The Eels overcame the table-topping Sharks in a vital 34-22 victory at CommBank Stadium on Thursday to put their season back on track.
The return of influential duo Clint Gutherson and Mitchell Moses lit a spark in Parramatta’s heart, as they fought their way out of a five-match losing streak in emphatic fashion.
The pair had their fingerprints all over the 12-point triumph, which shapes as a potentially defining moment in Parramatta's season.
NRL Match Highlights: Eels v Sharks
While Gutherson and Moses stood tall, the overall team performance was immense as several players enjoyed their strongest performance of the season.
Will Penisini opened the Eels' account before Maika Sivo scored a quickfire double. Then, crucial second-half tries to Junior Paulo, Bailey Simonsson and Dylan Brown saw the Eels slip away from Cronulla's reach.
The Sharks started strongly and snatched the opener before Penisini roared to life to change the trajectory of the match.
Penisini shreds the Sharks
The centre took possession 10 metres out from the line with a wall of Sharks ahead of him; with no way around Cronulla's left edge, Penisini exploded through it as he shrugged off three defenders to score and level the scores.
Penisini's play proved pivotal, as a Maika Sivo double soon followed.
The Eels reformed spine clicked into gear for their second try, as Brendan Hands, Dylan Brown, Mitchell Moses and Clint Gutherson slickly moved the ball left for Sivo to stroll over.
The Eels spine combines
Within 10 minutes, Sivo saw another path to the try line but had Will Kennedy standing in his way. The Eels winger made light work of the Cronulla no. 1, bumping him off to crash over the line.
Sivo turns steamroller to score
Moses converted both Sivo tries from the left touchline to put the Eels ahead 16-4 after 25 minutes.
The Sharks bit back before half-time, as a 95-metre try finished off by Kennedy made it 16-10 at the interval.
The try handed Cronulla momentum ahead of the second half, but a determined Junior Paulo took it upon himself to nudge the arm wrestle back in Parramatta's favour.
Early in the second half, the Eels Co-Captain drifted to the right edge and powered onto a short pass by Moses, storming through five Sharks defenders to slam the ball down.
Powerful Paulo provides for Parra
Another Moses conversion, followed by a penalty goal, put Parramatta in a comfortable position at 24-10 with 25 minutes to play.
However the Eels were not about to shut up shop, and Mitchell Moses produced a piece of magic to keep the points flowing.
The halfback targeted the shortside just within Cronulla's half and carved his way through the defence before delivering a fantastic offload to Bailey Simonsson on his outside. The winger did the rest, putting Parramatta on the cusp of victory.
Moses mastery sets up Simonsson
Having lost just two games all season, the Sharks were not prepared to roll over, however. The ladder leaders showed their class to claw back into the contest, as Daniel Atkinson and Sione Katoa scored in quick succession to suddenly close the margin to just six points with 15 minutes to play.
The Eels held their nerve, and Dylan Brown's individual brilliance in the 68th minute put Parramatta out of reach.
Dyl seals the deal for Eels
The flashy five-eighth put his strength and skill on show to slice through the Sharks' goal-line defence and secure a crucial two points for the Eels in front of their home supporters.
The Eels will aim to score a second consecutive win next week when they face the Bulldogs in the annual King's Birthday clash.
