Eels go wild as Broncos stumble

Embed from Getty Images

Brisbane Broncos v Parramatta Eels

86 points in 80 minutes provided plenty of entertainment on Thursday night at Suncorp Stadium but it was visitors Parramatta who came away with the lions share, downing rivals Brisbane 52-34 to open Round 25 of the NRL.

Destined for their first finals series appearance since the fateful 2009 Grand Final, the Eels took hold early and demolished the Broncos in a first half that saw as many points scored as minutes elapsed.

It was try time after less than 20 seconds of the game, Brisbane's Adam Blair attempting to offload in the opening tackle which handed Kirisome Auva'a the pill and inside a minute the score was already 6-0.

With the fastest try in the NRL's 20-season history done and dusted, the Eels went up another gear, cruising to a 24-nil lead after 20 minutes. Semi Radradra grabbed the Eels' next treble of tries for a blistering first half hat-trick and while the Broncos managed to slowly claw their way back with two tries before halftime, Parramatta grabbed a fifth through Michael Jennings to deliver a 30-10 scoreboard at the break.

The Eels didn't cut any corners in the second half when Radradra added a fourth try to his impressive swag (and 17th of the 2017 season), and went on with the job.

The only concern for Brad Arthur's men was some leaky defence in the final 20 minutes which saw the Broncos able to add some respectability to a bizarre scoreline, the majority of the 29,058 fans who attended being able to enjoy a late show from a well-beaten side who still had plenty of points in them.

Brisbane have plenty to work on ahead of their final round trip to Townsville where they'll be hosted by the Cowboys on Thursday night, while Parramatta head home happily and will rate their chances against the Rabbitohs at ANZ Stadium next Friday.