Eels Blogs

The "MOMAX is finally here" image was produced by the Eels' club.

The Knights host the Eels tonight at McDonald Jones Stadium in a milestone 300th game for Dane Gagai.  Both sides sit in the bottom four and are desperate to snap losing habits in a season slipping away.

Team Lists

Friday, 16 May 2025, McDonald Jones Stadium, 6pm AEST
Weather: Cloudy, 18°C, humid (87%), light winds 9-15km/h
Ground: Expected to be good
Sportsbet: $1.81 Knights, $2.04 Eels
Referees: Todd Smith (on-field), Wyatt Raymond & Dave Munro (Touch Judges), Kasey Badger (Bunker buzz in Smith's ear)

Knights:
1. Kalyn Ponga 2. James Schiller 3. Dane Gagai 11. Dylan Lucas 5. Fletcher Hunt 6. Fletcher Sharpe 19. Tyson Gamble 8. Jacob Saifiti 9. Phoenix Crossland 10. Tyson Frizell 16. Thomas Cant 12. Kai Pearce-Paul 13. Adam Elliott
Bench: 14. Jayden Brailey 15. Mathew Croker  17. Brodie Jones 18. Jack Hetherington
Extended bench:  22. Paul Bryan
Cut: TBC 7. Jack Cogger 20. Matthew Arthur 21. Kyle McCarthy 4. Bradman Best (injury)
Head Coach: Adam O’Brien

Eels:
1. Isaiah Iongi 2. Zac Lomax 3. Viliami Penisini 4. Sean Russell 5. Josh Addo-Carr 6. Dylan Brown 7. Mitchell Moses 8. Jack Williams 9. Ryley Smith 10. Junior Paulo  12. Kitione Kautoga 15. Luca Moretti 13. J’maine Hopgood
Bench: 14. Dylan Walker 16. Jordan Samrani 17. Toni Mataele 19. Ryan Matterson
Extended bench: 18. Joash Papali’i 
Cut: 11. Matt Doorey 20. Dean Hawkins 21. Jake Tago 22. Brendan Hands
Head Coach: Jason Ryles

For the Eels, Matterson makes a return to the starting 17. Moretti comes in for Doorey who is cut.  For the Knights, Lucas comes in for the injured Best and Cant comes into the starting pack with Hetherington in on the bench.

Stats

• The Eels have won 7 of their past 8 against the Knights.
• Mitchell Moses has scored 60 points in his last 4 games against Newcastle..
• Fletcher Sharpe has scored 6 tries in his last 5 games.

By the Numbers: Attack versus Defence (at R11). This week the worst attack meets the worst defence - something has to give.

Form and Frustration

Newcastle’s struggles at home continue, with just one win at McDonald Jones Stadium this year from four games — a Round 2 victory.  Since then, they've dropped six of their last seven games. Despite boasting the fourth-best defence, the Knights’ attack is the worst in the competition.

The Eels, meanwhile, have won only two of their past seven to sit last. The Eels have made more errors than the opposition in every game bar three - and won two of those. 

In most games, they’ve shown effort and been in the fight despite lacking punch in the pack at times. But have been undone by poor ball control, errors and poor execution — leading coach Jason Ryles to reflect: "An old bloke once told me, the scoreboard is the last thing that changes.”

Last week's losses for both teams at home reflected those season-long themes.

Last Week: Recap

Jordan posted some decent stats for the Eels last week. What will be his future position?

Against the composed Dolphins at Commbank, the Eels were in the fight once again, but poor ball control (77%-89% completions and 10-6 errors) and bombed tries meant the Eels couldn’t capitalise on their opportunities and good possession (52%-48%). The Dolphins executed better, won some crucial moments, and had the class to pull through 20-16. 

Against the struggling Titans at MacDonalds Jones, the Knights couldn’t score a point in the second half. Despite a promising half-time lead of 20-6 they got overrun by the Titans to go down 24-20.

Dane Gagai will make his 300th NRL appearance.

Bottom Line

Despite their ladder positions, only two wins separate the last-placed Eels from the sixth-placed Cowboys and eigth-placed Silvertails. The margin between success and failure in this topsy-turvy season has been razor-thin. A win for Newcastle could re-spark belief and honour a club legend. For the Eels, MOMAX might be the circuit-breaker they’ve been waiting for. Losing has become a habit for them since mid-2023. A win would give them hope of avoiding a spoon and building something for next year and beyond.