Cronulla has officially lost the plot after a long and unsuccessful NRL season - being thrashed 74-4 by Parramatta.

Frustrated captain David Peachey and forward Dale Newton were sent off and Danny Nutley sin-binned as the ill-tempered Sharks were left with 10 men at one stage of their record loss at a cold and wet Parramatta Stadium.

It was the Eels' biggest win of all time - and worst for Cronulla.

Australian centre Jamie Lyons' five tries was also a club record for the Eels, whose slim finals hopes were kept alive because of their drastically improved percentages.

As tempers frayed, Peachey was marched in the 47th minute for back-chatting referee Shayne Hayne, who claimed the Sharks' captain had been "waving his arms" at him during conversation.

Danny Nutley was sin-binned in the next minute for more talk to the referee, and then Newton was dismissed one minute later for a high tackle on Daniel Heckenberg.

The Eels, who needed a huge win to stay in the finals equation - depending on other results - ran in 14 tries - all of their points coming unanswered after the Sharks had posted the first try to second-rower Paul Gallen in the 17th minute.

Peachey, whose loss of patience was evident late in the first half when he threw a flurry of punches at the head of Eels forward Darren Treacy, kept questioning Hayne early in the second stanza until the whistleblower had heard enough.

Nutley also directed too many words at Hayne before Newton let his high tackle do the talking.

Cronulla's State of Origin representative Phil Bailey was lucky not to get a 10-minute rest as well as he let Hayne know what he thought of the officiating.

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