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Same Knights, different year. Newcastle finishes their Pre-Season Challenge campaign with two losses after going down 36-14 to the Eels on Friday night.
Here’s what we learned from the opening match of the second week of trials.
It looks as if Eels backrower Shaun Lane may be the latest casualty from the Pre-Season Challenge, leaving the field early with a suspected broken jaw. Walking off the field holding his face tightly, he was sent for scans at Gosford Hospital.
If the prognosis is what is expected, he will join Raiders fullback Xavier Savage on the sideline who suffered the same fate last week.
Making matters worse for Parramatta, Ryan Matterson’s likely replacement while he sits his three-week suspension Matt Doorey limped from the field early in the second half with an ankle injury.
Clint Gutherson is tackled by Kalyn Ponga. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)
There are always rumours circling around which coach will be the first out the door each season. Knights coach Adam O’Brien was one that many thought was lucky to see out the last season, if the last two weeks are anything to go by, he won’t be sleeping very well heading into Round 1.
They made 10 errors compared to the Eels’ 4. They held 52 per cent of the possession and finished with a 79 per cent completion rate compared to the Eels 91 per cent.
The Knights once again seemed to have no answers. While there were flashes of bright play, not enough to give fans hope – or buy AOB some time.
(Photo by Ashley Feder/Getty Images)
It’s been one of the biggest off-season talking points, and tonight we finally saw Ponga in the halves.
He wasn’t bad, he was……ok.
He tried hard like he always does, and was good defensively, but if the purpose of the move from fullback is for Ponga to get his hands on the ball more and create more opportunities, then this game will not make the highlights reel.
The combination between him and Hastings won’t happen overnight, but AOB will be praying it happens quickly.
After their grand final loss to the Panthers last year, and a bevvy of talent departing the club, critics believed that was Parramatta’s last chance for premiership glory. They faced Penrith again last week, albeit with a side full of understudies, and were defeated yet again.
But with the close to a normal lineup against Newcastle on Friday night, they showed they are still in the fight. Clint Gutherson was on fire and lead from the back, Mitch Moses and Dylan Brown carved up the Knights in the first half, and Junior Paulo was out to hurt people.
The Eels are well and truly in the fight this year.
With Ponga moving into the halves, all eyes were on Lachlan Miller who stepped up into the fullback role.
And he was superb. He was safe under the highball, put his body on the line, made the most run metres from any team with 167 metres.
If the Ponga/Hastings experiment gets the green light for the season ahead, the number one jersey looks t be in safe hands with Miller.
One of the shining lights for the Knights was once again Dom Young. It’s easy to see why there is so much interest in the off-contract winger.
He scored a great try, and almost bagged another after pinning the ears back for 80 metres to chase down a Hastings kick. He was put on his back by a Paulo rattler, got back to his feet and kept going. One of the Knights to try the entire time he was out there.
Fox Commentator Lara Pitt said Young “is expected to make a call, possibly as soon as this week” on his future, with many expecting the Dolphins or Roosters to swoop in and get his signature.
The Eels big-name recruit looked … old.
Yes, it was a billion degrees, and it is his second game back after a long ACL layoff. But after Parramatta fans spent the entire off-season that Hodgson was just not good, if not better, than Reed Mahoney, may be feeling a bit nervous.
Hodgson had a modest first hit-out as an Eel last week and this was more of the same.
Eels fans are probably starting a go-fund-me page right about now to help contribute to keeping Moses at he club.
He showed exactly why he is in the middle of a tug-of-war between Parramatta and the Tigers, steering the ship and guiding the Eels beautifully around the park. His kicking game was on point, his running game close to perfect, and he had a had in two of his team’s tries.
Everyone is waiting with bated breath to see where he will end up.