The Newcastle Knights climbed into the NRL top four after grinding out a tense 13-12 victory over the Dolphins at McDonald Jones Stadium, ending the visitors’ eight-match winning streak in difficult wet and windy conditions.
Newcastle overcame an early injury setback to prop Jacob Saifiti and built a 12-0 halftime lead through tries to Dylan Lucas and Fletcher Hunt. The Dolphins fought back after the break with Jamayne Isaako extending his remarkable try-scoring run before Kurt Donoghoe’s converted try and a late penalty goal levelled the scores at 12-12.
With the contest heading towards golden point, Phoenix Crossland produced a decisive 40/20 to hand the Knights prime field position, allowing Dylan Brown to calmly slot the match-winning field goal. The result lifts Newcastle above the Dolphins into the competition’s top four ahead of next weekend’s fixtures.
