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Parramatta winger Blake Ferguson has gone from from zero to hero in a 36-22 NRL win over Wests Tigers at Stadium Australia as the Eels stay unbeaten in 2021.
Blake Ferguson will be haunted by Adam Doueihi's bombs but the Parramatta winger had the last laugh in a 36-22 NRL win over Wests Tigers.
The undefeated Eels held on against a fast-finishing Tigers side who scored two late tries to get within two points until a flurry of activity in the dying minutes.
Clint Gutherson's try in the 78th minute put the result beyond doubt in the 11-try spectacle after a messy afternoon with the ball for the Eels.
But the action continued until after the siren when Ferguson plucked the ball out of the air to race down the sideline and score his second try to ease the pain of a tough day at the office.
He had a wobbly afternoon in front of the biggest crowd of the NRL season at Stadium Australia, with the 29,056 fans holding their breath each time he was under the high ball.
The off-contract winger slipped and missed the opening kick-off which was then knocked on by prop Junior Paulo to start a comedy of errors for the Eels' backs under Doueihi's bombs.
The Tigers five-eighth revived the magic of the boot in the traditional Easter Monday clash with both Gutherson and Ferguson struggling to reign them in.
The persistence to send them Ferguson's way paid off for Doueihi just before halftime.
He dropped a thundering bomb and Moses Mbye was on the spot to clean it up, flicking it to Luke Brooks who passed to Stefano Utoikamanu who scored.
"They were some tremendous kicks, but he responded well and just had to move on from it, there's nothing you can do about it," said Eels coach Brad Arthur.
"He just moved on and I thought he handled himself really well in the second half.
"We knew once he dropped that ball they were going to keep coming that way.
"But he's a very good winger, he knows how to catch the footy."
Ferguson wasn't the only one with a case of the dropsies
A completion rate of just 76 per cent and 11 errors left Arthur questioning heir respect for the ball despite an unbeaten start to the year.
A chip kick from Gutherson in the final minute of the second half put the Eels ahead 20-10 at the break and gifted Tom Opacic his double for the day.
But after Ferguson scored his first for the afternoon just after halftime, the Tigers ran in two quick tries to Doueihi and Jacob Liddle to push the Eels all the way.
"We made it hard for ourselves in the first 20 minutes and that's probably the most disappointing part," said Tigers coach Michael Maguire.
"We managed to fight our way back throughout the game and it was there to be taken, and that's the next question for us."
The Eels will try to extend their unbeaten start to the season against St George Illawarra on Sunday.
The Tigers will be looking for their second win in 2021 when they host lowly North Queensland at Leichhardt.
