Down 10-0 in as many minutes on Friday at CommBank Stadium, the Sharks No.1 grabbed his first career hat-trick as Cronulla condemned the Eels to consecutive losses to start the season.
The Eels will rue the defeat as a missed opportunity after starting so strongly in halfback Mitchell Moses' 200th NRL game.
Moses grabbed two tries but the loss leaves his side 0-2 to start the 2023 campaign, with fixtures against Manly, Penrith and the Sydney Roosters on the horizon before the end of March.
The frustrating thing for Eels coach Brad Arthur will be that his side was at their full-throttle best in the early stages, with J'Maine Hopgood able to sneak an offload away for Reagan Campbell-Gillard to barge over.
Parramatta were willing to spread the ball and they struck gold when captain Clint Gutherson tipped the ball on late - before getting crunched by Jesse Ramien - with Maika Sivo touching down.
Ramien received no sanction from referee Gerard Sutton as Gutherson went off for a head injury assessment and later returned.
But while the Eels No.1 was off, the Sharks were able to get themselves into gear.
Braydon Trindall continued his excellent form as a fill-in for Nicho Hynes to set up tries for Briton Nikora and Will Kennedy in quick succession.
Kennedy dropped a bomb which allowed Moses to dart over for his first try of the night before the Sharks fullback backed up an incisive break by Matt Moylan to put Cronulla up 18-14 at the halftime break.
Sivo had a second soon after the interval as the Fijian trampled over Sione Katoa put the Eels back in front.
Parramatta were really beginning to turn the screw, but all the pressure was released when Ronaldo Mulitalo picked off a pass on his own line from Gutherson.
Mulitalo charged down field and while Moses was able to stop him 30 metres out, Kennedy was able to sidestep his way through two Eels defenders and register his first NRL hat-trick.
Moylan then spotted Parramatta winger Bailey Simonsson out of position and was able to chip over his head for Mulitalo to collect and plant down.
Moses grabbed a late try and they went in the hunt for a late score, but the Sharks were able to hold on and secure their first win of the season.Â
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