Eels down Dragons in one point thriller

The Parramatta Eels recorded their second consecutive victory against the St George Illawarra Dragons at the ANZ Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

Eels halfback Brett Finch kicked the match-winning field goal in the 74th minute when he made the score 19-12. But five minutes later one of his kicks was charged down; resulting in a Dragons try and a nail-biting finish.

However it was the Dragons overall failure to capitalize on their opportunities which was the ultimate catalyst for their 19-18 loss.

The Dragons case was also not helped by some dubious referee decisions which greatly displeased the red and white contingent of the 16,313 crowd.

The Eels were on the attack early. In the seventh minute, they created an overlap on the right side with the ball finding Eric Grothe. Grothe ran straight over his opposite number and planted the ball down in the corner. Luke Burt converted from the sideline.

The Dragons counter-attacked, and they looked to have scored a try in the 32nd minute. But video referee Steve Clark ruled that Matt Cooper had stripped the ball from Grothe.

The Eels took advantage of the psychological blow and scored a try of their own just one minute later. Finch created a gap for the man-of-the-match Nathan Hindmarsh. The second rower then got a ball away to Burt, who ran untouched to the try line. The try scorer also converted.

Three minutes before half-time, the Dragons hit back. Mark Gasnier used some fancy footwork to out-maneuver Jarryd Hayne. He then flicked the ball to Chase Stanley who scored in the corner. Jamie Soward converted and the score was 12-6 at half time.

The Dragons attacked desperately early in the second half when they forced charge downs and intercepts.

However it was the Eels who scored the first points again with Hayne scoring in the left corner after an overlap was created. Burt converted from the sideline in the 53rd minute.

The Dragons continued to dominate play, and they finally created a try when Jason Nightingale scored in the left corner in the 60th minute. Jamie Soward not only threw the try-scoring pass but also converted from the sideline to reduce the deficit to six.

The Finch field-goal in the 74th minute looked to have sealed the game for the Eels.

Then, after five charge-downs, the Dragons finally capitalized on one of them in the 80th minute. Matt Cooper scooped up the leftovers and scored under the posts.

The remaining 40 seconds were not enough for the Dragons to score any more points.

The Eels will look to wine three from three when they play the Sydney Roosters at home next Friday night.

The Dragons will hope that ANZ Stadium brings them better luck next Saturday when they take on the Melbourne Storm.

NRL 2008 - Round Nine:

PARRAMATTA - 19
Tries: Eric Grothe, Luke Burt, Jarryd HayneGoals: Luke Burt 3/3Field Goals: Brett Finch

ST GEORGE-ILLAWARRA - 18
Tries: Chase Stanley, Jason Nightingale, Matt CooperGoals: Jamie Soward 3/3