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ACL fears for Eels star after dishing off wooden spoon to tackle-shy Tigers




Parramatta have consigned Wests Tigers to a third straight wooden spoon in a skittish contest at Campbelltown powered by each team’s desperation to avoid finishing in the NRL cellar.

But the win may have come at a huge cost with fears that star five-eighth Dylan Brown has suffered an ACL tear which could put him out for a large chunk of the 2025 season.

Brown hobbled off early in the second half after twisting his knee awkwardly while trying to make a tackle with interim coach Trent Barrett saying they were hopeful it was an MCL injury not an ACL tear.

“We’re a bit concerned. Fingers crossed for Dylan because he’s been terrific for us. Hopefully he will be OK,” he said.

“They think it might be an ACL but we’re hoping not.”

Both teams presented plenty of evidence to underline why they were playing off to avoid the wooden spoon with kick-offs going out on the full, dopey captain’s challenges and a raft of errors flowing thick and fast.

Like toddlers overhyped on the reddest of cordials, both teams were up for the contest but did not know how to harness their energy towards the ultimate goal avoiding the spoon for being naughty.

Parra managed to get their act together either side of half-time to convert a 22-10 lead at the break into a 60-26 triumph and rise above South Sydney into the dizzying heights of 15th spot.

The Eels struck first via Maika Sivo before Lachie Galvin showcased his class twice in the space of 14 minutes with a grubber for Josh Feledy and a bullet pass to Junior Tupou propelling the Tigers to a 10-6 advantage. 

After Api Koroisau had booted a kick-off out on the full, Asi did likewise for Parra in a clear case of Daejarn vu.

Asi made amends with a four-pointer to draw level and when hooker Brendan Hands backed up a Dylan Brown break, the visitors were up by six. 

Parra went 22-10 up at the break when rookie Tigers fullback Heath Mason spilt a bomb and was palmed off by Will Penisini as he motored to the stripe.

Alarm bells really started ringing within a minute of the second half when Bryce Cartwright plucked a no-look Latu Fainu pass to present Penisini with safe passage towards a 16-point buffer.

Shaun Lane is tackled. (Photo by Jeremy Ng/Getty Images)

Fainu pegged the deficit back to 10 after messy lead-up work but Koroisau was sin-binned for a lifting tackle on Clint Gutherson to usher in a Cartwright try in the 53rd minute which took the wind out of the home club’s sails.

Even with Brown hobbling off with a knee injury, Sivo scored again during Koroisau’s stint on the sidelines before Gutherson touched down twice to notch his century in the NRL and blow out the final margin. 

Parra prop Reagan Campbell-Gillard notched a rare try and even got a kick at goal in his final match before likely heading off to the Dragons next year as the Tigers fell in a heap.

Tigers shouldn’t shed a tear despite flogging

Galvin’s rousing rookie season, the arrival of Panthers duo Jarome Luai and Sunia Turuva, along with the accelerated development of a bevy of young Tigers cubs have set Wests on a trajectory to shed the wooden spoon next year.

Benji Marshall has shown he can galvanise this young squad and even though they finish 2024 with a third straight wooden spoon, there is much more cause for optimism than the past two calamitous campaigns. 

Isaiah Papali’i and Stefano Utoikamanu have opted out of their deals for the greener grass of Penrith and Melbourne respectively and to be frank, the Tigers were not getting much bang for the massive bucks those two were burgling from their salary cap.

Sharks prop Royce Hunt is locked in for three years and his Raiders sparring partner Corey Horsburgh looks like he’s on his way – they will both have a point to prove, unlike Papali’i and Utoikamanu who only seemed to be at Concord for the contract cash.

When Tony Sukkar got on the field in the second half against Parramatta, he became the 12th Tiger to make their debut in 2024 – not all of them will turn into regular first-graders but an investment in youth is a better bet than the club’s previous policy of overpaying for has-beens.

Parra salvage pride but still well below par

Heading into Round 1, 2024 was shaping up as a make or break season for Parramatta. 

They broke. Brad Arthur was gone as coach by the halfway mark and with linchpin Mitchell Moses playing just eight matches in blue and gold due to foot and bicep problems, they were never going to make the finals but they still grossly underachieved to finish with a 7-17 record.

Incoming coach Jason Ryles is turning over the roster and bringing in new off-field staff to jolt the Eels back into finals contention but there is still plenty of work to do in order for the club which made the Grand Final just two years ago to go anywhere near the playoffs in 2025. 

Young guns Ethan Sanders (Raiders) and Blaize Talagi (Panthers) are shooting through, offset by the arrival of Dragons star Zac Lomax and Panthers fullback prospect Isaiah Iongi. 

The Eels need more oomph in their pack. Reagan Campbell-Gillard is set to switch to St George Illawarra but there is a lack of skill and strength among their forwards which will make it virtually impossible to compete with the top teams next year.

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