Eels prevail against the odds

v BYE

Corey Norman produced a Man of the Match performance as the Parramatta Eels puled off a remarkable 22-18 win over the Sydney Roosters in front of 8,464 fans at Pirtek Stadium.

Trailing by 12 early in the second half, the Eels defied adversity to pull off a remarkable performance that keeps them in touch of securing an unlikely place in the finals.

On yet another turbulent day for the Eels, try-scoring sensation Semi Radradra suffered a suspected medial ligament injury in the opening minutes after heavy contact from Roosters enforcer Jared Waerea-Hargreaves.

With the Eels on the back foot, the Roosters capitalised through teenage sensation Latrell Mitchell, who supported a great run from Shaun Kenny-Dowall to touch down in the eighth minute.

Things appeared to go from bad to worse for Parramatta shortly after, with hooker Isaac De Gois ruled out of the match after suffering a head knock courtesy of Dylan Napa.

In spite of their adverse circumstances, the Eels persisted and were rewarded in the 21st minute after Corey Norman produced a well-timed grubber for Michael Gordon touched to down.

With scores tied at 6-all, both sides exchanged scoring opportunities but neither were able to capitalise, leaving the pair locked at the change of ends.

Shortly after the resumption of play the Roosters lifted their intensity to produce two tries in quick succession, with Boyd Cordner (47th minute) and Latrell Mitchell (50th minute) touching down to give the visitors an 18-6 lead.

Minutes later the Roosters looked to extend their lead, but an intercept from Bevan French almost saw the Eels hit back, only for Roosters rookie Joey Manu to produce a brilliant chase to prevent the Eels flyer.

Having weathered the Roosters, Parramatta began their resurgence as Manu Ma'u, celebrating 50 NRL games, crossed for a double to tie the scores at 18-all heading into the finals ten minutes.

Corey Norman produced the match winning play with five minutes to play, placing a well-timed grubber in for Clinton Gutherson to touch down, giving the Eels the lead for the first time.

Despite a late scare which almost saw Joey Manu steal the game, the Eels proved too good, coming away with a memorable 22-18 win.

The win looks to have come at a cost for the Eels, with Semi Radradra set to spend a stint on the sidelines, while Isaac De Gois may be in doubt for next week.

Next week the Eels face Western Sydney rivals Penrith on Sunday afternoon, while the Roosters host competition leaders Cronulla on Monday night.