On Thursday night, the Parramatta Eels defeated the Penrith Panthers 17-16 in a thrilling rugby league match, which saw the game go into golden point. The Eels appeared to have secured victory with a 16-14 lead in the dying seconds of the game, but a penalty awarded to the Panthers after a Junior Paulo tackle resulted in Nathan Cleary converting a stunning two-point field goal from beyond 40 metres to tie the game.
The game was ultimately decided by another sin-binning, this time of Penrith hooker Mitch Kenny in golden point, which gave the Eels the opportunity they needed to secure the win. Mitchell Moses stepped up to kick the winning field goal in front of the posts, securing the Eels’ first win of the year.
Earlier in the game, a try from Brendan Hands in his NRL debut gave the Eels an eight-point advantage, which was extended by a Moses penalty. However, a late converted try to Zac Hosking and Cleary’s two-point field goal sent the game into extra time.
Despite the close win, the Eels can take pride in their impressive 95 percent completion rate, finishing 41 of their 43 sets at CommBank Stadium. The victory also marked a significant milestone for the Eels, as they got one back on the side that defeated them in the 2022 Grand Final almost six months ago, and handed Panthers coach Ivan Cleary his 400th game as an NRL coach in defeat.
The game saw a fast start to the second half, with both teams trading blows before Hands got over and Moses kicked a penalty to restore the Eels’ eight-point lead. The Panthers fought back to force golden point, but were ultimately defeated by Moses’ clutch field goal.
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