The North Queensland Cowboys continued Parramatta’s horror start to the season on Saturday night, handing them a 36-point belting at Dairy Farmers Stadium.
The Eels are winless from three rounds after struggling to deal with the wet and slippery conditions in Townsville to go down 42-6.
Missing Jarryd Hayne and Fuifui Moimoi with knee injuries, Parramatta battled to put on any attacking pressure.
The Cowboys dealt with the conditions better, running in eight tries including three to winger Ash Graham.
Matt Scott started the rout with a try after 15 minutes, before exciting youngster Jason Taumalolo bashed his way past five Eels defenders to score with his first touch of the game.
Taumalolo then charged downfield once more to set up Graham’s second with his next touch.
Fullback Matt Bowen showed just how slippery the conditions were when he slid seven metres after picking up a Johnathan Thurston grubber to cross three minutes before the break and give the home side a 26-point halftime buffer.
Parramatta were the first to respond after the break, with bench forward Pat O’Hanlon accepting a tidy inside ball from halfback Chris Sandow to cross on 56 minutes.
Kane Linnett then bagged his first try of his Cowboys career, crossing in the corner on 71st minutes after some quick hands.
Graham added his third, and the Cowboys’ seventh, of the night when he grabbed a James Segeyaro kick before Gavin Cooper finished the game off with a try in the 80th minute to compound the Eels misery.
Hooker Segeyaro will go before the match review committee after a late shoulder charge on Eels pivot Ben Roberts.
gleeso
Guest
Kearney offers no insight at interviews. He does not sound intelligent about the game to me. I have no doubt that he believes strongly in his "structures" and such - I am glad he has great self belief, because he will be able to apply it in some roll outside of coaching. The brand of league he promotes would ruin the game in the long run. It is so ugly.
ShyBlueMoon
Guest
An OVER-coached team will struggle just as much as an UNDER-coached one.
Terry Kidd
Guest
I think Kearney is a one dimensional coach who only knows what he saw at the Storm. I also believe that there is a recruitment problem at the Eels, or maybe player management problem, would be a better way of saying it. They seem to let the good players go (Kingston, Reddy etc etc) and keep the also rans. Then they drop one of the most whole hearted players (Burt) andkeep others who are not performing ..... the Eels will get the Wooden Spoon and Kearney will get the DCM (don't come Monday)
mfree
Guest
The eels have some really good players and have the abillity to be very strong but i question kearneys coaching abillities of late, you just have to look at his performance in 2011 with the new zealand team. I almost forgot new zealand are the world champs and won the 4nations in 2010 with such poor performance displayed lately, alot of ppl disagree with me but whenhis international and club team are failing so badly you can only assume he is the problem
Bearfax
Guest
PARRAMATTA SOS Help Hopoate. We need you......and maybe a new coach eh?.
Shaamus
Guest
Before kick-off for the game I was saying to people that Cowboys will put it over the Eels. And what happen? I hate the Eels with a passion yet at this moment I feel sorry for them. I feel even worse for Kearney who is trying very hard to get this team ready every game yet only 3 players turn up each game. I think Eels biggest problem at the moment is the structure that they are playing. We all knew Kearney would take Melbourne's style with him and put it in place but from watching them since he has taken over, they do not look like the team that went to the GF in 09. They have no flair, no movement and no spark to there play. When you have a player like Hayne who is being missed as we can all tell, play a structured style it will only take away what he can provide with instinct out there. Same goes with Sandow. Both players play with what's in front. Eels need to find a solution and a quick one before they sack the wrong person (Kearney). In saying all that, I think the Cowboys were at there best. While they still have plenty of improvement in them they looked a class above from what we saw the first two rounds and will only get better especially with Thurston playing out wider.
GD
Guest
The Cowboys have plenty of improvement left in them, both teams looked rubbish for a big slice of the second half. The Cowboys gave away penalties when in possession, close to Parra's line, and came up with poor options when they didn't give away the penalty. A better team than Parra would have forced their way back into the game. Parra have good backs but they look really soft up front. The Cowboys need to learn how to get into "the grind" when it's called for, forcing repeat sets and keeping the pressure on. All in all a good performance from the home team in poor conditions & against even poorer opposition.
NF
Guest
Very pleased with the Cows & credit to the supporters who went to the game it's still teeming here in North Queensland currently. Weather being terrible looking forward to the Sharkies next week and better weather too.
oikee
Guest
I think the Eels have to many new young players. It could take awhile to gel, but i can tell you this, they are learning a good lesson here. They lost Loko, Hayne, a couple of others. What you need to look at is how they are going towards the end of the year. I said it before, and the Broncos looked awful when YeaYow was rushing in and letting tries slip by him a couple of years ago, they need time these younger players, but you cant give up on them. that winger Blair looks brilliant. I think he is a future star, and was a junior roo. Now for the Cows, Tomololo is a brute, and Sims Tariq is yet to come back. Their forward pack is big and mobile. They still have Fai Fai Law yet to come back and Tate is starting to hit his straps. They look pretty good.
steve b
Guest
Ithink the eels are in dire straits and just cant find their way out.I was listening to sports talk back on local radio and lots of the comments were the coach is the problem he is a to nicer guy i dont know if i agree but something is sadley missing from the never give up eels. Theyj just cant seem to win a trick its hard to watch a once top team self destruct whatever the answer is i hope they find it soon .