As it happened: Eels defeat Bulldogs to climb into sixth place

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Full-time: Parramatta have climbed into sixth position with a dominant victory over the Bulldogs at CommBank Stadium. The pressure is now on the Titans, who need to defeat the Raiders on Saturday afternoon to get back in front of the Eels and secure a finals berth. 

Parramatta ran in six second half tries to turn a 14-8 half-time lead into a commanding 46-14 victory.

69th minute: The Eels have put an exclamation mark on a dominant second half, with Kiana Takairangi finishing off another well-worked left-edge shift to score her second try of the night. Eels 46 - Bulldogs 14.

66th minute: That is some sensational rugby league, with Rachael Pearson producing another pin-point bomb. Martha Mataele took the catch before outmuscling Elizabeth MacGregor to ground the ball before falling into touch. Eels 42 - Bulldogs 14. 

64th minute: Parramatta have launched their second Captain's Challenge, with the Eels requesting a penalty for a late tackle on Abbi Church. The Bunker concurs, with Tayla Preston pinged for the indiscretion. Eels 38 - Bulldogs 14.

60th minute: The Eels are kicking clear now, with Rueben Cherrington capitalising on some unstructured attack to score her side's seventh try of the night. The hosts kept the ball alive with a string of offloads before Cherrington made the most of a scrambling defensive line to dart her way through. Eels 38 - Bulldogs 14.

57th minute: Rachael Pearson has been in the thick of the action tonight and now she has a try of her own. The halfback's kicking game has been superb, with another bomb generating a response. Lindsay Tui kept the ball alive before Pearson battled her way through some heavy defence to slam the ball down. Eels 32 - Bulldogs 14.

52nd minute: The Eels have responded immediately, with Lindsay Tui and Chloe Jackson breaking free down the right sideline. Jackson was eventually dragged down, but Parramatta immediately shifted the ball left and Abbi Church made the most of the retreating defence to score a simple try. Eels 26 - Bulldogs 14

49th minute: The Bulldogs aren't going anywhere and Andie Robinson has produced a sensational solo try. The fullback threw a dummy to slice through the Eels defensive line before throwing another dummy to wrongfoot Abbi Church and dive over the a crucial try.

More bad news for the Eels, with Ryvrr-Lee Alo ruled out for the remainder of the contest with a shoulder injury. Eels 20 - Bulldogs 14

44th minute: The Eels have been rewarded for their early defensive resolve, with a barnstorming Elsie Albert charging over for the first try of the second half. The Papua New Guinea star got the ball 10 metres out from the try line and the Bulldogs defence never looked like stopping her. Eels 20 - Bulldogs 8.

40th minute: Canterbury started the second as they did the first, with Tayla Preston producing a 40-30 to hand her side an early attacking chance. Parramatta's defence was desperate and held up multiple players over the line. While the Bulldogs forced a repeat set, the opportunity came to an end when a roll ball was called.

The Eels have been dealt a blow, however, with Ryvrr-Lee Alo leaving the field with an apparent shoulder injury. Eels 14 - Bulldogs 8.

Kick-off: We are back for the second half, with Parramatta well-placed to take a big step towards the finals. The Eels need a win to put the pressure back on the Titans in the battle for sixth place. Canterbury, however, won't let that happen easily and controlled large portions of the first half. Eels 14 - Bulldogs 8.

Half-time: The Bulldogs dominated the opening 15 minutes of the contest but they trail at the break after a late Parramatta flurry. The Eels defence throughout the early exchanges kept them in the game and their red-zone attack was superb when opportunities popped up. Halfback Rachael Pearson has been outstanding and she'll be looking to steer her side to victory after the break as they chase a finals berth. Eels 14 - Bulldogs 8.

31st minute: Abbi Church certainly isn't the tallest person on the field but she may have the biggest leap after she outjumped the Bulldogs defenders to pluck a Rachael Pearson bomb out of the air. The Eels fullback held on to the ball despite a collision with the goalpost and the hosts have their first lead of the night.

In more positive news for Parramatta, Chloe Jackson is back on the field after passing her HIA. Eels 14 - Bulldogs 8.

27th minute: Opportunities have been limited for the Eels in the first half but they've capitalised on them when they've popped up. This time it's Fleur Ginn who produced a big left-foot step to break through the defensive line and level the scores. Eels 8 - Bulldogs 8.

21st minute: Ash Quinlan and Elizabeth MacGregor have connected for the second time tonight to put the Bulldogs in front. Canterbury received a penalty after Tayla Preston was hit while kicking the ball, with prop Ma’atuleio Fotu-Moala producing a barnstorming carry to stretch the Eels defence. Quinlan identified the opportunity and lobbed the ball over the top to MacGregor for the try. Eels 4 - Bulldogs 8.

19th minute: Eels youngster Chloe Jackson is off for an HIA after her head landed heavily on the turf when she was bumped off attempting to make a tackle. The replacement came after Rachael Pearson made a line break, with the Bulldogs desperately defending their line to repel their opponents. Eels 4 - Bulldogs 4.

17th minute: We're off to the Bunker, with Andie Robinson coming agonisingly close to putting her team in front. The Bulldogs ran the ball on the last and got a result when a pass was touched by the Eels. The tackle set restarted but they kept it alive with Robinson diving to the line. The fullback, however, dropped the ball while attempting it to ground it in some desperate cover defence. The Bunker ruled the initial touch went backwards, meaning Parramatta will receive the ball. Eels 4 - Bulldogs 4.

12th minute: The Captain's Challenge turned out to be a big moment in this half. Parramatta got a penalty a few plays after the successful challenge and they've immediately capitalised on the opportunity. It was a slick left-edge move, with Kiana Takairangi scoring in the corner. Eels 4 - Bulldogs 4

9th minute: We have a Parramatta Captain's Challenge, with Elsie Albert appealing a ruling of ruck interference. The ball was placed on Albert's foot, the call is overturned and the Eels breathe a big sigh of relief. An Abbi Church error had put the Bulldogs back on the attack but the successful challenge finally hands Parramatta their first set of six. Eels 0 - Bulldogs 4.

4th minute: It's a dream start for the visitors, with an early penalty putting the Bulldogs on the attack. Tayla Preston forced a line drop out before Ash Quinlan produced a superb cutout pass to send Elizabeth MacGregor over in the corner. Eels 0 - Bulldogs 4

Kick-off: We are underway at CommBank Stadium, with Parramatta needing a win to keep their finals hopes alive. An Eels win would see them leapfrog the Titans ahead of their clash with Canberra on Saturday. The Bulldogs are riding high after last week's victory over the Sharks and have their sights on another upset tonight. Eels 0 - Bulldogs 0.

Late Mail

Eels: No further changes on game day after skipper Mahalia Murphy was withdrawn from the second row a day out from the game. England international Paige Travis starts the game with Fontayne Tufuga promoted to the bench. Taneka Todhunter is the 18th player. Earlier, Elsie Albert is set to return from an ankle injury that forced her out of last week's win over Wests Tigers. The prop's return will see Boss Kapua shift to the interchange. Parramatta need a win and a Titans loss to climb into the top six.

Bulldogs: A late change with Pani Hopoate being rested and Hope Millard joining the bench. Holli Wheeler will start at prop after coming off the bench in the past two games. The Bulldogs need a big win to keep their slim finals hopes alive.