A shocking run of injuries have hurt Cronulla as the Sharks went down 24-12 to Parramatta on Saturday night.
The Eels said farewell to ANZ Stadium in style with two tries in each half enough to down a brave Cronulla side.
New Cronulla head coach John Morris was forced to send out a young side of baby Sharks after a horror run of injuries.
With Cronulla already without Matt Moylan (hamstring) and co-captains Wade Graham (knee) and Paul Gallen (ribs), the Sharks lost New Zealand international Shaun Johnson before the game with quadriceps tightness.
Johnson's absence saw Kyle Flanagan make his second NRL appearance at five-eighth as 18-year-old Bronson Xerri made his debut in the centres.
Along with Flanagan and Xerri, Cronulla also had Briton Nikora and Blayke Brailey in the side with the pair only playing their fourth NRL games after making their first grade debuts in round one. The quartet had just seven games of NRL experience between them heading into the match.
After losing Johnson pre-game, Cronulla also lost Josh Dugan to a head knock after five minutes, though the fullback returned after passing his head injury assessment. The Sharks then lost Aaron Woods after half-time with a suspected broken foot.
The young Sharks were brave in defeat against a resurgent Parramatta who improved their record to three wins from their opening four games as they climbed to fifth.
Parramatta took the lead after just seven minutes when Marata Niukore was on the spot to touch down after Sosaia Feki failed to hold onto the ball as Blake Ferguson challenged him for a high kick.
Eels hooker Reed Mahoney had a try disallowed after he lost the ball thanks to a desperate Jayden Brailey tackle.
Cronulla hit back against the run of play just before the half hour mark. Ferguson failed to deal with a Chad Townsend grubber kick close to the line allowing Feki to touch down to level the scores.
The Eels took the lead back just before half-time after a slick shift to the right saw Brad Takairangi score out wide to give Parramatta a 12-6 advantage at the break.
Cronulla were fortunate to be level just after half-time thanks to a questionable penalty after Josh Morris was dragged into touch. The Sharks made the hosts pay, with a trick play from the re-start allowing Feki to complete his 12th career double.
The Sharks weren't level for long as Michael Jennings made the most of Dugan's fumble from a Moses grubber kick to score next to the posts on 52 minutes.
Cronulla battled bravely to level the scores for a third time but the Eels held firm before finally sealing the result seven minutes from full-time as Jennings completed his own double after good work from Moses and Ferguson.
The win also saw the Eels regain the Johnny Mannah Cup.
The Sharks now face a tricky run of fixtures. They host reigning premiers the Sydney Roosters next Saturday night before they welcome Penrith to shire. They then head to Brisbane to face the Broncos, with the Sharks desperate to get some of their injured troops back on the park.
Leader Scoreboard
Parramatta Eels 24 (Michael Jennings two, Marata Niukore, Brad Takairangi tries. Mitchell Moses four goals)
defeated
Cronulla Sharks 12 (Sosaia Feki two tries. Kyle Flanagan two goals)
at ANZ Stadium, Sydney Olympic Park
Leader man of the match: Mitchell Moses (Eels)
Sharks' next three: Roosters (home), Panthers (home), Broncos (away)
