NEWCASTLE KNIGHTS 12 WESTS TIGERS 6
TOM SMITH, McDonald Jones Stadium, Sunday

DYLAN LUCAS and Bradman Best (pictured) broke the Tigers’ resolute defence to guide the Knights to an ugly win in soggy Newcastle.

Tony Sukkar’s first try at NRL level gave Wests a slender lead before the rain began to tumble at the break.

But Newcastle’s big names stepped up late, with Lucas and Best finding the stripe and captain Kalyn Ponga chasing down the runaway Heamasi Makasini to save a try with the game in the balance.

England international Dominic Young set up Best’s length-of-the-field score to clinch victory.

Compounding Wests’ loss, centre Taylan May dislocated his shoulder for the third time this season midway through the first half.

Played in awful conditions at a rain-soaked McDonald Jones Stadium, this contest was low on highlights but high on consequence.

Newcastle entered Round 17 locked in a tussle with the Warriors, Dolphins, Roosters, Sea Eagles, Rabbitohs and Sharks for the top-four berths beneath the table-topping Panthers, having won five of their past six.

And the Tigers weren’t far behind in the race for top-eight places as we head into the final two months of the home-and-away campaign.

The Tigers had won their two previous meetings with the Knights, including a 42-22 thumping in Campbelltown in Round 6.

But the Novocastrians ground out a narrow victory that could prove vital to their season.

Minus State of Origin stars Ponga and Lucas, the Knights only just scraped over the line against the last-placed Dragons the Friday prior, and Justin Holbrook welcomed back his two big names here.

Benji Marshall also had some good news at the selection table, following the Tigers’ defeat to the red-hot Dolphins last Saturday.

In came halfback Adam Doueihi from a two-month shoulder layoff, although lock forward Alex Twal — who was named to return from a knee complaint mid-week — spent another week on the sidelines with a knee complaint.

Young thought he had sent Dylan Brown away for the opener inside 60 seconds, only for the Bunker to pick out a Jermaine McEwen obstruction in the lead-up.

Instead, Doueihi stole the ball off Dane Gagai to get Wests on the front foot, before firing a short ball to Sukkar for the first points of his career and this match.

Doueihi’s conversion proved the only other points until Lucas broke through at long last.

Ponga connected with his star second-rower, who shrugged off three would-be tacklers to charge 20 metres to the line.

The Tigers’ goal-line defence then forced an error out of Gagai, and Makasini looked destined to gallop 85 metres for a try that would have put the visitors in front on the hour mark.

But Ponga produced a heroic tackle before his team-mates clung on.

With little more than six minutes on the clock, Jahream Bula failed to reel in a Doueihi bomb — and after Best picked up the crumbs, Young sped past his opponents and found Best again to complete a thrilling end-to-end four-pointer that deserved to settle this arm wrestle.

The Wests Tigers now have a winnable game against lowly St George Illawarra this Saturday evening, while the Knights welcome the high-flying Dolphins to Newcastle on Sunday afternoon.

GAMESTAR: Dylan Lucas scored the Knights’ first try deep into the second half — just reward for a workhorse display by Newcastle’s Origin back-rower.

GAMEBREAKER: Bradman Best linked up with Dominic Young for the go-ahead try from long range with six minutes remaining.

MATCHFACTS

KNIGHTS
1 Kalyn Ponga
2 Dominic Young
3 Dane Gagai
4 Bradman Best
5 Greg Marzhew
6 Fletcher Sharpe
7 Dylan Brown
8 Jacob Saifiti
9 Phoenix Crossland
10 Trey Mooney
11 Dylan Lucas
12 Jermaine McEwen
13 Mat Croker
Subs
14 Sandon Smith
15 Tyson Frizell
16 Cody Hopwood
17 Thomas Cant
18 Lachlan Crouch (D) (not used)
19 Fletcher Hunt (not used)

Tries: Lucas (54), Best (75)
Goals: Ponga 2/2

TIGERS
1 Jahream Bula
2 Sunia Turuva
3 Taylan May
4 Starford To’a
5 Jeral Skelton
6 Jarome Luai
7 Adam Doueihi
8 Terrell May
9 Api Koroisau
15 Bunty Afoa
11 Tony Sukkar
12 Sione Fainu
16 Alex Seyfarth
Subs
10 Fonua Pole
14 Josese Lanyon (not used)
17 Latu Fainu
18 Heamasi Makasini
19 Mavrik Geyer
22 Faaletino Tavana (not used)

Tries: Sukkar (11)
Goals: Doueihi 1/1

SCORING SEQUENCE: 0-6; 6-6, 12-6

Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Knights: Dylan Lucas; Tigers: Terrell May

Penalty count: 3-4
Half-time: 0-6
Referee: Peter Gough
Attendance: 22,968