Pearce’s Knights in tight win over Eels

A RETURNING Mitchell Pearce has piloted Newcastle to a scrappy yet thrilling 18-16 NRL win over an error-plagued Parramatta at McDonald Jones Stadium in Newcastle last night.

Eels star Jarryd Hayne was close to best on ground, setting up two of the Eels’ three tries, but it was Pearce who proved the difference.

The Knights skipper’s deft kicking game has been sorely missed during his absence with a pectoral injury and he controlled the tempo as Nathan Brown’s men snapped a three-game losing streak.

The Eels were at times woeful, repeatedly shooting themselves in the foot, and at other times brilliant with the ball in hand.

When Jarryd Hayne drifted across field to find a flying Bevan French who chipped for Mitchell Moses, the Eels were up 10-0 after 10 minutes.

However they quickly slipped back into old habits and by halftime had racked up eight errors with their first half summed up when Cameron King punched himself in the face and Clint Gutherson missed a conversion from in front.

In a thrilling finish, Bevan French was denied the matchwinner with 34 seconds remaining when he was ruled to have put a foot on the touch line chasing down a Corey Norman grubber kick. NEWCASTLE 18 (Kenny-Dowall, Pearce, Watson tries, Sio 3 goals) d PARRAMATTA 16 (Moses, Norman, Vave tries, Gutherson 2 goals) at McDonald Jones Stadium. Crowd: 15,860.