Round 27, 2024: Parramatta 60 Wests Tigers 26

RCG puts boot into Wests Tigers as Eels avoid spoon

Reagan Campbell-Gillard converted his side's last try and scored one himself as the Eels celebrated avoiding the wooden spoon with an emphatic 60-26 defeat of Wests Tigers.

For the third consecutive season, Wests Tigers were stuck with the wooden spoon after Parramatta overcame the loss of playmaker Dylan Brown and centre Will Penisini with knee injuries to pile on 11 tries.

Penisini, winger Maika Sivo and captain Clint Gutherson each scored doubles, while Campbell-Gillard, who led the Eels out, also got a try in the 70th minute.

The former Test prop was given the honour of kicking his first goal in 10 seasons, converting his side's last try, which was scored by hooker Joey Lussick, to bring up 60 points for the Eels.

It was a case of try, try and try again for the Eels after Will Penisini and Maika Siva bombed early scoring opportunities before the Fijian superstar crossed in the seventh minute.

Wests Tigers appeared to start nervously, with captain Api Koroisau kicking out on the full and Storm-bound prop Stefano Utoikamanu squandering a captain's challenge after a loose carry.

However, Lachlan Galvin took control of the game when he put centre Josh Feledy - the former Manly SG Ball captain, who was playing his first NRL game of the season - over in the 12th minute.

The teenage playmaker then gave a further glimpse of his undoubted potential with a bullet-like cutout pass for winger Junior Tupou to stroll over to score and give Wests Tigers a 10-6 lead in the 15th minute.

Eels halfback Daejarn Asi levelled the scores when he dummied past Wests Tigers centre Solomona Faataape to score midway through the first half as momentum swung in favour of the visitors.

Kiwis playmaker Dylan Brown then stepped through the middle of the ruck before finding hooker Brendan Hands in support to put Parramatta back in front in the 30th minute.

A spiral bomb by Asi that rivalled anything Matt Burton could produce swung away sharply from rookie Wests Tigers fullback Heath Mason and bounced up for Reagan Campbell-Gillard, who sent Penisini racing through a gap to score.

Leading 22-10 at halftime, the Eels edged further away from the spoon after the re-start when Bryce Cartwright intercepted a Koroisau pass and linked with Penisini, who scored his second try.

However, Mason redeemed himself to help put the home side back in the game with a towering bomb that Sivo was unable to catch, and rookie halfback Latu Fainu raced through a gap to score in the 50th minute.

Wests Tigers fans in the capacity 17311 crowd had their hopes of a comeback dashed when Koroisau was sinbinned for a lifting tackle on rival captain Clint Gutherson.

The Eels piled on three tries through Cartwright, Sivo and Gutherson before Koroisau returned and the Parramatta captain collected his second in the 65th minute after accepting a pass from Wests Tigers forward Alex Seyfarth in his own in-goal.

Isaiah Papali'i scored his last try for Wests Tigers before joining Penrith next season, but it was merely an interruption to the otherwise one-way traffic.

Match snapshot
Wests Tigers have won the last three consecutive wooden spoons.
The Eels have won 10 of their past 12 games against Wests Tigers and have not lost twice in the same season to their rivals since 2012.
The loss was the third match this season that Wests Tigers have conceded more than 50 points.
Eels winger Maika Sivo has scored 21 tries in his past 13 NRL games. Sivo has scored in each of his last 10 games against the Tigers.
Tigers hooker Api Koroisau became the 16th player to be sinbinned for the club this season when given his marching orders for a lifting tackle on rival captain Clint Gutherson.
The Tigers fell short of three successive wins for the first time since 2018.

NRL.com