Cowboys 20
A new Kiwis winger possibility emerged as Kalifa Faifai-Loa turned it on against Stephen Kearney's Eels team last night.
If you are going to impress the national coach, doing it against his NRL side is as good a way as any. Faifai-Loa scored a 90m try as the Cowboys broke out of defence with centre Willie Tonga setting the 21-year-old New Zealand-born winger away.
He twisted and turned as the Eels' defence - and fullback Jarryd Hayne in particular - tried to cover dangerous halfback Johnathan Thurston in support. So Faifai-Loa set sail for the corner to score a top try.
But it was a veteran winger, two-try Luke Burt, who wrapped up the game while Faifai-Loa was gaining big raps. Burt scored his 111th NRL try and then kicked a corner conversion to win it.
Earlier the rampant Cowboys raced out to a 10-0 lead in 11 minutes - but then could not withstand an Eels response that saw them dominate possession and territory as they ran in an answering brace of tries.
Hayne's pinpoint pass saw centre Ryan Morgan level the scores 10-10 at the break. The ebullient Hayne came in for a lot of attention from Cowboys defenders seeking to snuff out the Eels' main source of creative inspiration.
Thurston manufactured both Cowboys tries early and ran interference on the third. Fullback Matt Bowen was playing a record 204th game for the club - about 16,000 minutes of rugby league - but needed only four minutes to set the Cowboys on their way. The little fullback darted onto a typically precise Thurston pass, used his pace to open the Eels' defence on the angle - and sent winger Ashley Graham in at the corner.
Thurston's kick opened up the Eels for the second try, ballooning off a defender and into the hands of five-eighth Ray Thompson. He took off like a startled cat and a Thurston cut-out pass sent in Faifai-Loa for the 10-0 lead.
Burt had 109 NRL tries before he slipped in at the corner for No 110, courtesy of a sweeping Eels set and a perfectly timed pass from centre Joel Reddy under big tackle pressure.
The Eels produced another slick try when another clinical Hayne pass put winger Etuate Uaisele in. Burt goaled for a 16-14 lead.
Fantastic defence from Hayne, Reddy and Nathan Hindmarsh saved three certain tries as the Cowboys, ignited by Thurston, came back hard. They couldn't hold - and Tonga dived in to take the lead back with 13 minutes to go.
But then came that man Burt after the Cowboys couldn't take a high kick.
Parramatta Eels 22 (L. Burt 2, R. Morgan, E. Uaisele tries; Burt 3 goals), NQ Cowboys 20 (A. Graham, K. Faifai-Loa 2, W. Tonga tries; J. Thurston 2 goals). Halftime: 10-10.
