Parramatta produced his most convincing performance of the NRL season in a 30-4 win over the under-seeded Canterbury, whose injury worries mounted at CommBank Stadium.
In the 12th minute of Sunday’s game, winger Jacob Kiraz injured his inner cruciate ligament in a duel with a twisted leg in his right knee and is temporarily on the sidelines.
The winger is enjoying a breakout season and topped the Dally M Medal rankings after three rounds. He will spell a significant defeat for a Bulldogs side already missing their other first-choice winger, Josh Addo-Carr.
Kiraz’s move forced the Bulldogs to reorganize their backline.
Jayden Okunbor switched from left wing to right wing, rookie center Paul Alamoti replaced Okunbor on left and bench forward Jackson Topine came on at left center.
Minutes after Kiraz went down, center Jake Averillo injured his kneecap in a tackle from Eels winger Maika Sivo but continued to limp with apparent discomfort.
The Bulldogs pressed on, but soon the Eels began to take advantage of the provisional edges, scoring three tries down the flanks in six minutes to open a 16-0 lead at half-time.
Parramatta was never so clinical again, but the buffer proved crucial.
The Eels’ leader, Junior Paulo, made a solid return from his suspension but it was his front row partner Reagan Campbell-Gillard who caused Canterbury the most trouble.
The exhausted Bulldogs began dreaming of a comeback in the second half when Matt Burton sent a cultivator kick across the floor for Alamoti, who scored his first NRL try.
But Campbell-Gillard closed the door on the Bulldogs as he stormed through three defenders to try under the post. He finished with a game-high 198 meters.
Maika Sivo iced the win with his second try in the final minutes, ensuring he will finish the seventh round with nine tries for the season, putting him atop the try-scoring chart.
Eels coach Brad Arthur urged Dylan Brown to improve this week and the five-eighter heeded the call with two forced first-half misses.
The story goes on
Canterbury recruit Reed Mahoney had a disappointing first game against his old club. He dropped the ball from the dummy half ahead of a possible Matt Burton try and conceded a penalty for a late goal against Mitch Moses.
The win is a much-needed shot in the arm for last season’s runners-up, who had developed a habit of losing close games en route to starting the season 4-2.
Canterbury, meanwhile, have lost their last two games by 60 points overall and things aren’t getting any easier as they take on Cronulla next week.
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