Round 19, 2020: Parramatta 26 Brisbane 12

NRL.com

Eels v Broncos: Mahoney back; Haas and Croft out

Parramatta, clinging to a spot in the top four, desperately need to shake off a case of late-season wobbles so a date with Brisbane comes at the perfect time.

The Eels have scored just two points and conceded 58 to finals rivals South Sydney and Penrith in losing two of their past three outings.

With fifth-placed Canberra breathing down their necks the Eels must resume business as usual and get the job done against Brisbane and derby rivals Wests Tigers if they want to hold on to the double chance.

In contrast season's end can't come quickly enough for Brisbane who slumped to a club-record ninth straight loss against the Titans and don't look as if they know where their next win is coming from.

The rundown
Team news
Eels: Reed Mahoney is expected to play after he got through the side's final training run on Friday morning. The Eels have outscored the Broncos 92-6 in their past two clashes.

Haze Dunster and Stefano Utoikamanu were cut from the reserves 24 hours before kick-off.

Broncos: An all-new front row with hard-working prop Payne Haas out for family reasons and Rhys Kennedy suspended. Ben Te'o and Joe Ofahengaue are set to take their places.

Five-eighth Sean O'Sullivan has been dropped. Brodie Croft was poised to return but suffered a head knock at training so Tyson Gamble will start in the halves. Jamil Hopoate and Ethan Bullemor are back on the interchange.

O'Sullivan and Pride Petterson-Robati were omitted 24 hours before kick-off.

The Broncos are one point away from having the worst defensive record in the club’s history.

Key match-up
Shaun Lane v David Fifita: The slender Eels back-rower will be tasked with stopping the runaway freight train that is David Fifita. Brisbane's extravagantly talented big man represents one of the few Broncos routes to points and is a threat to cause havoc whenever he has the ball.

The well-travelled Lane can pose his own questions in attack but containing Fifita will be his No.1 assignment on Friday.

Stat attack
Parramatta begin with a huge advantage in the field-position battle. Fullback Clint Gutherson leads the NRL in kick-return metres, just under 300m ahead of the next best, and another four Eels are scattered through the top 50. Meanwhile, Brisbane don't have a single representative in that cohort. As a team Parramatta rank third (3828m) while Brisbane are dead last (2464m).

NRL.com

Eels back in the winner's circle as Broncos lose Fifita

Almost exactly a year after their record-breaking finals loss, the Brisbane Broncos are on the verge of another new low – the wooden spoon – having again been soundly beaten by the Eels at Bankwest Stadium.

An ankle injury which forced star second-rower David Fifita from the field early in the second half – and landed Parramatta prop Junior Paulo in strife – added to Brisbane's pain in the 26-12 loss.

Paulo came in to complete a tackle on the bustling forward but, in what appeared to be an accident, contributed to him falling awkwardly. The Eels will face a nervous wait to see whether the front-rower is hit with a dangerous contact charge for a "hip drop" move.

Parramatta were nowhere near as clinical as in their 58-0 demolition 12 months prior and didn't completely find their groove, but the victory keeps Brad Arthur's side snugly in the top four.

Fullback Clint Gutherson set up the opening try for Blake Ferguson and scored two four-pointers in the first half to lay the foundations for a triumph in Ryan Matterson's 100th game.

The Eels had averaged 12 points per game since round 12 and failed to score a try against Penrith last week, so the comfortable result comes as a timely confidence boost ahead of the finals in a fortnight.

Brisbane remain on just three wins alongside the Bulldogs, who upset South Sydney on Thursday, but sit at the foot of the ladder because of a far worse differential.

The Broncos must beat the Cowboys next week and hope Canterbury lose to the ladder-leading Panthers to avoid coming last for the first time in the powerhouse club's history.

Things started badly for the visitors, who were already missing prop Payne Haas for family reasons, as five-eighth Tyson Gamble was concussed while trying to tackle winger Maiko Sivo.

With Gamble off, Kotoni Staggs moved to five-eighth, Richie Kenner took his place at centre and Xavier Coates came off the bench and on to the wing.

After an initial arm wrestle, winger Ferguson crossed for his second try of the season in the 21st minute thanks to a slick cut-out pass from Gutherson.

Moments later and hooker Reed Mahoney, returning after a week on the sidelines with a shoulder injury, tore up the middle to put Parramatta straight back on the attack.

Mahoney found Gutherson who linked with Jai Field. On the next play, halfback Mitchell Moses threw a delightful long ball for a charging Sivo to get on the scoresheet.

A third quick try beckoned until an unforced Moses error eased the pressure. Brisbane then struck back when Fifita ran off halfback Tom Dearden at close range, exploding through Moses to help make it 10-6 after 29 minutes.

It wasn't long before the Eels had again seized control, however, with captain Gutherson grounding the Steeden after picking up a deflection from his own grubber kick.

And the "King" promptly grabbed his double all too easily in the shadows of half-time, running a sweeping line from a scrum play and slicing between Herbie Farnworth and Corey Oates out wide.

Fifita's injury didn't stop the Broncos from landing the first blow of the second half via Farnworth, but Eels five-eighth Field restored his team's advantage in the 49th minute by collecting a wayward Issac Luke pass and dashing 55 metres in what was the last scoring play.