With the business end of the NRL season fast approaching, Newcastle, North Queensland and the Sydney Roosters all scored key victories to stay in the finals hunt. 

Check out all the news, scores and stats below.

Newcastle Knights 26 def Melbourne Storm 18

Newcastle have kept their fairytale finals bid alive with a 26-18 upset defeat of Melbourne that breaks an 11-game NRL losing streak against the Storm.

On Saturday night, the Knights were gutsier and more entertaining than they have been all year, coming back from 12-0 down after eight minutes to steal a famous victory at home.

Melbourne forward Tariq Sims went to the sin bin for a high shot that proved game-defining — Newcastle scored three tries while they were a man up and never surrendered their lead.

NSW centre Bradman Best continued his blistering form since making his State of Origin debut earlier this month, while teammate Tyson Frizell celebrated his imminent contract extension with two offloads that led to Newcastle tries.

It will still take something special for the Novocastrians to make finals from here — they must win four of their final six games to finish the season with a winning record and even that may not guarantee a top-eight finish.

But defeating the fourth-placed Storm for the first time since 2015 could prove the confidence boost the side needs, and on the run home, they face only three more top-eight sides.

Sims went to the sin bin just before half time for a high shot on Knights halfback Jackson Hastings and, while he was off the field, the Knights had 90 per cent possession to turn a 12-10 deficit into a 24-12 lead.

Lachlan Fitzgibbon scored a spectacular team try just before the break, the ball passing through eight players' hands before it went to the tryline,

Just after the break, bench prop Mat Croker chased a Phoenix Crossland grubber kick for an uncharacteristically acrobatic four-pointer.

Newcastle's biggest challenge was always going to be keeping the momentum going when the Storm regained their full complement of players.

Team stats

Justin Olam scored from a routine scrum play to bring the scoreline back to 24-18 and the levee appeared primed for the breaking.

But as was the case in their win last week, the Storm lacked polish in attack. When they conceded an offside penalty in the final 10 minutes, Kalyn Ponga kicked for goal and the Knights held on.

Best again lived up to his name as the Knights clawed back into the contest.

He ran a beautiful line to cut through the inside of Reimis Smith for a try at close range and managed a one-handed offload that sent his winger Greg Marzhew over to give Newcastle their first lead.

Storm centre Reimis Smith left the field with a suspected torn adductor in the second half and appears set for a stint on the sidelines.

North Queensland Cowboys 24 def Parramatta Eels 16

North Queensland have claimed a sixth straight win, continuing their surge up the NRL ladder with a 24-16 home defeat of Parramatta.

On Saturday night, fullback Scott Drinkwater again starred and continued his purple patch of form, moving to six tries and 11 try assists in his last six games.

The Cowboys punished an error-strewn Eels side that struggled until the final 15 minutes, when they turned on two quick tries and flirted with a miraculous comeback.

Mitchell Moses and Clint Gutherson combined twice in the final minutes to narrow the deficit to eight, and a penalty with three minutes to go had the Eels poised.

But as had been the trend, errors let Brad Arthur's side down and the Cowboys held on.

In front of a 20,710 crowd that cried for revenge following last year's preliminary final loss to the Eels at home, the Cowboys ran in four tries to three and handed much-loved utility Jake Granville a win in his milestone 200th NRL game.

The win moves North Queensland to seventh on the NRL ladder, two points clear of South Sydney in ninth and the Eels in eighth.

Parramatta face a tough run home to round 27 and. making matters worse, Shaun Lane departed the field in the second half with a suspected dislocated elbow. The Eels were already missing Reagan Campbell-Gillard, Maika Sivo and Dylan Brown to suspension.

The Cowboys began in hot form with early tries via a scampering run by Tom Dearden and another piece of magic by Drinkwater.

Dearden scuttled across field until he found a hole in the line and found Peta Hiku for the opener, with Drinkwater floating a pass out to Semi Valemei six minutes later for their second.

Team stats

An error inside their own 10-metre line gave the Eels a chance they'd capitalise on, Sean Russell diving over in the corner to narrow the deficit to 12-4.

Both teams traded sets, errors and penalties through the midpoint of the half and a Drinkwater run from behind his own goal line seemed to swing momentum.

Off the back of a penalty, a simple hands play to the right edge put Valemei over to complete a first-half double, his seventh try in six games this season.

And when faced with a barrage of yellow and blue attack to end the first half, the Cowboys held their nerve even whilst a man down to take a 16-4 lead into the break.

The Cowboys were without Jeremiah Nanai (shoulder) and Griffin Neame (HIA) in the second half.

Sydney Roosters 36 def Gold Coast Titans 12

James Tedesco has turned on a masterclass performance in the Sydney Roosters' 36-18 win over Gold Coast to keep the Tricolours' NRL finals hopes flickering.

The skipper copped criticism for taking a break and visiting Byron Bay with his family last week after a gruelling State of Origin series and a season of scrutiny due to his club team's poor form.

The break, suggested by his coach Trent Robinson, seemed to be just the tonic he needed.

Tedesco was everywhere at Skilled Park on Saturday in an opening half for the ages as prop Jared Waerea-Hargreaves and his fellow forwards tore through the Titans.

The win took the Roosters to 22 points and just two points outside the top eight with six rounds remaining. If they can replicate this kind of form they will remain in the finals hunt.

The Roosters had not scored 30 points in any match previously this year but they led 30-nil at the break.

Tedesco started off with a slick piece of ball-playing to hold a pass up to send Egan Butcher over.

Minutes later Tedesco slipped a ball to send Butcher careering through a hole. The skipper backed up on the inside to race away and score.

The NSW captain wasn't done. Later in the half he burst onto a Luke Keary inside ball to send Nat Butcher over to make it 30-nil.

It was Harlem Globetrotters style by the Roosters who were dominant through the middle and creative right across the park.

Prop Lindsay Collins bullocked his way over and winger Joseph Suaalii leapt high to snaffle a bomb in a five-try extravaganza in the first half.

Tedesco put his body on the line to snaffle a Kieran Foran grubber with desperation on the cusp of half-time to showcase his mindset.

Team stats

The carnage abated in the second half, but Tedesco's commitment didn't. He came from the clouds to crunch Titans centre Brian Kelly and save a try.

The Titans, stuck on 20 competition points, had lost their previous three games by less than four points in controversial circumstances.

After playing so well for a month and not getting the rewards on the NRL ladder they appeared drained. They got what they deserved in the first half but rallied in the second with three late tries.

Titans coach Jim Lenihan replaced halfback Tanah Boyd with 20 minutes remaining and inserted electric utility Jayden Campbell off the bench in a sign of a positional move he may yet make permanent in future.

Roosters forward Nat Butcher was put on report for a hip-drop tackle on Titans winger Phil Sami.

AAP

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