NRL: Broncos too strong for sorry Eels

SYDNEY - It was hardly one for the highlights reel but Brisbane ensured skipper Darren Lockyer had reason to celebrate his record-breaking night with an ugly 10-6 NRL win over Parramatta on Saturday night.

Eclipsing Andrew Ettingshausen's mark of 328 top-grade games for the one club, Lockyer directed his side with customary aplomb against an Eels side showing little sign of life and slowly drifting out of the premiership race.

While the ladder may suggest they are still well in the hunt for September action, based on Saturday night's effort the Eels will be only making up the numbers even if they get there.

Whereas the Broncos created plenty of chances that were snuffed out by some desperate defence, the home side appeared clueless in attack, with much of their gameplan seemingly pass it to Jarryd Hayne and hope for something to happen.

In essence Parramatta, the side which captured the Sydney's imagination with their sparkling surge to last year's grand final, has become the new Cronulla - the side which struggled to put points on the board before their recent show of enterprise.

While the Eels are in a better state than they were before last year's recovery, the chances of lightning striking twice appear slim.

The man who made it happen in 2009, Dally M medallist Hayne, exemplified their predicament when he fumbled in the play the ball ten metres out from his own line with the game on the line.

That the Eels were still in a position to steal the points that late in the contest is testament to their defence, which looked feeble early when Peter Wallace reeled in a Darren Lockyer bomb for a 6-0 lead after seven minutes.

Parramatta replied in kind when Hayne scooped up a spilled Daniel Mortimer bomb for four points of his own, the home side fortunate to go into the break all square when Luke Burt accepted a gift two points after a kick-chase infringement by Andrew McCullough.

A frustrated Broncos finally found their way to the tryline when Israel Folau stormed through a hole, only for Hayne and Justin Poore to do the impossible and hold the runaway Brisbane centre up over the line.

Folau - playing just a stone's throw away from the Greater Western Sydney base he'll call home when he switches to AFL next year - wasn't to be denied however. A brilliant face ball from Peter Wallace was enough to create room for Corey Parker to send Big Izzy over.

The 10-6 lead with 19 minutes remaining may not have seemed much, but for and Eels side which has now scored just 10 points in its last 160 minutes, it proved to steep a hill to climb.

- AAP