Roosters inflict first NRL season defeat on Eels

In a quality affair matching its blockbuster billing, the Sydney Roosters gave Parramatta their season’s first loss.

Maika Sivo of the Eels busts through a tackle by James Tedesco, left, and Brett Morris of the Roosters to score a try during the round-6 NRL match. Picture: Dan Himbrechts/AAP

An in-form Sydney Roosters have overcome a James Tedesco concussion scare to hand Parramatta their first defeat of the NRL season.

In a high-quality affair which matched its blockbuster billing, the Roosters fell behind midway through Saturday night’s second half before storming home for the 24-10 win.

However, there were serious concerns for Tedesco, who lay prone for several minutes after his attempted tackle on a breakaway Maika Sivo.

The back of Tedesco’s head hit the Bankwest Stadium turf and he was treated by Roosters medical officials.

A medicab drove out before the reigning Dally M medallist slowly rose to his feet and walked off the field.

Sivo used Tedesco as a speed bump on his way to scoring the 59th-minute try, which gave Parramatta their first lead of the match.

Maika Sivo charges through James Tedesco to score a try. Picture: Dan Himbrechts/AAP

Tedesco shares a joke with Sivo of the Eels at full time. Picture: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

The incident kickstarted an enthralling finish between the title heavyweights, with Roosters captain Boyd Cordner reclaiming the lead soon after.

The mayhem continued when Eels firebrand Nathan Brown caught opposite Victor Radley high, resulting in a melee and a Kyle Flanagan penalty goal.

It was one of four Flanagan penalty goals for the night, the last of which came after Michael Jennings was sin-binned for deliberately being offside. Roosters winger Daniel Tupou sealed victory late in the contest, extending their winning streak to four since the coronavirus lockdown.

Parramatta did well to concede just one try during an early Roosters blitz, with Brett Morris tip-toeing down the sideline in the 20th minute for the opening points.

It was the only try of a high-octane first half which featured plenty of desperate try-savers from both sides, including one by Brown on a flying Tedesco.

The only other points came from the boot of Flanagan, who potted over two penalty goals due to Eels indiscretions.

Parramatta coach Brad Arthur also might have put the boot into his charges during the break, with the Eels bursting out of the blocks in the second half.

Six-straight sets after the resumption resulted in their first try to Jennings, who shrugged off Joseph Manu to claim the 150th four-pointer of his career.

Jennings electrified the crowd of 579 when he outfoxed Manu a second time to send Sivo away, only for the Roosters to flex their premiership muscle.

AAP