NRL 2020: Parramatta Eels beat North Queensland Cowboys 42-4

The Eels were nearly perfect in Clint Gutherson’s 100th game, with Fijian flyer Maika Sivo scoring four tries. But for the Cowboys, after another fruitless trip to Sydney, it’s back to the drawing board.

Wingers, they say, are the blokes who hang around footballers.

But someone forget to tell Maika Sivo. Same deal Clint Gutherson.

Together, a pair of wingers unwanted by Penrith and the Manly Sea Eagles who – incredibly, and respectively — have risen up to become the genuine superstars of a Parramatta side sitting atop the NRL table.

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Make Sivo was unstoppable, ending the game with four tries to his name.

* Raiders 22 Dragons 16: Read the full report

Truly, who could’ve picked it?

On a night where Eels No.7 Mitchell Moses watched on from the sidelines, this most wonderful of NRL double acts left the North Queenslanders looking like those Cowboys at the Alamo.

While Sivo scored a whopping four tries on the Eels left flank – two from Gutherson long balls — his skipper also ran for over 200m, busted six tackles and booted seven goals – including several bangers from the sideline.

And all while celebrating his 100th NRL game.

Which must give a fella some time to reflect on how far he’s come, right?

“Oh, I was hated when I first came here,” Gutherson laughed afterwards.

“I was on the wing and playing pretty bad footy.

“It took me a while to warm into it.”

So what is it about this club then, and coach Brad Arthur, that has helped get the best from so many discards like yourself, Sivo, Waqa Blake, Nathan Brown, Shaun Lane, even new makeshift No.7 Jai Field?

“Brad gave us a chance,” Gutherson said. “He and the coaching staff, they just back us.

“And that’s the type of footy we can play when they do.

“Brad deserves what we’re going through at the moment.”

Clinton Gutherson was involved in everything for the Eels, while also kicking eight goals.

REJECT KINGS

Of all the resurrected rejects at Parramatta, none are firing quite like the bloke they call King.

Initially making his NRL debut with the Sea Eagles way back in 2013, this youngest of NRL captains has survived ACL injuries, long stretches in reggies, even that Parramatta debut somewhere between bad and boo-him-off-the-field.

Asked if there were times he feared this milestone would never come, King laughed: “A lot of times.

“At one stage, I played four or five games over four years.

“So 100 hundred games feels like 300 for me.

“I’m just lucky to have a good bunch of mates.

“Good family.”

And as for how he planned to celebrate?

“I’m going for a few beers,” he grinned. “Actually I’ll probably have a thousand schooners”.

Maika Sivo was inspired in the big win.

FIELD OF DREAMS

Elsewhere, this match also proved a solid showing for two fields – both Bankwest Stadium and the makeshift Parramatta No.7.

Only a week after coming under fire for its surface – which coincided with several key injuries, including a calf strain for Moses — the western Sydney venue held up nicely after a $500,000 turf overhaul.

Same deal, Jai Field.

The livewire St George-Illawarra discard who, after joining the Eels over summer on a train-and-trial contract, substituted perfectly into that backline with no shortage of players other clubs let go.

Field, too, scored a try in the type of performance that proves – apart from his fast feet – this 22-year-old also boasts perseverance in bucketloads.

Jai Field was threatening all night for the Eels with his running game. Picture: Getty Images.

HONOURABLE MENTION

Parramatta had too many heroes to mention here.

Still, a quick shout to discarded Panthers prop Reagan-Campbell Gillard, who ran for 191m, and Junior Paulo, who churned through 180m.

Without Moses, Dylan Bown was also strong while another Panthers discard, Waqa Blake, also scored.

A mention too for those Eels fans who, despite numbering just 6730, still got that famed ‘Siiiiivo’ chant booming around the ground.

But as for the Eels No.1 wanting a Gutho chant too?

“When I was goalkicking there were actually two people screaming it out,” he said, grinning.

“That made me smile.”

Eels 42 (Tries: Jennings, Sivo 4, Blake, Field, Goals: Gutherson 7/8) beat Cowboys 4 (Try: Opacic) at Bankwest Stadium.

RAIDERS FAIL TO ALLEVIATE STUART FRUSTRATION

—Nick Campton

Canberra may have gotten away with a win over the Dragons but it will do little to alleviate Ricky Stuart’s frustration with his misfiring Raiders.

After five straight weeks on the road, the Raiders returned to the frozen tundra of GIO Stadium with a scratchy 22-16 win over St George Illawarra.

But even snapping a two-match losing streak will not satisfy Stuart, as Canberra made hard work of the lowly Dragons - they ran out a 22-0 lead before surviving a late, three-try comeback.

They got away with it this time but with matches against the Storm, Roosters and Rabbitohs coming up they must blow out the cobwebs sooner rather than later.

Canberra let the Dragons back into the game in the second half. Picture: Getty Images.

RAIDERS RIGHT THE SHIP

After a frustrating loss to Manly and a heartbreaking golden point defeat against Parramatta, the Raiders needed a win to right the ship, and they wouldn’t have cared how it came.

For a while a cricket score looked in the offing when Canberra lead 18-0 at halftime and extended it further following a try to Jarrod Croker following the break.

But a late Dragons fightback, and some lapses in concentration, turned what should have been a cakewalk into a contest.

Two tries to Matt Dufty and one to Zac Lomax forced the Raiders to survive a frantic final set to secure the win as they failed to turn the screws on the ailing opposition.

DRAGONS LET ONE SLIP

After two wins in three weeks, and their sole defeat coming in a very credible showing against the Roosters, the Dragons would have fancied their chances of springing an upset.

Were it not for some ordinary lapses in defence - particularly right on halftime, when they allowed Raiders halfback George Williams to stroll through a gaping hole close to the line to score - the Red V might have stolen this one.

There is undoubtedly talent at the Dragons, but working together as a team, bringing their disparate parts into a cohesive unit for a singular purpose, seems to escape them.

Lomax continued his recent good form and has rapidly become one of the joint venture’s best attacking weapons.

The Dragons scared the Raiders late but couldn’t recover from the first half deficit.

THIS IS WHY THEY WANT COTRIC

The Raiders are keen to keep burly winger Nick Cotric while Canterbury are just as keen to lure him to Sydney, and based on this performance it was easy to see why.

Cotric opened the scoring with a bulldozing effort down the left side and was one his side’s best, making two line breaks and busting seven tackles to go along with his four pointer.

On a frustrating evening for the Green Machine, Cotric’s form was a shining light, as were the efforts of skilful backrower Elliott Whitehead on the left edge

RAIDERS LOSE GRUNT

Canberra finished down two men as ough prop Sia Soliola was forced from the field in the 18th minute and went to hospital for scans on a suspected facial fracture and Emre Guler was carried off late with an ankle injury.

With Corey Horsburgh and John Bateman already sidelined it’s the last thing the Raiders needed as they prepare to host the Storm next week before the grand final rematch against the Roosters in Round 10.

Given Canberra’s recent record against Melbourne they’ll still be confident of success, but they’re running thin in the middle and will need plenty from the likes of Ryan Sutton, Hudson Young and Joseph Tapine.

Raiders 22 (Tries: Cotric, Simonsson, Williams, Croker, Goals: Croker 3) beat Dragons 16 (Tries: M Dufty 2, Lomax, Goals: Lomax 2) at GIO Stadium.

Originally published as NRL 2020: Parramatta Eels beat North Queensland Cowboys 42-4