Zac Lomax dominates as Parramatta Eels win 28-6 over Newcastle Knights

In their final opportunity to impress NSW selectors, Zac Lomax and Mitchell Moses passed with flying colours, while pressure is building on Knights coach Adam O’Brien after another poor performance.

The Parramatta Eels have soured Dane Gagai’s 300th NRL game, overcoming Newcastle 28-6 to snare their third win of the season.

Heading into the match 2-7 and firmly in last place, it’s easy to forget that until tonight, marquee signing Zac Lomax and skipper Mitchell Moses were yet to play a game together in clubland.

The two forged a strong combination in the Origin arena last season before being reinforced at the end of 2024 after the pair both made their Kangaroos debut, which picked up where it left off on Friday night.

Meanwhile Newcastle have hit a new low this season, losing to the Titans despite leading 20-0 early on, the last-minute loss leaving Adam O’Brien with one win from his last eight games.

After a sloppy opening ten minutes, it was New South Wales’ likely five-eighth in Moses that opened up the scoring, leaping through the air to take a Dylan Brown cross-field kick to dot down next to the posts.

Zac Lomax has surely secured himself another NSW Blues call up after dominating the Knights in his return from injury. Picture: NRL Imagery

The Origin chatter may have landed the spotlight on Moses, however the pressure was firmly on his halves partner Brown, facing the Knights for the first time since inking a ten-year, $13 million deal with the club in March.

If either half were nervous running around at McDonald Jones Stadium, it certainly didn’t show as Moses popped up again to extend the Eels’ lead.

A short-ball to aging prop Junior Paulo saw the front-rower pop the ball out to Moses, firing a ball to Will Penisini out wide as the centre sent Lomax over for a try in his Origin audition.

The former Dragon was one of the Blues’ best in 2024, however a broken foot in Round 5 meant Friday’s clash against the Knights was Lomax’s only chance to hit the field before the Origin opener in 12 days.

The centre-turned-winger soared over NRL debutant Fletcher Hunt again and again in the opening stanza, though couldn’t extend the lead past 10-0.

Skipper Mitch Moses reflected on the winger’s efforts post-game, and wjat his presence alone does for his team mates.

“He’s (Lomax) just a quality player. Any time you have quality players come into your side, you feel confident, you grow an extra leg.

“Everyone has a lot more energy.”

The story was the same as weeks gone by for Newcastle, popping up in strong field position only for the final pass to hit the turf.

It’s been a double-edged sword for the red-and-blue this season, either throwing caution to the wind and dropping the footy, or playing conservative without managing to threaten the opposition’s defence.

Their lack of attack stretched firmly into the second-half, struggling to find that last pass as their spine struggled to organise the side.

Lomax had his brace midway through the second period, a near-bobble from Penisini launched out wide to the incumbent Blue, dotting down in the corner to extend the lead to 16-0.

Newcastle would only implode further from there, another error from young Hunt handing Parramatta key field position heading into the game’s final quarter.

While they couldn’t find the line, yet another infringement from O’Brien’s side saw import Kai Pearce-Paul sent to the sin-bin, slamming the flood gates wide open.

The Newcastle Knights woes continue after another poor performance. Picture: NRL Imagery

A bittersweet moment saw the man Newcastle have leveraged their future on, Dylan Brown, slide over under the sticks on the ball of a Josh Addo-Carr line break, before a short-ball from Moses to Jordan Samrani handed the Eels a 28-0 lead, and the youngster his first NRL try.

It took Newcastle 75 minutes just to trouble the scorers against the NRL’s last-placed side, a shift to the right giving the milestone man Gagai a chance to shine in his 300th.

The former Maroon shimmied to the right, drawing the winger before finding James Schiller with a flick pass, sending the speedster down the touchline to cut the lead to 22.

It’s a loss O’Brien could sense coming after the opening stanza.

“I think early on, our lack of forward power in the middle when we had five or six out, it really dented our confidence and made us try and go around teams.

“We’re not firing through the middle as much as we’d like’”

The loss leaves Newcastle in equal last, only a better for-and-against keeping the struggling side above Parramatta and the Gold Coast.

The result does set up two key clashes next weekend, as Parramatta chase consecutive wins for the first time this season against Manly, while Newcastle will face a Penrith side missing a host of stars to State of Origin.

Just the third win in his NRL coaching career, rookie mentor Jason Ryles wasn’t carried away following the win.

“I thought we played better our last two games than tonight, but we still found a way to win and win well. We’ve had a real focus on how we want to play our footy and how we want to build our game, and it’s getting there.

“It was just good to see that on the scoreboard tonight.”

ONE TRICK PONGA

The Newcastle skipper might be the faourite to wear Queensland’s No. 1 jersey in under two weeks time, however Kalyn Ponga has been dishing up far from his best of late.

While the focus of their struggling attack has fallen on their revolving door in the halfback position, it’s their skipper whose numbers have been way down this season.

Ponga has scored in just one game over the last 13 months, and doesn’t look like crossing anytime soon.

While the onus is on Ponga to create, it’s a rough patch that the skipper can see the silver lining to.

“People are learning some harsh lessons, that’s for sure, but as long as they’re lessons, it’s all you can really ask for.”

Mitchell Moses may have also done enough to keep his NSW jersey. Picture: Getty Images

MOSES MAGIC REIGNITES ALL-RIGHT DEBATE

It’s almost certain, Mitchell Moses will feature in Laurie Daley’s first State of Origin team-list. However, plans to shift the halfback to fie-eighth and shunt him to the left could be up in arms.

Moses was close to a Wally Lewis medal in 2024 despite playing two games, leading the Blues to a series win, including the state’s third-ever decider win at Suncorp Stadium.

However the return of Nathan Cleary looks set to push Moses left, which seems silly after re-igniting his combination on the right with aerial specialist Zac Lomax.

It’s a combo that the Blues will be desperate for in that fast-paced arena.

Dane Gagai was solid, but it was a night to forget for the 300 gamer. Picture: Getty Images

GAGAI ENTERS RARE AIR

Dane Gagai became the 54th NRL player to chalk up 300 games in the top-flight competition on Friday night, a journey that was nearly cut short in 2012 after his fall from the Brisbane Broncos.

A highly-touted teenager, the Broncos cut the centre loose for disciplinary reasons before being picked up by the Knights under Wayne Bennett’s tutelage, and the rest is history.

Two stints with the Knights amassing 202 NRL games, a Grand Final appearance with South Sydney in-between and a hell of a rep career, Gagai may not have won the battle on Friday night, but he’s certainly won the war.