Updated May 30, 2026 — 6:17pm,first published May 28, 2026 — 6:30pmKalyn Ponga has bounced back from his State of Origin calamity to lead the Knights to a scrappy 28-22 win over the gallant Eels.Ponga escaped with just a fine for the grade-two shoulder charge on Tolu Koula that earned him his marching orders in Origin I, but showed no signs of the mental scars with a typically busy display at McDonald Jones Stadium in Newcastle on Saturday afternoon.Dylan Lucas, fresh from Origin camp with NSW, was brilliant for Newcastle, scoring a double and proving a handful on the left edge for Parramatta half Ronald Volkman, while fellow NSW Blue Jacob Saifiti was menacing.The Knights (8-4) have now won four on the trot, scoring 150 points in the process, and are fourth on the ladder midway through the season.Saturday’s result was in stark contrast to the last time the teams met in round 27 last season, when the Eels destroyed Newcastle 66-10, showing just how far the Knights have come since Justin Holbrook took over.Victory came at a price, with Sandon Smith leaving the field early in the second half with a calf injury.Kalyn Ponga helped Newcastle to a gritty win over Parramatta.NRL PhotosNewcastle started smartly when Lucas ran a perfect line on to a lovely pass from Smith after just two minutes to open the scoring.The Eels bounced back inside 10 minutes when Brian Kelly, playing his 200th NRL game, crashed over through traffic out wide.Greg Marzhew was the next to score for the home side, his 10th try in four games, before the Eels got their second when Dylan Walker pounced on a Tallyn Da Silva grubber.Parramatta had two chances to go ahead approaching halftime, both via Sean Russell. First, he was correctly judged to be offside when he plucked a kick from the air and plunged over, then when Joash Papalii burst clear and threw his centre a forward pass.Dylan Lucas celebrates a try.Getty ImagesAt the break it was 12-10 to the Knights.The second half began disastrously for the Eels, with Newcastle bench hooker Harrison Graham splitting some porous defence on 44 minutes to run 50 metres from dummy half to score under the sticks.What followed was a horrific period where both sides struggled to hold on to the ball, coughing up seven handling errors in 10 minutes.Newcastle finally showed some composure and Lucas scored his second, bursting on to a no-look pass from Fletcher Sharpe to outpace the defence in a 60m sprint to the line.The Eels refused to lie down and Volkman, who showed flashes of brilliance in attack, slipped a nice kick into the in-goal for Jordan Samrani to touch down.Fletcher Hunt, who had come on for Smith, crossed with 10 minutes to go, but Parramatta again stayed in the fight when Samrani plucked an intercept from the air and Isaiah Iongi scored, setting up a nail-biting finish, with the Knights just hanging on.Former Blues star signs with PNG ChiefsAdrian ProszenkoRoosters star Connor Watson has become the third player to sign for the Papua New Guinea Chiefs.Connor Watson is PNG’s latest recruit.Getty ImagesWatson is contracted to the Roosters for next year, but has been given permission to explore other options. The NSW Blues representative will join the Chiefs on a two-year deal from 2028, but is likely to look for a “gap year” at another NRL club next season.That stopover is most likely to be at St George Illawarra, sources not authorised to comment have indicated, although other clubs have also expressed an interest in a 12-month term.Chiefs chief executive Lorna McPherson recently took Watson and his partner on a tour of Port Moresby to give them an understanding of the lifestyle. The pair were sufficiently impressed with their experience to commit to the franchise.Jarome Luai is the PNG Chiefs’ top recruit. Peter RaeWatson joins Wests Tigers co-captain Jarome Luai and record-breaking South Sydney winger Alex Johnston as high-profile Chiefs recruits.It’s a strong start for the Chiefs, who are expected to become a major player in the market when a slew of big names become free agents on November 1. Many Panthers stars - including Nathan Cleary, Isaah Yeo, Liam Martin, Brian To’o, Moses Leota, Mitch Kenny and Isaiah Papali’i - could be among them should they not recommit to Penrith beforehand.Watson can play at hooker and lock, as well as cover several positions from the bench. The Chiefs also feel the former Knights utility has leadership qualities.The Dragons have held talks with Watson and he is likely to join Scott Drinkwater, Keaon Koloamatangi, Luke Metcalf and Phillip Sami as a 2027 recruit.The Chiefs have also made another key off-field appointment, that of former NRL and Super League player Rhyse Martin as football operations manager. During his playing career, Martin represented the Bulldogs, English clubs Leeds and Hull KR, and PNG in 18 Tests. He also captained the Kumuls.“Rhyse has had an incredible career as a player, but he still has so much to offer the sport,” said Chiefs general manager of football Michael Chammas.“He has the trust of our coach Willie Peters from their time together at Hull KR and they will continue to work closely. Anyone who has ever met Rhyse will talk about the quality of person he is and how passionate he is about Papua New Guinea. The combination of those two things makes him such an important off-field signing.”More:NRL 2026PNGParramatta EelsNewcastle KnightsState of OriginFrom our partners