Knights 21
Sharks 10
The Knights have moved to within two points of the NRL top eight, but will need to drastically improve if they're to be genuine contenders, after a sloppy win over Cronulla yesterday.
The Knights made 13 errors all up and despite plenty of chances, managed just one try in the second half in slippery conditions.
However, Junior Sau's powerful effort in the 42nd minute proved enough to hold off a Sharks outfit who were similarly mistake-ridden - Ricky Stuart's men making a total of 19 blunders.
There wasn't a great deal between the two sides, but stupid mistakes by Cronulla on their own line cost them the match and probably any chance of making the finals.
Immediately following the kick-off to the second half, Anthony Tupou turned the ball over. Lock Paul Gallen then gave away a stripping penalty which led to Sau's try on the left-hand touch-line, where he was too strong for three defenders.
Trailing by 16-6, the Sharks were still in the match, but Trent Barrett (63rd) and Ben Pomeroy (70th) both took Knights players out off the ball and gave away penalties which allowed Kurt Gidley to kick the home side out to beyond two converted tries.
Sharks winger Luke Covell scored a consolation try in his successful comeback from LARS surgery, but it was too little too late. Jarrod Mullen booted a last-minute field goal for the Knights from 30m out.
Cronulla opened the scoring in the seventh minute when centre Ben Pomeroy ran straight and hard on to a Tupou short ball.
A desperate effort by defenders Mullen and Gidley almost saw Pomeroy hauled back into the field of play and denied, but video ref Russell Smith ruled a benefit of the doubt try.
After a mountain of early errors and a couple of penalties against them, the tide finally turned for Newcastle when they were the recipients of back-to-back penalties.
Five-eighths Ben Rogers showed his wonderful right-foot step, holding the ball up before snapping through the line and slamming the ball down.
Newcastle, while not pretty, began to take control of the game and hit the lead in the 22nd minute with the try of the match.
Veteran centre Adam MacDougall got through an initial attempted tackle by Tim Smith and offloaded to second rower Zeb Taia in traffic about 40 metres out from the Sharks' line.
Taia ran 20 metres before finding Hilder in support who finished the movement to give the Knights a 12-6 lead.
Rogers showed great footwork again in the 27th minute to power through, but was called back after support player Antonio Kaufusi effected an obstruction of Cronulla defender Josh Cordoba.
- AAP
