This game had it all.
Fists flying, big hits, exciting tries but for the nib Newcastle Knights the most important thing to come out of this game was the two points.
The Knights have won six on the trot after downing South Sydney 20-12 at ANZ Stadium on Friday.
Forcing a mistake in the Rabbitohs’ opening set, the Knights applied the pressure and it paid off.
Kurt Mann took the ball to the line before finding a hard-running Hymel Hunt who crashed over.
Mason Lino nailed the conversion for a lead of 6-0 after five minutes.
After the Rabbitohs managed back-to-back sets, they responded with a try of their own.
An early kick for James Roberts saw the centre score in his Souths return.
Adam Doueihi missed the goal to keep the visitors ahead 6-4 after 11 minutes.
After some dubious calls went against the Knights, a Connor Watson one-on-one strip on George Burgess put the Knights back on the attack.
A few plays later and Sam Burgess was penalised for holding Lachlan Fitzgibbon down and Lino took the gift two-points.
Up 8-4 in slippery conditions, the Knights kept the foot on the throat.
A repeat set from the boot of Pearce resulted in points moments later.
A beautifully held up pass from Lino to Mitch Barnett extended the Knights’ lead 12-4 after 27 minutes.
While the weather was chilly, things were heating up on the field.
When a fight broke out one minute short of the break, both teams lost players.
Daniel Saifiti and Lachlan Fitzgibbon were binned, as were the Burgess duo Sam and Thomas.
The Rabbitohs were awarded the penalty after the madness subsided and they took the two on offer.
Playing 11 a-side to start the second half, Connor Watson led the charge.
The No.9 sprung out of dummy-half and snared a sneaky but timely try.
With Lino adding the extras, the visitors were up 18-6.
The intense start to the second half continued when the four binned men returned.
The Knights aimed up in defence, forcing an error from Liam Knight and then George Burgess.
With the Bunnies feeling the heat, a penalty in front of the posts was a gift two-points Lino was more than happy to take.
Leading by 14 points, Jesse Ramien produced a try saver to deny Campbell Graham with 15 minutes remaining.
A strong run from Daniel Saifiti charging towards the halfway saw collision with George Burgess, who was sent for an HIA.
The Rabbitohs looked to make a late comeback, with Roberts bolting down the sideline, however the kick went over the sideline, and momentum lost.
Souths once again looked to narrow the Margin, and this time succeeded through Burgess, crossing the line with just 5 minutes remaining. Gagai slotted the conversion, and narrowed the margin to 10.
