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A 76th-minute try to Sam Lisone has handed the Warriors a heart-stopping 24-20 win over a depleted Knights outfit in Newcastle.
- The Warriors had trailed by 10 points at half-time before fighting back in the second term with four tries
- The Knights were missing three players because of State of Origin duty, as well as the injured Kalyn Ponga
- The Warriors stay 12th on the ladder following the win, while the Knights are fifth
The Warriors were trailing by two points on Saturday night when Lisone collected a Blake Green grubber Knights full-back Connor Watson failed to defuse.
The Knights had a number of opportunities to push for another try in the waning moments, which included Agnatius Paasi's sin-binning for a professional foul.
But the Warriors held on for a sorely-needed victory.
Lisone's match winner saved NRL officials from what would have been a controversial victory for the home side.
The visitors showed plenty of fight in turning a 10-point half-time deficit into an 18-14 lead with a three-try, 12-minute blitz, including two to Ken Maumalo.
The Warriors winger thought he had sealed the victory when he dove over for a third in the 66th minute, only to be overturned by the bunker.
Subsequent replays showed Maumalo, who was among the Warriors' best with 209 metres and two line breaks, planting the ball cleanly inside the corner post.
The drama continued minutes later when Sione Mata'utia crossed for what looked to be the match winner, despite a concussion to Peta Hiku.
The Warriors centre was felled after an attempted tackle on Jesse Ramien, however referees allowed play to continue and Mata'utia duly crossed over.
The Warriors remain in 12th spot despite the win, while the Knights stay fifth.
With Knights stars Mitchell Pearce, David Klemmer and Daniel Saifti in State of Origin camp and Kalyn Ponga injured, the stage was set for the Warriors.
They were even offered some early looks at the try line — first-half plays inside the opposition read 20-4 in their favour — but could only manage a penalty goal.
On the flip side, Newcastle took advantage of all the luck that fell their way.
Mata'utia drew first blood when he took a Lachlan Fitzgibbon offload in the 29th minute, despite the referees missing a knock-on in the lead-up.
Then Fitzgibbon himself enjoyed some good fortune when David Fusitu'a failed to plant a Kurt Mann grubber on the stroke of half-time for a 10-point lead.
The backbreaker came after a wild Shaun Kenny-Dowall offload deep in his own territory that went back 10 metres, only for Ramien to surge downfield.
AAP/ABC
Topics: sport, rugby-league, nrl, newcastle-2300, new-zealand
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