The Newcastle Knights have bowed out of the NRL Nines after a 14-7 loss to pre-tournament favourites Parramatta in the quarter-finals at Perth's HBF Park.
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The Eels led 10-0 at half-time after tries by Ryan Matterson and Haze Dunster, before a long-range response rom rookie Tex Hoy lifted the Knights back into contention.
But a switch of play that created a try for representative winger Blake Ferguson left the Knights chasing the game.
Newcastle won both their qualifying games in convincing fashion.
After hammering the Warriors on 34-0 on Friday night, the Knights backed it up with a 16-4 victory against a Panthers team captained by NSW halfback Nathan Cleary.
The Panthers scored first through back-rower Liam Martin in the sixth minute, but the Knights hit back a minute later by spinning the ball to teenager Nathanael Sasagi, who showed explosive pace and footwork to score out wide.
Newcastle hit the lead midway through the second half when veteran Kurt Gidley threw a classic short ball and Jacob Saifiti crashed over to score.
A Hoy try frum dummy-half gave the Knights a commanding lead.
On Friday, Gidley wound back the clock to inspire the Newcastle Knights to a 34-0 romp against the Warriors in their tournament opener.
Gidley, who came out of retirement to play in the tournament at the age of 37, set up three of Newcastle's six tries. The Knights play Penrith, who thrashed the Roosters 35-0, in their second pool game at 2.10pm on Saturday.
Newcastle opened the scoring in the fourth minute when playmaker Mason Lino dummied and stepped his way over.
Flying winger Starford Toa scored their second try through sheer pace in the eighth minute, and then Gidley set up a try for back-rower Brodie Jones on the stroke of half-time with a flick pass.
That gave the Knights a 20-0 lead at the break.
Two minutes after the resumption, Sione Mata'utia won the race to ground a Kurt Mann grubber in-goal.
Rookie Tex Hoy then scored in the 14th minute after Gidley created an overlap, and then the former NSW skipper sealed a man-of-the-match performance with a grubber kick to set up Matt Soper-Lawler a minute before full-time.
Gidley played 251 top-grade games for the Knights, second only to Danny Buderus, before retiring after spending 2016 and 2017 playing in Super League with Warrington Wolves.
He was invited to make a one-off Nines comeback by new Knights coach Adam O'Brien and jumped at the chance.
