 The Eels finished an inconsistent 2000 season in 7th place.However, in the first week of the Finals series, Parramatta was involved in the biggest upset, defeating Sydney Roosters 32–8 at the Sydney Football Stadium.The Eels managed to repeat the result against local rivals Penrith Panthers the next week in a comfortable 28–10 win in front of 25,746 at the SFS, meaning that the Parramatta Eels reached their third straight NRL Preliminary Final.