Parramatta miracle worker Mitchell Moses comes up with a stunning 45-metre kick in thrill-a-minute match with NINE tries in the first half as Eels scrape home 32-28
- Mitchell Moses produced incredible kick to set up Parramatta’s second try
- Eels winger Sean Russell scored courtesy of the punt – and has a hat-trick
- Russell rushed to hospital with suspected broken ribs after hit later in game
- Titans refused to go away, repeatedly coming back to make it 26-22 at halftime
Parramatta halfback Mitchell Moses has come up with one of the best kicks of his career to set up the Eels’ second try as they jumped out to an early lead over the Gold Coast.
The match was eight minutes old when the No.7 roosted the ball from just inside his own half and hit the left goalpost on the full in an incredible display of accuracy and distance under pressure.
Five-eighth Dylan Brown got his foot to the ball as it ricocheted back into the field of play, toeing it into the in-goal for winger Sean Russell to fall on, propelling Parramatta to a 10-0 lead.
Mitchell Moses (pictured) came up with one of the best kicks of his impressive career, hitting the goalpost on the full from about 45 metres out to set up Sean Russell’s try
Waqa Blake (arms raised) celebrates after Sean Russell (left) scored one of his hat-trick of tries. Russell was on the receiving end of Moses’ monster punt
Russell was rushed to hospital with suspected broken ribs after he was hit while scoring his third try of the first half
The Titans’ didn’t stay scoreless for long, with second-year half Toby Sexton throwing a brilliant cut-out ball in just his sixth NRL game to put winger Phillip Sami over the stripe, before converting from the sideline to make it 10-6.
Shaun Lane hit back for the home side, barging over off a classy pass from Moses to make it 14-6, before Brian Kelly strode through some disorganised Eels defence to make it 14-12.
Fans couldn’t turn their heads for fear of missing a big play in the see-sawing contest, with Waqa Blake smashing through three defenders in the 29th minute to put the Eels up 18-12, quickly followed by Russell notching his hat-trick as he slid over inches from the corner post in the 33rd minute.
Gold Coast skipper Tino Fa’asuamaleaui is hit by Eels Reagan Campbell-Gillard and Reed Mahoney (in headgear). The Titans showed great strike power and resilience in the first half, repeatedly coming back at the home side to trail by 26-22 at halftime
But the winger copped a nasty knock in the process and looked to be in a lot of pain before being taken to hospital in an ambulance with suspected broken ribs.
However, replays appeared to show the touch judge who was standing less than a metre away calling a forward pass just before Russell touched down, but the referee didn’t act on it.
Replays appeared to show the touch judge yelling ‘forward!’ before Russell’s last try – but the referee didn’t act on it and the score stood
Erin Clark struck back for the Titans two minutes later, before Brian Kelly crossed for his second in the 37th minute, sending the Nine commentary team into raptures as the teams went to the dressing rooms with Parra leading 26-22.
The Gold Coast wasted no time in the second half, jumping to their first lead of the game when Sami went over for his second four-pointer by out-leaping a pair of Eels to gather a towering bomb in the 42nd minute.
The action remained red-hot for the rest of the match but the scoring slowed to a crawl, with Parramatta kicking two penalties to scrape home 32-28.
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