An inspiring defensive display from the Eels saw them earn a hard-fought 24-14 win against the Titans, despite having the odds stacked against them.
In the match, the Eels only had 43 percent of the possession and were forced to make 310 tackles to the Gold Coast’s 224, but when they had the ball, they made it count to post the gutsy win.
The Eels started strongly, with Elsie Albert doing her best to set the tone for her side with some big carries and was rewarded when she charged over for the opening try of the match in just the third minute.
The home side went further in front when a good kick from Rachael Pearson found the Titans defenders too far infield, allowing winger Monique Donovan to chase hard and get the ball down.
The Titans hit back after they earnt a penalty to help them get closer to their try line, with Evania Pelite throwing an over-the-top cut-out pass to an unmarked Emily Bass on the far left wing to touch down, narrowing the margin to 12-4.
The visitors then went on a concerted attack on the Eels line, but the home side were able to absorb the pressure to end the the half, but cracked just before the halftime break, with Niall Williams-Guthrie able to get over the line. Lauren Brown’s conversion attempt was waved away, with the Eels maintaining a 12-8 lead into the break after Rachael Pearson was earlier successful with her two conversions.
In the second half, the Titans continued to apply the pressure, earning back-to-back line dropouts, but the Eels again showed resilience in defence and were able to hold on and the Titans coughed up the ball with the line beckoning, giving Parramatta the scrum feed.
Despite lacking fluency in their attack, the Titans continued to earn the right to attack with their defence, with fullback Pelite in particular showing her worth, making back-to-back tackles to firstly shut down Abbi Church who was threatening to run the length of the field before forcing the ball loose for the Eels in the next play.
From there, the Titans finally went over the line, only for it to be ruled that Ngatokotoru Arakua had lost the ball over the line, with the Eels again holding them out once more.
Arakua was over again after the Titans received another penalty and they finally made the mountain of possession count, with the forward able to get the ball down through traffic. This time, Brown was successful for her first conversion attempt from in front, giving the visitors the lead for the first time.
However, the Eels were able to regain the lead after a great bit of play from centre Rory Owen who got the ball within her own half to brush the defence of the winger and the chasing Titans, including Pelite, to run in for her fourth try of the year. Pearson again nailed the conversion for an 18-14 lead with nine minutes to play.
Albert – who started the game with intent – then put the game without doubt when she charged over for her second with only two minutes left on the clock to seal a hard-fought win for the Eels.