Newcastle Knights v Parramatta Eels
Round 12, 2011
Hunter Stadium
A Kurt Gidley penalty goal was the only thing separating these two sides in Round 12 last year, when a Wes Naiqama try in the first half was matched by a Casey McGuire try in the second half as the Knights prevailed 8-6.
Round 12, 2011
Hunter Stadium
A Kurt Gidley penalty goal was the only thing separating these two sides in Round 12 last year, when a Wes Naiqama try in the first half was matched by a Casey McGuire try in the second half as the Knights prevailed 8-6.
The Eels started brightly as Jarryd Hayne regained a short Luke Burt kick-off, but they finished the set with an error which set the tone for a night in which their 21 errors (against 14 from the Knights) and 36 missed tackles (Knights 22) cost them dearly.
Midway through the first half Wes Naiqama ran through some ragged left-side defence following a breakdown in communication between Burt and Ryan Morgan. A swinging arm from McGuire piggybacked the Knights downfield midway through the second stanza which was immediately followed by a high shot from Moimoi which allowed Gidley to extend the lead to eight. McGuire closed the gap to two when he cleaned up a Jeff Robson kick shortly after but Hayne dropped the ball from the ensuing kick-off in what was the first of six Parramatta errors – including three from Hayne – in a scoreless last 20 minutes.
If Hayne is still having nightmares about that game it may be less due to his six errors on the night and more down to the bone-rattling hit from Knights forward Joel Edwards that featured heavily on end-of-season highlights reels.
Akuila Uate (180 metres, five tackle-breaks) and Naiqama (144 metres, 10 tackle-breaks, a try) were standouts for the Knights.