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The scoreline blew out at the death but the Cowboys have passed arguably the biggest test of their premiership defence at home, beating the Eels by 14 points.
REPORT: COOTE STARS, COWBOYS WIN
The Eels though had their chances and threatened to pull off the win after scoring 16 unanswered points in the second half to lead by two at one stage.
A sin-bin to Norman however killed off their hopes of an upset as the Cowboys made the most of the one man advantage.
Final score
Cowboys 32
Eels 16
The Parramatta Eels‘ premiership credentials will be tested when they face reigning premiers the North Queensland Cowboys away from home. Join The Roar for live scores and commentary from 7:30pm AEST.
Tonight’s clash against North Queensland will expose whether or not the Eels truly have what it takes to challenge for this year’s premiership.
For the first time in many moons, Parramatta are playing a structured and disciplined brand of football that has seen them register some good tough wins against Canterbury, North Queensland and Manly respectively.
Indeed their round 2 win over the Cowboys at home proved that the Eels have the competitive spirit required to test the best teams in the NRL. Away from home however, the Eels will need their best form and then some to upset the best side in the competition.
The Cowboys are close to unbeatable at home, and with Johnathon Thurston, Michael Morgan and Lachlan Coote in superb form, the Eels face their most daunting task of the year to date.
Quite simply, Parramatta has to play the percentages well to stand a chance of causing the upset. Halves Kieran Foran and Corey Norman are playing nicely and their composure on the ball tonight will dictate whether or not the Eels remain competitive well into the second half.
If the Cowboys end up dominating possession and territory, Thurston and company will make Parramatta pay on the scoreboard. Despite their marked improvement in defence, the Eels will be asking for trouble if they let a future immortal dictate terms yet again on his home patch.
While the possibility of an upset is there if the Eels roll up their sleeves tonight, the Cowboys still contain an important edge in attacking chemistry that should see them secure a tight win.
Cowboys by 8