Knights make hay while sun shines without Storm stars to chalk up ugly first win
It wasn't pretty but Newcastle were fortunate to get over a Melbourne side lacking star power to register their first win of the season…
A win against the Parramatta Eels today will all but assure the Newcastle Knights of a place in the finals next week. Join us for live scores from 3.00pm AEST.
Newcastle showed strong attitude to come from behind to defeat Brisbane last week up at Suncorp Stadium.
Trailing 14 nil in the first half, it appeared that the Knights were destined for defeat, especially after Akuila Uate bombed a try after dropping the ball over the line under no pressure whatsoever.
Despite the several setbacks, Newcastle rallied on the back of a strong performance from Darius Boyd to earn a crucial victory.
Now, the Knights simply must beat 2013 wooden spooners Parramatta to ensure a place in the finals.
With a top eight spot still firmly up for grabs, the Knights can ill-afford any complacency against an Eels team with nothing to lose.
Prediction
Parramatta are coming off a morale boosting victory over the Dragons on Monday night and will be keen to finish the season on a high note by perhaps putting a severe dent in Newcastle’s finals aspirations.
With the Knights expected to win well today, an early try against the run of play may just add that little bit of unnecessary pressure that may put Newcastle off its game.
Newcastle will want to keep an eye on Fui Fui Moi Moi who is coming off a very strong performance against the Dragons.
The former Kiwi international scored two tries against the Dragons on Monday and will be keen to finish the season strongly for Parramatta.
The present form of Jarred Mullen, Joseph Leilua and Darius Boyd however bodes well for a Knights victory.
The preceding players played very strongly against Brisbane and will look to build on their strong efforts on the eve of the finals.
Overall, Parramatta may provide the Knights with a few nervous moments early in the contest but Newcastle should still prove far too strong at home.
Knights by 20