Mitch Moses stepped up in Parramatta’s moment of need to consign a wasteful North Queensland to a 33-30 golden-point defeat in Townsville.
Adding more pain to the Cowboys and Queensland, halfback Tom Dearden was injured in a tackle and limped off the field just weeks before State of Origin kicks off on May 27.
On a night when Jason Taumalolo became the most-capped Cowboy (295 games), the Eels never shied away from the emotionally charged NRL fixture at Queensland Country Bank Stadium on Friday.
Leading by eight points with 10 minutes remaining, the Cowboys were in the box seat to seal their seventh victory in eight games.
But Parramatta flicked a switch as Jordan Samrani crossed in the 75th minute, before Moses orchestrated a try for Joash Papalii to level the scores.
Moses missed the conversion attempt and then a two-point field goal to seal victory.
But with the game going into golden point, the halfback kept his cool to slot the winning field goal before a penalty in the lead-up meant the Eels secured another two points.
Victory came as Parramatta were without starting hooker Ryley Smith (sternum injury), centre Will Penisini (osteitis pubis), and Jonah Pezet (suspension).
But North Queensland coughed up a mammoth 17 errors to keep the door ajar for Parramatta, who picked up their second win in seven games.
Not only will the Cowboys hope Dearden can recover after he was left clutching his ankle, but Soni Luke also left the field early after his knee buckled under a tackle from prop Junior Paulo.
Regardless, Dearden provided a State of Origin preview for Maroons supporters, assisting in three tries, while hooker Reed Mahoney made a game-high 47 tackles.
It took just over two minutes for the first try, when Samrani capitalised on a kick, and the Eels moved right to find Brian Kelly in the corner.
The home team hit back when Dearden dispatched a short ball to the barnstorming second-rower Heilum Luki.
Parramatta crossed next when Tallyn Da Silva picked up the ball and scuttled over the line, but the Cowboys responded through the newly re-signed Jake Clifford in the 30th minute.
Trailing 12-10, Parramatta capitalised on a North Queensland error when Ronald Volkman poked a grubber through to a diving Josh Addo-Carr.
But centre Tom Chester went on a blistering run before young gun Jaxon Purdue produced some fancy footwork to re-establish the Cowboys’ lead.
Minutes later, Luki pierced through a gap and handed the ball off to Dearden, who threw it to a running Mahoney, and he strolled over untouched.
Addo-Carr crossed for his second when he picked off a Dearden pass, but Chester (228 metres) grabbed a much-deserved four-pointer to inch the Cowboys ahead again.
That wasn’t the end of the drama, though, as Samrani stormed over before the centre handed off a ball down the right flank to Papalii to level scores.
Clifford thought he had scored the game-winning field goal, but it was touched, before Moses’ attempt was charged down, sending the match into golden point.
The Parramatta halfback stayed composed to guide home the match-clinching field goal.
AAP