Round 7, 2019: Newcastle 28 Parramatta 14

NRL.com

Knights v Eels: Ferguson returns for Parra as Brown stays loyal

The Knights haven't quite hit rock bottom with last week's road loss to the Titans but they're getting awfully close.

Their season-opening home win over the Sharks is a distant memory and a loss to the Eels would effectively bury their finals hopes after just seven rounds.

Nathan Brown knows the knives are out and the coach is under massive pressure to avoid a sixth straight loss.

Parra celebrated last week's opening of their brand new stadium with a 51-6 rout of the Tigers and will be strengthened by the return of Blake Ferguson (ribs) after he was a game-day withdrawal in round six.

The Rundown

Team news

Knights: Nathan Brown has kept faith in the same 17 which was humbled by the Titans last week with Connor Watson keeping the five-eighth job and Mason Lino among the reserves. The under fire coach will be hoping senior men Pearce, Klemmer and Glasby can give a vocal home crowd something to cheer about as they look to restore some pride.

Eels: Winger Blake Ferguson has been named to return after missing the christening of Bankwest Stadium with a rib injury. Tepai Moeroa has been promoted to the starting side with Peni Terepo reverting to the bench. Prop Daniel Alvaro, who failed an HIA in Monday's game, has been named to face the Knights. Manu Ma'u has been named among the reserves as he nears a return from a knee injury suffered during the trials.

Key match-up

The battle of the Mitchells - Pearce and Moses - will have a big bearing on the final score. Newcastle are supposed to make the top eight this year but they're a long way from that happening. Pearce has been under fire from Knights fans and needs to prove he's still among the game's upper echelon of halfbacks.

For the Knights to win

Is age catching up with Pearce? Is Ponga suffering from a form of second-year syndrome? Has Brown lost the players' respect? Just some of the many questions being tossed around about the slumping Knights. It's no secret they need to get their defence and attack sorted, but it's mostly all about pride this week.

For the Eels to win

First and foremost, the Eels better be ready for an early barrage from the struggling Knights. They have to weather the expected onslaught and patiently stick to Brad Arthur's game plan because it might not be as easy as their Easter Monday romp against the Tigers. Parra's forwards need to get over the top of the inconsistent but capable Newcastle pack.

Brett Kimmorley says

Newcastle had all the expectations on them to make the top eight. I read on the weekend they were trying to say they made too many mistakes – 12 mistakes in a game of football is not too high. It comes down to attitude and roster. They're losing because they’re not wanting to have a dig and not playing tough enough. As for the Eels, they will be an enormous high after last week. Mitchell Moses responded well to the challenge from his coach a few weeks back. Eels by 12

Stat Attack

If Mitch Barnett isn't called on to kick again for the Knights this season he can skite about his perfect 100% success rate. With Ponga spraying two shots in the 38-14 thrashing from the Titans, Barnett converted Newcastle's third try from right in front. Pearce and Eels fullback Clint Gutherson are the NRL's equal leaders in line break assists with six apiece.

And another thing ...

Mitch Moses had kicked 15 goals in a row before last week's thrashing of the Tigers. He was on target with his first seven shots but the streak stopped at 22 straight. Moses etched himself into the history books by becoming the first player to score a try and kick both a goal and field goal at Bankwest Stadium.

NRL.com

Knights rebound from week of soul-searching to upset Eels

Newcastle put a week of soul-searching and scrutiny behind them to shock Parramatta 28-14 at McDonald Jones Stadium on Sunday, breathing life back into their season.

Ending a five-game losing streak, which had fuelled speculation about the future of coach Nathan Brown, the Knights never trailed in registering just their second win of the year to climb to 11th.

It was a remarkable form reversal from both teams.

Newcastle had been embarrassed 38-14 by an injury-ravaged Titans on the Gold Coast seven days earlier, and the Eels thumped Wests Tigers on opening day at Bankwest Stadium on Easter Monday.

Criticised for starting slowly in their previous two losses to Gold Coast and Manly, the Knights burst out of the blocks against a Parramatta side that looked a shadow of the team that blew Wests Tigers away six days earlier.

Halfback Mitchell Pearce and hooker Danny Levi had attracted criticism for their performances in the past five weeks but were among Newcastle’s best against the Eels.

Pearce scored a try and set up another with a grubber kick for Lachlan Fitzgibbon, and Levi looked sharp out of dummy-half and threw the last pass for tries to Kalyn Ponga and James Gavet.

Newcastle produced their best half of the season, running in three tries in 19 minutes, to lead 20-8 at half-time.

Levi made a bust of dummy-half in the eighth minute to send Ponga away on a 60-metre sprint to score under the posts for an 8-0 lead.

Fitzgibbon squeezed in between Parramatta backs Clint Gutherson and Blake Ferguson to ground a Pearce grubber kick just three minutes later to make it 14 unanswered points.

When Gavet charged on to Levi’s short pass and crashed over to score next to the posts in the 27th minute, the Knights led 20-0 – more points than they had scored in the same time frame in their six previous games this season.

But after being outplayed for the first 35 minutes, the Eels hit back late. Having conceded four straight penalties in the first 13 minutes, they received a string of five successive penalties which allowed them to establish field position and build pressure.

Winger Maika Sivo caught Ferguson’s cut-out pass to score in the left corner in the 37th minute, and halfback Mitchell Moses converted from the sideline.

Sivo crashed over again on the stroke of half-time only to have it disallowed because of a forward pass by Gutherson, but the Knights were offside in the lead-up and Moses kicked the subsequent penalty goal to cut the margin to 12 points at the break.

Prop Manu Ma’u charged over to score behind the posts in the 53rd minute to reduce the deficit to 20-14, and the Eels looked like they were storming home.

Ponga kicked a penalty goal in the 59th minute to stretch Newcastle’s lead to eight, giving the nervous Knights some much-needed breathing space, but the Eels continued to surge.

A goal-line tackle by Ponga and Daniel Saifiti on Peni Terepo in the 63rd minute saved a try and forced an error, then Pearce and winger Edrick Lee bundled Ferguson into touch three minutes later.

Those two defensive plays sparked the Knights out of their rut, then Pearce iced the game with a stepping, jinking run in the 69th minute to reach out and score.

Ponga’s conversion from close range increased the margin to 14 points and gave him a personal haul of 16 points from a try and six goals from as many attempts.