The Knights clinched a hard-fought 26-20 victory against the Dolphins in Perth on Saturday, overcoming the challenge of conceding two tries while Dane Gagai was in the sin bin, as well as a try being ruled out due to a contentious refereeing call.
With the match tied at 20-20 and just five minutes left on the clock, the Knights nearly took the lead through Jayden Brailey, following a brilliant sequence of play capped off by a deft flick pass from Kalyn Ponga.
However, referee Grant Atkins ruled the try out at HBF Park, citing that James Schiller had passed the ball forward to Brailey.
Luckily for the Knights and their loyal supporters, who have been desperate for a lift this season, they found themselves back in Dolphins territory with just a minute remaining, where Brodie Jones managed to score the decisive try.
Earlier in the second half, Gagai found himself in the sin bin after he held up his opposite centre, Herbie Farnworth, during a Dolphins attack involving a sprinting Jake Averillo down the left flank.
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The Knights celebrate a try. Getty
During Gagai’s ten minutes in the bin, both Jamayne Isaako and Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow capitalised, scoring tries that put the Dolphins temporarily ahead 20-16.
The Knights managed to level the scores at 20-20 thanks to a try from Bradman Best shortly after the hour mark, before Jones sealed the win with his late four-pointer.
Newcastle’s loss was compounded by the departure of five-eighth Fletcher Sharpe, who was forced off after failing a head injury assessment in the 48th minute, having sustained a concussion following a tackle from Jeremy Marshall-King.
Sharpe made a run from dummy-half, attempted a chip and chase, regathered the ball, only to hit the ground as he was tackled from behind by Marshall-King.
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