THE Newcastle Knights made it three successive wins after surviving a nerve-jangling finish to beat Canterbury 22-10 at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday.
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Leading 16-0 at half-time, Newcastle found themselves under siege midway through the second stanza after Canterbury clawed back to within six points.
Knights fullback Kalyn Ponga made sure of the result in the 78th minute with a trademark try, after skipper Mitchell Pearce appeared to have knocked on in the lead-up play.
The win lifted Newcastle to ninth on the ladder, within two points of the top eight, and dropped Canterbury from 15th to last.
The Knights drew first blood in the seventh minute when, after a set play from a scrum win, Ponga threw a short ball to gift-wrap a try for centre Hymel Hunt.
Newcastle then withstood a series of Canterbury attacking sets before tackling winger Jayden Okunbor over the sideline, just as he appeared certain to score.
Newcastle extended their lead in the 22nd minute when Pearce grubber kicked into the in-goal and beat Bulldogs fullback Nick Meaney to ground the ball.
Back-rower Lachlan Fitzgibbon, appearing in his 50th game for Newcastle, scrambled over for a try on the stroke of half-time.
Ponga missed the conversion but the Knights held a commanding 16-0 lead at the interval.
The Bulldogs hit back against the run of play in the 50th minute when winger Reimis Smith intercepted a Pearce pass and raced 85 metres to score, reducing the deficit to 16-4.
That prompted a swing in momentum and the Bulldogs capitalised on a run of possession to bombard Newcastle's line.
Playmaker Kieran Foran was denied a try because of obstruction, but within a minute centre Will Hopoate scored on the opposite flank.
Meaney's conversion from near the sideline left Newcastle clinging to a 16-10 lead with 22 minutes to play.
Ponga sealed the result in the 78th minute when he stepped through for his fourth try in as many games.
Newcastle's win came at a cost when winger Edrick Lee, appearing in his 100th game, was replaced with what appeared to be an ankle injury midway through the second half.
