UNSTOPPABLE! That is the only way to describe a rampant Eels side on Monday night.
Their win over the Tigers was as good a team performance as I have seen from any club all season.
It doesn't happen too often these days because the competition is so tight but Parramatta were so dominant you virtually knew they were going to win halfway through the first half.
The Tigers weren't up to scratch on the night but this is no mug team we are talking about.
They had won six straight leading into the game and even if they had struggled to get over the line in their previous couple of games, they wouldn't have expected to get their backsides spanked in this fashion.
Parramatta combined powerful forward surges with quick play-the-balls and promoted second phase play almost at will with a constant stream of off-loads. It was impressive stuff.
I wonder what Canberra Raiders coach Neil Henry and his staff and players were thinking as they watched the onslaught, given that they host the Eels tomorrow night?
My first piece of advice would be a defensive tip. Don't fall into the same mistake as the Tigers and tackle under the ball. They handed out invitations to the Eels' ball-runners to promote the footy by allowing them to keep their arms free.
In the modern game, you just can't afford to do that. First man into the tackle is obliged to lock up the football and that message should have been given loud and clear to the Raiders this week.
Winning the ground at the ruck is the other must for the Raiders. I lost count of the number of times the Eels attack poured over the advantage line at a retreating Tigers defence after a quick play-the-ball.
Leading the charge were the likes of Nathan Cayless, Fuifui Moimoi and Nathan Hindmarsh. Cayless seems to have found another leg under coach Michael Hagan this season and it is hard not to be impressed by the skill and sheer athleticism of second-row find Feleti Mateo.
Off the back of that, halves Tim Smith and Brett Finch, much maligned earlier in the season, were great.
They didn't make the mistake of simply funnelling the ball wide once their forward pack had given them a foot in the door. They attacked the Tigers on the fringes with short passing and the gaps opened up.
As impressive as they were the other night, this game tomorrow ranks as a good test for the Eels.
They are facing a short turnaround for one thing. And Canberra have shown already this season that while their form away from home is a problem, they are tough to beat on their home track.
Already, they have accounted for the Knights, Roosters and Dragons and their only defeats have come at the hands of competition frontrunners Manly and Melbourne. Against Parramatta in Canberra, the Raiders have won four of their past five games.
The Eels will also be missing Hindmarsh and in-form winger Jarryd Hayne, who was again dynamic against the Tigers, but even without them, Parra should fancy their chances.
