Josh Addo-Carr has staked his claim for a NSW State of Origin return, scoring a hat-trick of tries as Canterbury stunned Parramatta 34-4 in the biggest boilover of the 2022 NRL season.
Two weeks out from Origin II, Addo-Carr produced a near-faultless display on the wing while Matt Burton also starred in a Bulldogs domination at Accor Stadium.
It was easily Canterbury's best performance since the end of 2018, piling on the points against a genuine NRL heavyweight.
Parramatta were poor, off their game in attack as they squandered early chances while struggling in defence.
But the story of the day was Addo-Carr and his first hat-trick in Bulldogs colours, which could not have come at a better time.
Controversially dropped for the Origin series opener, Addo-Carr has now scored five tries in the two matches since his NSW axing became official.
His replacement Daniel Tupou's status for Game II remains up in the air.
Doubts surround Tupou playing for NSW because he could make himself available for Tonga in the Pacific Test to be held 24 hours before the Origin game.
Tupou had initially been picked in the series opener for his height, but his high-leaping opposite number Xavier Coates was injured in Queensland's win and won't play in Perth.
All of that could lead to Addo-Carr's recall, with the former Melbourne flyer doing everything to help his cause on Sunday.
He had Canterbury's first try when Burton hit him on the chest with a perfect cross-field kick early in the set in the eighth minute, allowing him to score untouched.
Addo-Carr's speed and acceleration was also crucial in his next try, charging down a Burton grubberkick early in the second half.
And his third try put the icing on the cake for the Bulldogs, collecting a Clint Gutherson pass and intercepting it to go 50 metres to score.
Burton was in everything and the five-eighth is starting to flourish after a quiet start to his Bulldogs career.
His afternoon was best summed up by a one-minute passage of play late in the game when he knocked the ball out of Mitch Moses' hands as the Eels halfback was about to score under the posts.
Team stats
From the ensuing set, Burton produced a perfect on-the-run grubberkick for Jake Averillo to score.
The try was Averillo's second, after he also pulled off an 80-metre intercept in the first half just before Jacob Kiraz also went 50 metres after running on to a Kyle Flanagan pass.
For all of Canterbury's brilliance, this was easily the worst performance of Parramatta's season.
They failed to put any kick pressure on Burton and were sloppy across the 80 minutes.
Brad Arthur's men made a mess of their last-tackle play at the end of their first set of six tackles and were denied a try soon after for an obstruction.
It took 60 minutes for Parramatta to cross again through Will Penisini, but by then the game was over and questions were being asked about their lack of consistency in 2022.
AAP
