New recruit Pearce earns rave reviews on debut

Mitchell Pearce and the Newcastle Knights’ golden point win over the Manly Sea Eagles has been named the NRL Performance of the Week.

Pearce, who almost joined the Sea Eagles, was outstanding on debut for the Knights, recording 17 kicks and 12 tackles for the night, and put the Knights ahead for good with his golden point winner.

The veteran half-back was steady all night long, as he made big plays down the stretch to keep his new side in the game.

Knights’ young gun Kalyn Ponga was also excellent recording 104 run metres and eight tackle busts.

The Knights converted an outstanding 40 out of their 46 sets and recorded an effective tackle percentage of 84.7 percent against Manly.

Newcastle will look to back up their good start to the season this week as they travel to Canberra to take on the Raiders.