“Parramatta’s third consecutive defeat solidifies its position at the NRL ladder’s bottom. A late runaway try by Bradman Best secured Newcastle a 34-26 win amidst enthusiastic home supporters. The match was a roller-coaster affair with multiple disallowed tries, and the lead swapped hands four times during the evening.
Parramatta’s prospects suffered a setback when Blaize Talagi’s second-half try was disallowed. Talagi appeared to score in the corner, but the Bunker ruled a knock-on.”
“Talagi placed the ball just shy of the try line and rolled it over with his forearm. “No, it’s not,” remarked Panthers legend Greg Alexander during his Fox Sports commentary, disagreeing with the Bunker’s decision that considered the roll a knock-on. “He maintained contact with the ball throughout, never releasing his arm or moving away from it.” Shortly after, cameras captured Mitch Moses trying to dispute the decision with referee Peter Gough, who showed no interest in engaging with him.”
“Alexander suggested that the referee didn’t engage because Mitch likely had a valid argument,” he said.
“Previously, the Bunker ruled a Maika Sivo pass, which seemed to travel backward out of the hand and onto the field, as a knock-on.
“The Bunker was heavily involved tonight, and we didn’t seem to catch a break,” remarked Eels coach Trent Barrett after the game.
The second contentious Bunker decision of the night came when Selwyn Cobbo’s try against the Warriors in Auckland was disallowed. Barrett offered a diplomatic response when asked about the officiating quality: “Yeah, you have to be cautious; it goes both ways – sometimes decisions favor you, sometimes they don’t. Currently, it feels like we’re on the wrong side of a few calls,” he commented. “We needed some calls to go our way… It’s tough on the players; we have injuries and players out of position, which makes it challenging for individuals.
Parramatta initially led and maintained it until Greg Marzhew scored his second try in the 45th minute. Back-to-back tries from Talagi and Mitchell Moses, who followed his outstanding performance in Origin II, put the Eels back in front before Enari Tuala regained the lead for the Knights. A mistake from Talagi allowed Bradman Best to score a long-range try in the 73rd minute. A try from Sivo and subsequent conversion kept the Eels competitive. The game was sealed when Best repeated his earlier feat following another error from the Eel.
