1981 1982 1983 1986 
Post by Electric Eel on May 24, 2020 18:07:04 GMT 10
Round 26, 2011: Parramatta 32 d Gold Coast 12
By Damien Stannard
The Sunday Telegraph
September 03, 2011 9:36PM
PARRAMATTA superstar Jarryd Hayne scored a spectacular 101m try last night as the Eels handed the wooden spoon to a dismal Gold Coast Titans.
After so many heartbreaking losses this season, the Eels managed to avoid running last for the first time since 1972 and spare first-time skipper Nathan Hindmarsh the ignominy of walking away the NRL's dreaded booby prize.
That "honour" now falls to the Titans, who have had a dramatic fall from grace after playing in a preliminary final last year.
But it looked like one team was desperate to avoid last place in the final game of the season and another who had already booked their Mad Monday entertainment.
It was a mismatch as the Eels, inspired by Hayne and Luke Burt, produced one of the most emphatic victories of the season.
Centres Ryan Morgan and Ben Smith scored two tries apiece as the Eels led 32-0 after 49 minutes.
Hindmarsh was also inspirational after making it known over the past month that that he would do anything to drag his team off the bottom of the ladder.
Both teams will get a major make-over in the off-season, with Chris Sandow and Ben Roberts coming to solve the Eels' problems in the halves.
The Titans have Jamal Idris, Nate Myles and Beau Champion heading up to the holiday strip for a team that looked old and low for most of 2011.
Gold Coast's battle to avoid the wooden spoon was dealt a blow before kick-off when centre Esi Tonga, who will join the Eels next year, withdrew with a hand injury.
Likewise, Parramatta shifted Reni Maitua to halfback after Casey McGuire was scratched with a shoulder injury.
The reshuffle was of little concern to the Eels, who dominated the match from the start.
Luke Burt's clever kicking game kept the locals pinned deep in their own half and the Titans lacked the composure to absorb the pressure applied by the Eels.
Three unanswered tries in 22 minutes, including a 101m sprint from five-eighth Jarryd Hayne, meant the Titans would have to reveal some of their famed fighting character if they were to rescue something from this battle of the minnows.
The signs were not great at halftime.
With Hayne and Burt pulling the strings for the Eels, Gold Coast could not gain any traction at all, let alone land a telling blow.
Eels winger Ryan Morgan notched a first-half double to help Parramatta to a 22-0 lead at the break.
There were some Preston Campbell highlights in his final game for the Titans.
The 76kg terrier rattled Parramatta's Fuifui Moimoi with a ground-to-waist missile that left the 105kg front-rower flat on his back.
It was a pity he didn't go out on a better note.
PARRAMATTA 32 (R Morgan 2 B Smith 2 J Hayne K Sio tries L Burt 4 goals) bt GOLD COAST 12 (D Mead L O'Dwyer tries P Campbell A Laffranchi goals) at Skilled Park. Referee: Chris James, Brett Suttor. Crowd: 18,265.
By Damien Stannard
The Sunday Telegraph
September 03, 2011 9:36PM
PARRAMATTA superstar Jarryd Hayne scored a spectacular 101m try last night as the Eels handed the wooden spoon to a dismal Gold Coast Titans.
After so many heartbreaking losses this season, the Eels managed to avoid running last for the first time since 1972 and spare first-time skipper Nathan Hindmarsh the ignominy of walking away the NRL's dreaded booby prize.
That "honour" now falls to the Titans, who have had a dramatic fall from grace after playing in a preliminary final last year.
But it looked like one team was desperate to avoid last place in the final game of the season and another who had already booked their Mad Monday entertainment.
It was a mismatch as the Eels, inspired by Hayne and Luke Burt, produced one of the most emphatic victories of the season.
Centres Ryan Morgan and Ben Smith scored two tries apiece as the Eels led 32-0 after 49 minutes.
Hindmarsh was also inspirational after making it known over the past month that that he would do anything to drag his team off the bottom of the ladder.
Both teams will get a major make-over in the off-season, with Chris Sandow and Ben Roberts coming to solve the Eels' problems in the halves.
The Titans have Jamal Idris, Nate Myles and Beau Champion heading up to the holiday strip for a team that looked old and low for most of 2011.
Gold Coast's battle to avoid the wooden spoon was dealt a blow before kick-off when centre Esi Tonga, who will join the Eels next year, withdrew with a hand injury.
Likewise, Parramatta shifted Reni Maitua to halfback after Casey McGuire was scratched with a shoulder injury.
The reshuffle was of little concern to the Eels, who dominated the match from the start.
Luke Burt's clever kicking game kept the locals pinned deep in their own half and the Titans lacked the composure to absorb the pressure applied by the Eels.
Three unanswered tries in 22 minutes, including a 101m sprint from five-eighth Jarryd Hayne, meant the Titans would have to reveal some of their famed fighting character if they were to rescue something from this battle of the minnows.
The signs were not great at halftime.
With Hayne and Burt pulling the strings for the Eels, Gold Coast could not gain any traction at all, let alone land a telling blow.
Eels winger Ryan Morgan notched a first-half double to help Parramatta to a 22-0 lead at the break.
There were some Preston Campbell highlights in his final game for the Titans.
The 76kg terrier rattled Parramatta's Fuifui Moimoi with a ground-to-waist missile that left the 105kg front-rower flat on his back.
It was a pity he didn't go out on a better note.
PARRAMATTA 32 (R Morgan 2 B Smith 2 J Hayne K Sio tries L Burt 4 goals) bt GOLD COAST 12 (D Mead L O'Dwyer tries P Campbell A Laffranchi goals) at Skilled Park. Referee: Chris James, Brett Suttor. Crowd: 18,265.
