As their top four hopes hang in the balance, Parramatta will be missing inspirational hooker Reed Mahoney for the remainder of the season.
The 23-year-old left the field early in the Eels’ big loss to South Sydney last Friday night on the Gold Coast after injuring his shoulder.
The talented Queenslander has a history of shoulder issues, having been sidelined by a similar injury earlier this season.
Mahoney’s absence is a huge loss for Parramatta who will be staring down the barrel of four straight defeats when they take on the in-form Manly Sea Eagles this Saturday night.
Despite the return of halfback Mitchell Moses from a back fracture, the Eels were no match for the red-hot Bunnies who piled on six tries to two in the 40-12 demolition.
South Sydney led 32-0 before Parramatta’s first points came via Maika Sivo in the 56th minute.
“The boys are disappointed, they just outplayed us, they were too good, simple as that,” a dejected Eels coach Brad Arthur said.
“They controlled field position, they iced their plays when they needed to and when they had possession they capitalised on it. They are playing full of confidence and things work. We are just down a bit on our confidence, I think.”
Whilst still in fourth on the NRL ladder, Parramatta sit equal in competition points with the Roosters on 28 points. If sixth-placed Manly defeat the Eels this weekend, they will more than likely leap-frog Parramatta in the standings.
Arthur said the prospect of finishing in the top four is still alive despite looking incredibly precarious.
“There’s still four weeks to go but we can’t be worried about the top four finish at the moment, we have to worry about getting some football back on that we know that we need to be playing and find our rhythm again,” he said.
Following their date with Des Hasler’s men this Saturday night, the Eels face the lowly Cowboys and high flyers Melbourne and Penrith on the run home.
Parramatta would need to win at least two of their remaining four games to have any shot of a top four finish and two bites at the cherry.
Troy Dodds is Parra News' Managing Editor and Breaking News Reporter. He has more than 20 years experience as a journalist, working with some of Australia’s leading media organisations. In 2023, he was named Editor of the Year at the Mumbrella Publish Awards.