The Bulldogs bit deep to record a stunning 46-12 victory over the Eels at ANZ Stadium in Round 9.
Parramatta fans rejoiced when winger Ken Sio crossed to grab the Eels a 12-6 lead on the half hour – but there would be no further joy for them throughout the afternoon, with the ’Dogs recording a rapid-fire hat-trick of tries to seize a 22-12 lead at halftime.
Canterbury ran away with the contest via four unanswered tries in the second 40;
Kris Keating, substituting for the injured Trent Hodkinson, made a stunning contribution with three try assists and three line-breaks, while NSW State of Origin centre Josh Morris bagged a hat-trick of four-pointers.
As good as the blue and whites were in attack they owed plenty to their defence which tallied just 10 missed tackles – the equal fewest by a team to date in 2012.
The Eels had no answer to the Bulldogs’ brilliant second-phase play, with 21 offloads thrown throughout the 80 minutes, including 14 in the second half. As a result they dominated the line-breaks count 7-1.
Aside from Kris Keating, Canterbury owed plenty to Ben Barba (two try assists and a game-high 10 tackle busts) as well as prop Sam Kasiano (123 metres and four offloads).
Matt Keating tried hard in a beaten side, making 41 tackles and getting away two offloads.