AN in-form Sydney Roosters, headlined by Kiama twins Josh and Brett Morris, have overcome a James Tedesco concussion scare to hand an equally belligerent Parramatta their first defeat of the NRL season.
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In a high-quality affair which matched its blockbuster billing, the Roosters fell behind midway through the second half before storming home for the 24-10 win.
However, there were serious concerns for Tedesco, who lay prone for several minutes after his attempted tackle on a breakaway Maika Sivo.
The back of Tedesco's head hit the Bankwest Stadium turf on Saturday night and he was treated by Roosters medical officials, while a medicab also drove out onto the field.
However, the reigning Dally M medallist rose to his feet and walked into the sheds.
Sivo used Tedesco as a speed bump on his way to scoring the 59th-minute try, which gave Parramatta their first lead of the match.
The incident kickstarted an enthralling finish between the title heavyweights, with Roosters captain Boyd Cordner reclaiming the lead soon after.
The mayhem continued when Eels firebrand Nathan Brown caught opposite Victor Radley high, resulting in a melee and a Kyle Flanagan penalty goal.
It was one of four for Flanagan for the night, the last of which came after Michael Jennings was sin-binned for deliberately being offside.
Roosters winger Daniel Tupou sealed victory late in the contest, extending their winning streak to four since the coronavirus lockdown.
"The boys did well. I thought after Teddy went off, we adjusted there and come up with some critical plays was good," Roosters coach Trent Robinson said.
Parramatta did well to concede just one try during an early Roosters blitz, with Brett Morris tip-toeing down the line in the 20th minute for the opening points.
It was the only try of a high-octane first half which featured plenty of desperate try-savers from both sides, including one by Brown on a flying Tedesco.
The only other points came from the boot of Flanagan, who potted over two penalty goals due to Eels indiscretions.
Parramatta coach Brad Arthur, a former Batemans Bay Tiger, also might have put the boot into his charges during the break, with the Eels bursting out of the blocks in the second half.
Six-straight sets after the resumption resulted in their first try to Jennings, who shrugged off Joseph Manu to claim the 150th four-pointer of his career.
Jennings electrified the crowd of 579 when he outfoxed Manu a second time to send Sivo away, only for the Roosters to flex their premiership muscle.
"The effort was good and it was probably a good game of football to watch. I just think they were too professional for us at the end," Arthur said.
