GO THE MIGHTY EELS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Parramatta defeat Bulldogs 22-12 in first preliminary final, Jarryd Hayne reported

September 25, 2009

Parramatta have defeated the Bulldogs 22-12 in the first NRL preliminary final, but Jarryd Hayne may miss the grand final after being placed on report for danerous contact.

Hayne and hooker Matt Keating were both put on report, both now left to ponder their fate ahead of the findings of the match review committee.

Dally M Medal winner Hayne was put on report for collecting Bryson Goodwin with knees to the head as the Bulldogs winger scored the opening try after four minutes, the prolific flyer the beneficiary of a brilliant bounce from a perfect Hazem El Masri grubber.

Hayne's possible suspension would deliver the most devastating of blows to the Eels, whose impressive record of 10 wins from their past 11 matches has been ignited by the fullback's spectacular form.

Referee Tony Archer awarded an eight-point try, but El Masri missed the first conversion from out wide before making no mistake from the follow-up from in front of the posts.

Goodwin shrugged off the effects of the head knock, which was more than could be said for teammate Luke Patten, the Bulldogs fullback failing to see out the second minute of the match after he fell victim to an accidental knee from Eels skipper Nathan Cayless.

Cayless then soon joined Patten in making the slow walk up the tunnel as he hobbled off with a hamstring injury.

And the game was yet to reach its tenth minute.

The Eels regrouped after the loss of their skipper, with front-row partner Fuifui Moimoi - who was hammered in his first two carries in the opening set of the match - leading the charge.

The calls also started going Parramatta's way, with a dubious Hayne 40-20 and a crucial scrum feed going in their favour, but still they could find no way through the Bulldogs wall.

Something had to give, and, as has been so often the case during Parramatta's stunning late-season charge, Hayne did the giving as he swivelled past three defenders to lay the ball on a platter for Joe Galuvao to score a converted try to level the score at 6-6.

The Eels had all the momentum until Yileen Gordon streaked away down the right flank to give the Bulldogs some life.

A Ben Roberts grubber secured a repeat set of six, but his second kick was even more profitable with Josh Morris touching down after Hayne misjudged a horrible bounce.

Keating found himself in trouble after wrenching the arm of Ben Hannant just before half-time, and the Bulldogs were in pain again when the Eels struck twice in four minutes after the break to claim a lead they would never relinquish.

Luke Burt scored the first try after Krisnan Inu did well to juggle a ball from Feleti Mateo, though his missed conversion from wide out meant the Eels still trailed by two points.

The Eels then claimed the lead when Tim Mannah scored shortly afterwards, Hayne again the architect before Daniel Mortimer iced the win nine minutes from full-time, the five-eighth Daniel Mortimer finishing a brilliant movement to send the blue-and-gold army into raptures.