Newcastle have secured their spot in the 2023 finals series with a 32-6 victory over the Sharks but the result could come at a cost after a shoulder injury to superstar Kalyn Ponga.
Ponga was at his electric best to score a try and play a part in two more as the Knights extended their winning streak to eight, but a sell-out crowd was left silent momentarily when the star fullback was floored in a tackle by Jesse Ramien.
Scans will determine the severity of an AC joint issue for Ponga and his right shoulder but more importantly for the Knights they can afford to be without him for at least next week against the Dragons with a home final all but locked in.
Both sides were locked at 6-6 at the break before the Knights powered ahead by 12 with converted tries to Bradman Best and Dominic Young setting up a handy lead.
Another try to Best, where Ponga was hit heavily by Ramien in the lead-up, quickly followed with a big effort from Greg Marzhew with the Knights running in 32 unanswered points.
Greg Marzhew Try
Earlier, a no try ruling to Young denied the Knights early before Cronulla crossed first on the right edge through Connor Tracey to stun the sold-out crowd on Old Boys day.
Ponga's stellar season in attack on the left edge continued with the Knights fullback getting on the outside of Matt Moylan to get the home side on the board.
A see-sawing first half saw both sides have opportunities to score further points but gutsy finals-like defence shut down any attacking raids.
Lucas saves a try
The Sharks appeared to be over once more when Briton Nikora broke through the line twice but a big effort from Dylan Lucas denied the back-rower with the NRL Bunker ruling he lost the ball.
Young was then bundled into touch down the other end with the try-line beckoning with Braydon Trindall coming up with a second try-saving effort of the afternoon.
Trindall's efforts were as far as it got for the visitors, however, with the Knights producing a second half masterclass led by Ponga with five-straight tries.
An individual effort from Lucas, who broke through the line and then got around Tracey for his first NRL try, got the party started in the Hunter and sets up a Sharks date with the Raiders next week that will be a must-win for both sides.
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Match snapshot
- Cronulla scored the first try through Connor Tracey but then leaked 32 points as the Knights ran in six tries.
- The Knights lost Jackson Hastings, Lachlan Fitzgibbon and Kurt Mann pre-game to injuries while the Sharks were without Nicho Hynes (quad) for the clash.
- The Knights enjoyed 59 percent of possession and completed at 85 percent throughout the match.
- The Knights made nine linebreaks to two in the victory.
- Cronulla missed 71 tackles in the loss and made 11 errors while they conceded eight penalties to three.
- Knights winger Dominic Young has now equalled the club record of 21 tries in a season.
- The Knights had only won eight consecutive games or more on four occasions previously in club history before the side's winning streak started.
- Greg Marzhew has now scored nine tries in eight games during the Knights' winning streak.
- The Knights have now defeated the Sharks in four of their past five clashes at McDonald Jones Stadium.
Play of the game
Kalyn Ponga's brilliance with a linebreak early contributed to Bradman Best's first try but the effort from Tyson Gamble to float a pass wide to Dom Young was crucial and allowed the Knights to build some momentum for a 12-point lead.
Dominic Young Try
What they said
"We didn't speak about grand finals in the summer but we spoke about how good it would it be to be in a semi final at home. I'm really proud of the boys to achieve a goal we set out a long time ago. I thought it was a game we needed to have. They started really well and had us on the ropes. I felt like they punched us in the face early and we didn't panic. I thought our backs were excellent carrying the ball in the second half and our middles were returning the favour by tackling well." - Knights coach Adam O'Brien.
Knights: Round 26
"It was disappointing in the end, the second half, it just felt like we defended our try-line the whole day. We shot ourselves in the foot and I thought we were nervous in the first half. Once you start racking up goal line defence and errors then their energy shifted. The field position ended up getting us in the end. I thought we looked sharp early but we were a bit overwhelmed. That's on us. We didn't put too much pressure on them." - Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon.
Sharks: Round 26
What's next
The Knights hit the road to Kogarah's Netstrata Jubilee Stadium for a final round clash against the Dragons with a finish of up to fifth spot on the Telstra Premiership ladder on offer. Cronulla take on the Raiders in a crucial battle that could see the Green Machine eliminated from the finals race.