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The Warriors need a change of form if they are to retain a place in the NRL top-eight after their second consecutive disappointing defeat.
For the second week they let slip a good lead. This time they were up 18-6 before letting in tries in the 69th, 75th and 78th minutes to lose 24-18.
Disturbingly, the Knights halfback, Jarrod Mullen, afterwards trotted out what used to be an often-voiced cliche about the Warriors but one their fans had hoped was buried.
"We always believed that if we stuck with them, we would get them in the end," Mullen said.
Fullback Kurt Gidley was the hometown hero, scoring two tries, executing the tackle that got them a late turnover from which the winning try was scored and kicking four-from-four, prompting Knights coach Brian Smith to label him a must for New South Wales in State of Origin.
The Warriors lost the game by failing to execute their chances, by failing to take advantage of a weight of territory and possession.
Newcastle made repeat errors deep in their own half and should have been punished. Instead, the Warriors lost initiative near the Knights' line.
Halfback Grant Rovelli was caught with the ball more than once. Their work from set plays needs to be much slicker and their kicking game needs to be smarter.
Both coaches agreed on the way things went.
Warriors coach Ivan Clearly: "We just stopped playing footy I think, we didn't put enough pressure on with the ball and they just had nothing to lose coming back like that. It was disappointing but it's a bit of a lesson for us."
Smith said the Warriors "cut their own throats. They gave us a chance by not playing enough footy at us".
He had high praise for 24-year-old Gidley. "All season long, he has been absolutely fantastic for us. He's won a couple of games with big plays, he's been strong and consistent and versatile and he's at the height of his powers right now.
"I spoke with Andrew [Johns] and we were just both shaking our heads at the improvement and the consistency in his game at the moment."
Gidley stepped and spun for tries at 69 minutes and 75 minutes to draw the Knights level at 18-all. The Knights had pressed Todd Byrne's wing all evening and with two minutes to go they got the turnover they wanted, Byrne losing the ball in Gidley's tackle.
The home side shaped for a field goal and the visitors shaped to defend it. Then bench forward Adam Woolnough threw a cut-out pass to the left wing and Adam MacDougall ran the ball home.
To underline how out of sorts the Warriors were, they sent the kick-off out on the full.
But there were some great performances for the Warriors, not least captain Steve Price yet again, with 184m gained. He and vice-captain Ruben Wiki, who made 109m, also featured in the tackle count. Micheal Luck topped that with 34, Jerome Ropati was second with 33 but also managed 163m on attack despite the defensive workload. Louis Anderson had a strong game.
The Warriors host Wests Tigers at Mt Smart next Sunday and need a win to stay with the bunch in mid-table.
In games yesterday, the Roosters took a 16-0 lead early in the second half then held on for a 24-18 win over the Gold Coast Titans and the Wests Tigers beat St George 27-8 at Telstra Stadium.
