Round 17: Knights v Eels preview
Two teams fighting to stay in touch
As the season draws towards the end of the middle third, the Newcastle Knights and Parramatta Eels will be striving to stay in touch with a pack of teams vying to play finals football when they face off in Newcastle on Saturday evening.
Sitting two points outside the top eight following their second bye prior to Origin II, the Newcastle Knights will be looking to replicate their late season surge from twelve months ago by improving upon gallant losses in recent weeks.
Challenging the likes of Melbourne and Penrith without getting the job done on the scoreboard, coach Adam O'Brien has responded by debuting English playmaker Will Pryce in the halves and recalling fellow countryman Kai Pearce-Paul to bench.
Holding a dismal record against the Eels with six consecutive losses dating back to the end of the last decade, only Daniel Saifiti and Kalyn Ponga remain from the last side to triumph over the blue and golds in 2019.
Despite winning three of their seven matches in Newcastle so far in 2024, the Knights have enjoyed tremendous home support with five crowds topping well over 20,000 and strong turnouts for the other matches played in rain-affected conditions.
Languishing at the bottom of the ladder with four paltry wins in the season to date, the Parramatta Eels will be treating Saturday evening as a must-win encounter if they have any hope of featuring beyond the home-and-away rounds.
Paying the price for the worst for-and-against record in the league by dropping to 17th on the ladder - despite getting two points for the bye last week - interim coach Trent Barrett has named Maika Sivo in the backline, back-rower Matt Doorey on the bench for the first time this season and handed Matthew Arthur - son of former head coach Brad Arthur - his NRL debut.
The Eels have enjoyed good fortune in Newcastle with five wins from their past seven visits, including outscoring the Knights by a combined total of 89-10 in their past three appearances at McDonald Jones Stadium.
Last meeting: Round 9 2023 - Eels 43 Knights 12
Who to watch: Emerging as the most consistent performer for the Knights in 2024, centre-turned-second-rower Dylan Lucas has thrived on either side of the field this season. Averaging well over 100 running metres and 30 tackles each week, the 23-year-old has bagged five tries in 13 matches, including three in his past two outings. Contracted to the club until the end of next season, look for Lucas to attract plenty of interest come 1 November if the Knights don't act to lock him up earlier.
If the Eels hope to extend their record over the Knights to seven straight wins, Dylan Brown will need to play with the ‘run-first' instincts that have served him well throughout his career. Setting up ten tries and recapturing his running game after a modest start to the season, the 24-year-old playmaker has been emblematic of the Eels' decline since reaching the grand final two years ago. Holding an unbeaten record against the Knights throughout his career, Brown will need to aim up if the Eels hope to get off the bottom of the premiership ladder.
Favourite: The benefit of playing in front of another crowd in excess of 20,000 will see the Knights start the match as marginal favourites
My tip: If the Knights can play with the attacking spark that has threated premiership contenders over recent weeks, they should prove too strong for the side with the worst defensive record in the league. Knights by 12.
