Electrifying Fiji Bati winger Maika Sivo scored four tries in Parramatta Eels’ 32-18 triumph over defending champions the Penrith Panthers in Round 26 of NRL on Thursday.
Despite their season coming to an end, Eels finished on a high note in the derby clash before a sold out BlueBet Stadium crowd.
Just three minutes into the match, Ryan Gutherson and Dylan Brown set up Sivo to send him over to score in the left corner and Clinton Gutherson converted for a 6-0 lead but shortly after Tyrone Peachey went over the try line to score for the Panthers to merge the scoreline at 6-4.
In the 18th minute, Hopgood replaced Wiremu Greig and he produced two offloads in the next set before flipping the ball to Sivo to score his second try.
Sivo was awarded an eight-point try after being hit high by rookie Penrith fullback Jesse McLean as he crossed in the corner but Gutherson missed the conversion.
Eels’ five-eighth Daejarn Asi combined with Gutherson and centre Bailey Simonsson to create a room out wide for the Fijian speedster to score his hat-trick in the 24th minute.
Gutherson converted and landed a penalty goal before he scored a try of his own to give the Eels an impressive 22-4 lead at the break.
The Eels kept applying pressure and Gutherson grabbed his second try which he converted but this time the Panthers regrouped and came out strong scoring three tries through Nathan Cleary, Liam Martin, Tom Jenkins but Cleary converted once only.
Sivo rounded off the night with his fourth try securing a wide-long cross from Will Penisini to seal the win.
The rampaging winger has scored 33 tries in his past 36 games, including 20 this season.
