burton and Viliame Kikau didn’t stop Canterbury from registering a workmanlike win over arch-rivals Parramatta.
Bailey Hayward filled Burton’s boots effectively as the Bulldogs banked three first-half tries then kept the chasing Eels at bay.
New Parra coach Jason Ryles is still yet to taste victory, although this narrow defeat represents an improvement after thumping defeats to the Storm and Tigers.
Ryles chopped-and-changed his starting 13, handing ex-Dog Josh Addo-Carr his club debut against his old side.
Bulldogs big man Daniel Suluka-Fifita shrugged off Jack Williams for Canterbury’s first try on five minutes, before Will Penisini exploited a numbers mismatch in the left corner to get the Eels on the board.
Bronson Xerri scored in near-identical fashion up the other end of the park, and once Blake Wilson touched down acrobatically above the right-hand corner post, the Doggies took a healthy ten-point buffer into the second half.
Addo-Carr marked his Parra bow with four points thanks to a well-timed cut-out by rookie fullback Isaiah Iongi.
But the hosts couldn’t make further inroads in the six-point deficit, and Stephen Crichton’s penalty goal on the stroke of full-time put the finishing touches on Canterbury’s professional display.
EELS: 1 Isaiah Iongi, 5 Jordan Samrani, 3 Will Penisini, 4 Zac Lomax, 21 Josh Addo-Carr, 6 Dylan Brown, 7 Dean Hawkins, 10 Junior Paulo, 22 Joey Lussick, 12 Jack Williams, 11 Shaun Lane, 16 Kitione Kautoga, 13 J’maine Hopgood. Subs (all used): 8 Joe Ofahengaue, 14 Ryley Smith, 15 Matt Doorey, 17 Sam Tuivaiti
Tries: Penisini (19), Addo-Carr (47); Goals: Lomax 0/2
BULLDOGS: 1 Connor Tracey, 2 Blake Wilson, 3 Bronson Xerri, 4 Stephen Crichton, 5 Marcelo Montoya, 6 Bailey Hayward, 7 Toby Sexton, 8 Max King, 9 Reed Mahoney, 10 Josh Curran, 12 Jacob Preston, 13 Jaeman Salmon, 16 Daniel Suluka-Fifita. Subs (all used): 11 Sitili Tupouniua, 14 Kurt Mann, 15 Harry Hayes, 17 Kurtis Morrin
Tries: Suluka-Fifita (5), Xerri (26), Wilson (34); Goals: Crichton 2/4
SCORING SEQUENCE: 0-6, 4-6, 4-10, 4-14; 8-14, 8-16
Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Eels: Zac Lomax; Bulldogs: Bailey Hayward
Penalty count: 7-4; Half-time: 4-14; Referee: Wyatt Raymond; Attendance: 24,059
