FULLTIME :: Knights confirm finals footy in a thriller.
Titans have 12 seconds to salvage something! Short kick-off! It went too deep! Knights will win!
Mitch Pearce set it up perfectly and slots it!
Jake Clifford has his effort charged down! Knights get it back though!
Patrick Herbert was behind the 40 and misses.
Knights don't go for the drop goal there. They ran it through the hands on last. Ponga, Clifford then Pearce is wrapped up.
Converted.
Fogarty will line up to level things again. He puts it through the sticks.
PENALTY TITANS! Jayden Campbell hit high as he takes on the line. Titans to shoot for two as well?
Titans spread it wide from their own end. Thompson makes some impressive metres. The kick on last forces a dropout!
Clifford puts the Knights ahead for the first time.
PENALTY KNIGHTS! Pearce hit late. Unnecessary and late. Should be a gift two.
Kurt Mann puts the cape on. He reels in the ball but he is grasped a metre short! Changeover.
Brian Kelly loses it trying to pass quickly. CHALLENGE from the Titans! I assume on the error. Nine are too busy interviewing the injured AJ Brimson. UNSUCCESSFUL. Remains a knock on.
Ponga needs to have his hands on the ball to get the Knights home. He throws a forward pass this time.
Clifford levels us up again.
Mitch Pearces gets himself across! It came from Kalyn Ponga again. Ponga skipped past a few defenders and feeds the halfback a four pointer.
Tyrone Peachey runs himself into a corner, backs away and kicks for himself. It somehow produces a dropout. Titans can put them away here.
The game had developed into an arm wrestle then Kurt Mann spills it.
Bradman that wasn't your Best. He tries to pick up and pass at the same time. It fumbles out.
What a kick from Mitch Pearce! He rips off a 40/20 which bounced out eventually on the ten metre line! Knights chance to attack now.
Another smart kick from Fogarty. He bends it enough to force a dropout after it was pushed back.
Now Best hands it right back. He tries to straddle the sideline but flicks it back to a Titan.
Tino has a look at the defense and loses it.
The Knights attack breaks down again on the right. Ponga tries to switch it wide but it dribbles out over the sideline. Titans ball.
PENALTY KNIGHTS! High shot.
Wonderful effort from Ponga! The kick from Fogarty was well directed and looked like it would trap the Knights fullback. He steps out of a tackle and gets back in the field of play.
Campbell somehow holds onto the kick. He fumbled and recaught the ball before offloading to Corey Thompson to start the Titans set!
KICK-OFF! Here we go!
We're back for an important second half for the Titans season. Can they hold onto the win and move into eighth spot or will the Knights slice through their heart in a comeback.
Fogarty tries a kick for Herbert. He pitched and easy take for the Knights. HALFTIME! Titans ahead by six at the break.
PENALTY TITANS! They will have a final chance to attack in this half.
Fogarty with a tough kick on the right. He keeps it on line and over.
You can't stop Fifita that close! He ducks down the right side, bumped off a few defenders and slides over.
Hymel Hunt spills it trying to get the set going.
Titans had them stretched for numbers. Fogarty tries for the harbour bridge pass and it goes over the sideline.
Josh King tries to crown the ball there. It spills out for an error.
PENALTY KNIGHTS! Hymel Hunt hit high by Tyrone Peachey.
That is a big collison. Ponga goes into playmaker mode. He tried to set up Mann who was roped in. Next he bullets one to Connor Watson, who gets rattled by Mo Fotuaika forcing the error.
Game has settled down since the Knights points. Teams getting to their kick and trying to trap the others down in their own half. Ponga and Campbell have been safe under the high ball thus far.
Clifford strikes us level.
Ponga does it all himself! He has been well involved thus far and slices through. Campbell is unable to hang on.
PENALTY KNIGHTS! Ponga clipped in the air.
Ponga dances through the defense but his pass is too low for Hymel Hunt.
Fogarty almost kicked that one to Brisbane! He gets some huge air but the bounce helps it go dead. Ponga has another easy stroll to the 20. Seven tackle set again.
Mitch Rein tries to wedge a kick deep in the Knights end. It keeps rolling though and goes dead. Seven tackle set incoming.
Fogarty converts from in front.
PENALTY TITANS! Jayden Campbell tries something spectacular. He dances through, kicks and gets taken out in the chase. Titans opt for the two.
Titansare turning the screws on the Knights. Fogarty kicks through and forces Ponga to tap it dead. This will be a third set in a row for them
PENALTY TITANS! Tino Fa'asuamaleaui earns the whistle for a crusher. He stayed down after the tackle to help that cause.
Fogarty hits the post.
That came from nowhere! Beau Fermor has been strong in recent weeks. He busts through easily then sets up Phillip Sami for the easy try.
Titans march down the field after a seven tackle set due to a Knights error in the kick. Kurt Mann goes high and comes down with it. Knights ball.
Titans almost got trapped in their own red zone in the first set. A huge carry from Sam McIntyre gets them out of trouble. Knights quickly advance over halfway though.
KICK-OFF! Here we go! Titans with first use.
Here come the teams! First out is the Titans. They are in their white away jersey and looking to get themselves in the top eight mix. Next out is the Knights. They are in blue and red and aim for their best Jeff Probst impression and snuff the Titans finals torch.
Happy Thursday! We kick off the penultimate round of the NRL regular season with a huge game in the context of the top eight. Newcastle sit in seventh and have one foot in the finals already but they can play spoiler against the big spending Titans. The Gold Coast have changed up their spine with Tyrone Peachey moving into the six jumper while once again David Fifita starts on the bench. For the Knights, it is a consistent team selection as they try to add on to their four-game win streak. Grab your drinks, snacks and get ready for some football!
Referees & scorers:
Referee: Grant Atkins
Touch Judges: Chris Sutton, Chris Butler
Video Referee: Ashley Klein
NEWCASTLE KNIGHTS (15)
Tries: Kalyn Ponga, Mitchell Pearce
Field Goals: Jake Clifford (0/1), Mitchell Pearce (1/1)
Conversions: Jake Clifford (2/2)
Penalty Goals: Jake Clifford (1/1)
GOLD COAST TITANS (14)
Tries: Phillip Sami, David Fifita
Conversions: Jamal Fogarty (1/2)
Penalty Goals: Jamal Fogarty (2/2)