THE Newcastle Knights survived some nervous moments to end a three-game losing streak with a 34-26 win against Parramatta at McDonald Jones Stadium on Saturday.
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The win, after a wild roller-coaster ride of a contest, lifted the Knights from 13th to 11th on the ladder, just outside the top eight.
It was their first win against Parramatta since 2019 and ended a six-game losing run against the Eels.
Parramatta, who arrived in Newcastle in last place on the points table, led 12-10 at half-time after a tightly fought first half.
Winger Blaize Talagi opened the scoring in the 13th minute after Parramatta exposed the Knights' left-edge defence.
The Eels would have been even further in front five minutes later if not for a desperate tackle by rookie fullback Fletcher Sharpe that prevented winger Maika Sivo from scoring.
Newcastle hit back in the 23rd minute when prop Daniel Saifiti stood in a tackle and off-loaded for English five-eighth Will Pryce to score on debut.
The visitors regained the lead in the 26th minute when NSW Origin halfback Mitchell Moses darted over to score, and then converted his own try from wide out.
Knights winger Greg Marzhew, who had been having an unhappy game, reduced the deficit when he scored in the corner in the 37th minute.
Six minutes into the second half, Marzhew edged Newcastle into the lead for the first time when he finished off a backline shift by powering through Eels skipper Clint Gutherson's attempted tackle to score in the corner.
Knights halfback Jackson Hastings converted from the sideline to give the home team a 16-12 lead.
Two minutes later, Marzhew appeared to have posted a hat-trick, only for the bunker to rule no-try because Newcastle were off-side in the lead-up play.
A minute later, the Knights were again denied when centre Bradman Best was ruled to have been held up over the line.
The Eels made Newcastle pay within a matter of minutes when Talagi scored in the corner after Newcastle failed to clean up a bomb.
Moses' conversion attempt from the sideline rebounded off the upright, leaving the scores locked at 16-all.
Talagi was denied a treble soon afterwards when he lost the ball diving for the line.
Moses broke the deadlock of it in the 68th minute when he darted through from a scrum win and scored his second try of the match.
Four minutes later, Knights winger Enari Tuala brought the 27,424-strong crowd to their feet with a try in the corner, which Hastings converted to give Newcastle a 22-20 lead.
Tuala appeared to have increased Newcastle's advantage minutes later, only for the bunker to again disappoint the home fans with a denial.
Best looked to have wrapped up two crucial competition points for Newcastle with a long-range try after a Parramatta fumble.
But Eels prop Junior Paulo scored with four minutes remaining to set up a tense finish.
Best then sealed it with a minute to play with another runaway try after a Parramatta dropped ball.
