St George Illawarra will head into the NRL finals series off the back of a win – if not commanding form – after an edgy 24-14 result against Newcastle.
After a humiliating 38-0 loss to Canterbury last week that made it four defeats from five games, the Dragons hung tough to get the two points at McDonald Jones Stadium.
The victory lifts the Dragons back over the Warriors into sixth spot – and that’s where they’ll stay unless Brisbane beat Manly by 24 points or more on Sunday.
A big Broncos win would give them a home final against the Dragons while a smaller one would cede ground advantage to the Red V.
A Broncos loss would see the Dragons host the Warriors.
On Saturday the Dragons had to overcome an eight-point halftime deficit against a Knights side buoyed by a 24,662 crowd on their annual old boys’ day.
Prop Jeremy Latimore started the comeback when he dragged three defenders over in the 47th minute, before Nene Macdonald finished off a 70-metre break to reclaim the lead.
The result appeared to be sewn up when Matt Dufty showed his set of wheels on a 90-metre dash to the line, although a late Ken Sio try set up a grandstand finish.
The Knights looked to have stolen the show when Mitch Barnett picked up a bomb dropped by Dufty, however Jack Cogger was ruled to have knocked-on in the lead-up.
Dragons winger Jordan Pereira then sealed the win in the 79th minute, ending a horror run of six losses in eight games for coach Paul McGregor’s side.
Dufty and Macdonald were easily the Dragons’ best, combining for 423 metres and 16 takle busts between them to go with their two tries.
The loss for the Knights means they end the season with nine wins and a likely 11th-place finish should Canterbury go down to Cronulla on Sunday.
It also ends a run of three straight wooden spoon finishes.
An early Zac Lomax penalty goal got the Dragons on the front foot, but the Knights replied through Sio in the corner.
Shaun Kenny-Dowall made it a two-try lead at the break when he grounded a Mitchell Pearce kick.