Knights set up finals play-in with Dolphins as season goes down to final game

The NRL world will not know the make up of the finals until the whistle blows on the last game of the regular season.

The Knights have given the season a grandstand finish. Photo by Scott Gardiner/Getty Images

The NRL’s regular season will go right down to the wire after the Newcastle Knights’ 36-14 win over the Gold Coast Titans set up a tantalising finale to the regular season.

The final game of round 27 is most likely going to decide the final place in the NRL’s top eight after with the Knights scheduled to host the Dolphins next week.

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After the Dolphins beat the Broncos on Saturday night, the boys from Redcliffe sit in eighth spot with a superior points differential (+7) over the other teams on 28 competition points — the Knights (-48) and Dragons (-124).

A Raiders win over the Roosters would also see them join the group on 28 competition points, but their points differential going into the game was -131, meaning they’d have to win huge in their final games.

Coincidentally, the Dragons host the Raiders on Saturday afternoon, while the Knights play the Dolphins in the final match of round 27 — the NRL drawmakers could not have scripted it any better.

The Knights have set up a sudden death round 27 clash. Photo by Scott Gardiner/Getty Images

The Dragons could have been in the box seat with a win over Parramatta but a 44-40 loss, where St George Illawarra scored five tries in the final 10 minutes after going down 44-12.

But the loss has all but ended their season as they would need a historic win over the Raiders, who would also be chasing an enormous win of their own.

It leaves the Knights-Dolphins match essentially a play-in final — unless there’s a draw, in which case the winner of the Raiders-Dragons game would make the finals.

Next Sunday’s clash is set to be a classic with both sides in strong form after the Dolphins destroyed the Broncos 40-6 on Saturday, while Kalyn Ponga inspired the Knights to a thumping win.

Ponga had two first half tries as the Knights took a 12-4 lead to the break.

By the end of the match, he’d also run 218m and claimed two linebreaks.

It was a dominant performance from the Knights’ backs, with all but hat-trick hero Fletcher Sharpe running at least 200m.

The brace for Ponga was much needed as he had only scored the solitary try before Sunday’s match.

“A good performance isn’t based on how many tries you score, but the boys let me know through the week, that I was on a dry spell — Tyson Frizell, mostly,” Ponga said.

“I just wanted to be in the game. I wanted to get into the game early, and I felt like I did that today. I guess you get lucky every now and again.”

Kalyn Ponga was on the board. Picture: NRL Photos

Shortly after halftime, Sharpe scored all three of his tries in an eight-minute period with Phoenix Crossland scoring his first of the season, blowing open a 30-4 lead within 15 minutes of the break, which all but ended the Titans’ hopes.

The victory leaves the Knights having won three of their last four, the only loss being a 19-18 defeat to the Sharks in round 24, which coach Adam O’Brien feared had ended Newcastle’s season.

“Obviously after the disappointment of that game down there (against Cronulla), we knew the results were going to be important and a few fell our way yesterday, but the biggest result was our games,” O’Brien said.

“We needed to make sure we take care of this one first and foremost, and then we can prepare for the Dolphins next week.”

A win next week would be the Knights’ fourth finals appearance in five seasons.

Originally published as Knights set up finals play-in with Dolphins as season goes down to final game