Match Centre

Game, set match - Stefano Utoikamanu gets a touch late in his debut appearance and that's all she wrote, the Eels back to the top of the table.

Hoy loses it - the Knights challenge it (because why not). Parramatta have the ball for the final 15 seconds.

Wait, Captains Challenge in bizarre circumstances, the Eels challenge the 20m restart ruling, the challenge is successful, but the Eels are penalised instead! Knights surge upfield.

Gutherson shapes to kick a field goal - he slips and has to run it, they go to the left and it's grubbered through to Sivo who... can't handle it! 20m restart Newcastle.

Eels force a drop-out, Newcastle try a short one but it fails. Parramatta with the ball well inside Newcastle's 20m...

NO TRY. Hoy was in front of Ponga at the time of the kick! Pity, it looked superb.

Inside the Eels' 20m Newcastle look a bit flat. Ponga grubbers through and OH HOY! TEX HOY HAS HE SCORED?

Inside the final five! Newcastle are on the attack. Could they force golden point?

The tension and volume have risen at McDonald Jones as the rain really starts to fall, but Newcastle are yet to penetrate the Eels' line in this half.

Ooft. Blake has collected Ponga illegally again. In fairness this time Ponga was slipping but it's still an illegal shot. Newcastle penalty and their set starts on their own 40m.

No try. Lane has made an error picking the ball up.

Up to the Bunker for an Eels try to Lane...

Parramatta look to have crossed through Mahoney but there was already an infringement in the play-the-ball. The Eels get a penalty instead.

Real war of attrition stuff and to be honest, neither side are looking much like scoring. Exploiting errors will be where the winner strikes here.

Parramatta lose it near halfway and are pinged for accidental offside, so Newcastle will get a full go inside the Eels' half.

Dylan Brown is off for a HIA.

No try of course, it's ruled a Knights knock on and Parramatta come away with it.

Bunker time. We're checking a no try to Newcastle, who lost it and who handled it and what happens next.

Not a particularly eventful start to the second half thus far. There is some rain coming though:

Might be time to seek shelter if you're at @MJStadium #NRLKnightsEels pic.twitter.com/JljQ3cZZWm

— LeagueUnlimited NRL & Rugby League News (@LeagueUnlimited) July 12, 2020

We're back underway.

We go to halftime level.

Newcastle give up possession with a forward pass out to the right.

Parramatta concede a set restart on the last tackle of the set and Newcastle now look to surge back into attacking territory.

Ponga goes off straight after the goal kick.

Another visit to the Bunker - this one we're checking whether Newcastle hooker Andrew McCullough has grounded the ball.

Waqa Blake has absolutely poleaxed Kalyn Ponga late off the ball. Referee Gerard Sutton brings play back for a penalty at the end of that play and the Knights have a chance. Ponga looks to have cleared his HIA.

The Knights get another attacking chance but the last tackle grubber from Pearce is just centimetres too long for a chasing Lachlan Fitzgibbon.

Newcastle get a penalty but can't go on with the job, eventually losing it with panicked passing to the right.

A high ball puts pressure on Maika Sivo who spills it under heavy pressure from Tautau Moga - Newcastle get a scrum 15m from the Eels line.

Parramatta with a huge break upfield through Brown - he has a plethora of support options inside and out but chooses to retain it til he's covered, turning it inside for Gutherson and the move breaks down.

End to end stuff after the Eels' try. Dyl Brown loses it trying to offload about 30m from the Newcastle line.

After 16 minutes we have our first SET RESTART!

A solid kick from Jai Field, a nice little weighted grubber into the in-goal sees Tuala round it up for Newcastle but the Knights' back is seized and that's a dropout to the Eels.

Newcastle look to streak away with Moga tapping one on to Hunt but the officials call it forward - a 50/50 call that probably could have gone either way.

Parramatta go up the other end with Gutherson and Mahoney linking up, but at the end of the set, Dylan Brown is pinged for a tackle-in-the-air on Ponga.

Newcastle go down the left edge again, Ponga holds up Fitzgibbon who in turn finds Best, but the last ball to Moga is forward. Handover.

NO TRY - Eels then Knights knock on, so Newcastle get a scrum and another chance to score.

We're off to the Colonel. Checking a possible Knights no try after a pinball session in the north-east corner of the ground.

Moga breaks away down the left edge, kicking infield for Bradman Best but the centre doesn't win the race to the ball, Waqa Blake tapping it dead. Knights get a dropout.

Fantastic little battle developing between fullbacks Gutherson and Ponga - both trying to test the other with their kicking games, and both willing playmakers. So far it's been intriguing to watch.

Parramatta's last tackle option sees a sky-high bomb which the Eels field first and bat back, before Jennings gets it onto Brown - the five-eighth grubbers and Ponga takes it cleanly.

Newcastle get to the end of their opening set, Ponga grubbers in down the right edge but Clint Gutherson gets to it albeit with a slip before gathering the ball. Eels to work it off their line.

The Eels are out onto McDonald Jones in their gold jerseys, Newcastle in those classic home jerseys with the blue bottom and red top. Ponga's got the pill and will place it and kick us off.

Not a lot to report on the team news front - the visiting Eels are 1-17, while the Knights have opted for Tautau Moga at wing, pushing Tex Hoy to the bench and Star To'a out of the 17.

Sunday footy kicks off in the land of the Novocastrians today. Newcastle are back home for the first time since March 14, and today they'll host the Parramatta Eels, who - until yesterday - were the ladder leaders. It's the first time in many years these two clubs have sat in the Top 4 coming into a round ahead of a showdown.