Lomax clinches a (blue and) golden point win

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Parramatta Eels v St George Illawarra Dragons

Zac Lomax nailed a golden point field goal against his former club to hand the Parramatta Eels their first win of the season.

Nailing the decisive point three minutes into golden point after levelling the match with a long-range penalty goal, the former St George Illawarra outside back proved the difference as the Eels clinched a 23-22 result to hand Jason Ryles his first win as a first grade coach.

In a match which saw the lead change on multiple occasions, former Parramatta captain Clinton Gutherson looked set to be the difference with a brace of tries only for Lomax to step up to the delight of 19,302 supporters at Commbank Stadium.

After conceding first points via a Lomax penalty goal, Gutherson (16th minute) crossed for his first try in new colours with an inspired run to capitalise on an offload from Valentine Holmes.

Holmes pushed the visitors to a converted try lead midway through the opening half, however minutes later the Eels drew the scores level at 8-all after Isaiah Iongi demonstrated some classy footwork to send Josh Addo-Carr (25th minute) over in the corner.

A try to Christian Tuipulotu (35th minute) closed out the half with the Dragons taking a 14-8 lead to the change of ends. 

Pushing their lead into double digits minutes after ill-discipline gifted the Dragons field position, Gutherson (45th minute) barged through the Eels' defence, including Iongi - the man who took his spot at fullback - to collect a second four-pointer.

Having been upstaged by his predecessor throughout the match, Iongi (56th minute) showcased his youthful class by exposing the Dragons' defence with a dummy to reduce the margin with an incisive run.

Drawing the scores level at 20-all after Tuipulotu failed to hold onto a cross-field kick from Dean Hawkins, the loose ball was pounced upon by Kitione Kautoga (63rd minute), who claimed his first try in the top grade.

A misdirected drop out from Hawkins saw the Dragons regain the lead with a penalty goal in front of the posts, while Tyrell Sloan looked to have iced the game only for the bunker to rule he had his foot on the sideline prior to scoring.

With five minutes remaining, Lomax levelled the scores once again with a 45 metre penalty goal; both Lomax and Holmes failed to seal the result in regulation time with long-range field goals, resulting in the first golden point game of the season.

The Eels made the most of field position after Lachlan Ilias kicked out on the full, allowing Lomax to seize the moment and nail the match-winner in the first half of golden point. 

Next week, the Eels will travel to Darwin on Saturday night to take on the Raiders, while the Dragons will host the Titans in Wollongong on Friday evening.