Round 25, 2018: Sydney Roosters 44 Parramatta 10

NRL.com

Eels v Roosters: Hayne gets No.1 jersey in reshuffle; JWH replaces Napa

So this is finally the end of the road for Parramatta's 2018 squad - the one that virtually everyone had in their top eight. Indeed, several footy followers even had them finishing in the top four, while some even rated them premiership material.

Now here they are at the bottom of the ladder with one game remaining, needing nothing short of a miracle to avoid the wooden spoon.

If last week's performance against the Cowboys is any guide, the Eels won't get close to the Roosters, who suffered a surprise home loss to a clinical Broncos in round 24.

It was the Chooks' second loss in a row and Trent Robinson will be stressing the importance of putting together a performance worthy of a premiership contender.

Key match-up: They might not line up directly opposite each other, but former NSW Origin teammates Jarryd Hayne and Blake Ferguson will be relishing every opportunity to lock horns on Saturday night. They will be reunited as teammates next season when Ferguson joins the Eels.

For the Eels to win: It's the last game of the season and they are destined to finish last, but Parramatta should want to redeem themselves after being thrashed by the Cowboys. The Roosters have been off their game over the past fortnight and might feel the pinch if the Eels manage to stay close in crunch time.

For the Roosters to win: After two straight defeats, the Chooks can't afford to stagger into the finals on a three-game losing streak. The loss of Dylan Napa will take some covering, but the Roosters' big guns like Cooper Cronk, Latrell Mitchell, James Tedesco, Boyd Cordner, Ferguson and Jake Friend all need to take charge.

Eels Stat Attack: How Parra managed to stave off a 60-point shellacking from the Cowboys was nothing short of amazing after they trailed 44-0 with 27 minutes still on the clock. Not only did they keep the home side scoreless from that point, the Eels crossed for their only try of the game to "win" the final quarter of the game.

Roosters Stat Attack: Jake Friend will never be accused of being lazy. The Roosters hooker leads the NRL in tackles (1058) and charge downs (3). Ferguson leads in runs (461) and run metres (4,478).

Eels: The Eels have again reshuffled their spine with Jaemon Salmon dropping to the bench, Corey Norman moving to five-eighth, Jarryd Hayne moving to fullback, Bevan French recalled on the wing, Reed Mahoney starting at hooker and Cameron King dropping to the reserves. Brad Takairangi moves to starting second row with Tepai Moeroa moving to lock and Peni Terepo out. Tim Mannah starts at prop with Kane Evans dropping to the bench.

Roosters: Jared Waerea-Hargreaves (ribs) returns to replace Dylan Napa (suspension) in the front row.

Head-to-head: Played 130; Roosters 63 wins, Eels 62 wins, 5 draws
Previous result: Roosters won 48-10 at Allianz Stadium in round 10, 2017
Points per game: Eels 15.8; Roosters 21.7
Points conceded per game: Eels 22; Roosters 15.3
Televised: Live on Nine, Fox League

Petero Civoniceva's prediction: The Roosters will be hurting after losses to Canberra and Brisbane and I expect a strong response from the Tricolours. They'll be looking to build momentum and confidence heading into September and I think you'll see the likes of James Tedesco and Cooper Cronk hit their straps in a big way.

Tip: Roosters by 14

NRL.com

Roosters thrash Eels to take minor premiership

A 12-minute hat-trick to Latrell Mitchell and rampant performances from James Tedesco and Joseph Manu helped the Sydney Roosters snatch the 2018 minor premiership with a 44-10 thumping of Parramatta at ANZ Stadium on Saturday night.

The Tricolours needed to win by 27 points or more to secure their fourth minor title in six years after Melbourne's loss to Penrith but their mission looked unlikely as the Eels went with the visitors for the opening 50 minutes.

But a swing of momentum in the second half – which saw Mitchell Moses and Michael Jennings sin-binned at separate periods for professional fouls – sparked the visitors to the big win with five tries in the final 25 minutes.

Manu and wing partner Blake Ferguson were enormous for the Bondi outfit, running for a combined 526 metres for the clash.

After a lacklustre fortnight in attack, Trent Robinson's men were in cruise control and took five minutes to get on the board with a simple backline shift involving Cooper Cronk, Luke Keary and Tedesco resulted in Manu strolling over on the right edge.

A dreadful last tackle play from Mitchell Moses enabled the Roosters to extend their lead in the 28th minute with the Eels caught short down the right edge once more – Manu sending Ferguson over untouched.

Parramatta improved their last tackle options in the final 10 minutes of the first half and were rewarded before half-time when David Gower broke past a limping Boyd Cordner and find Jarryd Hayne in support.

Fans returning to their seats would have missed Ferguson split the defence immediately after the break but a final kick from Luke Keary was fumbled by Tedesco with the try line in sight.

But Keary and Ferguson redeemed themselves just three minutes later with Keary floating a cut-out pass for the winger to dive over the line for a double.

With a 14-point advantage it looked as though the visitors were on their way for another four-pointer but a jaded backline movement to the left turned ugly as Cordner left the ball behind him for Bevan French to race 60 metres to the line.

The sin-binning of Moses killed off any hope of a miracle win as the Roosters ran in two quick tries and eyed a final shot at the minor premiership race.

Daniel Tupou strolled over on the left edge, before Mitchell carried three defenders over the line in a disrupted night for the goal-kicking centre, who struggled following a heavy shot in the opening half.

Despite a remarkable try-saving effort from French, another four-pointer to Mitchell stretched the lead out to 24 points – three shy of the magic number.

As Moses returned to the field, Jennings departed and the Roosters ran in another three tries to set up a 34-point lead.

Mitch Aubusson did enough to draw in Brad Takairangi and find Cooper Cronk in support for Tedesco's first of the evening.

Parramatta had a late chance to narrow the gap but couldn't break the Bondi wall. In the only concern for the Tricolours, Mitchell struggled with a leg injury late but remained on the field.

The Roosters will avoid playing South Sydney in the first week of the finals with their opponent to be decided on Sunday night.

News and Notes: Trent Robinson became the Roosters' longest-serving coach on Saturday night. Blake Ferguson scored the 100th NRL try of his career in the first half. It was Latrell Mitchell's second hat-trick of the season and of his career. Crowd: 11,543.