MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 26: Ray Stone of the Eels receives attention from the trainer after scoring the match winning try in golden point time during the round three NRL match between the Melbourne Storm and the Parramatta Eels at AAMI Park, on March 26, 2022, in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Kelly Defina/Getty Images)
With a commanding 32-10 victory against their local rivals Canterbury, Parramatta maintained their place in the top two of the NRL standings and appeared to have spared Nathan Brown from a major injury.
The injury appeared to have happened following a tackle on Bulldogs forward Ava Seumanufagai during the previous set, but the off-contract forward was lying on the ground when playing cover defence late in the first half.But contrary to the broadcast’s conjecture that it would be a serious knee injury, the Eels later revealed that the 28-year-old’s problem was with his hip flexor, meaning he might be back on the pitch in less than a month.
A shoulder injury sustained by Dylan Napa mid-game also sidelined the Bulldogs, and he did not come back.
For Brad Arthur’s team, there were no dramas on the pitch as they led the entire way. Clint Gutherson and Maika Sivo scored two early tries in the first ten minutes to set the tone. The captain then scored a second just before halftime to send them into the sheds with a 16-0 lead that was never really threatened, even if it was once reduced to 22-10.
After losing unexpectedly to the Dragons in Round Five, the Eels have triumphed by a total of 87 points in their last three games.
Following the game, Gutherson stated, “We were really disappointed with how we went out there and went about it after that Dragons game.”
“The way we’ve responded, in previous years we might dwell on it a bit too long and it might take us a few weeks to get back into it, but just the way we responded down in Canberra and the way we’ve built off that in the last couple of weeks – that’s what I’ve been most proud of about this team but there’s still a long way to go.”
With the victory, the Eels will play the Roosters on Friday night in an exciting matchup.
