Tri-colours run up a cricket score at Allianz Stadium.
The Parramatta Eels have been brought back to earth with a thud by a rampant Sydney Roosters side who thrashed them 56-4 at Allianz Stadium.
After trailing by only 16-4 at half-time, the Eels showed a stunning lack of fight as they surrendered to a Roosters side that look much more like the 2013 premiership winners.
Anthony Minichiello opened the scoring for the Roosters after running off the hip of Mitchell Aubusson, who hit the gap well to make it 6-0.
A Sam Moa try under the posts saw the lead grow to 12 points with both tries coming off penalties and mistakes by the Eels.
The Eels were in further trouble with Darcy Lussick cited for a high shot on Jared Waerea-Hargreaves and the Eels forward was lucky to stay on the field.
The collision saw players from both sides rush in for both sides in what was a spiteful incident, which simmered down quickly.
However, Lussick continued to fire out of the line with several tackles bordering on reckless with Brad Arthur getting him off the field before he gave the Roosters even more ammunition.
Sydney used the momentum from the ragged Eels’ effort as Minichiello scurried across the line as the Roosters showed signs of the sign that won the title last season.
Maloney could not add the extras as the home side went ahead 16-0 after 22 minutes.
Semi Radradra looked to have continued his sizzling start to the 2014 season for the Eels, with
the flying Fijian winger getting to a grubber kick first to ground it in-goal.
His fourth try in two week was confirmed by the video referee as the Eels opened their scoring for the game at 16-4 in the 32rd minute.
Parramatta looked to have pulled off the team try of the year on the stroke of half-time when a cross-field kick to Radradra, before a pass back inside to Jarryd Hayne, with what would have been the final pass back to the winger finding the turf.
As a result the home side led 16-4 in what was a fair indication of their dominance for much of the first 40 minutes.
The Roosters got the perfect start to their second half as Roger Tuivasa-Sheck before Mitchell Aubusson continued his excellent performance, as the game opened up quickly.
Maloney added the extras for the second time in the half as the score quickly ballooned out to 28-4 and the Eels were a chance of being thrashed after looking close to even with their foes in the first half.
Tuivasa-Sheck made it a double, off the back of a Mitchell Pearce break, as the Roosters scored three tries in nine minutes in a stunning flurry of action.
The tri-colours continued to heap on the pain, as the missed tackled by the Eels continued to climb, with Daniel Tupou scoring his side’s seventh try for the game as the margin grew to 34.
Minichiello completed the rout with his third try for the game coming in the 64th minute, as the Eels continued to fall apart in all aspects of the game in the second half.
Amazingly as prolific as Minichiello has been over his 16-year career with the Roosters, his three tries against the Eels was the first time he had scored a hat-trick in his NRL career.
The avalanche of tries looked to have continued as Boyd Cordner seemingly had touched down, with the video referee ruling controversially he was held up.
But seconds later Cordner made no mistake as he celebrated wildly as he scored in the same place on the field, making the score 50-4 and the thrashing was complete when Aubusson scored his second.
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