Parramatta Eels 28–20 Newcastle Knights — Elimination Final, 2021 NRL Finals Series
12 Sep 2021 · Browne Park, Rockhampton, QLD · Attendance: 5,087
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
Elimination Final, 2021 NRL finals series: Parramatta Eels 28–20 Newcastle Knights, at Browne Park, Rockhampton, QLD on 12 Sep 2021.
Sourcing caveat: Most try minutes were not identified in sources found beyond Tuala's opening try and Penisini's 76th-minute penalty try. No official player-of-the-match award was found for this fixture.
Scoring timeline
| 1′ | Newcastle Knights — try, Tuala |
Tries with a sourced minute, in order scored, with the conversion kicked/missed alongside each one where source data lets us match a kicker to that specific try. Tries whose exact minute isn't recorded in available sources appear in the Scorers table below but not here; goal tallies we can't attribute to one specific try are shown as descriptive text in Scorers rather than guessed into this timeline.
Scorers
| Parramatta Eels | Tries: Blake; Ferguson; Ferguson; Moses; Penisini 76' (penalty try) Goals: Moses (4/5 conversions) |
| Newcastle Knights | Tries: Tuala 1'; Hunt; Tuala; Tuala Goals: Clifford (2/4 conversions) |
Team sheets
| Parramatta Eels | Newcastle Knights | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clinton Gutherson | Fullback | Kalyn Ponga | 1 |
| 2 | Haze Dunster | Wing | Enari Tuala | 2 |
| 3 | Will Penisini | Centre | Kurt Mann | 3 |
| 4 | Waqa Blake | Centre | Bradman Best | 4 |
| 5 | Blake Ferguson | Wing | Hymel Hunt | 5 |
| 6 | Dylan Brown | Five-eighth | Jake Clifford | 6 |
| 7 | Mitchell Moses | Halfback | Mitchell Pearce | 7 |
| 8 | Reagan Campbell-Gillard | Prop | Jacob Saifiti | 8 |
| 9 | Ray Stone | Hooker | Jayden Brailey | 9 |
| 10 | Junior Paulo | Prop | Daniel Saifiti | 10 |
| 11 | Shaun Lane | Second Row | Tyson Frizell | 11 |
| 12 | Marata Niukore | Second Row | Mitchell Barnett | 12 |
| 13 | Nathan Brown | Lock | Connor Watson | 13 |
| Substitutes | ||||
| 14 | Will Smith | Sauaso Sue | 14 | |
| 15 | Bryce Cartwright | David Klemmer | 15 | |
| 16 | Isaiah Papali'i | Josh King | 16 | |
| 17 | Makahesi Makatoa | Brodie Jones | 17 | |
| Brad Arthur | Coach | Adam O'Brien | ||
Match officials
| Referee | Ashley Klein |
Match report
Played at Browne Park in Rockhampton, this elimination final was one of several 2021 NRL finals matches relocated to regional Queensland venues after a COVID-19 outbreak forced the competition out of Sydney. Newcastle raced to an early lead through Enari Tuala inside the first minute, but the Eels hit back through Waqa Blake, Blake Ferguson and a rare Mitchell Moses solo try to lead 16-10 at the break. Tuala completed a hat-trick in the second half, set up twice by a rampaging Kalyn Ponga, to bring the Knights within touching distance, but the contest turned on a controversial call four minutes from full time: the Bunker awarded Will Penisini a penalty try after Tuala was ruled to have illegally prevented him from scoring, sealing a 28-20 win. The result eliminated Newcastle from the finals, while Parramatta advanced to face Melbourne in the semi-finals.