Knights fight back at expense of Eels
NEWCASTLE momentarily eased pressure on coach Nathan Brown yesterday with a drought-breaking 28-14 victory over Parramatta.
Entering Round 7 on a fivegame losing streak, the Knights appeared set for a cruisy victory when they raced out to a 20-0 lead inside 30 minutes. However the Eels fought back to get within six points early in the second half at McDonald Jones Stadium. A penalty goal from Kalyn Ponga, who was one of Newcastle’s best, made it an eightpoint advantage, before Mitchell Pearce sealed the victory with a clutch try.
The win not only relieves the heat on Brown, but launches the Knights from last place all the way to 11th spot on the ladder.
It comes a week after getting pummelled 38-14 against Gold Coast.
“Sometimes (after you) have a fair few close losses, it takes a bit of a capitulation to actually understand what works,” Brown said. “And from the first five minutes tonight, you could see that if Parramatta were to win, they were certainly going to earn it.”