Parramatta Eels

They fell to the Eels on Friday night, but that scoreline didn't tell the full story.

They dealt with the Eels' direct approach through the middle, then forced a couple of errors. In a tight match that felt like a critical moment – and so it proved. The Warriors had territory but Johnson's flat ball was intercepted by Maika Sivo, with Blake finishing off a 90-metre counter. Their attack lacked polish, but not intent, and the reward came in the 32nd minute, with Marcelo Montoya diving across in the corner, after a clever tip on from Adam Pompey. The Eels' surgical kicking game was a point of difference, as the Warriors mostly struggled with their fifth-tackle options. The Warriors will wonder what might have been, as they lacked the quality and composure to make the most of several earlier opportunities, but the intensity of their effort couldn't be questioned.

Parramatta were too strong for a fast-finishing Warriors outfit winning by 28-18 at CommBank Stadium tonight, to make it back-to-back wins for Brad Arthur's ...

Parramatta then put an exclamation point on the match when fan favourite Maika Sivo was put in the clear by Dylan Brown down the left touch line. The Warriors needed to get into the match and they were gifted an opportunity following an error from Clint Gutherson. New Zealand accepted the invitation and hit back through a blind side play close to the line, which resulted in winger Marcelo Montoya crashing over just before halftime. Moses missed the conversion but it was the Eels ahead 4-0.

Eels cult hero Maika Sivo gave the home crowd something to cheer about in a post-Origin slog against the Warriors.

They were forced to take three straight dropouts and a couple of set restarts before Blake scored the first of two tries in the first half. Sivo did well because Reece Walsh had him beaten for pace, and a couple of other Warriors defenders had lined up Mitch Moses in support back on the inside. We have to learn from it.” At least the sight of Sivo sprinting 55m down the left wing after being put into space by Dylan Brown gave them something to cheer. Arthur said of Sivo: “He’s starting to get some confidence. Sadly, the lop-sided scoreline never arrived.

At CommBank Stadium, Sydney: Parramatta Eels 28 (Waqa Blake 2, Isaiah Papali'i, Clinton Gutherson, Maika Sivo; Mitchell Moses 4 goals) Warriors 18 (Marcelo ...

With the Broncos and Panthers coming up in the next two weeks, the Eels need at least one win to stay in the top four fight. Edward Kosi (yes he was in a beaten team and wasn’t in the top three players on the field) was coming off the kind of shocker against the Storm on Anzac Day that can end an NRL career. A beautiful mind crunching all the player stats. The string of mistakes early in the second half or Papali'i’s try or the drop from Montoya two minutes later that produced Gutherson’s try. It was 16 minutes of madness that removed any hope for the Warriors. But he barely had room to move in the second.

Parramatta remain in the race for an all-important NRL top-four spot by accounting for the Warriors 28-18 at CommBank Stadium.

They are now only outside of the top four on points differential. But the New Zealanders had reason for positivity heading into Friday night's game. In the first 10 minutes of the second half, referee Todd Smith blew his whistle for four errors, two penalties and two ruck infringements but the Eels were better equipped to rise from the mire and reignite their attack.

The Eels won back to back games for the first time in three months after outlasting the Warriors to triumph 28-18 at Commbank Stadium on Friday night and ...

We had some players who had a real good dig tonight, we just probably didn't play smart enough to build pressure. I was really happy for 75 minutes, I didn't want it to finish the way it did. For the rest of the year we just need to find a bit of steel and effort in those areas," - Warriors coach Stacey Jones. "We came in at halftime feeling pretty good about ourselves but we knew that we had to be patient with the footy and unfortunately at crucial times when we got down their end we came up with some crucial errors. Just because we make changes things can't change in our systems and there was certainly some concentration lapses," - Eels coach Brad Arthur. For most of the season Parramatta have followed up a win against a top team with a loss to a bottom-placed side and after their homecoming win against Wests Tigers two weeks ago the Warriors played with confidence and energy.

Parramatta remain in the race for an all-important NRL top-four spot by accounting for the Warriors 28-18 at CommBank Stadium.

They are now only outside of the top four on points differential. But the New Zealanders had reason for positivity heading into Friday night's game. In the first 10 minutes of the second half, referee Todd Smith blew his whistle for four errors, two penalties and two ruck infringements but the Eels were better equipped to rise from the mire and reignite their attack.

A death threat was made during the week to a person known by Moses. The NRL subsequently advised the police, who escorted him in and out of the ground.

“I think it was worse because [the] contact was to my family. It came to my family. Moses was secretly ushered in and out of the venue via a tunnel underneath the ground.

Parramatta Eels halfback Mitchell Moses was reportedly escorted to and from Commbank Stadium by a police riot squad on Friday evening after receiving death ...

It came to my family. “I think it was worse because contact was to my family. It didn’t come through to me.

'It's pretty scary': Mitch Moses given police escort after Eels star receives death threats.

It came to my family. “I think it was worse because [the] contact was to my family. “It was non stop.

An incident in the lead-up to Parramatta's match against the Warriors forced the NRL to act.

“He wants to play. At some stage, it will get sorted but the positive is we want him here and he wants to be here.” But also on the flipside what our club’s done for him.” It came to my family. It didn’t come through to me. When people start to get into your family it’s harder.

Parramatta second-rower Isaiah Papali'i has refused to confirm where he will play in 2022 amid speculation he could back out of his three-year deal with the ...

"We've made another really good signing in (dual premiership-winning hooker) Api Koroisau for next year. I'm happy for them." After the Eels' defeat of the Warriors on Friday night, Papali'i would not confirm he would be at the Tigers next season, but nor did he pledge his future to Parramatta. The reigning Dally M second-rower of the year, Papali'i signed a contract in November to join the Tigers from 2023 but did so on the understanding he would be reuniting with his coach at international level, Michael Maguire. With his family on the receiving end of the threats, he admitted it had been tough to focus on football. "It was pretty tough, the whole week was a bit like that and that uncertainty on what's going to happen," he said.