Sandow Inspires Eels Win

The Parramatta Eels have come away winners from Suncorp Stadium tonight, defeating the Brisbane Broncos 25-18 in front of 32,009 fans.

The Broncos had a dream start to the game, spending a lot of time in the Parramatta half, and having countless attacking sets at the Eels' line. They were unable to take advantage however, as the Eels defence contirually held them out.

Parramatta scored first points in the 24th minute, as William Hopoate swooped on a loose ball after a Sandow break. This set the scene for much of the first half, as the Eels continued to take full advantage of their half-chances.

The Eels scored again in the 37th minute, after Semi Radradra sprinted down the left sideline, and backed himself to out muscle Ben Barba to the tryline. Sandow this time converted the try from the sideline, and the Broncos trailed by 10.

The Eels really should have led 10-0 at the break, but Dale Copley scored just before half time thanks to some lazy defence from the Eels, and some brilliance from Justin Hodges. Hodges, in his first game back, stood and fought off three defenders before flicking to his support man out to the right.

The Broncos went into half time buoyed by this late try. The Eels would have been disappointed at the late drop in concentration, but would have also been pleased with their general urgency in defence in the first half.

Brisbane then scored in the 51st minute thanks to some individual brilliance from Ben Hunt. Thaiday ran a lovely line, and Hunt dummied to him before slicing through the defence and scoring under the posts. Parker added the extras, and the Broncos took the lead for the first time in the match.

Ten minutes later Jarryd Hayne scored after an Eels scrum. Hayne exploited a slow slide in the Broncos defence, and parted the defenders to cross. Sandow again kicked the goal.

The lead sea-sawed again, after tries to both Josh McGuire and Nathan Peats. Sandow converted Peats' try, and took the Parramatta Eels to 4 in front, before a penalty against Justin Hodges gifted the Eels another two points.

We looked to be all set up for an amazing finish, with a 6 point difference between the two teams. But Chris Sandow was taking no chances in golden point, instead snapping a 40 metre field goal in the 7th minute to seal his team the win.

The Broncos will travel to Robina Stadium to take on the Gold Coast Titans on Friday night, while the Eels will host the Sydney Roosters on Saturday.

BRISBANE BRONCOS (18)
Tries: Dale Copley, Ben Hunt, Josh McGuire
Field Goals:
Conversions: Corey Parker (3/3)
Penalty Goals:

PARRAMATTA EELS (25)
Tries: William Hopoate, Semi Radradra, Jarryd Hayne, Nathan Peats
Field Goals: Chris Sandow (1/1)
Conversions: Chris Sandow (3/4)
Penalty Goals: Chris Sandow (1/1)

LATE MAIL: Justin Hodges' return to the Broncos pack will be delayed as he shifts to the interchange bench. Lachlan Maranta starts on the wing, Dale Copley pushes into the centre position. Corey Oates and Jarrod Wallace drop off the bench.

LATE MAIL: Fuifui Moimoi has been ruled out for the Parramatta Eels this evening. Peni Terepo comes into the starting side off the bench for the Eels. Junior Paulo fills the empty interchange spot in jersey 18.

Not long until kickoff now at Suncorp Stadium.

Jarryd Hayne leads his team out onto the park, to a... moderate cheer from the crowd. And now here comes the Broncos to a massive cheer.

And we are underway - the Eels kick off, and the Broncos bring it away from their own line.

1: Corey Parker gets an offload away on the fourth, and the Broncos steal an extra 20 metres. The Broncos kick high, but Semi Radradra maintains his ground and takes the ball.

2: Sandow puts a little kick in, and chases his own kick through. The Broncos clean it up.

2: Broncos on attack now in centre field. Thaiday passes back inside to Hunt, who then passes to the left side of the field. The last pass looked forward, but the ref stays silent.

3: The Broncos kick high to Radradra again, but this time the Broncos knock the ball back. The ball goes to ground, but Radradra is ruled to have knocked the ball on. The Broncos get the first real chance to score points, with a scrum feed from 10 metres out.

4: The Eels are off the hook - Jack Reed went to change his angle, but lost control of the ball.

4: The Broncos are penalised now, and the Eels get a piggy back out of their end. Hayne wants a quick tap, but the penalty was for offside, so he's unable to.

5: Peats almost slices through, but McCullough drags him down just short of the line. In the next play Hayne steps three times, and almost scores, but is tackled... just.

6: And now the Eels kick right on the last, but can't capitalise. The Broncos get the changeover.

6: Hunt drives the ball into the in-goal, but it's slightly too deep.

8: Sandow throws the ball to Mannah, who makes a half break - Hayne was there but Mannah held the ball. Now Sandow runs through the line, but is dragged down. On the last, Sandow kicks back infield, and Barba jumps to take the kick. Hayne grabs him in mid-air, barely, but it's enough to draw the penalty.

8: Broncos kick down field and will take the tap from 40 metres out from their own line.

9: Radradra throws a loose offload now, Sandow cleans it up and makes some ground, but the whole play was pure risk only a few metres from their own line.

10: Corey Parker looks a bit dusty after a collision in the tackle.

10: The Broncos will feed a scrum on their own ten metre line.

12: The Broncos kick downfield looking for a 40/20. Hayne stops it, knocks it back in field, and then is forced to take it again before it dribbles dead. He catches it, and runs out of his in goal, barely scrambling into the field of play. Brilliant work.

12: Sandow kicks for the sideline now, desperate to give his men some breathing room.

13: And now we have a scrum penalty. Broncos get the ball in the Eels half.

14: Gillett drops the ball only ten metres out from the Eels line. The Broncos are then penalised, and the Eels will take a tap from their own 30.

15: Norman passes flat for Terepo, who is almost away, but Thaiday drags him down in a great tackle.

15: On the last, Norman puts a sky high bomb up, but Barba just takes it easily.

16: Still no score here - the play has been back and forth, with some bruising defence from both sides.

17: Hoffman almost breaks the line, but loses the ball in the tackle. It's a double knock on, so Parramatta will get the loose head and feed.

19: Reed almost makes a break now, but Mannah had him by one ankle and dragged him down.

20: On the last, Hunt kicks across field, but it's not a great kick. The Broncos bat it back, and it looks like there's an opportunity on the left. Barba puts a grubber in but it's too deep.

21: Broncos have had a mountain of possession in the Eels half in the last few minutes.

21: McCullough goes himself from only a few metres out, but he loses the ball in the field of play.

24: TRY PARRAMATTA EELS
Scored by William Hopoate. Kick to come.
Some quick hands from the Eels sees the ball find Sandow in open space. He sprints 30 metres before sending the ball right to his winger. Vidot stuck an arm out and managed to knock the ball down, but Hopoate picked it up and darted over to score. Kick to come from out to the right.

24: UNSUCCESSFUL CONVERSION PARRAMATTA EELS
Conversion attempt by Chris Sandow unsuccessful.
Sandow can't convert from out wide.

26: The Eels kick deep through Corey Norman. Dale Copley watched the ball in the in-goal - it bounced on its point and almost stayed in, but dribbled dead.

27: Now the Broncos get a penalty. Hodges is on the field.

27: Hodges' first touch sees him almost break the line and score. Now the eels are penalised for not being square at marker.

28: Changeover ten metres out from the Eels line.

34: Jack Reed is down injured at the moment. There was a head clash with Michell Allgood, and Reed has come off worse for wear, with a bit of a split on his chin.

35: The Broncos work the ball out of their own danger zone. Peats picks up and hammers Hannant in a big tackle.

36: The Broncos kick high, and Hayne takes the high ball easily, with no pressure from the Brisbane chasers.

37: We're going to the video referee here. Amazing try if it's awarded! Some fancy passing down the left side, and Radradra sprinted down the sideline, away from his support. He carried Ben Barba for about ten metres, and then broke the tackle to slam the ball down

38: TRY PARRAMATTA EELS
Scored by Semi Radradra. Kick to come.
And it's a TRY! Brilliant work from Radradra.

38: SUCCESSFUL CONVERSION PARRAMATTA EELS
Conversion attempt by Chris Sandow successful.
And this time Sandow kicks the goal!

38: Only a couple of minutes left in the half. Pauli is on the field for the Eels.

38: Broncos will have one last shot at the Eels. They play the ball ten metres from the Eels line.

38: TRY BRISBANE BRONCOS
Scored by Dale Copley. Kick to come.
Hodges pushes away Radradra twice, before drawing another three defenders and passing to Dale Copley, who scores in the corner.

40: SUCCESSFUL CONVERSION BRISBANE BRONCOS
Conversion attempt by Corey Parker successful.
Parker lines the kick up from the sideline, and adds the extras to make the game 4 points the difference

40: HALF TIME: The Broncos will go into half time buoyed by the fact that they scored late points in the half. The Eels will take heart in the fact that their defence was impenetrable for most of the half, and that they scored two plays from practically only two opportunities. Hodges will have gained confidence from his try assist, while Radradra showed why he is one of the hottest names in Rugby League today.

40: Parker kicks off, and the ball bounces off the upright and back to Hannant!

41: The set is incomplete though, as it finishes with a triple knock on. The Eels work the ball away from their own end after the scrum field.

42: Pauli Pauli runs over the top of three defenders, and makes a line break before being dragged down by his jumper.

43: The Eels kick along the ground on the last, but it's not quite deep enough. No pressure on the Broncos to tidy that one up.

43: Sandow makes two big tackles in a row - the first one on Hannant, chopping him down around the legs. The second one forces the ball free, and his team gets the scrum feed.

45: Sandow now kicks for the sideline on the last, 20 metres out from the Broncos line. Looked to be a strange decision to me - perhaps it was under instruction from the coach?

45: Hodges runs from dummy half and picks up a quick fire 15 metres.

46: Sandow catches the marker offside now - Hannant is out of position at marker, and earns his team a penalty.

47: The Eels really using the short ball well here - they have runners on the move, aiming at spaces, and the defenders are being forced to make decisions in split seconds.

48: On the last the Eels kick high aiming just for the tryline. Hayne leaps, but Jack Reed drops him to the ground quickly and wraps the ball up.

50: Brisbane trap the Eels down at their own end, and the Eels are only able to gain 25 metres in their 5 tackles. Sandow kicks deep, but it goes straight to Barba. Barba is then picked up and driven back almost 20 metres.

51: TRY BRISBANE BRONCOS
Scored by Ben Hunt. Kick to come.
Hunt slices the defence apart - Thaiday runs a decoy, and Hunt dummies to him and then runs the ball himself - sprinting to the line to score under the posts.

53: SUCCESSFUL CONVERSION BRISBANE BRONCOS
Conversion attempt by Corey Parker successful.
Parker adds the extras from straight in front, and the Broncos take the lead.

54: Brisbane have some intensity in their defence at the moment - great line speed and rushing up to belt the bloke with the ball. On the last tackle, the Eels have only made 15 metres. To add insult to injury, Sandow puts the ball out on the full.

57: Penalty to Brisbane, they take the quick tap and run to within the 20.

58: McCullough throws a dummy, and almost scores himself, but is dragged back into the field of play. McCullough gets injured in the process, but he's ok.

59: The Broncos flick the ball out to the left now, but the Eels manage to dive on the ball. The Eels' goal line defence has been brilliant.

62: We're going to the video referee - Brisbane slid across in defence but not far enough, and Hayne runs across to score. We're just checking on a possible obstruction.

62: TRY PARRAMATTA EELS
Scored by Jarryd Hayne. Kick to come.
And it's a try. The video referee rules that there was no obstruction, and the Eels are back in front.

62: SUCCESSFUL CONVERSION PARRAMATTA EELS
Conversion attempt by Chris Sandow successful.
Sandow kicks from five in from the right touch line. It's a wobbly kick, but it gets there!

63: Some nice play by the Erels. The last pass to Willie Tonga is ruled forward, but it could have gone either way.

64: Hodges palms the ball on to Copley, but the defence comes across just in time.

65: On the last the Broncos kick high. Ken Sio juggles the ball at least three times, before it lands in Josh McGuire's hands. He sprints for the tryline and dives over next to the post. We're just checking with the video referee.

65: Long deliberation here from the video referee...

65: TRY BRISBANE BRONCOS
Scored by Josh McGuire. Kick to come.
And eventually the try is given! McGuire is off the nudey run, and everyone in the Broncos team breathes a sign of relief.

65: SUCCESSFUL CONVERSION BRISBANE BRONCOS
Conversion attempt by Corey Parker successful.
Parker converts from under the posts.

66: Another possible try to the Broncos, but the video referee rules a no try.

68: TRY PARRAMATTA EELS
Scored by Nathan Peats. Kick to come.
Parramatta have taken the lead again, 20-18. Peats burrows over the top of Benny Barba, slams the ball down and claims the try.

68: SUCCESSFUL CONVERSION PARRAMATTA EELS
Conversion attempt by Chris Sandow successful.
Sandow kicks the conversion, and extends the lead to 4.

70: Good set of six from the Eels - they've made sixty metres from their 5 tackles.

71: Justin Hodges runs Jarryd Hayne off the ball as he chases the kick through. Penalty to the eels from 15 metres out.

72: SUCCESSFUL PENALTY GOAL PARRAMATTA EELS
Penalty goal attempt by Chris Sandow successful.
Sandow kicks the penalty goal, and the Eels now lead by six. 7 minutes remaining.

73: The Eels working hard to get out of their own danger zone. They lead by 6, but they will be trying to avoid golden point.

74: SUCCESSFUL FIELD GOAL PARRAMATTA EELS
Field goal attempt by Chris Sandow successful.
Sandow, the guy who can't kick a 30 metre clearing kick, has just planted a field goal from 39 metres out. The Eels now lead by seven!

75: Less than five minutes remaining. The Broncos are looking all at sea at the moment. Hodges straightens up, before the broncos send the ball to the left of the field looking for a line break. They then kick back in field, but Hayne cleans up.

76: The Eels look to run down the clock - they kick to the sideline, and it rolls over inside the in goal area.

77: Hodges desperately trying to spark something here. He's run out to the left side of the field and got his hand on the ball twice in the past set - looking to create something.

78: Junior Paulo loses the ball forward, and it's picked up by Matt Gillett, who scoots 10 metres.

79: Only 30 seconds left in the match. The Broncos still trying to score, but at this point there's a lot of passes for no result.

79: We have a high tackle here on Hodges. The referee plays advantage, but there are only three seconds left in the game. Hodges tries to throw a long pass out to the left, but the ref blows full time.

80: FULL TIME - The Eels have come away from Suncorp Stadium with the win tonight. It was a see-sawing game, with the lead changing a number of times in the second half, but in the end Chris Sandow was the difference between the two sides. Not usually renowned for his defence, Sandow put in a couple of big tackles at crucial times, and also led his team around the park in attack.