Mark Hughes at EnergyAustralia Stadium
A 30m field goal from Knights halfback Scott Dureau has given Newcastle a 13-12 golden-point win over the Manly Sea Eagles in their second-round NRL match at EnergyAustralia Stadium on Saturday night.
Manly led 6-2 at half-time courtesy of an opportunist try to Jamie Lyon and went further ahead when winger Michael Bani crossed in the 57th minute. But the Knights stormed home with tries to Chris Houston and Richie Fa'aoso to send the match into extra time where Dureau sent the home crowd into hysterics when he calmly slotted home the winning point.
The win means Newcastle has won two from two while Manly, last year's grand finalist is yet to chalk up a win this campaign.
The Knights started better and went ahead in the third minute of play when Kurt Gidley slotted a penalty goal from close range after the Sea Eagles were pinged for offside.
Manly gradually worked its way back into the match and centre Steve Bell went within inches of scoring the opening try in the 17th minute when he darted down the blindside from dummy half on the fifth tackle but spilt the ball over the line under attention from Knights outside backs Cooper Vuna and Keith Lulia, who started at centre in place of an injured Adam MacDougall.
Just moments later Manly hooker Matt Balin looked to have scored a four-pointer when he scooped up the ball and dived over the try-line after Gidley had spilt a high Jamie Lyon bomb on the 20 metre line. But video referee Russell Smith ruled Manly second-rower Anthony Watmough was offside from the kick, much to the delight of the 18,117-strong Newcastle crowd.
Manly made it third time lucky when Gidley made a meal of a Matt Orford high kick in his own in-goal and Lyon dived on the loose ball for the easiest of tries. Orford added the extras to put Manly in front 6-2 in the 35th minute.
Knights centre Wes Naiqama saved a certain try when he pulled off a classic cover tackle on Manly winger Michael Bani after he was put into the clear by veteran Steve Menzies. From the ensuing play Gidley pulled down Orford inches short of the line before Lyon ballooned his crossfield kick into touch and the score remained 6-2 at half-time.
Newcastle started the second half with plenty of fire and went close on a number of occasions but the Manly defence held on and the Sydney-siders extended their lead in the 57th minute when Orford worked an overlap on the right wing to put Bani over out wide. Orford threaded his kick from wide out to make it 12-2.
The Knights were back in the match eight minutes later when halfback Scott Dureau threw a bullet-like cut-out pass to put second-rower Chris Houston on a 10-metre run for his first NRL try. Gidley sprayed his conversion attempt wide to leave the score at 12-6 to the Sea Eagles.
The Knights had all the momentum and lock Zeb Taia broke into the clear only to send his pass to James McManus over the sideline.
Newcastle went close again just minutes later when Richie Fa'aoso dropped the ball with the try-line begging. But the young forward made up for it when he took an inside ball from Jarrod Mullen to burst through the tackles of brothers Glen and