The Serve

Parramatta end Dogs season

The Parramatta Eels have beaten the Bulldogs 25-6 in front of 50,621 at Telstra Stadium in the latest chapter of their long standing rivalry.

While the Eels scored two of their four tries in the final six minutes, they were dominant throughout.

The Bulldogs weathered an early storm, with Sonny Bill Williams setting up a try eventually scored by Matt Utai in the sixth minute.

However the run of play continued to favour Parramatta, who finally capitalized when Mark Riddell grubbered near the Bulldogs line. The ball ricocheted off Willie Tonga, with Riddell re-gathering to score in the 20th minute.

Williams exited the game midway through the first half with an injury to his right arm. He returned to the bench after half time, re-entering the game in the dying stages, however by the time he returned, the damage had been done.

“Stuffed up our bench rotation. (It) made it difficult,” said Mark O’Meley, who will now exit the Bulldogs to begin his new career at the Roosters.

The crucial blow came six minutes from the half time break, with Eric Grothe scoring off a series of offloads.

Parramatta extended their lead when Brett Finch landed an opportunistic field goal from 30m after re-gathering a mistimed pass. There was a question mark on his handling before the kick was landed.

The Bulldogs enjoyed reasonable periods but rarely threatened Parramatta’s defence, with their final tackle options particularly poor.

The match was iced in the 74th minute, when a loose Canterbury pass resulted in Timana Tahu scooping up the ball and racing the length of the field.

A final statement was made in the dying seconds, when another quick exchange of passes saw Jarryd Hayne score in the corner.

“Our execution has to be a bit better. First half we turned over a bit of footy,” said Brett Finch on Channel Nine.
Riddell was especially impressive, terrorizing the Bulldogs marker defence.

“The pleasing part for us is that they didn’t score after (the sixth minute),” Riddell said.

Parramatta will play Melbourne at Telstra Dome next Sunday.