Newcastle overcame a dreadful completion rate and a rain-soaked error-fest to edge the Wests Tigers 12-6, with late tries finally breaking a contest dominated by dropped ball and missed opportunities.
The Tigers struck first through debut scorer Tony Sukkar after Adam Doueihi made an influential return from injury, but the Knights levelled through Dylan Lucas before Bradman Best and Dom Young combined for the decisive late score.
The scrappy victory secured Newcastle’s tenth win of the season and kept their momentum intact ahead of a looming clash with the in-form Dolphins, while the Tigers were left to rue another missed chance despite Doueihi’s impressive comeback.
