NRL: Eels beat Broncos in thriller

A late Luke Burt field goal inspired Parramatta to a 21-14 NRL victory over Brisbane tonight, handing the Broncos their fourth straight defeat.

With scores locked 14-14 at Parramatta Stadium, Burt stepped up to nail a 35m field goal under intense pressure after Broncos skipper Darren Lockyer had earlier slipped during his 35m effort.

Eels five-eighth Daniel Mortimer then sealed the result in the 79th minute when he sliced through to score next to the posts to the delight of the 10,030 fans.

It was a brilliant win by the Eels, after they led 8-4 at half time by producing some razzle dazzle football with tries to Eric Grothe and Joel Reddy.

Grothe scored off a sweeping backline play in the 23rd minute, then set up Reddy four minutes later as he brushed off four defenders before giving his centre a 40m run to the tryline.

Broncos centre Steve Michaels scored for the visitors in the 33rd minute against the run of play after an error by the Eels early in their tackle count.

Eels centre Krisnan Inu scored a 90m intercept try seven minutes after the break when he snatched a Darren Lockyer pass from the air.

The Broncos responded with a try to hooker Andrew McCullough before Michaels added his second in the 63rd minute to level scores at 14-14.

The Eels had three genuine tryscoring opportunities in the final 15 minutes, fullback Jarryd Hayne pulled down by Antonio Winterstein after a 70m break and then by Lockyer four minutes later with the tryline beckoning.

Prop Fuifui Moimoi made a bust inside his own half but then refused to pass to an unmarked Mortimer and tried to trample over Karmichael Hunt but was brought to the ground.

In the end Moimoi's mistake didn't matter as the Eels claimed their fifth win of the season. They remain in 12th position but are now only three points outside the top eight.

It is the fourth straight defeat for the Broncos and has seen Brisbane drop outside the top eight for the first time in 2009.

Adding further misery to Brisbane's mid-season slump is a medial ligament knee injury to prop Nick Kenny and ankle complaint for star fullback Karmichael Hunt.

Kenny limped from the field early in just the 11th minute after a heavy three-man tackle from Nathan Hindmarsh, Nathan Cayless and Tim Mannah.

Hunt sustained an ankle injury after a collision with Mannah in just the third minute, but played out the entire game following a pain-killing injection at half time.

- AAP