Source : the age
In the final minute, the Dragons get their chance.
Daniel Atkinson puts up a bomb into no-man’s land around the Knights’ 20-metre line, the ball is allowed to bounce, and it heads straight towards the tryline. Kyle Flanagan chases and is the closest to it, and dives for the ball as it bounces over the tryline. He gets a hand to the ball – but can’t ground it cleanly. It’s a knock on.
Great effort, but the Dragons fall just short.
The Knights play out a few very slow tackles coming out of the their own end as the final buzzer sounds
Full-time: Knights 22 beat Dragons 20
The Knights go on the attack via another Dom Young line break to the right, after Dylan Brown is dragged down on the fifth tackle Sandon Smith takes a poor option on the last with a grubber that’s easily defused by Valentine Holmes.
But Newcastle get another chance on their next set, when Smith is pushed by Hamish Stewart while putting up a clearing kick and the Knights receive a penalty. Though there’s another twist when Clint Gutherson strips the ball legally after a three-man tackle becomes a one-man tackle and the Dragons come out of their own end.
Can either side grab a match-winning try here?
Knights 22, Dragons 20 with one minute left
Wow the Dragons have scored another beauty, Daniel Atkinson bombing for the corner, Setu Tu rising and batting back a scrappy pass for Dylan Egan, who barrels over out wide. Great try, and they can steal a boilover win here.
But first, the conversion attempt. Val Holmes is really ruing missing that easy one now, and needs to slot this from the sideline to square things up.
He hits it well, it starts just wide to the right, drifts to the left – and hits the post. No goal. That stings for the visitors, but they have the momentum going into the final few minutes.
Knights 22, Dragons 20 with eight minutes left
Quality stuff from the Dragons again, Luciano Leilua breaking the Knights’ defence open with an offload to Clint Gutherson, who links up with Tyrell Sloan. On the next play Daniel Atkinson puts a nice chip over the top, and Fletcher Sharpe can only parry the ball into the path of Setu Tu who runs around to score beside the posts.
But shockingly Valentine Holmes misses a pretty straightforward conversion attempt, and there’s still six points between the sides.
Knights 22, Dragons 16 with 18 minutes left
The Knights have scored again, via the old double kick. Sandon Smith starts it off with a bomb for Brandon Best, who has been a bit of a target for Newcastle in the air tonight, and the centre juggles it backwards and it’s play on. Dylan Brown grabs the loose ball, and rolls a grubber kick into the in-goal.
Dragons winger Setu Tu is the closest to it but Smith runs around him and wins the race as the pair dive for the ball – then follows up his try with a tricky conversion from out wide.
Knights 22, Dragons 12 with 24 minutes left
Some more enterprising play from the Dragons here – something that was pretty much absent from the first two months of the season – as Tyrell Sloan weaves across field then they put the ball through the hands down the right for Mathew Feagai to find some space.
With the Knights defence backwheeling Kyle Flanagan puts up a dangerous bomb between the goalposts, and Josh Kerr leaps well for it but can’t bring it down cleanly.
Knights 16, Dragons 12 with 30 minutes left
We’ve got 40 minutes left in this one as the Dragons kick off the second half, the Knights ending their first set after the break with Dylan Brown blasting his last-tackle kick too long and over the dead-ball line for a seven-tackle set.
But that St George Illawarra set peters out when Valentine Holmes is ruled to have knocked on (the Dragons use a captain’s challenge on that decision, but the verdict from the bunker is inconclusive). The Knights go down the other end and bomb towards Bradman Best, who brings it down but is tackled a metre short of the tryline.
Knights 16, Dragons 12 with 35 minutes left
In the final minute of the half the Knights try another right-side shift inside their own half and it almost works again, Dane Gagai getting between a couple of defenders and putting Dom Young into space, Young finds Dylan Brown inside, and Brown passes to Phoenix Crossland who gets to within a metre of the Dragons line before being tackled by Damien Cook.
Fletcher Sharpe tries to dive over from dummy-half to complete a first-half hat-trick, doesn’t make it to the tryline, but Cook is offside lying in the ruck.
The Knights take another penalty goal, but this is very much anyone’s game at half-time.
Knights 16, Dragons 12 at half-time
A Knights bomb is allowed to bounce then spilled by Clint Gutherson, leading to a scrum on the Dragons’ 20-metre line. St George Illawarra break early and are offside from the scrum, Newcastle get a penalty, and the home side opts to take the two points.
Sandon Smith slots the penalty goal from right in front and the hosts have halted the Dragons’ momentum and reclaimed the lead.
Knights 14, Dragons 12 after 38 minutes
