An emotional Zac Lomax was left close to tears after usurping King Gutho and kicking Parramatta to their first win of 2025 with a golden-point field goal against St George Illawarra.
Playing against his former club for the first time, Lomax sent CommBank Stadium into delirium with his biggest moment yet in an Eels jersey to seal the 23-22 win.
It came on a dramatic afternoon, as Clint Gutherson also scored a double in his return game against Parramatta before the Dragons surrendered a 12-point lead for the second time in two games.
A controversial penalty also threatened to sink Parramatta, after the Dragons were allowed to go 22-20 up when an Eels dropout went out on the full.
Referee Gerard Sutton ruled the ball was not intended to be contested as it went out close to the 20-metre line.
But then Lomax stepped up against his former club after seeking a release from the final two years of his contract last season.
The NSW State of Origin star nailed a 43-metre penalty goal to level the scores at 22-22 after a Jack de Belin crusher tackle.
In golden point, the Dragons handed him the perfect chance to seal the match when Lachlan Ilias kicked a ball out on the full from inside his own end.
Lomax duly obliged, waiting three tackles before sending home a field goal from 25 metres.
"Obviously the start of the season hasn't been our greatest," Lomax said.
"We're super stoked to be able to win and to lose the first four games, It just doesn't show where our effort's been because we worked so hard.
"And obviously, it's my previous club. They're all some of my best mates. In regards to that, it didn't matter about the team we were playing."
Lomax kicked five-from-five from the tee for the match and also spent the entire afternoon on the right wing after objecting to playing there for the Dragons last year.
"Yeah it's a good storyline … but it could have been Peter Brady to kick the field goal, like as long as it went over," Eels coach Jason Ryles said.
"It was a big decision for him (to leave the Dragons) and it's been well publicised. So hopefully this is kind of puts a bit of a bow on it and then we just move on.
"He's a Parramatta player and hopefully for a long time."
Lomax's success came after Gutherson appeared to be the most likely star of Saturday afternoon.
Released by Parramatta in the off-season after being told he would no longer be their fullback, he looked likely to prove a point on his old home ground.
Booed with his first touch of the ball, the man once anointed "King Gutho" at Parramatta responded immediately.
The 30-year-old scored his first when he took a Valentine Holmes offload from 15 metres out, and beat three defenders to the line including new Eels fullback Isaiah Iongi.
Gutherson also sent Christian Tuipulotu over for the Dragons' second try, before barging over from dummy-half himself after the break to make it 20-8.
"He was outstanding," Dragons coach Shane Flanagan said.
"He scored two tries. He's everywhere again. His effort is... similar to a lot of players within our team.
"We just need to tidy some things up."
But there were also signs on Saturday on why the Eels viewed the speedy Iongi as their future at the back.
His skill was on show when he bounced out of a tackle and sent Josh Addo-Carr over for the Eels' first try with a perfect cut-out ball.
The acceleration Ryles wanted at the back also came to fruition when Iongi scored a try of his own, slicing through the Dragons' defence from close range.
And when Parramatta got back to 20-20, Iongi pulled off a crucial try-saver on Gutherson, before getting back to clean up a grubberkick on the next play.
