{"id":569748,"date":"2026-03-28T10:15:13","date_gmt":"2026-03-28T10:15:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/569748\/"},"modified":"2026-03-28T10:15:13","modified_gmt":"2026-03-28T10:15:13","slug":"penrith-panthers-dominate-parramatta-eels-in-28-point-win","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/569748\/","title":{"rendered":"Penrith Panthers dominate Parramatta Eels in 28-point win"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Tom<\/p>\n

March 28, 2026 \u2014 7:15pm<\/p>\n

Save<\/p>\n

You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n

Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n

Save this article for later<\/p>\n

Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime.<\/p>\n

Got it<\/p>\n

AAA<\/p>\n

Nathan Cleary\u2019s wry smile 25 minutes into Penrith\u2019s resounding 28-point win over Parramatta was the telltale sign of a footballer who knows he\u2019s got the ball completely on a string.<\/p>\n

His left-footed chip over the top from 10 metres out had far too much pepper on it, but fortune favoured the best as the ball ricocheted off the post padding and fell perfectly for Lindsay Smith to scoop up and plant down Penrith\u2019s fourth try of the first half.<\/p>\n

\"NathanNathan Cleary talks with Mitchell Moses at fulltime.NRL Photos<\/p>\n

It was a fortuitous break for the Penrith halfback, but the game\u2019s greats make their own luck and it is one of the reasons the Panthers remain overwhelming premiership favourites.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a fluke,\u201d Cleary said afterwards. \u201cAs it came off my boot, I thought it was going out dead on the full. Thank god for the padding and the bounce.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cleary played a hand in three first-half tries on another forgettable evening for an Eels side who look to be heading for a bottom-eight finish unless something drastic changes.<\/p>\n

The carnage evoked memories of Penrith\u2019s 18-0 first-half clinic against the Eels in the 2022 grand final, but this was on another level. Cleary orchestrated a 30-point first-half buffet as teammates feasted on their western Sydney rivals with ruthless efficiency.<\/p>\n

\"NathanNathan Cleary and Lindsay Smith celebrate after combining for a try.Getty Images<\/p>\n

The much-hyped playmaking duel between Cleary and Mitchell Moses never materialised. The Penrith No.7 chalked up a decisive win, although Parramatta\u2019s concerning handling errors denied Moses any chance of a fair fight.<\/p>\n

Eels teammates Kelma Tuilagi, Sam Tuivaiti, Jonah Pezet and Isaiah Iongi all coughed up possession in a ragged opening half, the latter spilling a straightforward Cleary grubber. Each error invited Penrith further into the contest, and the four-time premiers from 2021 to 2024 needed no second invitation.<\/p>\n

It was also tough viewing for Eels fans as former prodigy Blaize Talagi leapt over Iongi to score Penrith\u2019s second try \u2014 one of five inside the opening 27 minutes.<\/p>\n

That try came from a pinpoint Cleary bomb, another reminder of the variety in his kicking game. As Penrith\u2019s left edge gathered momentum, the Eels unravelled. Heaven help them if Moses goes down injured this season.<\/p>\n

\"IsaahIsaah Yeo crashes over for the first of Penrith\u2019s eight tries.NRL Photos<\/p>\n

At 30-4, with the contest effectively over, Moses had a moment to forget when he knocked on with Penrith reduced to 12 men and Mitch Kenny in the bin. Chasing the game can often force errors, but with Parramatta now sitting at two wins and two losses, their issues run deeper than scoreboard pressure.<\/p>\n

Michael Ennis summed it up aptly on Fox League, describing Parramatta\u2019s display as \u201cdeath by a thousand cuts\u201d as Eels coach Jason Ryles dropped his head in the box following Luca Moretti\u2019s knock-on with 30 minutes remaining and the margin still 22. His mood was not much better at his press conference.<\/p>\n

Cleary\u2019s grubber for Paul Alamoti\u2019s 54th-minute try was an understated gem, given it came on tackle three and with replacement Eels fullback Joash Papalii caught way out of position. Few in the game possess Cleary\u2019s vision or control, and Parramatta had no answer.<\/p>\n

Cleary\u2019s goal-kicking was also flawless \u2014 slotting eight from eight \u2014 while Moses managed two from four off the tee.<\/p>\n

With Cleary in this kind of sublime touch, it would be a surprise if the Panthers do not march towards another grand final. Their system continues to churn out ready-made first-grade footballers, their stars are in form, and their composure under pressure is unmatched.<\/p>\n

The Origin period may disrupt Penrith\u2019s rhythm, but as it stands, Cleary remains the game\u2019s dominant force. Moses\u2019 67 per cent win record in Origin football shouldn\u2019t be ignored and there is every chance he too will be involved as the Blues look to bounce back after their series defeat last year.<\/p>\n

Even in a lopsided contest, Parramatta showed signs of life, crossing for four tries which saw them outscore the combined tally of Penrith\u2019s previous three opponents. But that was little consolation.<\/p>\n

Related Article\"Penrith<\/a><\/p>\n

The Eels might be good enough come August, but it won\u2019t help their September plans if they don\u2019t kick into gear soon.<\/p>\n

At full-time, Cleary exchanged a high-five with teammate Liam Martin as Moses, a few metres away, stretched out what appeared to be a calf complaint. The two halfbacks eventually came together for a lengthy chat, perhaps already looking towards Origin.<\/p>\n

One is well ahead in the halfback race, and both know it.<\/p>\n

Save<\/p>\n

You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n

Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n

\"TomTom Decent<\/a> is the chief sports writer for The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via X<\/a> or email<\/a>.From our partners<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"March 28, 2026 \u2014 7:15pm Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":569749,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[568],"tags":[64,63,761,762,158,85],"class_list":["post-569748","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nrl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-national-rugby-league","tag-nationalrugbyleague","tag-nrl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/569748","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=569748"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/569748\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/569749"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=569748"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=569748"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=569748"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}