Newcastle has scored four tries in the final 12 minutes to swamp the Sydney Roosters 34-20 at Bluetongue Stadium in Gosford on Sunday afternoon.
Coming into the game off the back of three successive losses, the Knights looked headed for another defeat when the Roosters scored four tries to two in the opening 40 minutes to lead 20-12.
Chasing top spot on the ladder, the Roosters still led by the same score with a dozen minutes remaining after Brian Smith's team had laid siege to their opponent's line but butchered chance after chance.
Things finally clicked when Cooper Vuna crossed out wide in the 69th minute, with the try sparking a run of 22 unanswered points as Chris Bailey grabbed two tries and then Danny Wicks scored the four-pointer of the season as time ran out.
Wicks picked the ball up at dummy half 40m from his own line and then raced 60m to score under the posts after the hooter as the tired Roosters players feebly tried to halt his run.
Kurt Gidley was the architect of the fightback, having a hand in the first three of the second-half tries and landing five of his six conversion attempts, while Bailey was also superb and Wes Naiqama played a big role at full-back.
The Roosters scored first in the seventh minute when Vuna dropped a Pearce kick and Amos Roberts' pass while on his back saw Fitzgibbon score, but five minutes later scores were level when Danny Buderus' short ball put Jesse Royal through.
Chris Houston lost the ball 20m from his own line in the 17th minute though and two minutes later Sam Perrett's smart inside ball behind his back to Roberts set up a 10-6 lead for the Roosters.
Four minutes later and a penalty against Corey Paterson gave the Roosters field position to grab their third try, this time Braith Anasta's kick to the air brilliantly plucked just before it hit the hands of Adam MacDougall by Iosa Soliola.
With Fitzgibbon converting for 16-6, the momentum swung again when Perrett's dropped ball 25m from his line eventually finished with Paterson picking up and scoring after Roberts had almost picked off Chris Bailey's pass.
Having clawed back to within four points the Knights conceded another score within minutes when Anasta's kick to the left corner was grabbed on the second attempt by Shaun Kenny-Dowall, but Fitzgibbon's miss left it at 20-12 at the break.
Sydney Roosters 20
Tries: Fitzgibbon, Roberts, Soliola, Kenny-Dowall
Conversions: Fitzgibbon 2
Newcastle Knights 34
Tries: Bailey 2, Royal, Paterson, Vuna, Wicks
Conversions: Gidley 5
Sportal's NRL Player of the Year:
3 - Kurt Gidley (Knights)
2 - Chris Bailey (Knights)
1 - Wes Naiqama (Knights)