The Eels claimed Western Sydney bragging rights by beating the Panthers 17-16 in a golden point thriller at CommBank Stadium on Thursday.
Mitchell Moses' extra time field goal proved the difference on a stunning night in PARRAdise, full of twists and turns.
Moses wins it for Parramatta!
Brendan Hands scored a magical try in his NRL debut with one of his first touches, capping off a remarkable first win of the season for Parramatta.
The Parramatta crowd was vocal from the outset, as Bailey Simonsson charged over the top of Jarome Luai in the early exchanges.
The Eels channelled that energy to open the scoring, with Bryce Cartwright pouncing on a deft Dylan Brown grubber kick close to the line. Mitch Moses’ conversion handed Parramatta a 6-0 lead after 15 minutes.
Brown and Cartwright combine
A penalty goal followed soon after, putting the Eels in control at 8-0.
But Penrith responded as a try to Dylan Edwards and a penalty goal on the stroke of halftime locked up the scores.
The early stages of the second half were cagey, before Brendan Hands was injected to the match for a dream debut.
A shift to the right edge from halfway saw Will Penisini duck his nose through the defensive line, and the centre found Hands backing up to streak away for a try in his maiden NRL match.
Brendan Hands scores on debut!
Moses’ conversion and a subsequent penalty goal put the Eels up 16-8 with 15 minutes remaining.
The Panthers were up for the fight and came close to scoring through a piece of individual brilliance by James Fisher-Harris, before Clint Gutherson produced an almighty try-saver to force an error.
Penrith’s response eventually came in the 72nd minute through Zac Hosking, setting up a grandstand finish with the scores at 16-14.
A cruel twist came in the closing stages when Junior Paulo was sin binned for a high tackle, and Nathan Cleary kicked a two-point field goal to send the match to golden point.
But when Mitch Kenny was sent for ten early on in golden point, it was twelve-on-twelve once again, and Parramatta's moment in the sun came moments later.
Mitchell Moses stood up and delivered for the Eels, landing the winning field goal to put Parramatta in the winner's circle in incredible fashion.
