Round 7, 2018: Parramatta 44 Manly 10

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Eels v Sea Eagles: Mass changes for Parramatta

Ironic as it may seem, the last-placed Eels will probably feel very good about their chances of notching their first win of the season against a Manly side that was booed off their home ground in last week's 38-12 thrashing from the Tigers.

Parramatta appeared to make progress in a tough round five loss to the Panthers, but they were never really in the hunt in last week's 18-2 road loss to the Raiders and slipped to 0-6 for the season. Still, the Eels are at home this week and might finally get a morale-boosting victory.

The Sea Eagles were terrible against the Tigers, falling into a 26-0 hole at half-time. Given that their away record is so poor, they will need a massive form turnaround to overcome a desperate Parramatta at ANZ Stadium on Sunday.

Key match-up: Rightly or wrongly, Mitch Moses knows as the halfback that he shoulders a lot of responsibility as the Eels try to turn their season around. He has had a few bright moments but is yet to reach the heights of last season when he was a key ingredient in his team's charge to a top four finish. Moses needs to get back to his best in a hurry and will give himself a big boost if he can out-wit Manly halfback Daly Cherry-Evans and lead Parra to their first win.

For the Eels to win: Parra needs to come out swinging (figuratively speaking of course) and get some points on the board early. The Sea Eagles are down on confidence and might not have the will to fight back on the road if the Eels show they finally mean business. Avenging a 54-0 thrashing from Manly in round two should also be high on the agenda.

For the Sea Eagles to win: Taking a leaf out of the Raiders' book and paying more attention to defensive detail would be a good place to start. If it wasn't for the 54-0 rout of Parra in round two, Manly's ordinary for and against record would be downright ugly. It's time for the Sea Eagles to start getting their hands dirty.

Eels stat attack: Not that more evidence was needed to prove how bad they're going, but the Eels are last in the NRL in goalkicking at 50 per cent and have scored in double figures just twice in 2018.

Sea Eagles stat attack: Prop Martin Taupau leads the NRL in offloads (23), but on the downside the Sea Eagles are struggling with defensive issues, giving up 118 points in their past four games.

And another thing: The winless Eels should be heartened by the fact they have got the better of Manly (2-4) in six of their past seven clashes. They will be counting on a pro-eels crowd to spur them on.

Prediction: Eels by 7

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Moses stars as Eels thrash Sea Eagles

Parramatta's first win in seven months has compounded a horror week for Manly, a club that showed more fight on the training paddock than they did during an insipid 44-10 loss at ANZ Stadium on Sunday.

The Eels enjoyed their first victory after eight straight losses going back to September last season, though Jarryd Hayne's blues continue with an aggravated hip flexor injury cutting short his injury comeback after just half an hour.

Under fire No.7 Mitchell Moses stole the show with three try-assists, two forced drop-outs and 16 points off the kicking tee.

Opposite number Daly Cherry-Evans finished with four penalties and three errors to go with the $10,000 club fine dished out for his altercation with Jackson Hastings.

The comparison was just as telling as the pre-game chatter – Parramatta spent the week talking up their fiery training sessions, the Sea Eagles trying in vain to play theirs down.

Not to mention the changes wrung by Brad Arthur – Beau Scott, Kane Evans and Bevan French dropped in response to a winless campaign to date, while Trent Barrett had few options outside the same 17 that has now leaked 14 tries in its last three hours of football.

A non-contest from the outset started and finished in the same fashion.

Having set up shop in Manly's 20-metre zone for the opening 10 minutes, Parramatta wound up short-changed with just the one penalty goal to show for their glut of early possession.

Cherry-Evans put it on a platter for them throughout, sending one kick-off long and another clearing effort into the back of a teammate before a rare 40-20 diamond to redeem those early rocks.

He backed it up with a pass to send Brian Kelly through as well, only for obstruction to be ruled against Joel Thompson and the first points denied.

Hot potato passing at the other end and a 20-metre sideways run by Moses provided those, with Manu Ma'u on the end of an overlap after Parramatta's initial fifth-tackle play broke down.

Hayne's first game on the wing in a decade lasted only 30 minutes and six touches before he made for the sheds with the same hip injury that had kept him on ice for a month.

With Hayne absent on the left flank, Moses again found fruit down the right, his cut-out pass hitting George Jennings' in the bread basket for a 14-0 lead.

By the break that was 20-0 after Kaysa Pritchard breezed past an offside Jake Trbojevic from dummy-half to score the first try by an Eels forward this season.

Corey Norman added to it just seven minutes into the second stanza, strolling past Jack Gosiewski from short range as Cherry-Evans watched on helplessly at the defence on his inside.

When Moses chipped on the third for Michael Jennings to dot down with their fifth, a Blue and Gold whitewash beckoned.

Manly put paid to that through Brad Parker with 20 minutes to go, while Kenny Edwards' four-pointer was answered by Akuila Uate as well.

But a brilliant surging run through by Moses through Manly's middle capped both the win and Gutherson's first outing as co-captain, the fan favourite crashing over for his first try in nine long months.