Parramatta have used Nathan Hindmarsh's record-breaking 266th game to get their NRL season back on track with a 22-8 victory over an error-riddled South Sydney at ANZ Stadium.

The Eels overcame a woeful first half of their own and an 8-2 deficit at the interval to finally find some form in the second 40, giving co-captain Hindmarsh reason to celebrate eclipsing Brett Kenny's 265-game record for the club.

Parramatta's season had been teetering on the edge at 1-4, but the pre-season premiership favourites did enough in a match marred by 31 errors from both sides.

Hindmarsh was planning to celebrate, albeit heading out for dinner to his mother Fiona's 60th birthday party with the large contingent of his family amongst Sunday's crowd of 25,152 .

"I love having him in the team," Eels coach Daniel Anderson said of Hindmarsh, who he said would be considered for the co-captaincy with Nathan Cayless again next week.

"I've coached him when he was a young kid and I am very fortunate to have him now as an old kid.

"He is the ultimate competitor."

Centre Timana Tahu was inspirational, scoring the Eels' first try four minutes after the break and forcing the ball loose in a bone-rattling tackle on Jamie Simpson which led to the second.

A minute later a lackadaisical Rhys Wesser was beaten to a Daniel Mortimer kick by a flying Luke Burt and Parramatta hit the lead for the first time in the match at 14-8.

Mortimer sealed the deal with a 70th-minute effort which he had started with a popped pass, the conversion making it 22-8.

"I thought we were relentless for the first time this year - it was an 80-minute performance which is tremendously satisfying for the club," Anderson said.

A ludicrous second-half sideshow of sin-binnings resulted in Cayless being sent to the sidelines for repeated stripping infringements and, two minutes later, Souths centre Beau Champion copping 10 for a high shot.

The binnings followed repeated lectures from referees Ben Cummins and Gerrard Sutton that had commentators fuming.

"(It was) a bit harsh but he squared it up when he sent one of theirs for something they probably didn't need to be sent for," Hindmarsh said.

"It was a bit of a surprise to everyone. I think Souths were a bit surprised as well when it happened."

Souths coach John Lang was also mystified.

"I don't even know what their bloke got sin-binned for to be perfectly honest and ours was for a high tackle," he said.

"I didn't think you could get sin-binned for a high tackle."

In an error-strewn first half, the Eels managed a woeful 44 per cent completion rate but Souths' handling wasn't much better and there had been 20 mistakes by the break.

Two well-executed backline plays in the fourth and 22nd minutes resulted in tries to Souths winger Fetuli Talanoa and centre Colin Best.

Souths went into the match minus six first grade forwards after captain Roy Asotasi and Michael Crocker were both ruled out before kick-off and Lang said he was unsure whether the pair would be available for next Sunday's trip to Canberra.

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