An attacking masterclass has seen the Parramatta Eels confirm a place in the finals with a 53-6 victory over the Brisbane Broncos on Thursday evening.
Piling on nine tries in a contest that defied the standing of two top eight teams a fortnight out from the finals, the Eels cracked the half century barrier for the first time since obliterating the Broncos 58-0 in the 2019 elimination final.
The result puts the Broncos finals hopes in serious doubt with the side also facing an injury toll with Adam Reynolds, Thomas Flegler, Kobe Hetherington and Brenko Lee all failing to complete the match.
In a competitive opening which saw both teams unsuccessfully challenge decisions inside the opening seven minutes, the Eels weathered early pressure on their own line to post first points through Maika Sivo (10th minute) following a left side raid.
Losing Reynolds, playing his 250th NRL game, to a HIA minutes later, the Broncos night went from bad to worse with Tom Opacic (16th minute) and Clinton Gutherson (19th minute) blowing the score out to 18-0 in near equal time.
Posting a fourth try through Mitchell Moses (27th minute) midway through the half, the Broncos temporarily stemmed the flow of points by capitalising on an error from the kick-off with Lee (30th minute) touching down off a scrum play.
Capping a golden first half with Shaun Lane running a strong line to send Gutherson (36th minute) over for his second, Moses slotted a disrespectful field goal to send the visitors to the sheds up 31-6.
Restoring a degree of respectability after halftime with an improved defensive effort, the Broncos showed remarkable grit on their line during a six-minute period before Isaiah Papali'i (66th minute) crashed over to restore the avalanche of points.
Taking the score past 40 with Will Penisini (68th minute) pouncing on a kick, Opacic (77th minute) did likewise to collect his second before a blockbusting run from Waqa Blake (80th minute) rounded out the 53-6 demolition.
Next week, the Broncos will face the Dragons at Kogarah on Saturday evening, while the Eels will host the Storm next Thursday at CommBank Stadium in a contest that could determine a place in the top four.