Injury blow to key forward leaves Sharks with a bitter taste in their mouths.
The Parramatta Eels scored a 42-24 win over the Cronulla Sharks in Parramatta on Monday night as the Blues’ State of Origin woes worsened with an injury to Andrew Fifita.
The prop went down early as the Sharks ran into a rampant Eels outfit led by full-back Jarryd Hayne and half-back Chris Sandow.
Hayne scored two impressive tries as he pushed hard for an Origin berth while man-of-the-match Sandow was brilliant in leading his team around the park.
The Eels struck first in the fourth minute through gargantuan winger Semi Radradra before the Sharks got one back via Sosaia Feki five minutes later.
The Sharks then took the lead when Wade Graham scored in the 18th minute but Hayne, Sandow, Ken Sio and Will Hopoate crossed to give the Eels a commanding lead in the 49th.
The teams traded tries before Hayne went the length of the field after swooping on a fumble four minutes from time to cap the win.
Fifita left the ground for scans on a sprained ankle adding to a bad week for New South Wales in which half-back Mitchell Pearce was involved in a police investigation and back-rower Greg Bird was charged with a grade-three dangerous throw.
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