NRL round 17: Newcastle Knights defeat Parramatta Eels 34-26
A rejuvenated performance from Blues’ halfback Mitchell Moses wasn’t enough to lift Parramatta off the bottom of the table as the Knights ran away with victory in a thriller.
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A rejuvenated performance from Blues’ halfback Mitchell Moses wasn’t enough to lift Parramatta off the bottom of the table as Newcastle secured a crucial 34-26 victory on home soil.
Fresh out of the Origin arena and straight into the last-placed Eels’ line-up, Moses stood tall once again, carrying his confidence into Parramatta’s must-win clash against the Knights on Saturday afternoon.
The blue-and-gold No. 7 was a crucial cog for the Eels as they looked to slowly peel their way off the bottom of the ladder and hit the back-end of the season in-form, largely on the back of Moses and his trusty sidekick in skipper Clint Gutherson.
However Newcastle were just as dire as their Western Sydney opponents, having not won a game since Magic Round six weeks ago, and slipping down the ladder fast. Still missing Dally M medallist Kalyn Ponga, Adam O’Brien was forced to bring another debutant into the everchanging Knights’ spine, this time English livewire Will Pryce.
What started as an end-to-end arm wrestle in Newcastle’s favour quickly shifted after a Moses chip forced rookie Fletcher Sharpe to bat the ball dead, handing Parramatta field position, and ultimately first blood.
A simple shift to the right saw Clint Gutherson send Blaize Talagi over untouched at McDonald Jones Stadium, before a confident Moses slotted the conversion from the right-hand touchline with ease.
The lead didn’t last long after a Daniel Saifiti offload sent Pryce over on debut, a one-handed effort from the front-rower handing the Englishman his maiden NRL four-pointer.
The tides may have began to turn but it didn’t stop Moses from parting the red-and-blue sea, slicing through Newcastle’s defence off a scrum play following a diabolic error from Greg Marzhew moments earlier.
The winger went to take a routine hit-up after the kick-off, dropping it cold and handing the Eels the lead once more.
The Knights’ continually giving Bradman Best early ball finally paid dividends before halftime, the centre finding Marzhew to score just his third try in 12 games this season, and draw the score back to 12-10 in Parramatta’s favour at oranges.
After crossing for just two tries across the first 11 games of his season, Marzhew scored his second of the night just minutes into the second-half after Best sent the flyer down the sideline to steamroll over and hand Newcastle their first lead in the 46th minute.
They nearly extended it twice in five minutes, Marzhew denied a treble after Kai Pearce-Paul was deemed off-side from the kick, before Best seemed to come up with a meat pie of his own, only for the Bunker to rule the centre was held up.
Instead it was the Eels who would capitalise, the seesawing affair all locked after Penisni batted the ball back for Bryce Cartwright, who found Talagi in the corner for a double.
Despite Tuala dropping a bomb on his tryline, Will continued to prove the Pryce was right after scooping up a loose Parramatta pass and racing 50 metres to swing the pendulum back the other way.
Momentum swung once more, Talagi seemingly bagging his first NRL hat-trick only for the Bunker to whip out the microscope and find the rookie grounding the ball millimetres short of the line before losing it.
But fear not blue (and gold) fans, Moses is here.
The halfback finally broke the game open in the 63rd minute, hitting the accelerators to burn Gagai again, and run 30 metres to bag his own double in front of 27,424 passionate fans.
Most of which adored him Wednesday, and despised him on Saturday.
After near misses via Marzhew and Best early in the second stanza, the Bunker couldn’t deny Newcastle a third after a magnificent pick-up and put-down from Tuala, scooping up a Gagai grubber to tie it up before golden boot Hastings slotted it from the touchline.
The Bunker did however deny Tuala a second after spotting a minuscule Fletcher Sharpe knock on in the lead up. However it was a bobble in the opposite corner that once again swung this pendulum, Talagi overrunning Penisini’s pass, and sending Best on a 90-metre run to the line.
Deja vu minutes later handed Best another long-range try to put the game to rest, securing an eight-point victory to keep Newcastle in the hunt for a finals spot, and Parramatta languishing to the bottom of the table.
THE PRYCE IS RIGHT
It took more than half the season for Adam O’Brien to unleash this 21-year-old English sensation on the NRL, and now it’s hard to see the Knights continue on without him this season.
A poor performance from Jack Cogger against Penrith a fortnight ago had pundits again calling for Pryce’s debut, O’Brien finally caving to the pressure of three consecutive losses, and the youngster certainly lived up to the hype.
While many were expecting flashy footwork and blinding speed, it was Pryce’s composure that shined the brightest, a number of deft kicks keeping the Knights afloat, as well as a debut try to cap off a memorable night.
MOSES SAVES THE STATE, BUT CAN HE SAVE HIS CLUB?
It’s been a memorable week for Mitchell Moses, putting up a dominant display in his fourth game in sky blue, only to return to the 17th-placed Eels and just as much pressure on the mercurial seven.
Fortunately for the Eels, Moses didn’t leave his cape in camp after another super performance in the Hunter, scoring two solo tries on the back of his speed, and some crucial kicks that had the Eels on the verge of a crucial win.
While the Eels couldn’t find the win in the end, it certainly wasn’t down to their halfback’s efforts, elevating himself in the past few weeks into the elite category.
NEWCASTLE REGAINING THEIR GRIT
It’s easy to find an excuse for the Knights at times, whether it be injuries or the bounce of the ball at times, but there’s no doubt Newcastle are taking their performances into their own hands.
Missing the incumbent Dally M medallist, you couldn’t blame the Knights for packing it in at times and throwing in the towel, but their fightback in the Penrith game before finding the win tonight really solidified the Newcastle DNA; the grit, the desire, and the ability.
In front of 27,000 fans, it’s the type of win the diehard’s cry out for, ensuring that win or loss, there’s passion in the jersey. Halfback Jackson Hastings has personified it in recent weeks, taking it straight to the opposition and going looking for their chances.
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