Parramatta DUMP Melbourne out of the top four as Eels shutdown rivals

Parramatta have given themselves a big shot at ending the NRL’s longest premiership drought after beating Melbourne 22-14 to claim the last spot in the top four.

In a high-stakes, winner-takes-all battle for fourth spot, the Eels pulled out 65 minutes of finals-like defence before conceding three late tries on Thursday night.

It was enough to wrap up the coveted top-four finish, leapfrogging Melbourne who finish fifth, their lowest finish since 2014.

Parramatta’s win sets up a qualifying final against minor premiers Penrith at BlueBet Stadium next weekend, with the victor to advance straight to a preliminary final.

Penrith will still enter as favourites as the defending premiers and regarded as the competition’s best team, but have twice fallen to the Eels already this season.

Without a premiership since 1986, Parramatta have regularly stumbled in September in recent years with a 2-6 record in the finals in the past decade.

But after their end to the 2022 regular season, the 23,578 long-suffering Eels fans at CommBank Stadium finally had reason to believe.

Brad Arthur’s men look a different team to the one that has fallen in the second week of the finals in five of the past six years.

They defended stoically, three times forcing the Storm over the sideline as they peppered the tryline and only conceding points late.

Halfback Mitch Moses even pulled off one of the hits of the night on Kenny Bromwich, leaving the second-rower concussed and forcing an error as the Storm went on the attack in the second half.

Junior Paulo (left) and Maika Sivo (right) celebrate Parramatta’s seismic win at Commbank

Marata Niukore embraces his adoring Parramatta supporters after their victory on Thursday

The Eels pack have responded after being dominated by South Sydney last month, with Reagan Campbell-Gillard playing the first half unchanged and he and Junior Paulo topping 160 metres each.

Five eighth Dylan Brown also looks in good touch, bouncing through giants Nelson Asofa-Solomona and Tui Kamikamica to score the Eels’ first before Will Penisini also bagged a four-pointer.

But the try of the night was reserved for Maika Sivo, as the Fijian powerhouse ran onto a superb long ball from Clint Gutherson and ran 40 metres to score.

The Storm were uncharacteristically poor, and star halfback Cameron Munster claimed that he was the reason his team lost on Thursday night.

‘I was pretty poor tonight,’ he told Channel 9. ‘I was good in glimpses but I pretty much let the team down tonight. 

Melbourne Storm star Cameron Munster claimed he was the reason why his side lost

‘It was a big game for us but I can’t really explain what happened. Fundamentals, just dropping the ball, giving them too much field position and they made us pay tonight.’ 

They made errors at all the wrong times, with the absence of halfback Jahrome Hughes felt heavily.

At one stage down 20-0, Harry Grant, Nick Meaney and David Nofoaluma each crossed in the final 15 minutes to make it three tries apiece.

But two missed conversions from Cameron Munster – including one from next to the posts late – ended any chance of a grandstand finish.

Under-fire forward Asofa-Solomona also earned the ire of officials again, put on report for a late shot on Moses after previously copping five fines this year.

The result leaves Melbourne out of the top four for just the second time since 2006, with one of those seasons coming in their salary-cap penalised year of 2010.

A do-or-die clash awaits them against Canberra or Brisbane in Melbourne next week, but the Storm will then have to spend the following three weeks on the road if they are to win the competition.