Newcastle have set up a winner-takes-all final round clash with the Dolphins after a Kalyn Ponga inspired 36-14 win over Gold Coast.
With Newcastle needing a win to stay in the finals hunt, Ponga scored the Knights’ first two tries as his side went from 4-0 down to 30-4 up at McDonald Jones Stadium.
The result makes for a promoter’s dream for the NRL, with the last match of the regular season between the Knights and Dolphins to decide eighth spot.
But Newcastle’s win over a Titans side with nothing to play for also spelled bad news for a number of other teams, with Brisbane’s finals hopes now officially over.
St George Illawarra and Canberra’s seasons are also effectively finished, with only a draw between the Dolphins and Knights able to open the door for them.
Newcastle will also enter next Sunday’s clash at McDonald Jones Stadium knowing Ponga is playing the best football he has all year.
After an injury-interrupted season that had netted him only one try before Sunday, Ponga showed glimpses of his best against South Sydney last week.
And the fullback set the tone early again for the Knights on Sunday, with a linebreak in the sixth minute.
Newcastle should have scored off the back of it, but when Greg Marzhew failed to get the ball down and Jojo Fifita went 60 metres to score in the next set, the Titans led 4-0.
Then it was up to Ponga to lift his side back into the contest.
He put his stamp on the game when he got the ball 10 metres out and ran through a gaping hole between David Fifita and Jayden Campbell to score.
The fullback also had his fingerprints all over the Knights’ next before the break, after earning a penalty out of his own end via a ruck infringement.
On the next set the Newcastle No.1 took the ball to the line and went short to Dylan Lucas, who offloaded for Bradman Best before Ponga loomed on the inside to score.
And with the game still in the balance, it was last year’s Dally M Medallist who again got Newcastle going after the break.
The fullback skipped into a hole on the left edge and sent a ball away while falling to the ground, before Dane Gagai put Fletcher Sharpe over on the right next play.
Sharpe finished with a hat-trick, scoring all three in eight minutes after also benefiting from a Brodie Jones offload and Gagai grubber kick.
Best also looked dangerous in his first game back from a hamstring injury, running more than 200 metres and providing an offload for a Phoenix Crossland try.
Source Agencies
